Making audio CDs from downloads

You can put your downloaded music onto a CD for an ordinary CD player. This is called burning an audio CD. You keep the downloaded files on your computer too.

The essential setting: choose “Audio CD”.

A data CD containing music files is different. Simply copying FLAC, WAV or MP3 files onto a disc will not make a standard audio CD.

What you need

A Windows computer or Mac.
A CD-writing drive. If your computer has no built-in drive, an external USB CD/DVD writer can do the job. A drive that only reads discs cannot burn them.
A blank CD-R. These are generally a better choice for ordinary CD players than rewritable CD-RW discs.
Software that can create an Audio CD. The names of its buttons may vary.
The music files, downloaded and extracted from their ZIP folder.

Which files should I use?

If you bought a lossless download: use WAV

For the simplest route, open My Downloads and choose the recording. For a 16-bit purchase, choose its WAV download. For a 24-bit purchase, open More download options and choose WAV for Audio CD — 16-bit / 44.1 kHz.

The special Audio CD option makes a copy at the standard required by an audio CD. Your original 24-bit download stays available. Choose this option rather than the ordinary 24-bit WAV download when you want to make a CD.

If you see Preparing, allow time for the files to be made ready, then download them.

If you already have FLAC files

Some CD-burning programs accept FLAC directly. Add the tracks to an Audio CD project if yours does. If it does not recognise them, return to My Downloads and choose WAV as described above. You do not need to buy the same recording again.

The audio-CD standard is 16-bit, 44.1 kHz. Higher-resolution FLAC files need conversion to that standard. The WAV for Audio CD option does this for you.

If you bought an MP3 download

Most CD-burning programs can make an audio CD directly from our 320 kbps MP3 files; you do not normally need to convert them yourself first. Add the MP3 tracks to an Audio CD project; the burning software converts them for the disc. Do not choose “MP3 CD” or “Data CD” if you want a standard audio CD.

The disc retains the sound quality of the MP3 source. Burning it onto a CD does not restore information removed by MP3 compression. An MP3-only purchase does not include a lossless WAV download.

Make your disc, step by step

Download and unzip the music.
Save the download to your computer. On Windows, right-click the ZIP file and choose Extract All. On a Mac, double-click the ZIP file. Use the audio files in the extracted folder, not the ZIP itself.
Start an Audio CD project.
Open your disc-burning program and choose Audio CD. This is the most important choice.
Add the tracks in order.
Add the WAV, FLAC or MP3 music files your program accepts. Check the track list before burning; use the track numbers and the release’s track listing as your guide. Artwork, scores and other PDF files do not belong in the audio track list.
Check the playing time.
Use the capacity printed on your blank disc, usually 80 minutes. For a multi-disc release, make each disc separately, following the original disc divisions where supplied. Do not try to squeeze an over-length programme onto one disc.
Check pauses between tracks.
For music that continues across a track boundary, choose no added gap between tracks if your software offers that setting. You can still select individual tracks on the finished CD.
Insert a blank CD-R and burn.
Choose Burn or the equivalent button. If offered, select Finalise or Close disc so the disc is ready for an ordinary CD player. Let the process finish before ejecting it.
Try the finished disc.
Play it in your CD player and check the track order. Keep your downloaded files so you can listen on your computer or make a replacement disc later.

On a Windows PC: Windows Media Player Legacy

Look for Windows Media Player Legacy in the Start menu. It is an optional Windows feature and may need enabling in Settings under Optional features. These instructions refer to the older player with a Burn tab.

Add your extracted WAV or MP3 tracks to the player’s library.
Open the Burn tab. In Burn options, choose Audio CD.
Insert a blank CD-R and drag the tracks into the burn list.
Check their order and total playing time, then choose Start burn.

If your files are FLAC and the player will not accept them, use the WAV download instead. Microsoft provides illustrated burning instructions and help with Windows Media Player Legacy.

On a Mac: the Music app

You can use the Music app supplied with macOS and a compatible CD writer. Use your downloaded WAV or MP3 files. For existing FLAC downloads, choose WAV from My Downloads first.

Import the extracted music files into Music, then create a playlist containing only the tracks for one disc.
Put the tracks in the correct order. If tickboxes are shown, make sure the tracks you want are ticked.
Insert a blank CD-R. Select the playlist and choose File > Burn Playlist to Disc.
Select Audio CD. For continuous music, set Gap Between Songs to None.
Check the settings and choose Burn.

Use the files you downloaded from Pristine, rather than tracks from the Apple Music subscription service. See Apple’s CD-burning instructions for help with your version of macOS.

Other CD-burning programs

If you already have a program that makes audio CDs, you can use it. Most accept WAV and MP3 files; some also accept FLAC directly.

Windows: CDBurnerXP. Its Audio disc feature accepts WAV, MP3 and FLAC. Start an Audio disc project, add and arrange your tracks, then burn the disc. Despite its name, it is not limited to Windows XP; check the publisher’s compatibility information for your computer.
Mac: Burn. This offers a separate audio-disc workflow. Choose its Audio section and an Audio CD, add your tracks, then burn. Use WAV or MP3 for the simplest route.

Check that the program supports your operating-system version and CD writer. Download software from its publisher’s website. The same rule applies in every program: choose Audio CD.

If something does not work

My CD player does not recognise the disc.

Check that you made an Audio CD, used a suitable blank CD-R and finalised the disc. Some older players do not support recordable CDs; check the player’s instructions.

The program says the files are unsupported.

For a lossless purchase, try the 16-bit, 44.1 kHz WAV route above. For MP3 files, check that your program accepts MP3 as a source for an Audio CD.

The album will not fit.

Check the total playing time, not just the file size. Split a long programme across two or more discs.

Can I do this directly on my phone or tablet?

These instructions are for a Windows computer or Mac with a CD writer. Using a computer is the simplest route.

For help, contact downloadsupport@pristineclassical.com. Please include the recording’s catalogue number, the type of files you downloaded, your computer and burning software, and any error message.