Q:  I want to burn CDs of my music and play them on my car CD player. 
    I heard that I need to have them in .CDA format to be able to play them. 
    How do I convert them to .CDA after I burn the CD?


A:  Both AudioSurgeon and Advanced Audio Editor will convert WAV, WMA or MP3 
    to CDA format automatically when you burn an audio CD so you do not need
    to convert again. Once your MP3s are burnt onto Audio CDs, they are ready 
    to play in your home stereo CD player or your car. This is Redbook Audio
    Spec.

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    So what is the CDA format? It's the file format for the Redbook Audio
    CD Spec -- the format for what we call an "Audio CD." 

    When you load a Red Book Audio CD into your computer and view its 
    contents in Windows Explorer or My Computer, each CD audio track will 
    appear as a separate .cda file. 

    While CDA format is very similar to Windows WAV (Wave) format, it is 
    different enough that a conversion needs to take place. This conversion 
    is performed automatically by the CD authoring software (as provided in 
    AudioSurgeon or Record Producer Deluxe's Advanced Audio Editor). 
    
    Please note that some newer CD and DVD players can play MP3 and WMA files 
    from "data" CDs. Older CD players can only play Red Book Audio CDs. 

    What is a "data CD"? That’s a CD holding computer files in a computer 
    format that is meant to be read by a computer. 
    
    You can store music files on a data CD and it may play music in your 
    computer, and it may even play music from some very new CD or DVD 
    players, but it's still not a CD Audio Disc, which by definition *must*
    be in the "Red Book Audio CD" format.   
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