ADAT Transfers in 2025 and Beyond: The Challenges

Many recordings have not been backed up from ADAT tapes to a modern digital format, and transferring them has become increasingly difficult. ADAT machines are no longer manufactured, expertise in the format has dwindled, and parts necessary for repairs must be harvested from another machine with functioning components.

Recalling the ADAT Era

Alesis Digital Audio Tape (ADAT) was introduced in 1991. It was an affordable way for studios and musicians to record multitrack digital audio. For 24 tracks, you would use three standard S-VHS tapes, which were slightly less costly than 2-inch analog tapes. Each ADAT machine allowed for up to 8 tracks per tape, and multiple machines could be synced together to increase track count. For 24 tracks, three machines would be synchronized. At its peak, ADAT was a dominant recording format for studios, home producers, and bands during the 1990s and early 2000s.

The Loss of Expertise of Using ADAT and ADAT Tapes

Many engineers who used ADATs have either retired or let their skills decline since multitrack recording no longer required ADAT machines after hard disk recording became more affordable and simpler. Many current audio engineers who entered the industry in the last two decades might never have used ADAT machines. Transferring tapes is a specialized skill but still part of audio engineering and machine operation.

Following ADAT, dedicated hard disk recording machines emerged. Eventually, DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) software won out because it could be run on standard Mac or PC hardware, on-screen editing was easier, and audio interface costs dropped from several thousand dollars to a few hundred starting around 1997.

ADAT tape transfers require specific knowledge, including:

• Machine Synchronization: When using multiple ADAT decks, the Alesis sync connection kept the machines' playback accurate. This required specialized cables, and an improvement to these cables was introduced later in the ADAT's lifespan.
• ADAT Lightpipe: Still used today due to its simplicity, the ADAT 8-channel Lightpipe interface was designed for digital track transfers between ADAT machines or other hardware.
• Wordclock: To ensure all Lightpipe data remained synchronized, a word clock signal was required between machines and other hardware.

Many of these details were common knowledge among recording engineers in the 90s, but today, finding the right accessories and hardware of that era that work together requires deeper research.

The Challenge of Obsolete Computer Hardware and MOTU Interfaces

ADAT transfers to PCs rely on hardware and software that is no longer supported in current operating systems. Audio interfaces from the 1990s and early 2000s, such as those made by MOTU (Mark of the Unicorn), were designed specifically for ADAT optical transfers.

• MOTU Interfaces: Models like the MOTU 2408 and the PCI-324/424 systems were widely used for transferring ADAT tracks via optical I/O.
  • These interfaces require older computers with PCI slots, which modern computers no longer have.
  • MOTU drivers only work with operating systems like Windows XP or Mac OS 9. Modern systems are incompatible.
• Hardware Dependency: Engineers performing ADAT transfers must maintain functioning legacy computers and operating systems. Without this hardware, connecting ADAT decks to digital systems becomes unfeasible.

Real-time playback and monitoring are also required, which further increases the complexity of the transfer process.

The Importance of Preserving ADAT Recordings

Many multitrack recordings from the 1990s and early 2000s remain trapped on ADAT tapes. These recordings hold significant value for artists, producers, and studios:

• Unreleased Material: Some recordings may include alternate takes, demos, or unreleased tracks.
• Reissues, Remixes, and Sync Opportunities: Digitizing ADAT recordings allows for remixes, remasters, reissues, premium audio formats like 24 bit .wav (which can be made possible by converting 16 bit into 24 bit and using a DAW's 24 bit native processing) surround mixes, and the creation of stems that can be used to sync to picture, offering new licensing opportunities for older recordings.

Poor Documentation of Tapes

Many hobbyist musicians kept poor records of their tapes, such as failing to document which tapes belonged together, missing tape numbers from sets, and sometimes losing track sheets entirely. Though it can be challenging, it is often possible to piece tape sets together by listening to the material and identifying overlaps.

Deep Signal Studios: Expertise and Specialized Services

Given the challenges of ADAT transfers, professional expertise and specialized equipment are critical. Our transfer services maintain working ADAT machines, obsolete hardware, and the knowledge required to handle the format and get the recordings into a modern DAW for you or your engineer to mix.

Steps to successful transfers include:

• Assessing the tapes’ condition by looking through the window to ensure there is no mold.
• Maintaining the decks by having a service technician inspect them if errors are reported.
• Monitoring the transfer to catch and prevent errors during playback.

Acting sooner rather than later to get ADAT tracks into a modern storage format is important. Tapes will continue to degrade, ADAT machines will become harder to find or repair, and know-how will be lost to time.

ADAT Tape Transfers Require Urgent Attention

Alesis ADAT was a revolutionary format in its time, but today, it presents significant challenges. The loss of expertise, failing hardware, obsolete interfaces, and deteriorating tapes make transfers increasingly difficult.

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