From: chucksi@stc.comm.mot.com (DX504 Chuck Siu)
Subject: Re: Alesis ADAT and BRC
Organization: none
Date: Tue, 14 Apr 1992 14:46:15 GMT
Keywords: Alesis, ADAT, BRC, multitrack, recording

>Subject: Alesis ADAT and BRC
>
>A few weeks back, I noticed a few people writing about the
>Alesis ADAT 8-track S-VHS recorder and arguing over whether a
>deck as such would be any good.  I recently sent to Alesis
>for a perspectus concerning their ADAT recorder.  The object
>of this article is to share information about the capabilities
>of the recorder and to clear up some of the confusion in
>readers' minds.  Take all of the following with a grain of
>salt because these claims are made by Alesis and not me.
>
>
>     What do I think about the recorder (regardless of what Alesis
>says)?  It will make professional, multitrack, analog recording obsolete.
>We're talking a 24-track, digital recording system which costs less than
>some low-end analog recorders with a noise reduction unit (about
>14 grand for 3 ADATs and a BRC).  Your typical Studer, Sony,
>or Mitsubishi digital multitrack can run between $100,000 - $300,000,
>yet the Alesis performs at the same quality.  This means that the
>little guy (project, post production studios) can get their feet in
>the door where the big boys are.  Why do I think it'll phase out
>analog multis?  Recording engrs wouldn't have to worry about noise
>reduction and recording tracks hotter, etc like they do with analog.
>Complexed instrument parts can be done at home then mixed down w/ vocals
>at the studio thus cutting recording costs tremendously (like what Thomas
>Dolby track-by-track did with a plain old DAT when making his past album).
>Even though a lot of people say that analog stays around because
>it has character, warmth, and no brick-wall frequency response--
>let's do be realistic, most professional recording engineers/
>producers who stick with multitrack analog probably aren't sticking with it
>because they actually think it sounds better, but probably because
>their wallets are too small.  ->Keyboard<- says that it will radically
>reduce what people expect to pay for digital multitrack recording.
>The little guy will be able to master triple D CDs.  The machine
>should give Sony, Studer, Mitisubishi a run for their money.
>
>     I'd wait until they come out with a second model just in case
>their are any bugs with it, though.  I wouldn't be surprised if
>Sony, within the next three years, offers to buy Alesis out like they
>did with Kurzweil.  They don't seem to like anyone catch up with them
>with DSP recording technology.
>
>						Darren

A good article, and I'll have to agree...having watched music technology evolve
over this past decade...and the minute I heard a CD back in '82, I wondered
how long it would be before I'd be able to affordably multitrack entirely
in the digital domain. Alesis has had a history of bringing other manufacturers
to their price/performance knees, the only thing they typically haven't done
well is deliver on time....I mean they've got a Quadra-Synth (32 or greater
voice) module with digital I/O's coming out this year, as well as their X2
board for 24 track ADAT setup, mixed entirely digtal (according to D.J.'s
in Chicago, their major dealer)...for under 6K. All these prices are very
scarey in that they are so low compared to today's multitrack and synth
systems.....makes me lust very very heavily, but I'll wait til the X2 comes
out before I buy the 24 track digital. The implications are truly awesome,
and I'm uncertain as to why such a deck COULD NOT be a major leap forward
for affordable digital home studios....you don't really have to give up your
analog warmth, folks, but have an ADAT around to lay critical tracks like
digital synths....
	FYI: Young Chang bought out Kurzweil, not Sony (unless they are a 
division of Sony that I don't know about)....

	

-- 
Chuck Siu                      |  Things that
CAS Systems Consulting, Ltd    |  go "Schwing!" in the night...
chucksi@comm.mot.com           |