Several professional audio manufacturers are now selling standalone CD recorders with familiar tape transport functionality for well-under $1,000. The HHB CDR830 BurnIT is a prime example — a device that is state-of-the-art and feature laden, but as natural to use as any analog recorder.

Features
The CDR830 ($795) is a self-contained, single-disc CD recording/playback device. The familiar HHB purple chassis comes equipped with standard rack ears and can occupy two rack spaces or sit on the enclosed plastic feet.

The front panel is dominated by a large dot-matrix LED display that has indicators for various device status readouts, as well as a central text-based section, which varies depending on function. Also on the front panel are transport controls, several function buttons, a headphone jack with volume knob, a knob for analog recording gain and a jog wheel that does duty as the digital recording level control, track skip, and data entry.

A comprehensive remote control duplicates most front panel functions, and contains additional abilities such as cursor control and a full numeric keypad for text entry. Inputs and outputs are straightforward, with stereo digital inputs and outputs on both coaxial S/PDIF and optical connectors, and analog I/O via line level RCA jacks.

The CDR830 handles a variety of bit depths at 32, 44.1 and 48 kHz through the digital inputs, all of which are automatically converted to CD standard 44.1 kHz/16 bits. The device is capable of interpreting the track ID codes from DAT tapes or digital CD sources. Recording takes place on standard media, using CD-R and CD-RW formats.

Several modes are provided for CD burning. These modes give the user the option of recording one track at a time, with the recorder starting automatically upon the detection of audio, or recording of all tracks, with track IDs marked either by audio silence or incoming track ID codes — the latter with or without automatic finalization.

A manual option permits use of the transport controls to control recording. There is also a feature that allows track numbers to increment automatically at a preset interval, permitting easy access when recording a long, continuous program source like a speech or live show.

The BurnIT can read and write using the CD Text standard, which contains entries for artist name and title for each track. The text shows up in the displays of compatible recorders. An increasing number of commercially released discs have adopted this standard, which can also be useful for archival purposes.

In use
The unit is certainly simple to set up — just a matter of connecting the digital source and patching it in to a monitoring system. For listening purposes, that is all you need to do. You can use this as a normal player, including standard player features such as programming and random play.

When you first insert a disc, the BurnIT takes a couple of seconds to assess what kind of media it is working with — CD-R, CD-RW or CD. For recording purposes, insert a CD-R or CD-RW and choose input source and set levels.

Most digital sources will probably set for 0 db of gain change. If not, adjusting input level is simple. The RCA analog inputs are equally easy. Although this is a budget CD-R, Iwish it had XLR analog connections as some lower-priced decks are now including them.

Assuming source material is in place, the next step is to choose the recording "synchro" format. This has the advantage of allowing you to start tracks right at the beginning of the audio if you so desire. If you are brave, you can even choose to have the recorder advance track numbers and finalize the disc in one fell swoop.

The idea behind the synchro modes is that they will automatically start when an incoming ID is detected. If you are using a digital source that transmits track ID codes, such as a compatible DAT, CD or MD source, the track information will be duplicated exactly. On several tests, the unit was able to receive and duplicate track ID data without a problem.

I found the automatic silence detection modes somewhat temperamental. Its definition of silence was a little stricter than other silence detection schemes I have used. Setting the digital recording level to negative infinity or using a brand new DAT tape (digital black) as a source did not seem to be quiet enough either. The only silence it seemed to recognize was pressing stop on the source device, and even then not all the time.

I found the manual mode to be quite straightforward, which gets back to my opening sentiment — it really is nice to be able to make CDs the way you record tapes. Throwing together compilations or roughs is a breeze, and all the worries about buffer problems and roached CDs are a thing of the past.

The Orange Book and Red Book standards have not gone away of course, so you still have to finalize the TOC information before using your discs in standard players, but you can listen to semifinished discs in the recorder, which is really handy. While you cannot erase on CD-Rs, you can leave bad tracks out of the TOC, which does enable some fixing of mistakes, albeit at the expense of disc capacity.

Finalizing is accomplished by hitting the Finalize button, at which time the recorder displays how long finalization will take, and prompts for approval. Once finalization has begun, all controls are disabled until the process is complete. If the unit is powered down during this time, the disc will be lost.

I found the sound of the BurnIt to be equivalent to other pro CD units I have used. The controls and documentation are intuitive, and the more advanced features are easily accessible, but not intrusive. HHB deserves accolades for a well-designed remote control as well.

