Advantages Of Varirec Technology; How The Default Varirec Setting Is Determined; Changing The Varirec Setting - Plextor PX-320A User Manual

Section 4. Using Your PlexCombo

Advantages of VariRec Technology

This drive is equipped with VariRec (Variable Recording) technology, a feature
offered by Plextor that allows you to manually adjust the drive's laser power during
the audio recording process.
NOTE: In order for you to actually perform the adjustment, VariRec must be
supported by the recording software you're using.
Being able to adjust the laser power during the recording process can have some
definite advantages. For instance, depending on the capabilities of your specific
audio equipment, you may be able to change the sound quality of your recordings to
suit the equipment. Or you may be able to correct compatibility problems that occur
when playing discs on certain audio players.

How the Default VariRec Setting Is Determined

In most cases you don't have to worry about setting VariRec. The setting is 0 (zero)
by default, and this usually works best. This default setting is determined by a
combination of steps:
1. First, we test many types of CD-R and CD-RW media in our factory to determine
the best write strategy (laser power and other factors) for that media.
2. We include a table of the tested media and their write strategy in your drive's
firmware. (This table is updated when you update your drive by downloading
new firmware from the Plextor web site.)
3. When you insert a recordable disc into your drive, Plextor's PoweRec technology
automatically identifies the manufacturer, model, and special features of the
media, then adjusts the laser power and writing speed so they're at the optimum
settings for that disc.
4. The drive uses OPC (Optimum Power Control) to further fine-tune the laser
power setting to the specific disc that is in your drive.
5. The combined values of the pre-defined write strategies, along with the OPC test
results, create the default VariRec setting of zero.

Changing the VariRec Setting

VariRec lets you increase or decrease the laser power by up to 2 degrees in either the
positive or negative direction from this default. You can change the laser power to do
comparison testing with your CD player (home, auto, or CD-ROM drives) to find the
power setting that best suits you.
Changing the laser power changes the characteristics of the audio being written. You
can hear these changes during audio playback, although what you hear will depend
on speaker quality, audio settings, and environment.
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PlexCombo 20/10/40-12A Installation and Users Manual