a record carrier 11 of a type which is writable or re-writable, for example CD-R or CD-RW. The device is provided with recording means for scanning the track on the record carrier which means include a drive unit 21 for rotating the record carrier 11, a head 22, a positioning unit 25 for coarsely positioning the head 22 in the radial direction on the track, and a control unit 20.