Summary
In general, the HHB CDR830 BurnIT CD recorder is a solid, well-made piece of equipment that does what it is supposed to do in an artful fashion.

The BurnIT seems ideally suited for project and professional studios, where making CDs is a daily occurrence and the ease of use a huge asset. It would also be perfect in a live engineer’s rack or at a rehearsal studio, for quick and easy documentation of live shows or writing sessions.

Product Points
Applications:
Project studio, live recording, broadcast

Key Features:
Standalone CD recorder; coaxial and optical S/PDIF I/O; RCA analog I/O; uses CD-R and CD-RW discs

Plus
• Quality workmanship
• Exceptionally intuitive controls
and documentation
• Very easy to use

Minus
• Unbalanced analog I/O
• Silence detection was temperamental

The Score
The BurnIT is a well-executed piece of equipment at an appropriate price.

Just five years ago, CD burners were too expensive for the smaller studio. But today, with the advent of computer-based CD-R drives, nearly everyone seems to have CD burning capability. And, while computer-based systems have their advantages, I prefer the quality and ease of a stand-alone for most burning. Not having to load the master into the computer every time I want to burn something is a definite plus.

HHB's new CDR830 BurnIt is not only the company's most affordable unit, but it also offers several advantages for straight digital burning over its counterparts, HHB's 850 and 850 Plus.

NUTS AND BOLTS
In creating the 830, HHB eliminated some of the unnecessary inputs on the 850 to create an ideal unit for the project studio market. Gone is the AES input; this makes sense, as AES doesn't transmit CD subcode data. Gone too are the XLR inputs/outputs. The 830 does have both coaxial and optical S/PDIF inputs and outputs and RCA analog I/Os. The unit includes a full-function remote control, offering one-touch access to many of its features. The Automatic Fader and Next Track functions can only be used from the remote.

Standard 830 features shared by other HHB burners include: an automatic adjustable fade in/fade out, SCMS-free recording (though you can set the SCMS status of the CD you are recording), built-in sample rate conversion (for recording from 48kHz DATs) and the ability to set the volume level at which start IDs trigger. Three recording sync modes are offered: 1-track, All Track and All Finalize, depending on how many tracks you want to record from your source. For some reason, in All Finalize mode, the 830 takes almost four minutes to “fix” the mastered CD. If you just hit Finalize when you are done, then it takes only two minutes.

Several new bells and whistles on the unit make it stand out at this price point. Sonically, the 830 excels with its 24-bit AD/DA converters. The 24-bit Delta Sigma D/A converter has a beautiful, warm, balanced sound, clear in the highs with excellent stereo separation. The 24-bit A/D converter, while not of the quality of an Apogee or Benchmark, does a good job when mastering from an analog source.

Unless I needed a CD-R with wordclock sync, I would choose the 830 over HHB's 850 and 850 Plus because of the unit's digital volume control. This feature allows you to boost/cut the volume of a digital signal either prior to mastering or while mastering, and it also provides left and right balance control for evening the levels on an imperfectly mastered tape. The 830 also lets users create CD text on master CDs. With this feature, you can store the disc name, artist name and track names on the CD. When played on a player that supports it, the information will read out on the screen. The text feature lets you choose between upper- and lowercase letters, numbers and several characters.

IN USE
I burned several CDs from my live DAT recordings, sending the signal from a Fostex D-5 DAT via the optical input, and I also burned CD copies using the coaxial input, taking a digital feed from a Nakamichi MB-10 CD changer. The 830 worked like a champ.

The digital volume control was easy to use and a real blessing for fine-tuning adjustments. While the remote can operate the digital volume control, I preferred to use the knob on the front of the unit, turning it to boost/cut levels as needed. While recording a Utah Phillips show, I was able to quickly cut the spikes from crowd noise and applause by dropping levels -6 dB, then raising the levels back up to standard input during the music. After deliberately recording another show at low volume, I boosted the levels up +5 dB on the CD, as I mastered it with almost no audible deterioration. Using the remote control to create a fade in and out at the start and end of the CD was a snap.

The CDR830 BurnIt is ideally suited for use in the recording studio or broadcast environment. The sound quality is superb, and the unit has the usual HHB reliability. In summary, this is an excellent CD burner at a $795 price that's hard to beat.

