Rating: 
Summary: nope, I didn't like it.
Review: I purchased the online download version through Digital River. Although it downloaded and installed fine, I could not get it to run properly, even after uninstalling my other potentially conflicting CD-R software. It may not have been compatible with my Yamaha Cd-R/CD-RW.I also disliked the look and feel of the product (from what I could tell before it shut itself down). It didn't seem to have any data CD recording/copying features. Luckily, the company seems to be honest and I think I'm getting my money back.
Rating: 
Summary: Horrible WAV to MP3 Converter!
Review: I purchased this software for two reasons: to let me digitally record old cassette tapes, and to convert those files to MP3 format to save space. The CD Wave Editor is an *excellent* digital recording program, and you can buy it ala carte from Cakewalk's website... I highly recommend it. The MP3 converter, however, is completely unacceptable. Every MP3 file, regardless of the bitrate, has a very annoying tinny, digital quality to it, and even my old analog recordings, which weren't exactly studio quality to begin with, sound awful after conversion. My recommendation is to buy the Wave Editor software separately and download any LAME-based WAV-to-MP3 freeware.
Rating:
Summary: Horrible WAV to MP3 Converter!
Review: I purchased this software for two reasons: to let me digitally record old cassette tapes, and to convert those files to MP3 format to save space. The CD Wave Editor is an *excellent* digital recording program, and you can buy it ala carte from Cakewalk's website... I highly recommend it. The MP3 converter, however, is completely unacceptable. Every MP3 file, regardless of the bitrate, has a very annoying tinny, digital quality to it, and even my old analog recordings, which weren't exactly studio quality to begin with, sound awful after conversion. My recommendation is to buy the Wave Editor software separately and download any LAME-based WAV-to-MP3 freeware.
Rating:
Summary: Good chance it'll cause a problem
Review: I read the reviews on Amazon, in particular the one's saying they had computer problems after installing. Well, I have a good Dell computer with 384-MB of RAM, so I figured my power machine could conquer anything. Was I wrong. This software gave me several "Out of Memory" errors, an error message I've never encountered. So I figured I'd go to Cakewalk's Web site for help, and I got the same memory error. I then clicked on the "My Computer" icon to try and troubleshoot, and sure enough, I got the same memory error. My only solace is I used my time-traveling software (it can restore your computer to a previous date and time) to restore my computer before I installed this piece of junk, and all is well. Save yourself a tremendous headache, avoid this thing like the plague.
Rating:
Summary: Save yourself the money and buy MusicMatch Jukebox
Review: I used to use the trial version of musicmatch Jukebox (from Real) to burn things, and it worked fantastically. Anyway, I accidently deleted that, so I figured, why not buy Pyro? The screenies make it look great, looks like it's got everything I need. Boy was I wrong. There's no option to have just a "library" of songs with this thing, it's all in directory or straight "playlist" format. On top of that the code in this thing is some of the least efficient I've ever seen. While beginners that haven't used any other software may find it "awe inspiring" just to see something that burns and rips cd's (eventually), the more selective customers will think otherwise. Be prepared to wait a few seconds after you push the play button for any song to start, and, oh, did you want to rip an entire CD? That'll take about 5-6 minutes per 3-4 minute song, thank you. Jesus H., Real's Jukebox let's you PLAY the song while you rip because it only takes it about a minute to mp3 encode directly from the cd... Pyro takes forever, and that's no lie. In conclusion, I haven't even tried the burning capabilities of it yet, I'm taking it back right now.
Rating:
Summary: Save yourself the money and buy MusicMatch Jukebox
Review: I used to use the trial version of musicmatch Jukebox (from Real) to burn things, and it worked fantastically. Anyway, I accidently deleted that, so I figured, why not buy Pyro? The screenies make it look great, looks like it's got everything I need. Boy was I wrong. There's no option to have just a "library" of songs with this thing, it's all in directory or straight "playlist" format. On top of that the code in this thing is some of the least efficient I've ever seen. While beginners that haven't used any other software may find it "awe inspiring" just to see something that burns and rips cd's (eventually), the more selective customers will think otherwise. Be prepared to wait a few seconds after you push the play button for any song to start, and, oh, did you want to rip an entire CD? That'll take about 5-6 minutes per 3-4 minute song, thank you. Jesus H., Real's Jukebox let's you PLAY the song while you rip because it only takes it about a minute to mp3 encode directly from the cd... Pyro takes forever, and that's no lie. In conclusion, I haven't even tried the burning capabilities of it yet, I'm taking it back right now.
