4 – Recording—Basic recording
22
TASCAM CD-RW4U
Basic recording
NOTE
According to the “Red Book” (the specification for audio
CDs), a track cannot be less than four seconds in length,
and there can be a maximum of 99 tracks on an audio CD.
Bear these limitations in mind when recording.
If you press either the STOP or the PLAY/PAUSE or
PAUSE key within four seconds of starting recording, the
unit will continue recording until four seconds have elapsed
(since the start of recording) and then stop or pause as
appropriate.
After selecting the input source (“Input selection” on
page 19), it is possible to start recording.
The basic record procedure is as follows:
1
Load a recordable disc is into the unit. As the
disc is loaded, the display shows
TOC
Reading
.
When the disc has been loaded, the display
indicators show
CD-R
,
NO TOC
, or
CD-RW
,
NO
TOC
, as appropriate.
2
Press the
RECORD
key (
). The unit
enters record ready mode, as shown by the
REC
and pause indicators on the display. As
the unit enters record ready mode, the dis-
play shows
Now OPC
(Optimum Power
Control), as the unit prepares to record on
the disc.
If the digital source has been selected (see
“Input selection” on page 19) and is not con-
nected properly, or is not powered up, the
message
D-IN UNLOCK!
(digital
input is unlocked) will be displayed to show
that the system is not ready to record.
3
Adjust the level of the source (“Level adjust-
ment” on page 20).
NOTE
The red
OVER
indicators on the meters should never light.
Unlike analog equipment, digital audio units produce
extremely unpleasant sounds when distorted, and there is
no “headroom” after the
0
mark. If recording digitally from a
commercially-produced CD, the volume set in the menu
should be
0dB
. This will maintain all the dynamic range
of the source CD without clipping. Only boost the signal if
the source is exceptionally quiet.
An analog signal input at nominal level, with no cut
or boost from the volume controls (that is, with the
INPUT
control between the “1 o’clock” and “2
o’clock” positions, is equivalent to a reading of
between –20dB and –12dB on the meters (in other
words, 0 is equivalent to 16 dBFS).
4
Press the
PLAY/PAUSE
or
PLAY
to
start recording.
Note that there is no need to “cue up” the
recording position—the unit always finds the
next available location on the disc and start
recording to it.
5
Press the
PLAY/PAUSE
or
PAUSE
key
to pause recording temporarily. The pause
indicator on the display shows this. Pressing
PLAY
again restarts recording with a new
track number.
Alternatively, press
STOP
(
) to stop
recording. When recording stops, the display
shows
PMA Writing
(Program Mem-
ory Area) and the
REC
indicator flashes for a
few seconds as the unit writes to the disc.
NOTE
While the “PMA Writing” message is displayed, all keys are
disabled, and the unit is actually writing to disc. Do not dis-
connect the power or subject the unit to severe vibration or
shocks at this time, as this will prevent proper recording of
the information.
When this message disappears, you must
press the
RECORD
key (step
2
) before
restarting the recording. Recording restarts
with a new track number.
NOTE
Remember that every time recording is paused or stopped,
when recording is restarted, a new track will always be
started. It is not possible to record in two “stages” within
one track.
Playing back tracks
Although an unfinalized disc cannot be played back
on an ordinary CD player, the CD-RW4U can play
back tracks that have been recorded.
Use the
MULTI DIAL
control
or the
SKIP
to select a track for playback.
