burn

Console front-end for burning Data, Audio, ISO and copy CDs

TLDR

Burn a data CD from a directory tree

$ burn -D -p [path/to/dir]

Burn an ISO image to disc

$ burn -I -n [image.iso]

Create an audio CD from MP3, Ogg, or WAV files

$ burn -A -a [track1.mp3] -a [track2.wav]

Copy a CD on the fly

$ burn -C

Simulate a burn without actually writing

$ burn -D -s -p [path/to/dir]

Burn a multisession data CD

$ burn -D -m -p [path/to/dir]

SYNOPSIS

burn MAINMODE [options]... [file/s_]...

burn is a console-driven wrapper around the standard CD-recording tool-chain (cdrecord/wodim, mkisofs/genisoimage, decoders for MP3 and Ogg) that exposes the common burning workflows through a single command. One of four mutually exclusive main modes selects whether to write data, an ISO image, a copy of another disc, or an audio CD assembled from compressed and uncompressed sources.The program decodes audio files transparently before writing, generates the necessary ISO9660 filesystem for data discs, and forwards the resulting track to the underlying burner. Burn parameters and recorder device are read from the user and system configuration; command-line options override them per invocation.

PARAMETERS

-D, --data-cd

Create a Data-CD from files and directories.

-I, --iso-cd

Burn an existing ISO image to disc.

-C, --copy-cd

Copy a CD, optionally on the fly.

-A, --audio-cd

Create an audio CD from MP3, Ogg, or WAV input files.

-s, --simulate

Perform a burn simulation (no laser write); useful for testing media and pipeline.

-p, --path path

Add the contents of path to the CD root without wrapping the directory.

-r, --preserve-path path

Add files while preserving the original directory structure.

-x, --exclude-path pattern

Exclude files or directories matching pattern.

-c, --change-path from=to

Rename a path on the CD during burning.

-l, --follow-symlink

Follow symbolic-link directories instead of recording the link.

-m, --multisession

Mark the session as appendable so further data can be added later.

-n, --name file

Name of the ISO image to burn (with -I).

-a, --audio-file file

Audio track to add (with -A); repeat for additional tracks.

--help

Print built-in help and exit.

CONFIGURATION

/etc/burn.conf

System-wide configuration: device path, speed, default file system options.

~/.burn/burn.conf

Per-user override of the system configuration.

CAVEATS

Requires a working cdrecord or wodim plus mkisofs/genisoimage in PATH. Audio mode depends on external decoders (lame, oggdec) being installed for non-WAV input. Optical media is largely obsolete; consider USB images and dd, xorriso, or growisofs for modern workflows.

HISTORY

burn was written by Ben Finney and Gaetano Paolone as a friendly Bash wrapper over the cdrtools suite, packaged in Debian since the early 2000s. It is distributed under the GNU GPL v2 or later.