Following on from our hugely popular article into home recording 40 years ago, we rewind back again. In this article we take a trip down memory lane to look at one machine that changed recording for many of us in the 1990s.

We’ve pivoted towards the project studio from the home studio for this article because in the decade since 1984 a lot has happened. Home studios were maturing, although many had started with 4 track cassette portastudios, some realised there was new business to be had building a studio that slotted somewhere between the big facilities and the home demo set-ups. One machine made a huge impact, the Alesis ADAT. In this article we look at its contribution and why so many of us had a love-hate relationship with ADAT.

The Alesis ADAT 

The ADAT (Alesis Digital Audio Tape) recorder was a watershed moment in the annals of music production, symbolising a paradigm shift in the way musicians and producers approached recording. At its core, the ADAT was the first genuinely affordable digital audio multitrack recorder, making it an indispensable tool in project studios worldwide. Its introduction in the early 1990s was timed perfectly, coming at a point when the recording industry was ripe for revolution but before the dawn of widespread computer-based Digital Audio Workstations (DAWs).

Before the arrival of ADAT, digital recording was the preserve of high-end studios, equipped with expensive equipment that was beyond the reach of most independent musicians and producers. It’s worth noting that until the ADAT, digital multitrack recording machines were from brands like Sony and Mitsubishi and cost tens of thousands to purchase. They were also the size of a fridge and cost a lot to run.

On the other hand, ADAT ran using standard VHS tapes and cost a fraction of the price, £3499 in 1992, today around £8500.

The typical project studio relied heavily on analogue tape, which, while warm and characterful, lacked the precision, flexibility, and lower noise operation of digital formats. The ADAT changed that by offering eight tracks of digital recording on Super VHS (S-VHS) tapes, a medium that was both accessible and affordable. 

The first ADAT model was unveiled by Alesis at the 1991 NAMM Show and became available in 1992. It recorded up to 8 tracks of 16-bit digital audio on a standard S-VHS tape. Notably, 16 ADATs could be synced to record 128 tracks simultaneously, a feature that, along with its affordability, fueled the growth of project studios in the 1990s. 

I had two ADAT machines, which were a minor miracle compared to tape, however they had their foibles. Whenever I rewound tapes they screeched with such an alarming volume I always thought the tapes were going to snap. Mine was paired up with a Soundcraft Spirit console.

The Only Game In Town?

It would be remiss to talk about ADAT without mentioning the Tascam DA-88, a similar concept using Hi-8, but nonetheless a competing format. This is how Paul White explained the difference between the two in the April 1993 edition of Sound On Sound;

“DA88 & ADAT: WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?

Alesis utilise a fairly standard S-VHS video transport backed up by some pretty impressive electronics, whereas Tascam have developing their own transport running Hi-8 8mm video tape. Tascam's is a solid and sophisticated transport, and I suspect that it will be used in other Tascam data storage products to help share the R&D burden. The Hi-8 cassette itself uses metal particle tape which provides a greater recording density than S-VHS — but as the tape is narrower than S-VHS, and running at a far lower speed than ADAT, this ability to store large amounts of data is essential.

Both formats use helical scanning — rotary heads scan the surface of the tape in diagonal strips in the same way as a video recorder does — the main difference being that the Tascam format uses a system known as Automatic Track Finding (ATF) which uses information buried in the recorded code to maintain head tracking whereas the the Alesis system uses the combination of a conventional linear sync track and an additional embedded code of their own devising.

Again, both companies cite advantages for their adopted method — but let's face it, neither company is going to invest in such a mammoth project without first doing their homework. However, Tascam's adoption of Hi-8 for the DA88 allows their machine to offer a maximum recording time of 113 minutes from a PAL standard '90' tape which makes running costs exceptionally low.”

Read the entire review on Muzines

On the whole what happened in the intervening years was adoption was largely split as ADAT was used in music and DA-88 in post production. At one point there was a set of Tascam units in virtually every post house machine room on the planet.

Read Mike Thornton’s extensive article on the DA-88 here

Whichever camp you fell into, the introduction of the ADAT significantly altered the recording process. The ability to link multiple ADAT machines together was another groundbreaking feature, enabling up to 16, 24, or even more tracks to be synchronised for recording and playback. This capability meant that the ADAT system could grow with the needs of the project studio, providing scalability previously unseen in the industry.

The Love-Hate Relationship

Despite its revolutionary impact, the ADAT was not without its criticisms and drawbacks. Reliability issues, particularly concerning the transport mechanism and the alignment of the optical heads, led to a love-hate relationship with the machine. Studios often had to keep spare units on hand for parts.

Also the ADAT's use of cheap S-VHS tapes, while innovative, was also a source of frustration due to the limitations of the medium itself, including issues with tape wear and the inherent risk of tape-based storage. Yet, despite these challenges, the benefits and breakthroughs the ADAT brought to digital recording were undeniable.

We All Have Some ADAT

Perhaps the most enduring legacy of the ADAT is the ADAT Lightpipe, also known as ADAT Optical Interface. This digital audio transfer protocol allows for the transfer of up to eight tracks of digital audio between devices without any loss of quality, using a simple optical cable. The Lightpipe standard is still widely used today, a testament to the lasting impact of the ADAT on the digital recording landscape.

• What Is ADAT? Everything You Need To Know

The transition towards DAWs was undoubtedly accelerated by the digital recording revolution initiated by the ADAT. The ADAT's impact can be seen in the way modern recording studios are set up, with a focus on digital interfaces and computer recording. The principles of flexible, high-quality, and accessible recording that were hallmarks of the ADAT era have become foundational elements of modern music production.

In retrospect, the ADAT machine was more than just a product; it was a catalyst that transformed the recording industry. It broke down economic and technical barriers, enabling a generation of musicians and producers to engage with digital recording technology at an unprecedented level. While the specifics of the technology have evolved, the ethos of accessibility and innovation that the ADAT represents continues to influence the development of music production technology today.

Even with a nuanced love-hate relationship amongst its users, the ADAT's contribution to the evolution of digital recording is indisputable. It ushered in a new era of creativity and accessibility, laying the groundwork for the project studios of today.

What about you, did you own ADATs? What were your feelings about them.