Tascam Introduces CD-RW5000 CD Recorder
January 28, 1999TASCAM will introduce the CD-RW5000 Compact Disc Recorder at the NAMM
Convention, held from January 28 to 31 at the Los Angeles Convention Center,
Booth W1015. With its ability to read and/or write to all currently available
media, including CD, CD-R, CD-RW, CD-R-DA and CD-RW-DA, this versatile
CD recorder makes a tremendous addition to both home and professional
studios, post production facilities, contractor installations and DJ rigs.
In addition to its support for all forms of CD media, the 2U rack-mountable
CD-RW5000 is the most complete CD recorder available. The unit’s
key features include: XLR balanced and RCA unbalanced analog I/O, an AES/EBU
digital input, S/PDIF coaxial and optical digital I/O, a Sync Start function,
Auto or Manual Track Increment capability, a sample rate converter, an
Erase function and parallel control I/O capability.
The most notable aspect of the CD-RW5000 is its unique support for all
currently available forms of CD media. Many competing stand-alone CD recorders
require the use of the CD-R-DA (Compact Disc-Recordable-Digital Audio)
or CD-RW-DA (Compact Disc-ReWritable-Digital Audio) formatted media and
do not support the CD-R or CD-RW formats. The cost of CD-R-DA and CD-RW-DA
media is substantially higher than CD-R or CD-RW as these disc formats
are specially licensed for the consumer market.
The CD-RW5000 has everything needed to integrate into the most sophisticated
production environments. The recorder provides XLR balanced analog inputs
and outputs, and, for managing signal levels, includes an output level
trim control. Its AES/EBU digital input provides the industry standard
protocol for professional digital recording while the recorder’s
support for both S/PDIF coaxial (RCA connectors) and optical digital input
and output facilitates communication with virtually every digital audio
device on the market.
With the CD-RW5000’s Sync Start feature, which provides automatic
Record mode entry, recording couldn’t be easier. By pressing the
Sync Start button, the CD-RW5000 enters Record Pause mode and waits for
the incoming Start ID from the external playback source. Upon receiving
the Start ID, the unit automatically begins recording. The CD-RW5000 provides
the operator with the choice of recording single or multiple tracks.
The new CD-RW5000 provides flexible control over the recording of Start
ID messages essential to the creation of CD media. With its Auto or Manual
Track Increment capability, the CD-RW5000 gives the operator the choice
of automatically embedding a Start ID with each new track or manually
entering this information. The benefit of such choice stems from the ability
to avoid the accidental entry of a Start ID. For example, a quiet passage,
followed by a return to ‘normal’ volume levels could be interpreted
as a new track—when it is actually part of the current track.
The CD-RW5000 has the ability to automatically detect the sample rate
of an incoming digital signal and, if necessary, convert that signal to
the 44.1kHz sample rate CD standard. With this incredibly useful feature,
mastering a DAT tape that was originally recorded at 48kHz is a one-step
process that is automatically handled by the CD-RW5000. The unit’s
Erase function includes the ability to clear an individual track or the
entire disc—making it easy to get exactly what you want.
Control is the CD-RW5000’s forte. This extremely capable recorder
has the ability to issue various commands such as Play, Pause, Record
and Stop to external equipment and can also respond to such messages.
This flexibility enables the CD-RW5000 to better integrate into the most
demanding production environments as well as enable the operator to work
faster and more efficiently. No matter what the task may be, the new TASCAM
CD-RW5000 is the one production tool no audio professional should be without.
With a suggested retail price of just $1299, the CD-RW5000 is a ‘sound
investment.
For more information, visit the Tascam web site at www.tascam.com.
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