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In this issue we are taking a look at the increasingly popular, andincreasingly affordable, stand-alone CD Recorder segment of themarketplace. Apart from the simple question of cost, there are

other issues at work when considering which machine to buy – andI’ve been entrusted with the task of outlining some of these issues.

First of all, let’s examine a few of the general questions that youmight want to think about before we move on to the specifics aboutCD-Rs and CD-RWs.

Take a look at the equipment which you are already running anddecide whether you need to put an accent on pro features like rackmounting, balanced analogue I/O, extensive digital interfacing etc.Perhaps you’ll be doing a lot of text editing, so do you want theability to connect a keyboard? Will you be using the machine forpreparing CD masters for replication or more for building up com-positions and arrangements at home? Will you need to be copyingtracks from a PC? The answers to these questions will begin tosteer you in one direction or another.

How They WorkCD recorders use blank discs that contain an organic photosensitivedye layer. The green discs use cyanine, a compound that is quitesensitive to sunlight and has a rated life of around 10 years.Meanwhile, the gold discs use phthalocyanine, which reportedly hasa 100-year life span. You’ll also notice other dye types in use, butthese are the main ones. The recorder uses a laser to introducechemical changes in the dye layer such that when the disc is playedback in a CD player light is reflected or scattered in the same wayas any other commercially produced CD in your collection. Oncethe disc is recorded in this way, it can’t be erased and re-recorded.However, CD burners will also generally record CD-RW blankswhich are re-recordable, so make sure that your intended purchasehas this capability. Being able to re-record is ideal for musos whoare working up arrangements and ideas that they can see them-selves wanting to alter. A completed CD-RW will play back in a CDrecorder and some DVD players but, due to the quite low reflectivi-ty of the discs, will only play in CD players specifically rated forCD-RW playback. A CD-RW is not, therefore, the right choice formastering purposes.

Obviously, being a stand-alone device with audio inputs, a CDburner records in real time. CD burners attached to a SCSI orUDMA bus behave more like a data recorder and the discs they useare data discs rated for recording at 2x, 4x or even higher. Somemanufacturers of stand-alone devices advise you to use discsspecifically rated for recording at 1x, so you should think about thepotential costs involved here.

Choice of CD BlanksOverall, you will probably end up finding that your choice of CDblanks affects the performance of the end product (the reasons for

this are outside the scope of this present article). Suffice it to saythat you should expect to do a little experimenting when you firstpurchase a recorder to see which brand and type of blank best suitsyour machine. It’s helpful if you can hook up with a CD replicationhouse or high-end facility that has a CD analyser and send themsome test recordings off your machine. They will be able to producea printed report showing the error rates and other performanceparameters for your discs. This way, you’ll know that your CD-Rs areof an acceptable quality for CD replication. If getting access to thissort of analysis is beyond your reach, you could do worse than touse the blanks recommended by the recorder’s manufacturer.

When assembling a CD you can record the disc track by track orall at once. If you choose the former method, the laser is turned offat the end of each track. This tends to lead to high block error rates(BLER) at these points, and can present difficulties if you intend touse the disc for CD mastering purposes. (Track At Once recordingis good for assembling bits and pieces, but Disc At Once is themethod of choice if your disc is to be sent for replication.) So ifyou’re keen to minimise errors in the recording you’ll generallyneed to compile and editing your material in a PC or workstationuntil it is assembled in the desired order and then digitally transfer itto the burner. The laser will then run all the way through the tracksand on to the finalising stage without switching off.

By the way, most blanks that you will see on sale can record upto 74 minutes of audio – the recommended maximum for theformat. Some are shorter, which is said to give even better results,but some offer 79 to 80 minutes of recording time. In order to dothis, these discs push the envelope of the format to an unsafe level– so avoid them, as the final product may exhibit nasty problems.

