Last Updated on April 10, 2026
The Roxio suite has long been a standard for burning data, music, and video discs. The Music Disc Creator remains a useful tool for those who want to create high-quality audio CDs from MP3 and WAV files or compile MP3 discs for compatible car stereos and home theater systems.
Music Disc Creator allows you to pull audio from various locations, including existing CDs, digital playlists, or even audio tracks extracted from DVDs. It also provides a straightforward way to record live audio via a connected microphone for custom projects. You can also use Quick Sound Editor to edit audio tracks, add effects and remove unwanted noises. You can also add song information, such as the artists name and the album title.
To create a music CD, begin by selecting your project type from the sidebar. You can then add your music by browsing your local drive or importing from other discs. While newer versions of the Roxio suite (like Creator NXT) have a updated interface, the core process remains identical to the classic version 10 layout.
Once you add the audio you can drag the songs around to change the order that they will be recorded. You can also delete certain songs if you don’t want a particular one included on the disk as well as rename the tracks and other options. One nice feature is that you can right click a song and choose Edit Audio Tags which allows you to input or change things like the title and artist name etc. and add artwork to the track.
When you have everything the way you want it then you can click on Burn to start the recording process. From here you can change options such as the write speed and number of copies to be made as well as other more advanced features.
Burning CDs on Modern Windows Systems
Because most modern laptops and desktops no longer come with internal disc drives, you may be using an external USB burner. To ensure a successful burn with Roxio:
- Lower the Write Speed: If you encounter ‘buffer underrun’ errors, try lowering the burn speed (e.g., to 16x or 24x) in the Burn options window. This provides a more stable recording on modern hardware.
- Compatibility: If the software fails to launch on Windows 11, right-click the program icon, go to Properties > Compatibility, and set it to run in Windows 7 mode.
- USB Power: Ensure your external drive is plugged directly into a USB port on your computer rather than a non-powered hub to ensure it has enough voltage for the laser.
Modern Alternatives for Audio Burning
If Roxio is not installed on your system or you find it too resource-heavy, there are several modern and free alternatives available:
- CDBurnerXP: Despite the name, it works perfectly on Windows 11 and is completely free for creating audio CDs.
- MusicBee: An excellent music manager that also includes robust CD ripping and burning capabilities.
- Windows Media Player Legacy: Still available in Windows 11, it remains a simple and effective way to burn basic audio CDs
Here is another free music burning CD app you may want to check out.
