Studer A800

The Studer A800 is the 2-inch multitrack tape machine that became the gold standard of 1980s and 1990s studios. Introduced in 1978 by Swiss maker Studer, founded by Willi Studer in Zurich and also behind the Revox brand, it is often called the Rolls-Royce of analog tape recorders.

History and specs

The A800 is widely cited as the first microprocessor-controlled multitrack recorder, handling every transport command locally and by remote. It came in 8-, 16- and 24-track versions on 14-inch reels, running at 7.5/15 or 15/30 inches per second with crystal-locked speed and switchable NAB/CCIR EQ. A die-cast chassis, stainless-steel headblock and high-torque spooling motors made it fast and precise for punch-ins and overdubs. It weighs 343 kg.

In the studio

Multitrack machines like the A800 are where records were tracked and overdubbed: drum machines, samplers and vocals went to separate tracks on 2-inch tape before the mix. The A800 was a fixture of the era and is credited on Herbie Hancock’s “Rockit,” Bruce Springsteen’s Born in the U.S.A. and Nirvana’s Nevermind, at studios including Paisley Park and London’s Townhouse. Specific A800 use on classic rap albums is not well documented.

Buying one today

Working A800s are still sought after by analog studios, but they are heavy, service-intensive machines. Head wear, alignment and the condition of the channel cards and transport matter most, and many listings are for remotes, autolocators, cards or heads. Universal Audio’s officially endorsed Studer A800 plugin (2011) models the machine with several tape formulas and speeds.