We can digitally transfer your 12 bit, 16 bit, or 24 bit DAT tape to a digital .WAV or .AIFF file from any of the five sampling modes: 16 or 24 bit at 44.1 kHz or 48 kHz, and the more obscure 12 bit at 32 kHz (Long Play). These .WAV or .AIFF files can then be played on any modern PC or Mac, imported into Pro Tools (or any other DAW) for editing, or to be converted to MP3 or FLAC. We can also write DAT tapes to CD-R. The vast majority of DAT recordings were made at 16 bit, 44.1 KHz (CD quality) or 48KHz. We convert all of these DAT formats to .WAV or .AIFF in the digital domain, for perfect 1:1 digital copies. Contact us now for a quote and directions on sending us your DAT tapes for digital transfer services.
DAT is a 2-channel (stereo) digital audio format introduced by Sony in 1987. The tape itself is 4mm in width, and the shell size is actually smaller than a standard cassette tape. DAT recorders were a staple in professional recording studios through most of the 90's, most often used for mixdowns from multitrack recording sessions from multitrack decks like 2" 24 track, 1/2" 16 track Reel-to-Reel decks, and ADAT or Tascam digital tape machines. They were less cumbersome than reel-to-reel analog, better quality than analog cassette, and they could be recorded in the same digital format (16bit, 44.1 KHz) that would ultimately get mastered to a final CD format. If you wanted a "CD quality" recording you needed to record to DAT, as was the logic. Some DAT machines were made for the consumer market as well.
DAT tape dimensions are 73 mm × 54 mm × 10.5 mm. Some of the most popular DAT cassette tapes include: Quantegy DAT-R034, Quantegy - DAT-R048, Sony - PDP-15C, Sony - PDP-35C, Sony PDP-125C, Sony DT120R, TDK DA-R120, TDK DA-R60, Maxell R-20DA, Maxell R-34DA, Maxell R-65DA, Maxell R-125DA, HHB DAT65, HHB DAT35, HHB DAT15, Fujifilm R-15, Ampex 467 R-120 and Apogee AD 124. Most often on these tapes you will see some sort of note on the label like "Stereo Mixdown", "1:1 Safety Copy", "Session Tape" or something of that nature. Contact us now for a quote and directions on sending us your tapes.