Standalone CD burner's purpose?

[Hxd Ped]

With the capabilities of today’s computers, is there any need to have a standalone, rack mount CD burner? What can standalone burners do that a computer can’t?

I'm asking because I realy don't know. I've never used a standalone burner.

[Peacock]

Originally Posted by Hxd Ped

With the capabilities of today’s computers, is there any need to have a standalone, rack mount CD burner? What can standalone burners do that a computer can’t?

I'm asking because I realy don't know. I've never used a standalone burner.

We do not use computers only Radar and Tape with a neotek console. So the CD burner is an option for mix down along with tape. Also, it allows us to use differing A/D "apogee or mytek" for mix. The Radar has CD burner capability but the masterlink with higher end A/D outboard convertor in front of the masterlink sounds good.

[Duardo]

I don't know that they're "needed"...they're handy to run mixes to for quick references, or as a redundant option...but a straight-ahead CD recorder doesn't seem too useful to me. More useful is the previously-mentioned Alesis Masterlink, or Tascam's DVRA1000 (which I use) which record at a higher resolution than CD. I like to mix to that (and run the mix to a stereo track in Pro Tools as well to keep as part of the session) as I have an instant backup already, and it's very easy to take those files back into the computer for editing/mastering...but it's certainly not a necessity, and I often find myself simply mixing down right back into Pro Tools.

[joelpatterson]

I think they're made expressly for old school guys like me, who got up and running before the era of laptops and all-in-one computer CD burning options.

I've had HHB standalone CD burners as long as I remember... I remember programing DAT tapes with track increment codes and all the rest of it... just a handy way to work, recording on a multi-track, mixing down in Digital Performer, burning a CD master out through the coaxial, using this master to run off copies for the screaming hordes.

But then all throughout the 90's and 00's the technology has advanced in perfect lockstep with my peculiar needs, being a one man record company... so, there's the answer: somebody up there likes me.

[msmith]

I use mine behind my actual 2 track recorder as an option for an instant reference at the end of the night. Bounce to disk? No thanks....Got a cd ready to go right here...

[djwayne]

I use my Tascam CDRW5000 to check disks I've recorded on my computer cdr. It's also set up that I can do sound checks on my mixer with it. I bought it before cd recorders became so cheap. I paid a small fortune for it and wouldn't buy it again, but it is nice to have for reference and sound checks.

[Hxd Ped]

Originally Posted by Duardo

More useful is the previously-mentioned Alesis Masterlink, or Tascam's DVRA1000 (which I use) which record at a higher resolution than CD.

So are the Masterlink and Tascam burners mainly for data backup? (I assume burning a higher sample rate/bit depth CD won't play in an ordinary CD player.)

Thanks, guys. This is very educational.

[djwayne]

Originally Posted by Hxd Ped

So are the Masterlink and Tascam burners mainly for data backup? (I assume burning a higher sample rate/bit depth CD won't play in an ordinary CD player.)

Thanks, guys. This is very educational.

The Tascam I have is just a regular cd burner, just expensive as hell, because of when it came out. Good quality cheap CD burners just weren't available back then. If I would have waited a year I could have saved a bunch of money.

[Spookym15]

In my experience a stand alone CD burner does a better job at writing a CD. I use the Tascam DVRA1000 and it is wonderful. I can burn a CD using the Tascam and it works everywhere, where as if I burn a CD from the computer it wont work in my car, other peoples car, and well pretty much any crappy CD player. The A/D on the tascam is quite good. I have everything going out of Pro Tools to a console to sum it down and then to the Tascam. I dont trust Pro Tools to do my bounces because it varies from bounce to bounce and what I hear when it bounces is not what I heard earlier. Pro Tools seems thin.

But I think a dedicated CD burner is a must.

[Bryan Talbot]

I have a Tascam CD-RW2000. I don't actually mix to it (haven't yet anyway), but it's the studio CD player, a safety recorder for broadcast production sessions, and a rack-mounted location recorder.

It's a very handy multipurpose machine that works well.

[JEGG]

I have the old HHB upside down over engineered platter. It has always worked flawlessly. Very good converters, too.

And in those days, I absolutely required gear that had triple digital interfaces: optical, coax, and AES/EBU.

I also required XLR line ins.

I used a Sony consumer CD player with optical out into the HHB as a CD copier.

If I need it, it still can sit idly by while converting opt, coax, and AES.

I got it when two things happened:
1. It was time to be giving clients CD's and not DATs and cassette copies.
2. Concurrently, my third DAT machine was starting to be a bit unpredictable. I knew I didn't want to put any money into it, and I knew that I wanted to be done with depending on DAT machines.

