Best way to burn games?

[TMP]

All the games I've burned have worked except for Sengoku for some reason. And I tried to burn it twice.

[goldenband]

I haven't been able to get Sengoku to work either. I suspect it has additional lockout code, and needs to be hacked to work on US systems.

[Chilly Willy]

The SEGA CD BIOS allows you to read the extra P/Q channels. So if a game used them, a straight ISO copy wouldn't work. You'd need something like a DiscJuggler copy that preserved all that low-level data.

[Silanda]

Why doesn't Lunar: TSS don't go past the Title Screen?? I tried 2 CD-R's..

I remember that one being a problem in the distant past. Back in the day it didn't like being burned Track at Once instead of Disc at Once. What software are you burning with and what settings are you using for the burn?

[nieds16]

You all are making this far too difficult. There is a simple solution to this problem. Put the disc in a fire. It is burned. J/k. Sorry, I couldn't help myself.

Anyway, I read all of the posts for this thread and there is a lot of different stuff on here. I've never burned a disc, but I received one from a friend. My tv has been acting up according to my girlfriend, but half way through the level the image cut out and I was left with a blue screen, which is normal on that input if nothing is being run, yet the audio kept going. T.v. problem or disc problem? I bought the actual copy of the game a day later so I only tried the disc once.

The only game I've considered burning the sonic megamix. I really don't want to hurt my system. I have NO idea if it will because I'm electronically challenged. If I even want to try it, I was just wondering if anybody has burned games on lightscribe discs? I have a lightscribe burner and you can flip the disc and burn images onto the top of the disc. That would be cool in my mind.

[Lastcallhall]

The SEGA CD BIOS allows you to read the extra P/Q channels. So if a game used them, a straight ISO copy wouldn't work. You'd need something like a DiscJuggler copy that preserved all that low-level data.

That's why I use BIN+CUE. - Alcohol 120 burns all the subchannel data for you.

Why doesn't Lunar: TSS don't go past the Title Screen?? I tried 2 CD-R's..

I had a problem with this one, as well. Two questions:

What format are you trying to burn (ISO, ISO+WAV/MP3 BIN+CUE, etc.), and do you have a cue sheet you can list for us? you can open it in notepad. Chances are the pregap is off.

[xelement5x]

You all are making this far too difficult. There is a simple solution to this problem. Put the disc in a fire. It is burned. J/k. Sorry, I couldn't help myself.

Anyway, I read all of the posts for this thread and there is a lot of different stuff on here. I've never burned a disc, but I received one from a friend. My tv has been acting up according to my girlfriend, but half way through the level the image cut out and I was left with a blue screen, which is normal on that input if nothing is being run, yet the audio kept going. T.v. problem or disc problem? I bought the actual copy of the game a day later so I only tried the disc once.

The only game I've considered burning the sonic megamix. I really don't want to hurt my system. I have NO idea if it will because I'm electronically challenged. If I even want to try it, I was just wondering if anybody has burned games on lightscribe discs? I have a lightscribe burner and you can flip the disc and burn images onto the top of the disc. That would be cool in my mind.

That sounds like a TV problem, or maybe an issue with the cords you have coming out of the Genesis.


As for burns, I'd try to stay away from BIN/CUE sets or ISO/MP3 ones in the long run. Your best best would be to find an image that is a straight ISO of the entire disc, not just the data part with the audio as separate files. But, as Chilly Willy mentioned, if some discs have that low level data then you'd want to make a DiscJuggalo copy instead. It's been awhile since I've burned games for the most part, but I used to make a huge number of Saturn copies back in the day.

[Chilly Willy]

That's why I use BIN+CUE. - Alcohol 120 burns all the subchannel data for you.

Yeah, that's why some people complained earlier about dumps of SCD games - ISO + MP3s doesn't hack it on some things. Besides, people don't want low-quality MP3 sound from their SCD game, they want full CDDA sound. So a nice low-level bin/cue is what many want for their dumps.

