Magix Music on CD and DVD

It is often hard to keep up with the different formats and devices through which you can listen to music. If you're stuck with a pile of old vinyl records or tapes and your collection needs to be dragged into the 21st century, Magix might have the answer. Music on CD and DVD imports music to your PC, either from existing MP3s, CDs, or by connecting a record player or tape deck to your PC and recording music.

You can then 'clean' the hiss, pops and scratches from those old records and burn the whole lot to a CD or DVD. Of course, there are copyright issues, but as long as you're backing up music you already own, this isn't a problem. Alternatively, if you have a collection of your own music that could do with going onto CD, Music on CD and DVD can add flashy effects such as video sequences, text or graphics that are displayed when you play the finished disc in a DVD player.

It is easy to use, with simple choices for making audio and MP3 CDs, VCDs and DVDs. You can even add a professional-looking DVD menu to the disc, and run through it with a 'virtual remote' that shows how the disc will look when played.

Although all of these functions are available separately - CD burning and sound recording are part of Windows XP - Music on CD and DVD wraps them all up in a neat bundle. The audio-restoration functions are not up to the standard of, say, Adobe Audition, but they are more than adequate for home use and it's significantly cheaper. In fact, the wealth of audio-cleaning options can be confusing if you're just trying to remove the hiss from a tape recording.

If you need advanced DVD-making facilities or professional audio-editing software, you should go for a high-end alternative. For home users with large collections on obsolete formats, though, Music on CD and DVD is a hit.

Contact: Magix 01923 495496
www.fasttrak.co.uk