DAT's BESIDE THE POINT
In the October 1989 issue, colleague Leonard Feldman reported in "Forum" on the Serial Copy Management System (SCMS) for R-DAT recorders. As you know, for more than three years the manufacturers of RDAT recorders and the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) have been embroiled in a bitter battle over the issue of the digital recording of copyrighted music. The RIAA contended that R-DAT recorders were capable of making "perfect" copies of CDs and that this would cause severe financial losses for record companies and composers.
The RIAA expressed their objections to R-DAT recorders even before the Japanese made the first attempts to bring R-DAT to the marketplace. In an effort to placate the RIAA, the Japanese R-DAT manufacturers conceded to having the R-DAT units record only at a sampling rate of 48 kHz per second, thus preventing direct digital copying of Compact Discs at a 44.1 kHz sampling rate. For playback of prerecorded DAT cassettes, 44.1-kHz sampling was provided on the R-DAT machines.
The battle between R-DAT manufacturers and the RIAA has been well documented in the audio press. Except for a limited number of "gray market" recorders brought into the United States, there has been no "official" importation of consumer R-DAT recorders by the American agencies of the Japanese manufacturers.
In his report on the RIAA/R-DAT "peace pact," Feldman described the workings of the Serial Copy Management System. Ostensibly, this agreement, and a new generation of R-DAT recorders equipped with SCMS, will finally enable importation of these new recorders into the U.S. In actuality, there may yet be some points of contention between the two factions that may make some waves in the presently calm waters of R-DAT. For one thing, manufacturers will likely not rush the new SCMS-equipped recorders into production unless the U.S. Congress legislates the RIAA/R-DAT pact into law. For another, the agreement reached on SCMS in no way precludes the future imposition of some sort of royalty on R-DAT hardware or, more especially, blank R-DAT cassettes. This might be possible through some RIAA-sponsored legislation, although the whole royalty idea is adamantly opposed by the Japanese.
Apparently, the Japanese are not very happy with the technical constraints imposed by SCMS, but they support it because, as a U.S. import law, it would keep "bootleg" Taiwanese and Korean R-DAT recorders-capable of unrestricted 44.1-kHz direct digital CD duplication-off the market.
Although a few SCMS-equipped RDAT recorders may be introduced at the Winter CES in Las Vegas, in my opinion it will be just an exercise in one-upmanship.
Persistent rumors indicate that manufacturers will not produce large quantities of new-generation DAT recorders unless there is a substantial library of prerecorded DAT cassettes available.
This indeed poses some problems--not the least of which is a reported announcement from PolyGram (London/Decca, Deutsche Grammophon, and Philips) that they will not issue any prerecorded DAT cassettes until the SCMS protocol actually becomes the "law of the land." In other words, it is once again the old chicken and the egg riddle-one which has plagued every prerecorded tape medium since magnetic tape was invented. Put simply: No large number of R-DAT machines, no large number of prerecorded DAT cassettes-and vice versa.
Thus, in spite of the SCMS agreement, many problems still remain to be overcome before R-DAT can really become a viable consumer product. The most optimistic insider guesstimate puts the probability of a general launch of R-DAT sometime in the fall of 1990. It is no secret that a recordable, erasable Compact Disc exists in the laboratories of a number of companies. In fact, several versions of these recordable CDs have reached a pretty advanced state of development-so much so, that nothing much more than marketing decisions are necessary to introduce them into the consumer audio marketplace. It is felt that the imminence of recordable CDs, which the RIAA views as an even greater threat to their interests than R-DAT, was the most compelling reason the SCMS agreement was reached. With the introduction of R-DAT, recordable CDs could be held at bay-on the back burner, so to speak-for a longer period of time.
Viewed in the most simplistic terms, R-DAT is a clever mini-recorder, resembling a VCR in its tape transport and mechanical functions but with the considerable advantages and sophistication of digital audio and electronics.
I have used a Sony DTC-1000ES R-DAT recorder for some years, and it has performed flawlessly. Unlike with analog tape recorders, wow and flutter is not a problem in R-DAT recording.
Frequency response is ruler flat over the entire audio spectrum, dynamic range can reach 100 dB, and tape noise is virtually nonexistent. Add the two-hour recording time of an R-120 cassette to electronically controlled programming and tape handling, and the R-DAT system is a versatile, consistent, reliable, high-quality tape recording medium.
While the consumer R-DAT market has been trying to cope with its numerous problems for the past three years, the professional R-DAT market has flourished.
Early on, most recording engineers who tested R-DAT recorders found that, at least in terms of straightforward two-channel stereo recording, the RDAT system was the equal of more elaborate and expensive digital audio recording systems. These engineers particularly liked this high performance available in such a small, convenient, lightweight package, ideal for remote and location recording.
After initially using consumer R-DAT recorders, engineers soon were able to use special professional R-DAT recorders from Sony, Technics, Fostex, and others. These recorders had refinements such as AES/EBU inputs and outputs along with SDIF (Sony/ Philips Digital Interface Format) outputs and, in at least one case, SMPTE time code. The professional R-DAT recorders could record at the 48-kHz sampling rate and at 44.1 kHz. This was mainly in aid of CD master production. In spite of the 44.1-kHz recording capability, CDs still could not be copied digital-to-digital because of the copy-prohibit flags that are encoded in every CD. Being considerably less expensive than the usual professional video and open-reel format digital recorders, RDAT machines soon became favored by the many small "mom and pop," basement and garage recording studios, finally enabling them to offer their clients digital recording. Clearly, the professional market for R-DAT recorders has been firmly established.
Having said all these good things about R-DAT recorders, and even in the light of the SCMS agreement, I predict a rocky road and limited sales for R-DAT recorders in the consumer marketplace. In fact, I predict much the same fate and limited acceptance for recordable Compact Discs. The basic question, quite simply, is, what would the average consumer, or even the most avid audiophile, record on their R-DAT or recordable CD machines? There certainly is no point in recording from vinyl LPs, except to preserve rare items. Copying from CD makes even less sense, unless it is to make customized compilations for use in car DAT players. Live recording, even allowing for requisite good-quality microphones and recording skills, would most likely be limited to children's birthday parties, the church choir, or the high school band-all not very musically satisfying. Recording off-air via a good FM tuner might once have been a worthwhile pursuit in this country, but broadcasts of live music-pop and especially classical-are very rare. One longs for the off-air recording opportunities available in London, with five major symphony orchestras whose live concerts are frequently broadcast by the BBC. The BBC, moreover, has some well-skilled recording engineers who are venturesome enough to use such things as M-S stereo mike pickups and even Calrec Soundfield Ambisonics pickups! For most people, the recording capabilities of R-DAT machines would be infrequently called upon. Most R-DAT machines would be used for the playback of prerecorded DAT cassettes.
And in matters of sonic performance, R-DAT and CD are on about an equal footing.
Inevitably, most audio equipment must make a major contribution to the reproduction, appreciation, and enjoyment of music. If there were no such thing as Compact Discs, R-DAT would be greeted with loud huzzahs and would rapidly establish itself as the darling of audiophiles. But as it is, whether your tastes run to pop or classical music, it is my opinion that CD recordings are likely to remain the preferred medium.
(adapted from Audio magazine, Jan. 1990; Bert Whyte)
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