[Ecco]

The SEGA CD BIOS allows you to read the extra P/Q channels. So if a game used them, a straight ISO copy wouldn't work. You'd need something like a DiscJuggler copy that preserved all that low-level data.

I haven't read about this before. Anyone please explain more? What is the extra data that doesn't work with a normal ISO copy?

What games don't work with an ISO copy???

That's why I use BIN+CUE. - Alcohol 120 burns all the subchannel data for you.

So this is the same extra data he was just talking about right? What the heck is subchannel data, and why is it not there on a normal ISO?

As for burns, I'd try to stay away from BIN/CUE sets or ISO/MP3 ones in the long run. Your best best would be to find an image that is a straight ISO of the entire disc, not just the data part with the audio as separate files.

I guess you're recommending ISO's, which is good, bc that's what I always used to burn any Sega CD games. Still, I'm not exactly clear why you are recommending ISO's but warning against BIN/CUE sets, because I thought an ISO simply opens up to a BIN/CUE set, right?

Not sure what it means to warn against ISO+mp3, since I thought mp3's could not be used for making Sega CD's, and the mp3's would have to be converted to wav first...

Yeah, that's why some people complained earlier about dumps of SCD games - ISO + MP3s doesn't hack it on some things.

Same questions as above; MP3s can't be used to burn Sega CD's so what are you guys talking about? lol I assumed ISO+MP3 must be geared for emulation, not burning physical Sega CD's...

MP3s get coverted to wav for making Sega CD's; are you saying the resulting burned disc will have inferior sound, and why?

Besides, people don't want low-quality MP3 sound from their SCD game, they want full CDDA sound. So a nice low-level bin/cue is what many want for their dumps.

Someone please explain the MP3 thing, and what he is saying about CDDA (Compact Disc Digital Audio)?

What is a "low-level bin/cue?" I've been using ISO's (which open up to a bin/cue) so is that the same thing you're talking about or different?

[Lastcallhall]

I haven't read about this before. Anyone please explain more? What is the extra data that doesn't work with a normal ISO copy?

What games don't work with an ISO copy???

Read this for subchannel data:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compact_Disc_subcode

So this is the same extra data he was just talking about right? What the heck is subchannel data, and why is it not there on a normal ISO?

Same data, yes. Most ISOs are created without the subchannel data, as that's what I've found to be a default setting from most imaging programs - you actually have to go into the settings to enable subchannel data to be extracted.

I guess you're recommending ISO's, which is good, bc that's what I always used to burn any Sega CD games. Still, I'm not exactly clear why you are recommending ISO's but warning against BIN/CUE sets, because I thought an ISO simply opens up to a BIN/CUE set, right?

Kinda. Binary (BIN) files are literally a string a 0's and 1's of the entire disk's layout. IIRC, ISO contains track data, and other superfluous information.

Not sure what it means to warn against ISO+mp3, since I thought mp3's could not be used for making Sega CD's, and the mp3's would have to be converted to wav first...

This is correct - if you burned an ISO+MP3 CUE sheet, you'd get no sound other than the Genesis generated stuff.

Same questions as above; MP3s can't be used to burn Sega CD's so what are you guys talking about? lol I assumed ISO+MP3 must be geared for emulation, not burning physical Sega CD's...

See above.

MP3s get coverted to wav for making Sega CD's; are you saying the resulting burned disc will have inferior sound, and why?

Technically, yes - MP3s (lossy compression) already have data stripped from them when compressed from the original WAV files; that stuff doesn't just come back when inflated back to a WAV file. The data is still missing, so yeah, it's an "inferior" copy when compared to the original WAV

Someone please explain the MP3 thing, and what he is saying about CDDA (Compact Disc Digital Audio)?

Again, see above. CDDA is true, 44.1kHz 16-bit digital sound.