The distinctively purple HHB CDR830 BurnIT is the least expensive CD recorder in the HHB range. Housed in a 2U rackmount case with a sculpted, anodised front panel, it features all the familiar controls, including separate knobs for analogue and digital level trim plus an individual headphone output level control. It offers digital I/O on both optical and coaxial S/PDIF, but the more professional AES-EBU interface is absent, while the analogue I/O is on unbalanced phono connectors only. The machine has the ability to burn CD-Rs and CD-RWs using consumer or professional discs, and it is unencumbered by SCMS (Serial Copy Management System), though it's still possible to add this copy–prohibit code to your recordings if you wish. The converters are 24-bit, but of course the data recorded to the CD remains in 16-bit format to conform to the Red Book standard set down for commercial audio CDs. An infra-red remote control is included as standard, and CD Text is supported, enabling the user to enter disc, artist and track names that will be displayed when the CD is replayed on a CD Text-compatible player.

Acknowledging that not all digital sources are at the 44.1kHz required of CD, the CDR830 has inbuilt sample-rate conversion that can deal with any source in the range 32kHz to 48kHz, though this is automatically bypassed if a 44.1kHz source is detected. Both manual and 'syncro' recording modes are supported, the latter with the option to automatically record one track, all tracks, or all tracks plus automatic finalise.

When the BurnIT is recording from a digital source in syncro mode, recording stops if the input signal drops below -96dB for more than five seconds (-90dB in the case of a 24-bit source). As 16-bit audio only has a dynamic range of 96dB, this implies that a five-second passage of digital silence (all bits off) is required to trigger the 'auto end' function, so low-level orchestral passages, for example, are unlikely to result in a false stop.

Individual track starts are picked up when you're recording from a digital source. However, when the source is analogue (or when a digital source has no subcode information), the track increment threshold can be set by the user so that a new track is created after the signal falls below this level for over two seconds. Separate thresholds are available for the analogue, coaxial and optical inputs, which can be set between -24dB and -78dB (-66dB minimum for analogue) in 6dB steps. There's also a manual track increment option, as well as a feature I haven't come across before that puts in track IDs at regular intervals regardless of what the input is doing. This is useful for breaking up continuous live recordings or interviews, and may be set by the user to operate at intervals of one, three or five minutes.

If CD-RW disks are used, recording is pretty much the same as for a write-once CD-R, except that there are five different erase options: Erase TOC (reverse finalisation), Erase Last (erase the last track), Erase All (erase all tracks), Erase Range (erase a range of consecutive tracks) or Initialise (erase everything). Manually finalising a recording takes around two minutes, whereas in Auto Finalise mode finalisation starts around one minute after recording stops.

All the usual playback modes are supported, though some of the more esoteric features (programmable track order and so on) can only be accessed from the remote. However, given that any CD player or recorder has a limited laser life, based on how frequently it is used, I can't bring myself to use a CD-R machine merely as a player!

The CDR830 does pretty much what it says on the tin -- it produces copies in a reliable, hassle-free way. Particularly useful is the variable threshold for pause detection. However, as there's no input buffer that I'm aware of, you'd be well advised to place your source's Start ID early enough to give the CD recorder time to get into record mode before the music starts. Though there are machines with more professional features, the CDR830 is a cost-effective workhorse that will meet the requirements of the majority of small studios admirably. What's more, it looks extremely nice and is very intuitive to operate.

HHB BURNIT
pros
Easy to operate.
Offers all the essential features.
Competitively priced.
cons
No balanced analogue or AES-EBU digital I/O.
summary
An ideal choice for those who need an SCMS-free CD recorder, but who don't need the more esoteric trimmings

HHB'S LATEST FORAY IN TO CD-R recorders is by far and away its most mass market and accessible. Known as BurnIT, the smaller legending reveals a model number of CDR-830 which puts it in to the context of the company's previous offerings in this area, such as the CDR-880 and still current CDR-850 and CDR-850 Plus.

Connector-wise we're down to the bare minimum here with phono analogue I-Os and digital I-Os presented in coax and optical flavours. As an aside the original BurnIT brochure shows a back panel drawing that includes a 'remote' section that has connectors for 'text' which perhaps would accommodate connection of a computer keyboard for entering text info. However, this is not present on production models.

