Multisession efficiently supported several recording sessions, enabling one session to use only a fraction of the capacity of an expensive CD-R disc. Media is now inexpensive, and cost savings from multisession recording are insignificant. Packet recording methods are much more efficient, but initially required specialized software and expensive drives. Multisession might be used to place computer data in one session and digital audio in another session for limited multimedia applications. Single session, mixed mode is better for this application.
Mixed mode records data only in the first logical track.
The remaining tracks contain digital audio. The program area contains the desired information. The first session can be read in any drive, but subsequent sessions can be accessed only by a multisession capable drive. Multisession has a high overhead. Twenty sessions therefore have 275 MB of overhead, and only 378 MB is available for user information.