User`s guide

Virtual CD v4 Documentation
Page 15 of 15
Settings for Audio Tracks
The default setting in this window is the option for creating audio tracks as individual
sound files. With this option, you can also select the Compression method for
sound files from the select list. At the time of printing of this manual, "ACM" is the
only method offered. Additional methods will be released shortly for integration in your
Virtual CD program. As soon as these become available, you will find them on the
Virtual CD Web site, at www.virtualcd-online.com.
The audio formats found on your PC are a subset of the selected compression
method. The standard setting uses a method that creates 1 : 1 images in audio CD
quality (PCM, 44.100Hz, 16-bit, stereo). If you want to change the audio format, keep
one thing in mind:
"Sound quality costs disk space"
In other words, the better the sound quality, the more space used up on your hard disk
by the virtual CD. The standard CODEC (compression-decompression module)
module integrated in Windows is the MS ADPCM CODEC, which offers a good
compromise between the sound quality achieved and the disk space required. Other
CODECs, such as MP3 and VQF, for example, offer even better compression and still
produce sound quality approaching that of the original CD.
When you create music tracks as sound files, you can define whether the source data
is read using a digital or an analog technique. Almost all CD-ROMs used today (8x
and up) support the function for reading audio tracks digitally. This option offers
better sound quality than the analog technique. Even so, there may be some audible
interference. If this is the case, select the analog option. With this setting, the audio
data is played from the original CD and recorded by your sound card. You can use the
Test option to check the recording quality and volume.