I am copying a number of CDs to my external hard drive for backup. Is it possible to configure a sound notification to play after file transfer is complete or after all queued items in the Notification area have completed? It would definitely speed up the process so that I don't have to be constantly monitoring to see when the transfer has completed so that I can do the next CD.

How are you copying the discs? You may be able to configure a notification through System Settings > Application & System Notification, or through Settings > Configure Notifications in the application being used.