CD-RW Mastering Software Shoot Out! Round 2: Prassi PrimoCD Plus Douglas Smith
Whoever said big things can’t come in small packages? PrimoCD Plus is an exemplary program that puts this myth away for good. This package is small in size but very big in performance and features, from the well-integrated feature list to the neat, easy-to-use interface. Clearly a lot of thought was put into this program with the way it helps out right from the beginning.
PrimoCD stands out right away by not having those pesky TSR’s hanging around in the system tray robbing your system of valuable memory and resources. The program is very easy to use and we found ourselves creating a CD without even needing to leave the Wizard and go into the heart of the program. Cost of this jewel is about $79 on the street and is probably the smallest and most feature-rich program we have had the opportunity to load. Installation was the fastest of all the programs that we tested: installation was done in less than 7 seconds flat! Packet writing for CD-RW disk is included, integrated nicely in the package, and even includs some nice little tunes to say the installation was proceeding OK! When first launched PrimCD Plus opens a really nice wizard-type menu that offers three basic CD-creation tasks: Disk Copy, Data Disc, and Audio Disc Compilation. Making things even nicer is an attractive graphical representation of the CD media with full information about disc status. Double clicking on the graphic will bring up the Disc Explorer with a drive properties menu displaying media information. It can analyze recorded CDs and give settings for the size of blank media being used. For more than this wizard view, exit this window at any time for a more advanced and detailed Explorer type interface with full control over the entire recording process.
It gets even better; PrimoCD Plus has a feature called HyperDrive which can record two CDs simultaneously. Two CD recorders installed on the same system directs the same recording to each, great for duplicating. What about audio such as mp3, wav, and windows media files, you ask? No problem with PrimoCD, but don’t expect any type of jewel case printing utility with this package. For a truly excellent, small, and powerful program for mastering those CDs, look no further, but for those who want jewel case editing, this may not be the package to pick.
