Used on eBay right now
Alesis ADAT XT 8 Track Digital Audio RecorderUsed · Buy It Now$200
Gang Starr Show ADATVery Good · Buy It Now$325
ALESIS ADAT XT 8 track Recorder w/Remote & Manual - 792 Hours, Free Shipping!Used · Buy It Now$199
Alesis M20 ADAT Type II 20-Bit Recorder 9999 Hrs Tested Working + LRC RemoteUsed · Buy It Now$349
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ALESIS ADAT XT 8 track Digital Audio Recording (Grey Face) w/Remote and ManualUsed · Buy It Now$175
The Alesis ADAT is the machine that put digital multitrack recording in home studios. Announced in 1991 and shipping in 1992 for $3,995, it recorded eight tracks of digital audio onto ordinary S-VHS videotape, and several machines could be linked for more tracks.
History
Before the ADAT, digital multitrack meant six-figure machines. Suddenly a producer could track a full song at home. Wikipedia credits it with being largely responsible for the rise of project studios in the 1990s, and it entered the TEC Technology Hall of Fame in 2004. Its optical ADAT Lightpipe connection is still found on audio interfaces today.
The hip hop connection
DJ Shadow made Endtroducing….. (1996), an album built entirely from samples, with an Akai MPC60 MKII, a Technics SL-1200 turntable and an Alesis ADAT recorder.
Buying one today
The original and XT machines are 16-bit, while the XT-20 and LX-20 are 20-bit. Check the transport and head hours, and that tapes format and play back cleanly.
Alesis ADAT videos: demos, history and breakdowns