16-bit Format, 24-bit A/D?Although the CD format is limited to 16-bit recording, most studioequipment now offers up to 24-bit encoding. Indeed, many of theburners featured in this overview have 24-bit A/D converters ontheir analogue inputs. Clearly, therefore, a 24-bit signal needs to bemodulated to 16-bit to actually be recorded on the blank. CDrecorder manufacturers have similar but slightly different methodsof achieving this – you’ll see terms such as dithering, super bitmapping (SBM), UV-22 etc. These methods use mathematicalmanipulation based on psychoacoustic techniques to achieve theirresults. But they all share the same method of initially encoding thesignal with the highest possible resolution while still conforming tothe needs of a 16-bit format. This is definitely a desirable featureand one you should look for in your intended purchase.

When deciding to buy a burner, don’t forget that it containsworking parts that will eventually wear out. The laser, which recordsthe blanks, won’t run forever and you’ll need to factor in service orreplacement costs down the track – perhaps your next purchasewill be a DVD-Audio burner.

Which CD Recorder?Stand-alone CD recorders have become increasing affordable. But what makes one better thananother, and what features do you need? Howard Jones explains.

And, a word on the environment in which you useyour recorder. A burner should be provided withgood ventilation around its case and, hopefully, con-trolled temperature and humidity. In theory, a burnershould not be unduly affected by (low levels of)vibration, but it’s best to have your machine on ananti-vibration mat and/or vibration free surface. Inother words, avoid running your burner in directsunlight in front of your speaker stack right besidethe main walkway!

Consumer/Pro/ProsumerCD-R/RW recorders can be divided into consumer,low-end professional and high-end professionalmodels, although, in preparing this article I found thatsome of the distinctions between these categories arebeginning to blur. Probably the single most importantcaveat about the pure consumer models is that theywill only record on what are known as ‘music only’blanks. [The other caveat is that you have to deal withthe staff at Harvey Norman – CH.] These blanks(stamped ‘for consumer use’) have a royalty feeincluded as part of the purchase cost and include adigital signature that the recorder is programmed tolook for. In other words, such a recorder won’t recordon regular blanks. Apart from being more expensive,the availability of these ‘music only’ blanks has beensomewhat limited. However, be aware that there are acouple of the low-end pro models that still have thislimitation – check before you buy.

The consumer models have a lot in common withthe low-end pro models in other respects as well.Both categories of machine will generally recordeither CD-Rs or CD-RWs, offer sample rate conver-sion, OPC, CD text recording, TAO & DAO, synchrorecording and come with a remote control. Bothtypes will have unbalanced analogue I/O andS/PDIF digital I/O, but the consumer units willcome with SCMS.

The extra features the high-end pro models bringto the party are the likes of: rack mounting, balancedanalogue I/O, AES digital I/O, 24-bit A/D and D/A,the ability to generate copy prohibit on discs that youburn, and the ability to ignore SCMS at the digitalinputs (check the glossary for more on SCMS). Inaddition, you would expect that the jitter specs for thedigital inputs would be very good, and look aroundfor extra bells and whistles such as the ability toconnect a PS/2 keyboard, a wired remote and DSP(digital signal processing) options. These mightinclude digital EQ and limiting which can be used asthe final refinement in your mastering. And it goeswithout saying that these pro machines will offer asystem for down converting from 24-bit to 16-bit.

Finally, in any model that you are close todeciding on, check that the menu structure is clearand easy to navigate, the buttons easy to operateand the displays bright and sensible. You don’t wantto be hitting the erase button by mistake!

