Sound Engineer's Pocket Book, 2nd Edition

19  Digital Audio Tape

Introduction

Since the first commercially available digital audio recording systems appeared in 1979, there has been a proliferation of digital tape formats. Many of the early formats are now obsolete but their recorded tapes still exist and need to be recognized. Most formats have been manufacturers’ proprietary developments, becoming recognized as standards as more manufacturers agree to support the format. Reel-to-reel digital recording was dominated by the DASH (Digital Audio Stationary Head) and PD (ProDigi) formats, the latter now unsupported. Both accommodated a family of sub-formats, many of which never materialized as commercial products.

The most widely accepted format is R-DAT, or DAT as it is more commonly referred ...