Cdrtools
CD/DVD/Blu-ray command-line recording software
cdrtools (formerly known as cdrecord) is a collection of independent projects of free software/open source computer programs for CD and DVD authoring.
The project was maintained for over two decades by Jörg Schilling, who died on October 10, 2021.
Because of some licensing issues, there is also a Debian fork of an older version of cdrtools called cdrkit.
Features
The most important parts of the package are cdrecord, a console-based burning program; cdda2wav, a CD audio ripper that uses libparanoia; and mkisofs, a CD/DVD/BD/UDF/HFS filesystem image creator. As these tools do not include any GUI, many graphical front-ends have been created.
The collection includes many features for CD, DVD and Blu-ray disc writing such as:
creation of audio, data, and mixed (audio and data) CDs
burning CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+R, DVD+RW, dual layer DVDs, and Blu-ray Discs
support for Track-At-Once and Disc-At-Once recording modes
cue sheet file format support, with Exact Audio Copy enhancements
support for non-standard vendor-specific drive features
Normal users can use cdrtools with Solaris fine-grained privileges or similar Linux capabilities.
History
Origins and name change
The first releases of cdrtools were called cdrecord because they only included the cdrecord tool and a few companion tools, but not mkisofs nor cdda2wav. A copy of mkisofs, created in 1993 by Eric Youngdale for Yggdrasil Linux, was incorporated in 1997. In 1998, a copy of an experimental version of cdda2wav, created by Heiko Eißfeldt, was included in the cdrecord package.
In 1999 the project started to be called cdrtools to better reflect the fact that it had become a collection of tools.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Cdrtools” as cD/DVD/Blu-ray command-line recording software. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the arts & letters register because the source frames it as cD/DVD/Blu-ray command-line recording software. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Object files, edition statements, performance records and contemporary criticism preserve different stages of the work’s history. The source revision retrieved here is dated Mar 20, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q164909. None of the 1 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 2021, 1993, 1997 and 1998.
Titles can refer to several editions, objects or performances, making precise identification essential before interpretation. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Separate the work, its editions or performances, and its later reception. Catalogue records, publication histories and object files often preserve different parts of that story.
- Identifying works and editions
- Tracing reception history
- Finding collection records
The original object or edition, catalogue raisonné, performance record, rights file and holding institution.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Cdrtools”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Cdrtools primary sources, Cdrtools archive and Cdrtools research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Cdrtools”?
- Where is authorship, date or provenance documented?
- Which edition, object, performance or recording is being described?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Cdrtools” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.