AES/EBU: AES is the standard for digital I/O on professional equipment. There areseveral important differences between AES and S/PDIF (the other main digitalprotocol). The electrical specs for the two are different, as the idea is that AES mightneed to go over long cable lengths while S/PDIF would just be connecting consumergear together over short runs (S/PDIF has now become a fixture of the recordingstudio but this wasn’t its original purpose). AES normally appears on XLR connec-tors, while S/PDIF will appear on either an RCA (aka phono) socket or opticalconnector .(Trap: some devices use only one type of connector for both protocols –you will find a setting somewhere in the guts of the software which tells the hardwarethe type of signal to transmit.) AES is balanced; S/PDIF is unbalanced. In bothcases, the data to be transmitted is assembled into frames (groups of digital words)that are sent at a certain frequency – and for both systems the frame sizes andtransmission frequencies are the same. This means that putting AES into an S/PDIFinput (and vice versa) often works okay. However, the internal structure of the framesis different. AES can carry 24-bit data, S/PDIF is limited to 16 bits. With those extraunused eight bits, S/PDIF can pack other data such as track IDs into its transmis-sion. Therefore, if you are having trouble transferring IDs from your DAT to your CD-R, it may be that you’re using AES – this won’t work. Also, don’t forget that S/PDIFwill carry the copy prohibit flag over, AES won’t. Burner: A CD recorder is colloquially known as a burner. Creating a CD is calledburning a CD.Calibration: CD recorders use a special portion of the blank CD to do a test burn,allowing it to read and optimise the laser power for the given blank.CD Text: The CD format allows for attaching names to discs and tracks. This text iswritten to the disc during the process of finalising and therefore has to be enteredjust beforehand.Clone: An exact replica of existing digital data.DAO: Disc At Once – the entire CD blank is recorded in one go without the laserpausing or being turned off. The lead out & TOC is written as part of this process.Finalising: The process of writing the lead out and TOC to a disc and thus com-pleting it. In the case of Track At Once, the disc does not need to be finalised imme-diately. Once it is, however, no further tracks can be added to that disc. An unfi-nalised disc can’t be played on a regular CD player, but it will play back in therecorder and may do so in some pro players.Fixing up: The original term for finalising.Flag: A digital signpost. The tracks on a CD are preceded by music start flags that tellthe player a new track is about to begin. Many players use these flags rather than theembedded absolute time references in the TOC to locate to a track.OPC: Optimum Power Control. Used on many burners to optimise the laser recordpower to the blank. See calibration.PMA: Program Memory Area – used only on a CD-RW, much like a TOC it is usedto hold intermediate information when a disc is written in different sessions.SCMS: Serial Copy Management System – popularly known as ‘scums’. SCMS isdesigned to allow you to make a single digital copy of a CD (or DAT) while prevent-ing any further copies from that first copy. It does this by inserting a copy prohibit bitinto the digital data stream, which is sent from the originating device. This tells anysecond generation device to lock out the digital signal i.e. you can’t make a clone ofa CD which is carrying the copy prohibit bit.S/PDIF: Sony/Philips Digital Interface – the standard for digital I/O on consumerequipment. See AES.SRC: Sample Rate Conversion. The CD recording sample rate is strictly defined as44.1k. However, many DAT and video recorders work at 48k and so, if you want todo a digital transfer, it is necessary to convert from the one sample rate to the other.Most burners now include this facility as standard.TAO: Track at Once – the CD blank is recorded track by track. The final CD is thusbuilt up track by track over time and the TOC has to be recorded separately at theend of this process.TOC: Table Of Contents. It is part of the basic spec of the CD format that each dischas at its start a table that describes the contents of the disc and where to findthe tracks. If a player can’t read the TOC then it won’t play the disc. It is animportant part of the function of a burner to write the TOC when finalising the disc.Word Clock: A signal used to synchronise digital equipment. Word clock may beused to bring all the (digital) machines in a studio into synchronous operation so thatthere are no glitches in the digital I/O. Not strictly necessary if a burner can sync toits digital input.

