so, are dats really wort the money?

[ZEKE SAYER]

a friend of my said that they give my music higher fi. and a bigger dynamic range. is this true? and if it is are they relly worth it?

zeke

[JR#97]

a friend said that huh... he's full of shit.
DAT's are not worth the money unless you deal with a lot of DAT tapes.

[ZEKE SAYER]

well, i would just be using them to mix down to. not record to. would that make a differince?

zeke

[Light]

DAT is a shitty format (hope that doesn't offend your young ears). DATS are used because they are easy and convenient, but not because of the sound or reliability of the format. When I was using it, I would ALWAYS run at least two machines (I preferred to use three), and I would always use high quality AD converters on the master, and if I had them I would use them on the back up as well. When I had verified the master DAT, I would IMEDIATLY make one or two digital copies of the master, just so I would have an additional backup. I have had to use several of those backup DATs, and I have had several DATs arrive at the mastering house corrupted.

The short answer I do not think the DAT format is worth your time. But you probably guessed that.

Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi

[pipelineaudio]

in this day and age, with most dats limited to 48k/44k 16 bit and a FEW thatll do 24, I dont see the sense in them anymore tho I gotta keep a few aroundfor older projects

most mastering labs have an Alesis masterlink...I have one here for utility's sake but you dont even need one of those

check this out:

http://alesis.com/downloads/software/ml9600/index.html

download the iso builder. You can burn a masterlink compatiable disk on your computer then take that to the lab

now the software is about as fucked up as the rest of alesis' product line so its a little sketchy, but itll work sometimes, just double check it

[Cyrokk]

Just ask a pawn shop dealer about the DATs in his shop and he will tell you that he can't get rid of the damn things.


A DAT makes for a half decent intermediary recording medium, no more no less. If you have one, you can find some use for it. Otherwise, save your money and look into other options.

Cy

[christiaan]

The introduction of the DAT goes back quite a few years now and it was great in a time where CD-recorders were not afforable or even non-existent. Today however..

[Sennheiser]

I remember when they were introduced. That was all the rage back then. If you didn't have a DAT, you didn't have shit.

About like any other piece of equipment. They all come and go.

[sjoko2]

The time of DAT's is has passed ............thank God

[Havoc]

I have 2 portable dats and like them a lot. That said, for studio use they are a thing of the past. But for easy affordable portable recording with cd quality (but not more) and a running time of >60min they are still the top.

[MISTERQCUE]

Originally posted by Havoc
I have 2 portable dats and like them a lot. That said, for studio use they are a thing of the past. But for easy affordable portable recording with cd quality (but not more) and a running time of >60min they are still the top.

Time to head on into the the 21st century Havoc!

[pipelineaudio]

if you take all comers, youll need a dat or two for older projects, but masterlink is where its at lately for the most part

[Carter]

Time to head on into the the 21st century Havoc!

I agree with Misterqcue. DAT machines are a pain in the butt plus the media really does not impress me at all. I would get a stand alone or build a nice computer for my recordings.

[volltreffer]

At least they have this phat analog sound

Well I though of getting me a used dat sometimes ago, but they're so f***ing expensive, plus the media, plus the head caring...

It might be very nice for live recordings, but I prefer MiniDisc for that. The concerts I go to aren't too well mixed, almost always too loud, so the compression losses aren't too bad. A MD may be nice for making fast 'previews' to hear your records on other 'monitors'...

If you consider the price of a dat plus some media, you might even think of getting you a used DAW, instead...

Just my 2c

aXel

[sjjohnston]

A few thoughts, none of which are inconsistent with the consensus expressed above (which, unless you missed it, is "Don't get at DAT!"):

- DAT was a de facto standard for exchanging digital stereo recordings at one time. It's not any more. If there's anyone even remotely connected with music or recording who can't play a CDR, please expose him to ridicule. (And even when DAT was a sort of standard, it wasn't really the standard for high-end professional studios -> mastering).

- DATs use a 48k sample rate and a 16-bit word. The difference between this and the 44.1k / 16-bit CD format is not material to quality. About all it means is a DAT can have its anti-aliasing filter at 24k instead of 22.05k. If you think you might be impressed by that difference, don't be: it's about 1.5 semitones.

- There are newer formats available, which use higher sample and bit-rates than either DAT or CDR. The Alesis Masterlink seems to be fairly common, for example.

- Any box that takes an analog signal and stores it digitally has an AD converter in it, which does affect the "quality" of the recording. But there's nothing about the converter in a DAT machine that's particularly different from the converter in a CD recorder (other than the minor sample rate difference mentioned above). If anything, because DATs have fallen into disfavor in recent years, when you buy a DAT you're more likely to buy an older design. If you ignore the converters, all you're talking about is a storage medium.

