Best CD writer for mastering

punkrock · 10th November 2009, 09:50 AM

What CD-Writer do you use for mastering?
What do you think is the best cd writer for mastering?

tendadaraposa · 10th November 2009, 03:17 PM

Maybe try looking at the Mastering Forum?

luck

The Listener · 10th November 2009, 03:19 PM

I think there is a consensus about this: Plextor

paulreed · 10th November 2009, 03:21 PM

is there really any difference???? Are you asking about hardware or software?
I sure would like to know if there really is a difference in cd burner's!!

The Listener · 10th November 2009, 06:08 PM

Reliability, lack of errors??

I use this one:

Premium2

They say this about it:

PoweRec
Plextor Optimized Writing Error Reduction Control (PoweRec) adjusts laser power and writing speed so they're at the optimum settings for that particular disc. Using real-time monitoring of the write data, PoweRec can increase or decrease write power and speed to guarantee the best possible writing quality with whatever brand media is used.

Audio Master Quality Recording
To improve recording quality still further, Plextor’s PlexWriter Premium2 incorporates Yamaha’s Audio Master Quality Recording system. Users can create studio-quality audio masters that not only sound better, but can also increase the life span of their valuable recordings. In addition to reducing jitter, it can improve playback compatibility (for the widest range of players), increase the lifespan of audio CDs and backups, and protect valuable data.

punkrock · 11th November 2009, 02:31 AM

I say hardware burner and about sound quality, lack of error, etc...

jamesp · 11th November 2009, 04:01 PM

I use a Plextor Premium 2 but avoid all the fancy stuff as it can create an out of spec CD. They're not easy to find these days although you might have more luck in Korea.

Cheers

James.

Jerry Tubb · 11th November 2009, 04:37 PM

We just bought a 2005 NOS Plexwriter Premium on eB*y from a trusted seller.

They're out there... but they're going for a... well... premium!

I'll install it in an enclosure today for testing...

JT

deltasigma · 11th November 2009, 04:38 PM

I use an old Marantz 630 (bought before CD duplication became v easy.

It has fantastic ADC's on board (DS 64 X Oversampling (2.83 MHz), 1BIT), a great error correction circuit and solid clocking, plus down sampling for 48kHz signals, optical, coaxial, XLR and RCA inputs.

There is a huge amount of stuff that can change how a CD sounds when recorded.

D :)

Jperkinski · 30th November 2009, 03:04 AM

I have a brand new (and unopened) Plextor Premium 2 listed in the classified section if anybody is interested, it's located in Milwaukee, WI. I accidentally ordered 2, only need one...

Table Of Tone · 3rd December 2009, 09:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jperkinski

I have a brand new (and unopened) Plextor Premium 2 listed in the classified section if anybody is interested, it's located in Milwaukee, WI. I accidentally ordered 2, only need one...

If you're mastering, you need more than two!
Some Premium 2's are better than others, with regards to errors!

Jperkinski · 4th December 2009, 12:31 AM

Hmm, you're probably right, but when I installed the Premium 2 in the 2nd bay of my Mac Pro, something went wrong and it wouldn't boot past the blue startup screen and I had to redo the OS, it's all good now but I am definitely not touching now that the computer is happy again.

acca · 4th December 2009, 12:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jperkinski

Hmm, you're probably right, but when I installed the Premium 2 in the 2nd bay of my Mac Pro, something went wrong and it wouldn't boot past the blue startup screen and I had to redo the OS, it's all good now but I am definitely not touching now that the computer is happy again.

Do you succeded in installing it in a Mac Pro?
Does the Premium 2 have a proper Mac OS driver or are you using it in Windows with Bootcamp?

Jperkinski · 4th December 2009, 01:01 AM

yeah, it works great in my early Mac Pro in OSX 10.5 with no additional driver installs.
The later Mac Pro's apparently have SATA connections for the optical drives so it won't work in those. It physically installed pretty easy, but upon first startup it wouldn't boot. After a few hours of troubleshooting I just reinstalled Leopard and used time machine to restore it to it's last saved state and all is good...i think installing in a FW enclosure would have been smoother...

acca · 4th December 2009, 01:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jperkinski

yeah, it works great in my early Mac Pro in OSX 10.5 with no additional driver installs.
The later Mac Pro's apparently have SATA connections for the optical drives so it won't work in those. It physically installed pretty easy, but upon first startup it wouldn't boot. After a few hours of troubleshooting I just reinstalled Leopard and used time machine to restore it to it's last saved state and all is good...i think installing in a FW enclosure would have been smoother...

Great!
Does anybody know if FW enclosures and/or FW chipsets can cause errors in the writing process?

Jerry Tubb · 4th December 2009, 07:08 AM

Installed a Plextor 716 in one of our Mac G5's... a Pioneer 112D in the other G5.

They both work great.

We also have 6-8 other external Plextors to last a few years down the road.

JT

jamesp · 4th December 2009, 02:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by acca

Great!
Does anybody know if FW enclosures and/or FW chipsets can cause errors in the writing process?

They shouldn't do. I have a PC tucked away out of sight and a Plextor firewire/usb external drive in front of me so that I don't have to go to the PC each time I want to access a CD. It worked fine for ages until I did a Windows update. After that it would read but wouldn't burn. I've since changed computers and it is back to working fine with the new computer. The software that I use treats it exactly the same as an internal drive.

Cheers

James.

