 | |
 An ADAT XT 8-channel digital audio recorder | |
| Media type | Magnetic cassette tape |
|---|---|
| Encoding | Lossless real-time |
| Read mechanism | Rotating head |
| Write mechanism | Rotating head, helical scan |
| Developed by | Alesis |
| Usage | Professionaldigital audio |
| Extended from | S-VHS |
| Released | 1991; 35 years ago (1991) |
Alesis Digital Audio Tape, commonly referred to asADAT, is amagnetic tape format used for therecording of eightdigital audio tracks onto the sameS-VHS tape used by consumerVCRs, and the basis of a series of multitrack recorders byAlesis. Although originally a tape-based format, the termADAT later also referred to hard disk recorders like theAlesis ADAT HD24.[1] In 2004, recognizing the ADAT for "beginning a revolution of affordable recording tools," it was inducted into the first-everTEC AwardsTECnology Hall of Fame.[2]
Alesis announced the first ADAT model at theNAMM Show inAnaheim, California in January 1991, with the first ADAT recorders shipping over a year later in February or March 1992.[3] This original ADAT model recorded up to 8 tracks of 16-bit digital audio on a standard S-VHS tape cartridge.[4] Additionally, up to 16 ADATs could be connected to each other to record up to 128 tracks simultaneously with sample-accurate timing. This capability and the ADAT's low cost (it was originally introduced atUS$3,995) were largely responsible for the rise ofproject studios in the 1990s.[5][6]
Alesis produced several models of ADAT recorders. The original ADAT (later referred to asBlackface) and the ADAT XT record 16 bits per sample (ADAT Type I). A later generation of machines—the XT-20, LX-20 and M-20—support 20 bits per sample (ADAT Type II). All ADAT machines use the same high-quality S-VHS tape media. Tapes recorded in the older Type I format can be read and written in the more modern machines, but not the other way around. Later generations are capable of recording at a sample rate of either44.1 or48kHz, common in the audio industry. Pitch control is available by varying the sample rate, and thus tape speed accordingly.[7]: 42
With locate points it was possible to store sample-exact positions on tape, making it easy to find specific parts ofdigital recordings. Usingauto play andauto record functions made it possible topunch in/out at predetermined points, rather than relying on human timing ability to start and stop recording at precisely the right instant.[4]
ADAT machines could be controlled externally with the Alesis LRC (Little Remote Control), which could be attached to the ADAT with a1/4" tip/sleeve plug, and featured the transport controls and most commonly used functions. Alternatively, the BRC (Big Remote Control) could be used, which included many more features that the stand-alone ADAT did not have.[7]: 4
Media related toADAT at Wikimedia Commons