Rating: 
Summary: "Pyro-Mania" - It Works Fine For Me
Review: I was having a hard time finding the right software to burn CDs (particulary with Adaptec's Easy CD Creator). From the reviews that I have read here, I may be in the minority, but Cakewalk's Pyro has been a wonderful program to work with. I have only had to toss a bad CD a couple times in dozens of instances - a vast improvment from the stack of "coasters" that piled up with other programs. What I particularly liked about Pyro was its ability to work with different file formats (and in my experience successful complete one). You can burn MP3s right onto a CD without converting it to another file format. Additionally, I have heavily used the "ripping" feature which allows you to convert your own CDs to digital files (MP3s, WAVs, etc.). It also allows you to set a bitrate for your "ripped" music to help control the sometimes out-of-control files sizes (I have well over a gigabtye of MP3s on my computer right now these files tend to take up. Another terrific feature is that when you load a CD to "rip" you can download the CD's song titles and artist(s) via CD Database (CDDB) -- so no typing in file names! (The registration for this service is free and I have not received any spam e-mails from it). The audio player in the program seems more stable than other players (i.e. RealPlayer) I have used - though it certainly is not a full-featured "jukebox" type program. Finally, another nice Pyro feature is the ability to put in customized gaps between tracks prior to burning. However, I am taking away one star for one fairly consistent problem. Pyro, at times, is unable to recognize MP3 downloads from that very popular online music "sharing" community. Often these MP3 files are said to be "corrupted" or not in the proper format (and thus can not be listened to and/or burned with Pyro). The same files DO work on other players and programs that I have. So this is my only substantive complaint with the program. For those with high speed modems, it might not take long to replace it with another file but for me and my measly phone line modem it is not worth the time. Overall, I have been very pleased with Pyro. It has saved me a lot of time and aggravation and the ripping ability/features was worth the price of the software alone. Obviously, it appears this is not the case with everyone but I would recommend giving Pyro a try.
Rating: 
Summary: Dont buy this!!!
Review: Mere words can not express my frustration with this product....to make a very long and painful story short I eventually deleted my hard drive just to get this program to work and.....you guessed it-- it still didn't work!! Lots of hassles- there is no toll free number so you pay for the hour wait phonecall......just to hear they can't help you. Listen save the money and download music jukebox or another MP3 converter for free that does everything PYRO is suppoesed to do without the headaches....
Rating:
Summary: Error - Error - Error
Review: Never got it to burn a .wav disk. It ripped, slowly, and did burn a mp3 disk. It told me to contact Pyro and let them know about the error no. I did this a couple times with no response. I ended up calling and speaking to someone in sales. They told me to e-mail them with all the info and they would make sure it got in the right person's hands. I got a response telling me how to do a "FIX". The step-by-step instructions were not accurate for what I was supposed to see, and after I guessed, I still got the same error no. I called back and they actually agreed to take the program back. I had to send a letter stating that I had deleted the program. I was in the process of doing that and decided to try just one more time. This time it told me I had to contact Pyro for and authorization no. I didn't have to do that at the installation. I still haven't figured out the program knew I was supposed to delete it. I was disappointed, if it worked, it would have been perfect for my needs. I guess now I'll have to try Music Match.
Rating:
Summary: Error - Error - Error
Review: Never got it to burn a .wav disk. It ripped, slowly, and did burn a mp3 disk. It told me to contact Pyro and let them know about the error no. I did this a couple times with no response. I ended up calling and speaking to someone in sales. They told me to e-mail them with all the info and they would make sure it got in the right person's hands. I got a response telling me how to do a "FIX". The step-by-step instructions were not accurate for what I was supposed to see, and after I guessed, I still got the same error no. I called back and they actually agreed to take the program back. I had to send a letter stating that I had deleted the program. I was in the process of doing that and decided to try just one more time. This time it told me I had to contact Pyro for and authorization no. I didn't have to do that at the installation. I still haven't figured out the program knew I was supposed to delete it. I was disappointed, if it worked, it would have been perfect for my needs. I guess now I'll have to try Music Match.
| 
