burning CDs more than one time?

I find that when I burn stuff onto a CD, there is often a lot of empty space that I haven't used.

Can I fill this empty space by burning the CD a second, or third time?

Yes, but when you initially burn the CD the first time you must specify that it not be "closed". Once closed the CD can not be written to again.

Writing to a CD several times is called "multi-session" recording. There are several OS X applications which can accomplish this, however, in my opinion, multi-session recording in OS X is not very elegant. Elegant and efficient multi-session recording is best done in Windows.

And, in case you're wondering, OS X does not support multi-session recording to DVD media. Only CD media is supported.

Regards.

May I ask of chscag, are you referring to CD+R and CD-R; and with what application? I've never encountered the "closed" factor with that media, although I understand the Burn-in and Burn-out process. I understand that multi-session recording to CD requires the media to be CD-RW and CD-RWR. Have I somehow missed a transition to a higher plane?

A further piece of info I learned at cost to myself - you cannot benefit from multi-session recording audio to a CD-RW (RWR) for use on a CD player.

To the OP - blank CDs are very cheap, but I too like to fill as much of a disk as I can.

Yes, referring to CD+R and CD-R media. Multi-session recording can be accomplished on either media provided you do not close the session. The handy "BurnX Free 1.5" application will do multi session recording. I mentioned that the process in not very elegant in OS X. Here's why:

The second session will appear as a second mounted CD on your desktop along with the first session. And so on.... In other words, when you mount a CD that has been recorded twice in separate sessions, it will appear on your desktop as two CDs.

CD+RW media is a bit different because the media can be erased and re-recorded. And yes, you're correct in that CD+RW media for audio recording does not work well.

Usually, if I have to do any serious recording to CD or DVD media, I switch to Windows where the process works better and as I mentioned above - elegant.

Regards.

chscag said:

Yes, but when you initially burn the CD the first time you must specify that it not be "closed". Once closed the CD can not be written to again.

Writing to a CD several times is called "multi-session" recording. There are several OS X applications which can accomplish this, however, in my opinion, multi-session recording in OS X is not very elegant. Elegant and efficient multi-session recording is best done in Windows.

And, in case you're wondering, OS X does not support multi-session recording to DVD media. Only CD media is supported.

Regards.

Click to expand...

Thanks much for the help. George

Elegance is a matter of opinion. The sessions appear on the desktop only if you leave that default setting for Finder preference. Without the default setting, the partitions are only visible in a Finder Window. This is the same as in Windows where disks (Windows calls partitions "disks") are only visible in a "My Computer" or Windows Explorer window. You have to have two or more partitions. How else could they be separated?

Also, you don't need any special software. Disk Utility can burn multi-session easily. Take a look at Disk Utility Help.

Also, Most Windows XP systems cannot even see a CD with open sessions.

And a third also: OS X DOES support multi-session burning to DVD+RW media. Disk Utility doesn't. Use Dragon Burn or Toast for multi-session DVD burns.

Other than that, you got everything right.