[ctviggen]

I know this is the "discless" circle, but I can't find a suitable circle.  If there's a better circle, please move there. 

We gave my mom's car to my daughter.  The car has a CD player.  She can also use an input from her phone, but this apparently isn't great (and she can't charge her phone while this is being done).  So, she's using CDs.

I have a lot of music on FLAC.  I need a program that will convert FLAC to whatever format CDs are, allow me to create a mix of songs, then burn the CD on a USB-connected player/burner. 

I tried Power2Go, but it wouldn't burn to the USB player. The interface was nice, but I couldn't get it to burn (I think it could see the CD, but wouldn't burn). 

Can anyone recommend a suitable program for me? 

[Doublej]

I would look into VLC.

[HAL]

The FLAC file is a lossless format that must be converted to WAV format to use for an audio CD for it to convert to CDA file format on disc.

Programs like Exact Audio Copy (EAC) will let you load the files and burn them to the audio CD-R.  It is compatible with external USB CD-R/DVD-R writers that I have used.

I have not tried the FLAC to CDA process in EAC, but when I converted the FLAC to WAV file format, EAC burned an audio CD-R to play in a CD player.

Good luck with the process.

[newzooreview]

You might check the manual for the car's CD player. A lot of them will play a CD that is loaded with mp3 files. This would let you burn the files to the CD with the built-in tools on the computer, get a lot more music on a disc, and potentially use the CD player to navigate to specific albums.

It is possible for some car CD players to play CDs loaded with MP3 files, but it depends on the specific model and capabilities of the CD player. Here’s how it works:

Playing MP3 CDs in Car CD Players
MP3 CD Compatibility: Many modern car CD players, especially those made after 2006, can read MP3 CDs. These are data CDs that contain MP3 files rather than traditional audio tracks. If your car CD player has an "MP3" logo or mentions MP3 compatibility in the manual, it should be able to play a CD loaded with MP3 files.

Burning an MP3 CD: To create an MP3 CD, you can burn a data CD with MP3 files using software like Windows Media Player or other burning tools. You can fit many more songs on an MP3 CD compared to a standard audio CD because MP3 files are compressed. Depending on the file size and bitrate, you can store around 150 songs on a single disc.

Displaying Albums or Playlists
Tag Information: If your car stereo supports displaying track information (ID3 tags), it can show details such as song title, artist name, and album name when playing an MP3 CD. This information is embedded in the MP3 files themselves as metadata. Make sure that the MP3 files are properly tagged before burning them.

Albums and Playlists: While most car stereos that support MP3 CDs will display track names and artist info, they may not support more advanced features like organizing tracks into albums or playlists directly from the CD. However, you can simulate this by organizing your MP3s into folders on the CD (e.g., by album or playlist name). Some CD players will allow you to navigate these folders as if they were playlists.

CD Text for Audio CDs
CD Text: If you're burning a standard audio CD and want track names to display (as opposed to just "Track 1," "Track 2," etc.), you will need to include CD Text when burning the disc. Not all burning software supports this feature (for example, Windows Media Player does not), but programs like ImgBurn do. However, keep in mind that not all car stereos support reading CD Text from audio CDs5.

In summary:
If your car stereo supports MP3 CDs, you can load a CD with MP3 files and see track information if the files are properly tagged.
You can organize your music into folders to simulate albums or playlists.

For regular audio CDs, use software that supports CD Text if you want track names to appear on the display.

[davidldl]

If you have a cd/dvd burner on your computer you can use 'Burrrn' software.   You can just add flac files and the software will create the cd when you burn it.     

https://burrrn.en.lo4d.com/windows

It is easy to use and it might not be developed any more but it was working on my Windows 11 pro pc.

David

[WGH]

Despite it's name CDBurnerXP works with Windows 11 and is the easiest burner software that I have found.
https://cdburnerxp.se/en/home

The easiest software to convert any music file is dBpoweramp. Yes it costs $48 but the program is worth it if you do a lot of converting or editing tags.
https://www.dbpoweramp.com/

WAV files that you want to burn to a CD have to be 16bit/44.1kHz. dBpoweramp allows me to down convert all my hi-res flac files so I can share them with guys in our audio club. A couple of the guys have ANK DACs and they don't do hi-res.

Using dBpoweramp, I batch convert a lot of my flac files to mp3 to listen to in the car. The tiny music files are copied to my phone and played using the free Musicolet app over Bluetooth.

[mix4fix]

What car is it/what radio is it?

I am guessing no USB?

[WGH]

What car is it/what radio is it?

I am guessing no USB?

2023 Subaru Outback Onyx with 11.6" touch screen, Bluetooth and USB. I love the big screen, Google Maps are huge, no squinting while navigating traffic. All communication is through Bluetooth: phone, maps, music, voice activation "Hey Google - 1234 Main St." or "Tucson Hop Shop" or map out your trip using Google maps on a computer then "Send Directions to Phone." Android Auto will display your entire route on the big screen and track your location and progress.

The Musicolet phone app has Album View and Artist View and shuffle play.

USB is separate and charges phone on long trips, never a dead phone when arriving at your destination 8 hours later or maps disappear 1/2 hour before reaching destination.

Musicolet album view. Notice USB ports below screen


Musicolet artist view - all music is mp3, dBpoweramp preserves names when converting album titles

[mix4fix]

Get a USB thumb drive and use the USB port. That's what I do with FLAK files.

Save yourself the headache.