22
TASCAM CD-A550/CD-A750
5 – Playing Back CDs
This chapter explains the playback functions of this unit’s
CD player.
Discs that can be played
This unit’s CD player can play the following types of discs.
• CD-DA (audio CD) format discs
This unit can play commercially available audio CDs and
CD-R and CD-RW discs that have been recorded in audio
CD format. These discs are called “ audio CDs” in this
manual.
• CD-ROM (data CD) format discs
This unit can play discs that contain MP3 and WAV files.
These discs are called “data CDs” in this manual.
MP3 files that can be played include files that have sam-
pling frequencies of 32, 44.1 or 48 kHz, and bit rates of
32 to 320 kbps or variable bit rate (VBR). WAV files that
can be played include files that have sampling frequen-
cies of 8 to 48 kHz and are 8-bit or 16-bit.
CAUTION
MP3 files that use VBR compression
Due to format limitations, positions in VBR files cannot
be accurately detected. For this reason, when using the
call function, the A–B repeat function or other functions
that require points to be set in the middle of tracks, the
points set and the actual playback starting points might
be slightly different.
Data CD folders and tracks
This unit treats all the audio files (WAV and MP3) on data
CDs as “tracks.” Some data CDs store files inside folders
in the same way that ordinary computers do. In addition,
multiple folders can be stored inside another folder creating
a multilevel structure.
This unit assigns a folder number to each folder to manage
them. Folder numbers are assigned sequentially starting
with the first folder at the highest level followed by the
folders (subfolders) inside it. Folders inside a higher-level
folder are numbered in order before the next folder in the
higher-level is numbered as shown in the illustration below.
If the root folder of a data CD contains one or more audio
files, it will be numbered as the first folder.
Each audio file is also assigned a track number. Track
numbers are assigned in order starting from those in the
lowest numbered folder. During ordinary playback of data
CDs, tracks are played back in the order of their assigned
numbers just like the tracks on an audio CD. Folders that
do not directly contain audio files are not given numbers.
For example, in the illustration below the folder that
contains folder 5 is not given a number.
Folder
MP3/WAV file
An Example of Data CD Structure
Loading a CD
To load a CD, press the
OPEN/CLOSE
key on the main unit
or the remote control to open the disc tray and place a disc
on it with the label side up.
Press the
OPEN/CLOSE
key again to close the disc tray.
After a disc is loaded, this unit reads the disc information
and shows on the display the total number of tracks and
total playback time for an audio CD or the total number of
tracks in the current folder or on the entire disc for a data
CD.
OPEN/CLOSE key
