Challange #2
 

This challange is more oriented towards audio geeks, but we'll start from the basics.

I want to be able to record (in realtime) directly from the input of a soundcard to a CD. Exactly like a standalone CD burner, with stop, track ID, etc controls.

If it could also be set up to record the OUTPUT of the soundcard (without doing a loopback) this would be a huge bonus.

If it could be interfaced through Steinberg's VST plugin protocol, whoever makes it could probably sell it to a lot of audio geeks like myself.

MPEDrummer

I dont know if there is a way to do that directly. from my limited experience, it seems that burning programs usually run a process or two on the audio file before burning, which would not be possible with direct burning. Even without that, though, there is the problem of the burning program needing to know how big the file is before it can begin the burn. As I understand it, cd burning is NOT like analog recording. It is more like photocopying, in that you are making a copy of a finished product. The real issue here, as I see it, is can the hardware support burning on the fly? If so, Im sure a smart program can (or already has) figured out how to code for such a function. But my guess is that the hardware wont work that way.

However, wouldnt it just be easier to record onto hard disc and THEN burn to cd? If for no other reason than the fact that you can edit what goes onto the cd before burning it.

why do you want to record directly to cd?

Well, there are standalone CD burners that DO record on the fly. So it can be done, it's just a matter of whether it can be done with a computer.

Recording to HDD first and then to CD takes more time. What I want is the ability to do a quick one-off of a mix I'm working on outside the computer in the studio, so I can go reference it elsewhere. The way I currently accomplish this is to either (depends which studo I'm in) use a standalone CD burner, or do exactly what you suggested. It's a lot more convenient to open the CD, press record, and simply mix, dropping markers as I go. Dumping into the computer takes serveral extra steps...saving the file, creating the CD in (insert audio CD program) and then actually waiting while the CD burns.

I'm pretty sure the reason that no one has done it is that no one has recognized the market that may actually use it.

MPEDrummer

And actually...with Burnproof enabled burners, it probably wouldn't be that hard. Even if the program records the audio to CD, say, 1MB behind where the audio actually is, it's still a jump ahead...fill the buffer up, and burn from the buffer, refilling as the audio advances.