It was a very expensive but excellent decision. For a long time it was my location recorder. Rock solid, not one problem ever.

It has made many(!) thousands of discs. Out of thousands, there was a total of about 3 bad discs-and the problem was with the discs-cheap unbranded stuff from an office supply store. (I figured-at the time-it was worth trying-fortunately they messed up from disc 1 so I no one ended up with the 3 discs!) Can you imagine no failures over thousands of discs? I did stay with only two or three "brands" (who knows who really made them?)

I still like the sound of its A/D. I do classical work, and occasionally was obliged to record at very low levels because of transients in the program material. The sound was always great.

Newer and less expensive machines came soon after. I helped several of my colleagues buy them. It took only a few seconds of handling them to recognize the huge quality differences-particularly their mechanical integrity. The price went plunge was commensurate with quality.

I still have it for a couple of reasons:
1. It's a backup recorder.
2. It interfaces with some gear clients bring in.
3. I work in large buildings. It is sometimes much easier to put complete recording setups in different parts of the space rather than to run cables everywhere.

Can't fault the sound. Strange thing is, I still trust it more than about anything else I own. It's a very well made piece of gear.

Addendum: Actually there was one reported failure. A CD was furnished to a firm as a master for a commercial CD. Evidently the laser in the HHB must have hit a tiny dust particle on the disc, so it was rejected. The engineer kindly sent it back with the very, very, tiny burn circled! Then, with his advice, I learned to keep discs REALLY clean. And that probably accounts for none of the others coming back. But that rejection by the plant was operator error, not the HHB.

[Peacock]

Originally Posted by Duardo

I don't know that they're "needed"...

Except for some of us. We do not have a computer in the studio.

[JH4music]

I still have an old Kodak PCD-225 Cd writer. It only burns at 1x or 2x, connects to old computers only(SCSI, remember SCSI?), but every audio CD I've made with it sounds awesome. I haven't tested it against the modern apple superdrives, but it was a VERY noticable difference in quality compared to the older consumer grade CD burners. When I'm finished mixing the current album I'm working on, I'll fire it up and test it again. Remember that in it's day, the Kodak machine was somewhere around $5000, while a brand new superdrive is about $50. Yes, the new ones burn faster and can burn DVD's, and mass production has cut costs, but I have a feeling that the old Kodak is still going to win again.

[themaidsroom]

Originally Posted by Bryan Talbot

I have a Tascam CD-RW2000. I don't actually mix to it (haven't yet anyway), but it's the studio CD player, a safety recorder for broadcast production sessions, and a rack-mounted location recorder.

It's a very handy multipurpose machine that works well.

i have one of these too, connected to an apogee 200, the 1/2" two track, and
the stereo buss of the board for rough mixes.
i actually think it sounds far better than toast.
i just recallibrated the apogee and now everything is as good as it has ever
sounded coming from cd
most things here are 2" and 1/2" - the burner allows me to have the
big display hidden during the analog sessions...


be well


- jack

[Duardo]

So are the Masterlink and Tascam burners mainly for data backup? (I assume burning a higher sample rate/bit depth CD won't play in an ordinary CD player.)

The high-resolution disks you burn are for backup, or transferring to other machines (they can be read by computers)...but both machines also offer the option of recording a regular audio CD as well.

I still have an old Kodak PCD-225 Cd writer. It only burns at 1x or 2x, connects to old computers only(SCSI, remember SCSI?), but every audio CD I've made with it sounds awesome. I haven't tested it against the modern apple superdrives, but it was a VERY noticable difference in quality compared to the older consumer grade CD burners.

The burner itself doesn't have anything to do with the sound quality, so if you were to take an audio file and burn it on your SCSI burner and burn that same file on a Superdrive it would sound exactly the same. If it didn't it would be some other variable...the software used, etc...but the drive is just writing data, so if it's writing the same file it will sound the same.

[SRS]

Originally Posted by Duardo

...but the drive is just writing data, so if it's writing the same file it will sound the same.

Except for the ever present error rates involved... the sound can be affected.

[Barish]

I have a Philips one. Dual tray CD/CD-RW. Cost some 250 quid back in the day. It was supposed to be of that audiophile shite. I dunno. It sounds very good, though. I still do OTB so sometimes it's easier to just record onto a CD-R through it and go if it's not the final mix. Saves a lot of hassle.

Other than that, I use it for listening to CDs mostly, or copying/duplicating CDs when the computer is busy doing other stuff.

M.

[Barnabas]

I know of several churches that record the sermon direct to CD, and then pop that CD in a CD duplicator at the end of the sermon so people can get a CD as they are walking out of the church. There's no waiting for bounce to disc!