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Using a DAT Recorder
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The thought of getting a DAT recorder these days is usually followed by a bunch of questions by the home studio owner. The big one is: Do you really need one? You might not. There are many ways to print an audio file these days. You can master straight to .wav files right on your computer, then burn cds from there; you can get an external cd recorder that processes your analog mix, or you can simply make MP3 files and distribute them that way. There's also some disadvantages to the DAT format. The tape is more expensive than a blank CDR disk; it does not last as long, even with careful handling. They are tedious to back up. Unless you have 2 DATs, you will have to make a digital pass back to the computer and back again to a blank tape. The copy has to be made in real time too, so it takes longer. So why the heck bother with DAT?
Advantages to using a DAT recorder
1. If you used a DAT to make master recordings for nearly a decade and your deck breaks down, you have no option but to get another one.
2. The more professional your studio gets, sooner or later you will have clients who bring in masters on DAT
3. A portable DAT recorder still is the undisputed king of field recording, so if you are a sample collector, having a DAT is the only way to get full cd quality recordings on location.
4. Recording on DAT is fast and simple. You hear something you like, set levels and you press record. There's no formatting disks, no opening audio applications, just a quick re-route of the audio interface and you're recording. DAT makes a better "audio scratchpad" than CD does. Say you have a cool idea in Logic one night but you are under the gun to get paid work done, it's a simple matter to record the riff on DAT and come back later. When you do want to go back to it, you don't have to remember how your synths were configured or how the board was set up. You hear it the way you heard it at the point of inspiration.
5. Using S/PDIF on a DAT recorder turns it into a near perfect computer peripheral. You simply route your audio out s/pdif on you audio interface. With previously recorded material, you just go to the index point, press play and the digital audio data streams through interface where you can record it in your sequencer (like Logic, Cubase, Sonar) for use in a song, or into an editor like Sound Forge or Wavelab and record it there. As long as your machine and tape are working properly, the audio will sound as good as the day you recorded it.
6. If you have as many years of recording as I do (with thousands of songs) you need major storage, and even an array of 100 gig drives is not going to cut it. What if the HD fails? CD and DAT make a great combination. If you have an external cd recorder with s/pdif and a DAT with s/pdif, you just connect the two and dub while you are doing something else with your computer. No waste of time.
7. DATs may have better converters than your soundcard. If the DAT has balanced inputs, it's easy to connect your mixer to the DAT and let it convert your music to digital audio data rather than your soundcard. Because the DAT is outside your computer, you get many of the recording advantages of a premium audio interface with a break out box.
So there you have the advantages and disadvantages of using DAT as a recorder in your home studio.
Today's alternative to DAT
Tascam HDP2 Hi-Res Portable Stereo Recorder Unlike consumer MP3 sketchpads, the professional HD-P2 incorporates high-end features like a SMPTE timecode input for synchronization to external devices while in record or playback. When recording, the HD-P2 writes time-stamped Broadcast WAVE audio files that can be loaded into your DAW projects with sample accuracy. Its XLR microphone inputs include phantom power and a limiter to curb distortion during unpredictable live events. The user interface has been designed for fast and intuitive use under stressful one-take-only situations, and its large, angled LCD is perfect for any application from over-the-shoulder location recording to concert recording and commercial use.
Tascam DVRA1000 High-Resolution Audio/DSD Master Recorder The new TASCAM DV-RA1000 recorder is a professional solution for recording high-resolution audio -- up to 192kHz/24-bit -- to inexpensive DVD media. The new recorder even features Sony's DSD format, the basis for audiophile Super Audio CDs, as an available recording format. Its professional I/O includes balanced XLR connections, AES/EBU and SDIF-3, and it records standard CD-DA, WAVE and DSDIFF files to CD and DVD discs. The DV-RA1000 can also operate as a professional CD recorder, recording standard audio CDs for studio or meeting room installations.
Setting up the Digital Connection to your SoundCard or Audio Interface
Some newbies are a little shy about using digital connections because they don't fully understand them. If you read my handy sidebar to the left, you should be able to clear up some of these ambiguities. Once you do it a few times you'll find it is really simple. If you have a good audio interface with full featured drivers, you might have a switch right on your sequencer's mixer that allows you to route the data to the digital out of your card/interface. On my Delta 101, for example, output 9/10 sends the signal out the S/PDIF out of the interface and input 9/10 receives the digital audio data for the S/PDIF input on the interface. Other soundcards have similar facilities. Somewhere in your application, usually in the preferences you can select different output formats. I keep my DAT connected at all times to the audio interface so I can record to and from all my computers audio application whenever I want.
DAT does good "Chicago style" Hip Hop. Sure does, check it out. Do DAT Like DIS! (in 'da 'hood) Diga DAT diga diga DAT DAT dig 'a DAT? (in 'da 'hood) I Do DAT every DAY Dis Week! (in 'da 'hood) DIS or DAT? (in 'da 'hood) DAT is the Answer! (in 'da 'hood) STOP DAT U dweeb!
Time Out!
Q: What does all this digital mumbo-jumbo like S/PDIF, AES/EBU, Coaxial and Optical really mean? What's TOSLINK?
A: These are all different methods of sending 2-channel (stereo) digital audio data down a cable to another device. Note, this is DATA, not an analog signal. The data bypasses all analog circuitry to make the perfect clone of the original data. AES/EBU requires a cable with microphone (XLR) connectors.
This method is used a lot with pro gear. Common lengths for these pathways is from 3-15 feet. Both Coaxial and Optical are two different formats for S/PDIF. So when some says they are connecting via S/PDIF, you should then ask, Coax or Optical? Coaxial requires a cable with RCA connectors. They look just like common stereo line plugs.
(in fact, sometimes you can get a high quality stereo cable to work if the run is short). The limit on length is 6 meters or 19.8 feet which is fine for the home studio. Optical is another flavor of S/PDIF and has the square connectors called TOSLINK connectors.
This format allows for very long cable runs of 15 meters (50 feet) When you buy gear you want to make sure your digital devices follow the same standard or you will have to buy a converter box. You cannot run a coax into an optical jack with an adapter, the signal needs to be converted.
Browse Digital cables
Ooops, were out of tape. I will go quietly now.
Rich the TweakMeister
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