What is a "low-level bin/cue?" I've been using ISO's (which open up to a bin/cue) so is that the same thing you're talking about or different?

Low level, as in as close to the machine language as you can get. That's what BIN is - binary code.

I kind of glossed over the big parts; I'm sure someone else will fill in/correct me. =)

[KnightWarrior]

I have the Lunar TSS Disc I got in a trade..I try to just to Copy to Copy

[Ecco]

@lastcallhall: Thanks for the info.



Earlier I had said that my burned Sega CD's have worked fine no matter what speed they've been burned at (this is true), but I wanted to also mention that I'm not 100% sure what speeds my PC burns CD's at. IIRC my old Nero software went up to 48x, but given that I have an old computer (with a newer disc burner), I don't know if it really got up to 48x (as it would indicate onscreen), or maybe it just said that, with a slower speed.

My current Nero software (it's a free, limited-time trial) only burns at 10x, with no choices offered. So maybe that means my computer only really burns up to 10x? Or maybe it's just the limitations of the current free trial program. Just don't know.

[sheath]

I forget where I asked this before, but I am still having trouble burning the Pier Solar soundtrack and getting it to read in my X'Eye. I just got in an entire spool of Verbatim CDRs, and tried one with my HTPC's burner and one with my Laptop's burner, neither would let me burn below 24x. The HTPC disk wouldn't read at all, the Laptop one played for a while, started skipping and then quit altogether. The only thing I know to do is try a third disk burner with my Office PC, but I just don't see the point. On the HTPC I just used Windows 7's built in burn functionality (copied the ISO to the drive and clicked burn disk). On the Laptop I used Nero 8 Essentials.

Does anybody have any suggestions?

[The Jackal]

I forget where I asked this before, but I am still having trouble burning the Pier Solar soundtrack and getting it to read in my X'Eye. I just got in an entire spool of Verbatim CDRs, and tried one with my HTPC's burner and one with my Laptop's burner, neither would let me burn below 24x. The HTPC disk wouldn't read at all, the Laptop one played for a while, started skipping and then quit altogether. The only thing I know to do is try a third disk burner with my Office PC, but I just don't see the point. On the HTPC I just used Windows 7's built in burn functionality (copied the ISO to the drive and clicked burn disk). On the Laptop I used Nero 8 Essentials.

Does anybody have any suggestions?

I downloaded the iso here, burned it with ImageBurn on the default settings (just click the image, select Open with ImageBurn and then hit the Burn to CD icon) and then popped the disc into my Mega CD 2; worked straight away and I've had no problems with it.

[Barone]

I forget where I asked this before, but I am still having trouble burning the Pier Solar soundtrack and getting it to read in my X'Eye. I just got in an entire spool of Verbatim CDRs, and tried one with my HTPC's burner and one with my Laptop's burner, neither would let me burn below 24x. The HTPC disk wouldn't read at all, the Laptop one played for a while, started skipping and then quit altogether. The only thing I know to do is try a third disk burner with my Office PC, but I just don't see the point. On the HTPC I just used Windows 7's built in burn functionality (copied the ISO to the drive and clicked burn disk). On the Laptop I used Nero 8 Essentials.

Does anybody have any suggestions?

Never do that again, OK (the bold part)?

Many people here recommend ImgBurn as a good solution for Sega CD discs.

I use Nero 7 Ultra (or something like that; the full package). Usually I load the .iso file into a Daemon virtual drive (there's a lot of options that you can set in order to achieve a more "reliable" reading - usually such options are needed for PS1 discs) and then I copy the entire disc from the virtual drive to the writer using Nero, but not the express front-end. There are some options to be set in the "advanced" version and so I commend to avoid lite/express versions of Nero.
Verbatim are top quality CD-Rs but maybe your writer + X'Eye set will work better with another "type" (media types can vary even from the same brand; there's a program to identify it) of CD-R. I would try at least two different brands before start to go nuts about the whole thing.