Glossary

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Model Analogue I/O Digital Input Digital Output Converters Sample Fade in/out Adjustable Remote Text Writing Syncro Word Clock PriceRate gain on Recording InputConversion Digital I/O

HHB Burn-it phono S/PDIF coax & optical S/PDIF coax & optical 24-bit yes no yes yes yes yes no $1,499

HHB CDR850 XLR & phono S/PDIF (coax & optical) & AES/EBU S/PDIF coax & optical 24-bit yes yes yes yes yes yes yes $2,399

HHB CDR850 Plus XLR & phono S/PDIF (coax & optical) & AES/EBU S/PDIF (coax & optical) & AES/EBU 24-bit yes yes yes yes yes yes yes $3,299

Yamaha CDR1000 XLR S/PDIF (coax) & AES/EBU S/PDIF (coax) & AES/EBU 24-bit yes yes no yes no yes yes $3,495

Sony CDR-W66 XLR & phono S/PDIF (coax & optical) & AES/EBU S/PDIF (coax & optical) & AES/EBU 24-bit yes yes yes yes yes yes yes $2,420

Sony CDR-W33 phono S/PDIF (coax & optical) S/PDIF (coax & optical) 24-bit yes yes yes yes yes yes no $1,419

Tascam CD-RW2000 XLR & Phono S/PDIF (coax & optical) & AES/EBU S/PDIF (coax & optical) & AES/EBU 24-bit yes yes yes yes no yes yes $2,359

Tascam CD-RW700 Phono S/PDIF (coax & optical) S/PDIF (coax & optical) 24-bit yes yes yes yes no yes no $1,640

Fostex CR300 XLR & Phono S/PDIF (coax & optical) & AES/EBU S/PDIF (coax & optical) & AES/EBU 16-bit yes yes no no no yes no $2,999

Marantz CDR500 XLR & Phono S/PDIF (coax & optical) S/PDIF (coax & optical) 20-bit yes no no yes yes yes no $2,295

Marantz CDR631 XLR & Phono S/PDIF (coax & optical) & AES/EBU S/PDIF (coax & optical) & AES/EBU 20-bit yes no no yes yes yes no $1,995

Manufacturer: HHBBurn-It is HHB’s low cost model, but apart from the lack ofbalanced I/O, there’s a good array of pro features. You can inputdisplay text, there’s a an SCMS-free digital input and gain controlon the digital input – which can be handy if you’re piecing togethera CD from various digital sources.

HHB’s CDR850 and 850Plus address the upper end of themarket – there’s a good complement of I/O. The 850Plus distin-guishes itself with its word clock input and associated dip switcheswhich allows you to select the master clock source (either via theword clock input, AES/EBU input, S/PDIF coax and optical inputsor the recorder’s internal clock).

Audio Products Australia: 1800 642922

Manufacturer: YamahaThe YamahaCDR1000features balancedanalogue and

digital I/O and aword clock input, but

probably its standoutfeature is the inclusion of Apogee’s UV22 Super CD 16-bitencoding (see preceding article for more). It’s a smart looking unitwith the word ‘Professional’ appearing prominently on the CD trayand with many of the features to warrant it.Yamaha Australia: 1800 805413 or aust_pasupport@infomta.post.yamaha.co.jp

Manufacturer: SonySony’s CDR-W33 and CDR-W66 are closely related, with the fun-damental difference being the selection of I/O on the rear. Bothunits pack some interesting features. Sony’s Super Bit Mapping (seemore on SBM in Howard’s preceding article) dither system isincluded, CD Text data can be input via a PC keyboard or from thefront panel, and digital limiting and three-band equalisation comesas an added bonus.

Sony Australia: 1800 017669

Manufacturer: TascamTascam have their CR-RW700 and CR-RW2000 in their range. Bothunits share similar features, with the CR-RW2000 playing the part ofbig brother, sporting balanced I/O and word clock input. Both have24-bit A/D and D/A converters, digital gain adjustment, and digitalprocessing of fade in and fade out from 3 to 30 seconds. There’s alsoa monitor function that allows these units to be used as an A/Dconverter orsample rateconverter, withoutthe need to place arecordable disk inthe tray or enterrecord mode. The700 will rackmount (as will the

The Contenders

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Model Analogue I/O Digital Input Digital Output Converters Sample Fade in/out Adjustable Remote Text Writing Syncro Word Clock PriceRate gain on Recording InputConversion Digital I/O

