No, ADAT will not be obsolete for quite some time. Here's four good reasons out of a few dozen I could give you:
1. The installed user base is huge. Swapping tapes is super convenient for musicians who are collaborating on several parts.
2. For album oriented material, running a full 24 or 48 tracks requires a beefy computer if you're trying to do all of your tracks, EQ, FX and other processing in software. Not many musicians have really made this investment.
3. A lot of people also use ADAT in conjuction with other equipment i.e. using a VS880 or an EMU Darwin for the edit work and then tranferring finished material to ADAT. It's easier for many just to pop in a tape and hit 'Record' on an ADAT. Then use the standalone for any edits and track bounces. When that's finished, they send it back to the ADAT. You could edit via the BRC but it isn't quite as easy simply because the standalones give you better display and waveform data.
4. Syncing ADATs to additional analog recorders or computers is a snap with the Alesis BRC. If you're exclusively using a Studio Vision type package, it's not as seamless in my experience. Many project studios use analog recorders in addition to their digital gear to get more punch out of bass and drum tracks, so easy and reliable synchronization is a factor.
ADATs are absolutely not going away for many years, and I would use them if I were operating a band/album oriented project studio. If I were just doing my own composing in a MIDI suite with digital audio tracks, I would lean more toward a 'computer-only' environment like Logic Audio on a Mac. This is great for CD-ROM work, advertising spots and web work, as well as individual composition. I wouldn't do bands with it. Budget has a lot to do with this, too. If you're budget is $250,000 get an SSL Axiom system. If it's more like $10,000 then go with ADATs or a computer.
You should browse through the Mix Bookshelf catalog. I'm sure there are some good books, but I don't know any specific titles off-hand other than Dave Huber's "Modern Recording Techniques" which is OK.
I can help outline a complete system for you and show you where to get the best deal on gear if you email me with a more specific description of your plans. My audio knowledge is much more reliable than my market 'wizdom'.
-MrB
#1500—who would have thunk it? |
