ultimate CD-R burner system?

As the signal is kept in the digital domain in any computer, buy the one with the fastest speed you feel comfortable buying, I doubt you'll hear any difference.

If you are recording from analog sources......you would need to go through the sound card or a A/D converter....

Plextor and TDK are generally rated the best burners. If you have a scsi-based pc go with Plextor. Stay away from Yamaha IMHO - had 2 units crap out on me. Have burned hundreds with my scsi-based Plextor without a misshap.

If your going to use your burned cds in your audio system, check your manual or manufacturer to make sure your player will read a cdr, some don't. Stick to premium quality blanks, the cost difference is minimal. Some swear by Mitsumi gold for audio cdrs, others rave about black by Memorex. Experiment and decide yourself.

Software is another area where personal tastes vary. Your burner will come with a version providing at least basic capabilities. If you want some opinions read the threads in discussion/news groups like alt.comp.periphs.cdr and comp.publish.cdrom.software.

As Kennyt says, if burning from an audio source you'll need to wire through the sound card. Better soundcards DO make a difference.

Grandpad: Please help me...What's a scsi-based pc and how do I know if I have one? thanks.

Reading up on an earlier post GO WITH THE SLOWEST SPEED AVAILABLE . Copying a cd at 40X is just a bad proposition sonically, with all the audible pops and clicks. Try to stay at 8X and under if you can. The sound quality is amazing compared to fast speeds...

hey elizabeth i did a searc on sonic foundry and so many products poped up for a non musician just burning cds/making mp3's whaterver what do you recommend ?? which did you get ??thanks for the idea..:)