The front panel if far busier with clusters of buttons, most of which are dedicated in their operation. The left most cluster concerns itself with scrolling text messages--BurnIT distinguishes itself together with the Marantz CDR631 in presenting CD Text as a feature--plus traditional display mode switching, a switch that clicks between the disc, artist and track text info, and a monitor button for following the input selected from a switch that rolls through the three available varieties. Dedicated switches are also provided for erasing CD-RW tracks or discs, finalising, and selecting auto or manual track incrementing, the latter activated by pressing the record key.

Transport related keys are play/pause, stop, record and record pause (around 4s). A menu key accesses deeper functions such as up to 12s of fade in-out, copy protection (permit, once and inhibit), setting the threshold level for auto track incrementing plus the balance level of the input in analogue or digital. The analogue input has its own pot but digital levels can also be adjusted by selecting the parameter from the menu and adjusting it with a dial which has push to confirm. The same dial is used for adjusting all the other aforementioned parameters in a similar fashion. There's also the useful inclusion of automatic track incrementing for those long drum solos in which markers can be inserted at 1-, 3- or 5-minute intervals.

The tone of the manual is distinctly biased towards the format beginner with its reiteration of points and explanation of rudimentary CD-R principles. Not a bad thing, most of the very earliest CD-R machine manuals presupposed a level of knowledge that at the time was more likely to be found only within CD plants. However, its handling of the variety of Synchro options available may overwhelm the beginner when it is perhaps adequate to state that the machine can achieve synchronised recording from a variety of sources as single track, all tracks and all tracks followed by finalisation.

As is so often the case now, BurnIT comes with an elaborate infra-red remote which accesses the machines role as a player, such as programmed playback and activating and setting skip IDs, but also duplicates all the front panel controls. Most importantly the remote is employed to enter text info in a slightly less cumbersome method to that offered by using the previously mentioned front panel dial. To quote from the literature, each title can be up to 120 characters long including spaces and you can store three unfinalised discs' worth of characters (up to 2,000) in the machine's memory at the same time. We'll have to take the manufacturer's word for this as I was not about to embark on a test of the limits of the text capacity even though the remote's key arrangement is largely similar to that used on mobile phones for text messages and therefore more comfortable than using the front panel dial. I've now got around to liking the idea of CD Text but, ladies and gentlemen, there has got to be an easier way of getting the words on to the platter than the methods used on BurnIT and Marantz' CDR631. We have been spoiled by the freedom in which we can connect up a PC keyboard on top flight MD machines after all.

That said, I do like this remote as it's well laid out and sectioned off and the switch response, while short in travel, is extremely positive so entering text is less painful than it could have been.

Treated as a sum the operation is clear and simple and sonic performance is well up there. The SRC is bypassable, display is clear, the metering good and the response of the switch gear is fast, something that couldn't be said of the very early CD-Rs which were rather sluggish in this respect.

Appraisal of the current wave of more affordable CD-R machines must be tempered with a pinch of realism. With the exception of a few key new features the new machines offer little that the last generation of boxes are able to achieve. In the context of HHb's range of recorders there is no real reason for anyone who already has such a machine to dump it and invest in the BurnIT. I would still say that the CDR850 Plus has a lot of stuff going for it.

If there has been an increase in performance then it is imperceptible, however, what is blatant is that the money required to buy in to this technology has dropped dramatically against even only a few years ago. CD-R remains an illustration of how technology progresses and prices come down, the newer machines do not replace the good machines from the last generation they just make getting in to the format that much more accessible for first timers and less financially challenging for the inevitable repeat business.

As such BurnIT is a a worthy contender. Build wise it seems more mass-produced and 'streamlined' than previous HHb recorders and it's also physically more lightweight, even though I'd be rash to suggest that it is anything but robust enough for heavy duty work. Perhaps predictably, the operational aspects are more defined and distilled in a manner that was a stumbling block for earlier CD-Rs. Accessibility and the time taken to burn the first disc has undoubtedly been reduced for novices to the format (there must surely still be many) and there are swages of buttons and control functions presented on the top. There's nothing hidden or secretive here just solid performance with the sorts of bells and whistles that you would expect if you are a careful follower of the spec sheets. The downside is undoubtedly connectivity and particularly balanced analogue although if you are running to the CD-R digitally and will not be needing it for playback duties then this will be of very little consequence.

The bottom line is that used in certain types of application BurnIT will fulfil all your requirements and then some. We've never had it so good. Highly recommended.