Conference cookie::notes$archive:cd_v1

    The company is Rykodisc. They are located in Salem Ma. They been
    responsible for some high quality issues and reissues. One artist
    that comes to mind is Frank Zappa, who has a deal with them to
    reissue his cataloque stuff(most of it long out of print). Having
    purchased many of these I can vouch for quality and attention to
    detail. The record breaking c.d you mentioned is a compilation of
    stuff from the local (now defunct) boston band Mission of Burma.
    It's hard edged wonderful stuff. I also believe the figure was 80
    minutes, not 90, but I could be mistaken. it should be out this
    week.

    I'd be interested in hearing an explanation of this too.  My
    understanding was that 74 minutes and some odd (15?) seconds was
    the maximum capacity.  This was based on the sampling frequency,
    bandwidth, and the storage capacity of the disc.  These would be
    hard and fast numbers, and not subject to "squeezing".
    
    I know there is additional data storage, like track information
    and room for the so-called sub-codes, but it would require a
    specially-designed player (and a new standard) to make use of any
    music stored there.
    
    So what's the deal?

    I'm curious too, but I'm also interested in getting a Mission
    of Burma CD, no matter what the length.
    
    --- jerry

    Each track must require some amount of overhead to store the length,
    time, etc.  Perhaps, possibly, a five track CD could hold 80 minutes
    but a 30 track may only hald 70 because of the extra overhead for
    each track.  Its just a guess?  Does anybody know for sure.
 
    
    							-Paul
    

	 Knowing the format of the cd.  It is, in my belief,
	 impossible (unless you make a new physical size) 
	 to put 90 minutes on one CD.  
	 The 74.x minutes cd measure 12 cm.
	 For 90 minutes you would need about 13 to 13.5 cm.

	 Using the "unused" subcode bits, if this could be 
	 possible, would make the CD 46.7 seconds longer.
	 But all actual CD players are not programed for that.
	 
	 Unless they want to start a new CD writing standard.
	 (whitch would make them totally unreadable with
	  our current player) Then I wish them good luck...

	 Who's beleiving everything they write in the paper?
	 Look at the weather section...

	 Vince.

    It is not 90 minutes. It is 80 minutes. The original note was incorrect.

    What determines the track spacing? Is this somehow fixed or can
    it be squeezed?
    
    Les

    Re/ .7:
    
    No, it can't be squeezed.  The disc has a certain capacity, and
    that's it.  I believe that the capacity of 12cm discs is 74'15"
    or thereabouts.  You simply can't get any more information on it
    without changing the format and obsoleting all existing manufacturers
    and players.
    
    You can't put 800 Mb on a 750 Mb disc.

    How about 2 forty minute MONO programs?
    80 minutes in 2 passes, with a channel turned off.
    _bill

    Actually, there IS a way to squeeze tracks- and that is to cheat
    on the CD inter-spiral spacing.  
    
    A CD player does NOT have the laser tracking geared to the disc
    spindle.  Instead, the laser mirror assembly itself tracks small
    deviations, and sends feedback signals to a servo motor to crank
    the laser head radially in and out.
                            
    Note that it would only take a 9% "cheat" on the inter-spiral distance
    to get 80 minutes of sound on a CD.  Possibly the disk would not
    play well (or at all) on a very mediocre player (one with a laser
    spot so big it Just Barely Doesn't hit the adjacent pitlines.  But
    most players are much better than that - heck, the Sony triple beam
    players put three beamspots in less than one interspiral distance.
    
    Anybody got this disk and a good microscope?
    	
    	-Bill
    

    Anybody seen this thing yet?  Mission of Burma was a good band!
    
    	Eirikur
    

    
    	Its easy, just encode repeats (choruses, etc.) into the subcode,
    i.e. make 'em macros.  Who could tell without watching their timers ?
    Would it matter anyway ?, isn't that how half the pop stuff gets mastered
    in the first place ?  Why take up real recording space for "more
    of the same"  when its just another copy of the same chorus from the
    master ?
    
    	Reg
    
    

    I saw an ad for this disc in the latest Digital Audio.  It is indeed
    Ryko and 80 minutes.  I didn't think this was possible....
    
    					Steve

    I don't know much of the technical stuff, but just some interesting
    info: When they were inventing CD's, they had to come up with a
    standard for all to use.  They decided to make it 74 min. and
    16 sec. (or something close to that) because that's how long
    Beethoven's Ninth Symphony is, and they thought that was as good
    a cutoff point as any.
    
                                          Alan
    

    I haven't listened to it yet, though (me and my CD player are not
    occupying the same spacetime coordinates).
    
    The packaging only says:
    
    	"A breakthrough in technology and music, this Compact Disc
    	contains over 80 minutes of brash, vital rock from this
    	legendary quartet..."
    
    --- jerry

    According to the CD specs I have they claim that 74min 42sec is
    max.

    re:.16
    
    Well, yes and no.
    
    As I understand it, the more data you put on the CD, the chancier
    it is to maintain the proper quality control. The Mission of Burma
    CD *is* 80 minutes long. I haven't heard of any problems with it,
    but undoubtedly, there are players out there that just aren't able
    to handle it.
    
    --- jerry

    Well, the Mission of Burma CD plays even on a $77 Crown portable; I
    haven't heard of any player that can't handle it.  There's a West
    German plant that makes these by cheating on one of the specs a little. 
    It was written up in Tower Records' Pulse magazine an issue ago; I'll
    see if I can find the article.