Table Of Tone · 5th December 2009, 05:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jperkinski

yeah, it works great in my early Mac Pro in OSX 10.5 with no additional driver installs.
The later Mac Pro's apparently have SATA connections for the optical drives so it won't work in those. It physically installed pretty easy, but upon first startup it wouldn't boot. After a few hours of troubleshooting I just reinstalled Leopard and used time machine to restore it to it's last saved state and all is good...i think installing in a FW enclosure would have been smoother...

Run a Premium 2 in a caddy if you're using either a G5 or Mac Pro!

Table Of Tone · 5th December 2009, 05:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jerry Tubb

Installed a Plextor 716 in one of our Mac G5's... a Pioneer 112D in the other G5.

They both work great.

We also have 6-8 other external Plextors to last a few years down the road.

JT

Wise move to have a few of em!

10th November 2009, 09:50 AM	#1
punkrock Gear interested Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Seoul, Korea Posts: 13	Best CD writer for mastering What CD-Writer do you use for mastering? What do you think is the best cd writer for mastering?

10th November 2009, 03:19 PM	#3
The Listener Lives for gear Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Europe Posts: 837	I think there is a consensus about this: Plextor __________________ "We tend to overestimate the effect of a technology in the short run and underestimate the effect in the long run." Roy Amara of the Institute for the Future

10th November 2009, 06:08 PM	#5
The Listener Lives for gear Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Europe Posts: 837	Reliability, lack of errors?? I use this one: Premium2 They say this about it: PoweRec Plextor Optimized Writing Error Reduction Control (PoweRec) adjusts laser power and writing speed so they're at the optimum settings for that particular disc. Using real-time monitoring of the write data, PoweRec can increase or decrease write power and speed to guarantee the best possible writing quality with whatever brand media is used. Audio Master Quality Recording To improve recording quality still further, Plextor’s PlexWriter Premium2 incorporates Yamaha’s Audio Master Quality Recording system. Users can create studio-quality audio masters that not only sound better, but can also increase the life span of their valuable recordings. In addition to reducing jitter, it can improve playback compatibility (for the widest range of players), increase the lifespan of audio CDs and backups, and protect valuable data. __________________ "We tend to overestimate the effect of a technology in the short run and underestimate the effect in the long run." Roy Amara of the Institute for the Future

11th November 2009, 02:31 AM	#6
punkrock Gear interested Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Seoul, Korea Posts: 13	I say hardware I say hardware burner and about sound quality, lack of error, etc...

11th November 2009, 04:01 PM	#7
jamesp Gear maniac Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: The wilds of Hampshire, UK Posts: 295	I use a Plextor Premium 2 but avoid all the fancy stuff as it can create an out of spec CD. They're not easy to find these days although you might have more luck in Korea. Cheers James. __________________ James Perrett - Audio mastering and restoration http://www.jrpmusic.net

10th November 2009, 03:17 PM	#2
tendadaraposa Gear Head Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Rio de Janeiro Posts: 46	Maybe try looking at the Mastering Forum? luck

10th November 2009, 03:21 PM	#4
paulreed Gear Head Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: kill devil hills, north carolina, usa Posts: 46	is there really any difference???? Are you asking about hardware or software? I sure would like to know if there really is a difference in cd burner's!!

11th November 2009, 04:37 PM	#8
Jerry Tubb Lives for gear Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Austin, Texas Posts: 1,115	We just bought a 2005 NOS Plexwriter Premium on eBy from a trusted seller. They're out there... but they're going for a... well... premium! I'll install it in an enclosure today for testing... JT __________________ Terra Nova Mastering* http://albumcredits.com/pro/jerrytubb

11th November 2009, 04:38 PM	#9
deltasigma Gear interested Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: UK Posts: 17	I use an old Marantz 630 (bought before CD duplication became v easy. It has fantastic ADC's on board (DS 64 X Oversampling (2.83 MHz), 1BIT), a great error correction circuit and solid clocking, plus down sampling for 48kHz signals, optical, coaxial, XLR and RCA inputs. There is a huge amount of stuff that can change how a CD sounds when recorded. D :)

30th November 2009, 03:04 AM	#10
Jperkinski Gear nut Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Milwaukee Posts: 95	I have a brand new (and unopened) Plextor Premium 2 listed in the classified section if anybody is interested, it's located in Milwaukee, WI. I accidentally ordered 2, only need one...

4th December 2009, 12:31 AM	#12
Jperkinski Gear nut Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Milwaukee Posts: 95	Hmm, you're probably right, but when I installed the Premium 2 in the 2nd bay of my Mac Pro, something went wrong and it wouldn't boot past the blue startup screen and I had to redo the OS, it's all good now but I am definitely not touching now that the computer is happy again.

4th December 2009, 01:01 AM	#14
Jperkinski Gear nut Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Milwaukee Posts: 95	yeah, it works great in my early Mac Pro in OSX 10.5 with no additional driver installs. The later Mac Pro's apparently have SATA connections for the optical drives so it won't work in those. It physically installed pretty easy, but upon first startup it wouldn't boot. After a few hours of troubleshooting I just reinstalled Leopard and used time machine to restore it to it's last saved state and all is good...i think installing in a FW enclosure would have been smoother...

4th December 2009, 07:08 AM	#16
Jerry Tubb Lives for gear Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Austin, Texas Posts: 1,115	Installed a Plextor 716 in one of our Mac G5's... a Pioneer 112D in the other G5. They both work great. We also have 6-8 other external Plextors to last a few years down the road. JT __________________ Terra Nova Mastering http://albumcredits.com/pro/jerrytubb

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