Few have access to heritage master tapes. We build the specialized hardware needed by those that do.

Why specialized hardware?

Most analog magnetic tapes from the 1950s through the 1980s have undergone chemical degradations rendering them fragile and highly vulnerable to damage. Hence it's irresponsible to play back such tapes on a studio tape recorder, as the dynamic stresses imparted to the tape by being pulled through the recorder’s transport mechanism can be severe.

Further, it was long ago established that using a studio recorder for playback won’t let you hear a recording in its highest fidelity. Only a purpose-built playback platform can provide the lowest distortion.

Why use an ATAE professional reproducer?

1. To prevent damage to irreplaceable master tapes

2. To reveal how good a recording actually sounds

If you work with high-value tapes and are interested in the science behind our state-of-the-art reproducers that are engineered to protect tapes while also letting them be heard in their true highest fidelity, get in touch and ask for our list of technical briefs. We’re in California, USA.

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

Need quality Technical Support for your Studer A80 or A820 analog tape machine? It could be worth what you pay for it! (See testimonials at bottom of this page.) Contact us to request our Technical Support Policy that lets you purchase three hours of technical support consultation time.