Adding CD-Text with Foo: A Beginner’s GuideCD-Text is the small but useful layer of metadata stored on audio CDs that allows players to display album, track and artist information instead of generic “Track 01”, “Track 02”, etc. If you’re using the Foo application (commonly used for audio CD ripping and burning, or as a plugin/utility inside audio workflows), adding CD-Text can make your burned discs look professional and be more user-friendly in standalone CD players and some car stereos. This guide walks you through what CD-Text is, when it’s useful, how to prepare metadata, and step-by-step instructions for adding CD-Text with Foo — plus troubleshooting tips and best practices.
What is CD-Text?
CD-Text is an extension of the Red Book audio CD standard that allows storing textual metadata on the disc itself. Typical fields include:
- Album title
- Performer/artist name
- Track titles
- Composer (in some implementations)
- Genre or additional notes (limited support)
Not all players support CD-Text: some will display it, some will ignore it and use CDDB/gracenote metadata or no metadata at all. Still, when supported, CD-Text provides instant, on-disc metadata that doesn’t rely on internet lookups.
Key advantage: CD-Text is embedded on the disc and travels with it, so it’s visible without network access.
When should you add CD-Text?
Consider adding CD-Text when:
- You’re creating discs for distribution (promo CDs, demo discs, burned albums).
- You want recipients to see track and album names on CD players that support CD-Text.
- You need metadata that remains tied to the physical disc rather than remote databases.
Skip CD-Text if you only need digital distribution (files already contain metadata) or if your target playback devices don’t support CD-Text (many cars and older players don’t).
Preparing metadata: tips and formatting
Good metadata improves readability and avoids truncation or errors on players with narrow display limits.
- Keep titles concise: many players show only 16–32 characters per line.
- Use plain ASCII when possible: some legacy players struggle with non-ASCII characters or accents.
- Standardize artist and album naming (e.g., “Artist Name — Album Title” only when appropriate).
- Double-check track order and numbering.
- Avoid special characters like slashes or leading punctuation that might confuse firmware.
Save your metadata in a plain text file or prepare it directly inside Foo’s interface if it supports manual entry or importing (CSV, cue, or similar formats).
Methods Foo may support for adding CD-Text
Different versions or builds of Foo might offer multiple ways to add CD-Text. Common methods include:
- Manual entry: type album/track data in Foo’s CD burning interface.
- Import from a cue sheet: a .cue file can include TITLE and PERFORMER tags and sometimes TRACK/TITLE pairs for CD-Text.
- Import from a metadata file (CSV or plain text) if Foo accepts it.
- Pull metadata from existing audio files (FLAC/MP3 tags) when creating a compilation and use those tags for CD-Text.
Check Foo’s documentation or menus to see which options are available; the steps below cover general workflows that apply to most CD utilities labeled “Foo.”
Step-by-step: Adding CD-Text with Foo (manual entry)
- Open Foo and choose the “Create Audio CD” or “Burn Disc” mode.
- Add audio tracks to the project in the correct order by dragging files into the project window or using the Add button.
- Locate the CD-Text or metadata panel. It may be a tab or a button labeled “CD-Text,” “Disc Info,” “Track Info,” or “Metadata.”
- Enter album-level info: Album title and Artist/Performer. These fields become the disc-level CD-Text tags.
- For each track, enter the track title and (if supported) per-track artist or composer.
- Review character limits and correct any truncated fields.
- If Foo supports importing a cue sheet or reading tags from files, you can instead choose Import → Cue or Import → From Files and map tag fields to CD-Text fields.
- Optionally preview the CD-Text layout if Foo shows how it will appear on a player.
- Insert a blank CD-R or CD-RW into your burner.
- Choose write speed (moderate speeds often give the most reliable burns) and any finalize options (finalizing the disc makes it readable in audio CD players).
- Click Burn/Write. After burning, test the disc in at least one CD player that supports CD-Text (or a CD drive with software that can read CD-Text).
Step-by-step: Adding CD-Text with Foo (using a CUE sheet)
- Create a .cue file that includes disc metadata. Example minimal structure:
PERFORMER "Artist Name" TITLE "Album Title" FILE "track01.wav" WAVE TRACK 01 AUDIO TITLE "Track 1 Title" PERFORMER "Artist Name" TRACK 02 AUDIO TITLE "Track 2 Title" PERFORMER "Artist Name" - Save the cue file in the same folder as the audio files (or adjust paths accordingly).
- In Foo, choose Import → Load CUE and select your .cue file.
- Verify that Foo shows CD-Text fields populated from the cue sheet.
- Burn the disc as described above.
Verifying CD-Text after burning
- Insert the burned disc into a computer drive and use software that can read CD-Text (many ripping programs and some media players show CD-Text).
- Check in a hardware CD player or car stereo that advertises CD-Text support.
- If CD-Text isn’t visible, re-open the project in Foo and verify the CD-Text fields were actually written before burning and that the disc was finalized.
Troubleshooting common issues
- CD-Text not appearing: Ensure the disc was finalized and that the player supports CD-Text. Also verify Foo actually wrote CD-Text — some tools require an explicit checkbox to enable CD-Text writing.
- Truncated text or garbled characters: Reduce length, remove special characters, or use plain ASCII. Try different encoding options if Foo offers them (e.g., ISO-8859-1 vs UTF-8).
- CUE file ignored: Ensure the cue sheet syntax matches the audio file types and that paths are correct. Some tools expect WAV vs FLAC or absolute paths.
- Disc not readable in some players: Use a lower burn speed and finalize the disc.
Best practices & recommendations
- Finalize discs intended for playback in consumer CD players.
- Use a moderate burn speed (e.g., 8x–16x for many burners) to reduce read errors.
- Prefer simple ASCII metadata for maximum compatibility.
- Keep album and track titles concise to match small player displays.
- Keep a copy of your .cue or metadata file with the source files for future re-burns.
Quick checklist before burning
- [ ] Tracks in correct order
- [ ] Album and artist metadata entered
- [ ] Per-track titles filled and checked for length
- [ ] Disc finalize option set (if needed)
- [ ] Burn speed selected (moderate)
- [ ] Test disc in at least one CD-Text-capable device
Adding CD-Text makes your physical audio releases look and feel more professional. With Foo, whether you enter data manually, import a cue sheet, or pull tags from files, the process is straightforward — just verify support in both the software and target playback device, keep metadata simple, and finalize the disc for widest compatibility.
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