- As a storage medium, anecdotal evidence suggests that DATs have more problems than CDRs. Also, the tapes are considerably more expensive.

- On the other hand, there are some nice, small portable DAT machines, and you can find them at fairly reasonable prices used. The only portable CDRs I've seen are the Marantz ones, and you're unlikely to find many used ones. This is only relevant if you're interested in highly portable recording and don't want to use a minidisk or something.

- DATs are still a fairly standard format for live-tape exchanges among Deadheads and their ilk (so far as I can tell, anyway). This is only relevant if you're a Deadhead or something similar.

[pipelineaudio]

I dont think youll find a mastering lab that still doesnt get at least 50% of its imports in DAT

its time has come and gone, but it is by no means dead yet. New generations of timecode dat are entering the market still.

[volltreffer]

It may be true in the 'Pro' scene, but I think that it MIGHT be useful to have a format, that any consumer being younger than 40 has a chance to listen to...

There is still two formats that is even worse than dat:

digital audio cassette
and
video 2000



aXel

[sjjohnston]

Originally posted by pipelineaudio
I dont think youll find a mastering lab that still doesnt get at least 50% of its imports in DAT

True enough (anyway, I'll take your word for it). They certainly can and will take DATs. But you don't have to give them a DAT.

[pipelineaudio]

right, they dont have to, and its probably not what you should take anyhow. The 24 bit DAT format is robust and nearly error free, but it would be hard to justify buying one. The smart tip for digital is just to use alesis' ISO Builder thingy, as nearly every lab will have a masterlink and even if they dont theyll nearly surely be able to read hi res AIFF from that same CD

[Havoc]

Hey Q, I would like to, but I can't find any usable alternatives. So if you know of them, can you share your secret???? I would like a solid state recorder that can record 2 hours of uncompressed 44.1/16. Price: about $1000 like a DAP1 was. Each next 2 hours at $5 so I don't have to transfer everything.

Seriously: DAT has its problems, it sure does and I'm not trying to say otherwise. But:
- the fragile nature of the tapes is largely a myth. There are thousends of computer backups taken each day on dat tape. Do you think this would continue if it was so unreliable?
- quality is good, not stellar, but good and the best of the recordable affordable recorders. Better than MD and cheaper than solid state (or a NAGRA-D).

For stationary use it is passed, but for portable recording it is still the upper leage. So like all answers: it depends.

PS: dat can record/play 44.1/16 and 32/12 (long play mode), there even was a 4 channel mode defined but I never heard of any gear using it.

[TexRoadkill]

Originally posted by Havoc
Hey Q, I would like to, but I can't find any usable alternatives. So if you know of them, can you share your secret???? I would like a solid state recorder that can record 2 hours of uncompressed 44.1/16. Price: about $1000 like a DAP1 was. Each next 2 hours at $5 so I don't have to transfer everything.

Like everyone says, Alesis Masterlink.

[MISTERQCUE]

Originally posted by TexRoadkill
Like everyone says, Alesis Masterlink.

What home-boy Tex said!

At the present time, I don't own one YET (it's on my MUST HAVE list). I'm mixing down to a Tascam CDRW700 or when I'm brave enuff, to this pc's Plextor.
But the Masterlink is one,fine piece of equipment more than capable of producing hi-quality 2-trks.

At the same time, it's also wise to keep at least several formats
of 2-trk recorders such as, DAT,Cassette and C/D though the 2 formers are not used as much as th C/D format.
One never knows when a customer might show up with a DAT demo!

[pipelineaudio]

remember with or without a masterlink, you can burn 24bit 96khz cd's in AIFF format that anyone should be able to open.And that alesis' ISO Builder will make masterlink compatiable CD's. You dont necessarily have to cough up for the masterlink itself. Its editing functions and onboard DSP are PITIFUL. I NEED to have one, and its handy as a spare 2 channel 96khz ADC/DAC, but unless its an absolute must, just make sure you have the ability to make masterlink discs, and save the cash for other stuff

[Havoc]

Hey Tex, read my lips: PORTABLE.

The masterlink is nice, but it is not portable. I need something like a Tascam DA-P1. That's portable. I don't want to lumber a generator around. You can just as well take your pc with you as a masterlink. You have multi track also in that case.

[JamesBond]

Hello ALL, anyone out there that own a the Alesis masterlink unit? I am considering purchasing one but would appreciate first hearing some opinons.
I plan on buying a AKAI DPS16 recorder and WAS going to buy a DAT machine but from what I've been reading maybe I should be considering buying the Alesis masterlink intead. Does this unit take the data from a hard disk recorder and burn it directly to CD? I'm I understanding this correctly?

Thanks for any replies!

Dave