HHB Burn-it phono S/PDIF coax & optical S/PDIF coax & optical 24-bit yes no yes yes yes yes no $1,499

HHB CDR850 XLR & phono S/PDIF (coax & optical) & AES/EBU S/PDIF coax & optical 24-bit yes yes yes yes yes yes yes $2,399

HHB CDR850 Plus XLR & phono S/PDIF (coax & optical) & AES/EBU S/PDIF (coax & optical) & AES/EBU 24-bit yes yes yes yes yes yes yes $3,299

Yamaha CDR1000 XLR S/PDIF (coax) & AES/EBU S/PDIF (coax) & AES/EBU 24-bit yes yes no yes no yes yes $3,495

Sony CDR-W66 XLR & phono S/PDIF (coax & optical) & AES/EBU S/PDIF (coax & optical) & AES/EBU 24-bit yes yes yes yes yes yes yes $2,420

Sony CDR-W33 phono S/PDIF (coax & optical) S/PDIF (coax & optical) 24-bit yes yes yes yes yes yes no $1,419

Tascam CD-RW2000 XLR & Phono S/PDIF (coax & optical) & AES/EBU S/PDIF (coax & optical) & AES/EBU 24-bit yes yes yes yes no yes yes $2,359

Tascam CD-RW700 Phono S/PDIF (coax & optical) S/PDIF (coax & optical) 24-bit yes yes yes yes no yes no $1,640

Fostex CR300 XLR & Phono S/PDIF (coax & optical) & AES/EBU S/PDIF (coax & optical) & AES/EBU 16-bit yes yes no no no yes no $2,999

Marantz CDR500 XLR & Phono S/PDIF (coax & optical) S/PDIF (coax & optical) 20-bit yes no no yes yes yes no $2,295

Marantz CDR631 XLR & Phono S/PDIF (coax & optical) & AES/EBU S/PDIF (coax & optical) & AES/EBU 20-bit yes no no yes yes yes no $1,995

2000), which is handy given its price.The newest edition to Tascam’s range is the CD-RW4U built to

offer the features of the CD-RW700 mechanism in a compactdesign. The front panel features a stereo mini headphone jack (withlevel control), a program input level control and a VU level meter onthe LED screen for visual reference. The rear panel offers RCAunbalanced analogue I/O and coaxial digital I/O. At $1,299 this unitis well priced.

Tascam: (03) 9682 5886

Manufacturer: MarantzMarantz, whether it’s in the studio or in the living room, has always

had a good name for their CD mechanisms. TheCDR631 features a good

amount of buttons andcontrols on the frontpanel (including chunky,colour coded‘stop/go/record’buttons and a bigjog/shuttle wheel),balanced I/O and isdesigned for pro use.Meanwhile the CDR500

is a bit different,combining a CD player and CD

recorder with separate trays and I/O. Theapplications for this are pretty obvious, as well as

useful in the studio.Technical Audio Group: (02) 9810 5300/info@tag.au.com

Manufacturer: AlesisI haven’t included the Alesis Masterlink in the table below, becauseit’s no regular CD recorder. Its claim to fame is being able to use

standard CD-Rs to record 24-bit/96k audio, which has made it thedarling of many a mastering house. Furthermore, the Masterlinkhas a hard drive on board, and a bunch of DSP functions tosweeten your tracks before mastering them. There’s a full comple-ment of I/O but no word clock input. Price: $4,299.

Electric Factory: (03) 9480 5988/mail@elfa.com.au

Manufacturer: FostexThe Fostex CR300 has a good selection of I/O (although no wordclock input) and a healthy selection of features, which include fourCD-RW erase modes, three modes of copy bit selection andsupport for FDMS (Fostex Disk Management System) data backupfrom Fostex Digital Multitrackers – so a good choice if you ownother Fostex digital recording gear.

Syntec International: (02) 9417 4700

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