.cda files from HD, not CD - how to convert?

[Elmo]

A friend e-mailed me three .cda files. To convert them to mp3 files I downloaded the latest version (11) of dbPowerAmp. However, at the beginning of the conversion it said:

The CODEC required to decompress 'C:\MP3 Files - To Be Processed\Track01.cda' could not be opened.
.CDA files can only be converted from a CD Drive, not a hard disk.

If I understand what's going on here, dbPowerAmp won't convert the cda files because they're on my hard drive, not on a CD.

Is there any way to make dbPowerAmp convert these files? and it doesn't have to be to mp3 files; wav files or most any other types would be fine, also.

If not, what is the best solution for my cda-from-harddrive problem?

[ChristinaS]

A friend e-mailed me three .cda files. To convert them to mp3 files I downloaded the latest version (11) of dbPowerAmp. However, at the beginning of the conversion it said:

The CODEC required to decompress 'C:\MP3 Files - To Be Processed\Track01.cda' could not be opened.
.CDA files can only be converted from a CD Drive, not a hard disk.

If I understand what's going on here, dbPowerAmp won't convert the cda files because they're on my hard drive, not on a CD.

Is there any way to make dbPowerAmp convert these files? and it doesn't have to be to mp3 files; wav files or most any other types would be fine, also.

If not, what is the best solution for my cda-from-harddrive problem?
Just how big are those .cda files?

Normally .cda files are just the index entries on an audio cd. When you look at an audio cd in Windows Explorer the track listings are track01.cda ..... and the sizes are 1k. This is not the audio track itself.

I dont' know what your friend emailed you, but a full audio track would be a wav and that occupies 10MB per minute or thereabouts. A typical song would be 30-40MB. Usually that's too big to email.

[Elmo]

ooops... each cda file is only 44 bytes... thanks, ChristinaS

[neilthecellist]

Dude elmo. This is a basic concept. Like what ChristinaS said, cda files don't mean crap if they're only 44 bytes. Do you think a whole song could be 44 bytes? Very unlikely.

[ChristinaS]

ooops... each cda file is only 44 bytes... thanks, ChristinaS
LOL! what your friend sent you is a track listing entry! Thanks for nothing :D

Get your friend to install dMC and rip the cd and send you a proper audio file instead. A good compression can be had with wma at 64kbs which usually allows it to be small enough to email and still not too bad audio -wise (about equivalent to mp3 @ 128kbps in quality, but half the file size). You'd then have about 1.5MB for a 3-minute song.

[neilthecellist]

better to send it thru a Lossless format. I would recommend Monkey's Audio if s/he's planning on sending it thru email.

[LtData]

At ~50MB a song? Hope he's patient. Try something more like WMA VBR 128 or something for a decent sound but still small file size.

[Smoggy]

Is it possible to save a file in CDA format or is wav pretty much the same thing?? and if so would there be meta data??

[LtData]

There is no meta data in WAV. And it is not possible to save files in CDA format.

[neilthecellist]

true.

LtData, is CDA a meta-file for the WAVE file?

Smoggy, I'm pretty sure that CDA files simply point to the WAVE file on the CD. You won't get any audio from a CDA file.

[LtData]

Neil, audio isn't on the CD in WAV form. It is on there as raw data representing audio. And no, CDA files are just pointers on a CD to where the song data is located. They aren't related to WAV files.

[Smoggy]

Hmmmm....very interesting

[neilthecellist]

bah another noob-ness mistake.

[neilthecellist]

Smoggy listen to LtData. He's more knowledgeable on audio than I am. (Maybe it's cuz I'm a lot younger than he is!) :)