No, no change. It's a heap of scrap and Sony won't even allow me to upgrade to CD Architect 5.2. They say my serial number doesn't qualify for an upgrade.

Bought legitimately from an authorised dealer just prior to Sony buying Sonic Foundry. What a shower.  

Well, you don't really need CD Architect to burn Red Book audio CDs. All the CD-burning programs can do it. It's just that CDA, being designed for just that one purpose, makes it a little easier. There's a good chance that you have another program that came with your computer or CD/DVD drive, such as Nero or Roxio that can serve your needs if you don't want to cough up the hundred bucks for CDA.

A cheaper option might be to replace your burner for one that your version of CDA definitely supports

But what DOES it support? I borrowed a brand new top-of-the-range Asus external drive from a friend yesterday and > > > BRICK WALL. 

I have a few other burning software thingys but all I hear from the plant is Redbook, Redbook, REDBOOK!

I'll call in a favour from a friend in a BIG studio in Dublin and send him the wavs. No other solution at this stage.

Thanks for all your advice guys.  :)

I have a few other burning software thingys but all I hear from the plant is Redbook, Redbook, REDBOOK!

 
Any burning software that burns an "Audio CD" is burning Redbook! It likely won't be called Redbook in the program (the average user has no idea what that means), so it is often just referred to as an "Audio CD". The Redbook standard has been around for many decades (with minor/backward compatable updates, eg: extending the max length from 74 mins to 80 mins) so you do not need the latest / greatest to create it.

Might I suggest you give up on CD Architect? I like ImgBurn, which is free. Run ImgBurn, go to Tools->Create Cue File and drop in your wave files. Select each wave file in the list and set its pre-gap to 225 frames (which is 3 seconds. Or set whatever gap you want). Add any CD-Text, and burn it. Not as nice of a GUI as CDA, but it has the advantage that it actually works.

ImgBurn and Cue Sheets are the most flexible and reliable method of CD burning that I've found.