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American Music Teacher, August-Sept, 2003 by George F. Litterst

When we speak of using technology, many of us tend to restrict the conversation to technologies that are very new or those used by a minority of teachers. This is unfortunate because we often forget how powerful certain commonly used technologies can be.

Today, CDs and CD players are everywhere. I cannot think of a single teacher who does not know how to use a CD player. It is not surprising, therefore, that I am frequently asked questions related to extended use of CD technology, such as:

* How can I make a CD of my student recital?

* How can I record a CD to send home with my student?

* How can I make multiple copies of my CDs?

* How can I change the key of a CD recording or tune it to my instrument?

* How can I slow down the tempo of a CD accompaniment for practice purposes?

Fortunately, CD and digital audio technologies have become so advanced and easy to use that you can do all the things suggested by the questions above. In fact, you already may have most of the tools you need!

What You Need

To do all the things listed above, you need either:

* a microphone

* a personal computer with a CD-burner

* additional computer software or:

* a stand-alone CD recorder/player, such as the Superscope PSD300 (www.superscopetechnologies.com)

CD Basics

If you purchased a computer during the last two years, there is a good chance it came with a CD burner. We call it a burner because it contains a laser that actually burns information onto the CD platter. By using a computer with a CD burner, you can create your own CDs.

If your computer lacks a CD burner but has a USB or a FireWire (IEEE1394) port, you can add an external CD burner to your computer. As an alternative, you can forget the computer and get a dedicated CD recording device--such as the Superscope PSD300--that works without a computer.

Some CD burners are called CD-Rs, and some are called CD-RWS. The R in CD-R means you can record once onto the CD. Of course, you can put multiple pieces of music onto the CD, but you must put them on all at once. After you have burned your pieces to the CD, you cannot erase them, change the order or add new ones.

On the other hand, the RW in CD-RW means you can rewrite the CD--you can erase, change the order and add new recordings whenever you like. To take advantage of the rewrite feature, you must use discs labeled CD-RW.

CD-Rs cannot burn CD-RW discs. CD-RWs, however, can burn either CD-R discs or CD-RW discs and therefore provide you with much more flexibility. Unfortunately, the CD-RW discs are not compatible with most consumer CD-players at this time. For this reason, you may find it convenient to burn CD-RW discs only for your own use or for students who intend to play them in computers. When making discs for anyone who is likely to play them in a regular CD player, you probably should stick with the CD-R type.

Recording a CD--Option 1

By far, the easiest way to record a music CD is to use the Superscope PSD300. This amazing $1,099 piece of equipment can record directly to CD using its built-in microphone or your own external microphone. It works with both CD-R and CD-RW media, has two CD drives so you can make CD copies and has a host of playback features, including pitch and tempo control.

If you have longed to record your own CDs with the simplicity of the obsolete cassette recorder, the PSD300 is the device for you. This unit is reasonably small (11" x 9" x 4") and light (7 lbs.). You can easily move it around your studio or take it to concerts.

Recording a CD--Option 2

The other way to make your own CDs is to use your personal computer. To do so, you need most or all of the following:

* Microphone(s) (A single, stereo microphone is fine for most teachers.)

* A recording device (such as a cassette, MiniDisc or DAT). Note: This item is not necessary if you plan to record directly to your computer's hard drive.

* Audio input(s) for your computer

* Audio recording software for your computer

* CD burning (authoring) software for your computer

* CD burner

It may seem as though this equipment list is long and imposing, but these items actually are pretty easy to assemble, and you already may own most or all of them.

To make your audio CDs using your computer, you will either make a recording using a familiar recording device (cassette, MiniDisc or DAT) and import that recording into your computer or record directly into your computer.

In many ways, recording directly into your computer seems like the simplest idea. You have less equipment to work with. However, for obvious reasons, your computer needs to be dose to the place of the recording--making this idea inconvenient in many cases.

Let's go through the steps of the process.

1. Record to a Familiar Recording Device

(If you plan to record directly to your computer's hard drive, skip to step 2.)

The best modern device to use is a MiniDisc recorder. MiniDiscs range in price from about $150 to over $1,000 depending on quality and features. Most MiniDisc recorders are incredibly small and easy to use. They create digital recordings, which lack the tape hiss that used to plague cassette recordings.