CDA files are shortcuts that help computers play audio CDs, but do not contain the actual audio stream. They can only be played when the CD is present. CDA files are the standard format for encoding audio on CDs. PCM is the actual audio format used on CDs. Converting CDA files to compressed formats like MP3 or WMA is easy using media players like Windows Media Player or iTunes. Compressed files can be lossless or lossy, sacrificing quality for smaller file size. Once saved in a compressed format, songs can be transferred to portable devices or burned onto another CD.
A Compact Disc Audio (CDA) file is a shortcut created by a computer’s CD drivers that identifies where music or other types of audio are stored on a CD.
The purpose of CDA files is to help the computer play the compact disc. Files with the .cda extension contain a small amount of data (44 bytes) and serve as an index for tracks on an audio CD. Each CDA file follows the “Track##.cda” naming convention. In keeping with the “Red Book” industry standard, CDA files are the standard format for encoding audio on compact discs.
It is important to note that on a CD, files with the .cda extension do not contain the actual audio stream. Instead, they simply include the position of the start and end of the named track. Therefore, CDA files can only be played when the CD is physically present in the CD drive. Various media players can open CDA files, such as iTunes, Microsoft Windows Media Player, VLC media player and other Mac, Windows and Linux audio players.
To confuse matters, however, some ripping software programs will assign .cda file extensions to tracks that have been ripped (copied) from a CD onto a computer.
Pulse code modulation
The actual audio format used on CDs is known as pulse code modulation (PCM). PCM captures analog waveforms using an uncompressed digital sampling technique which results in a very accurate digital representation of the original analog wave. As mentioned above, a track copied to a computer as an audio CDA file is actually a PCM file that has been given a .cda extension.
Compressed and uncompressed files
While the quality of a CDA file containing an uncompressed PCM stream is extremely high, it takes up a lot of space and will not be recognized by most portable digital media players designed for use with compressed files.
How to convert CDA files
Using a computer, converting a PCM or CDA file to a compressed format such as MP3 or WMA is very easy. Microsoft Windows Media Player is one of the most popular programs used to rip CDs to your computer. By default, Windows Media Player converts tracks to WMA files, although you can choose other formats. You can also use Windows Media Player to select the destination folder for your files.
Similarly, iTunes allows users to import CDs and convert CDA files to MP3s. VLC media player is another popular choice for ripping a CD to MP3 on computer, mainly because it’s free, cross-platform, and open source.
Some ripping software allows the user to choose a format before ripping, eliminating the need to convert files later. However, many people prefer to archive their music in an uncompressed format (such as a WAV or AIFF file) and then create compressed files from these high-quality originals.
The advantage of using compressed files on portable devices is that you can store many more tracks with limited memory. On the other hand, uncompressed files are recommended for burning CDs for car stereos, home stereos, and surround sound systems.
Compressed Files: Lossless formats
There are two classes of compressed files: lossless and lossy. As the name suggests, lossless formats compress files without any loss of quality. These files are still quite large and many portable audio players don’t support them.
Lossless compressed formats include:
FLAC
Monkey Audio (APE)
Apple® Lossless (aka ALAC or ALE)
Windows® Media Lossless Audio (WMA Lossless)
Compressed Files: Lossy formats
By leaving out some data, lossy formats sacrifice some quality for a much smaller file size. The quality loss is not particularly noticeable on portable devices that use headphones or small portable speakers for output. Audiophiles aside, many people cannot tell the difference between a lossy file played on a portable device and its ripped PCM or CDA file counterpart.
Lossy formats include:
MP3
MP4
Windows® Media Audio (WMA)
AAC
talk
Once songs from a CD have been copied and saved to your computer in MP3, WAV, or similar format, they can be transferred to portable media players, smartphones, or burned onto another audio CD.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
