Few have access to priceless analog master tapes. We build playback machines for those who do.

Why insist on an ATAE precision reproducer?

1. To prevent damage to irreplaceable tapes. Audio tapes can undergo chemical degradation over time, often making them fragile and susceptible to damage. Subjecting a valuable tape to the high tensions and frictional stresses in a recorder's headblock is dangerous. Further, a recorder could erase or overwrite the recording. Responsible conservation practice demands that only a carefully engineered dedicated playback platform be used.

2. To reveal how good a recording actually sounds. Analog master tapes can have astonishing sound quality, but playback on a vintage studio recorder adds audible time-base and other distortion masking the recording’s true fidelity. Heritage master tapes deserve the highest quality playback available only from a modern optimized platform.

Interested in the science behind our state-of-the-art tape playback machines? Ask for our list of technical briefs. Need quality technical support for a Studer A80, A800, A820 or A827 professional tape machine? Ask about our paid tech support program.

We’re in California, USA

Learn about the effort to preserve heritage master tapes at: recordedmusicpreservation.org