AAA vinyl, but with a digital delay as early as 1979

I've known for a long time that, at some point, vinyl record cutting involved a digital delay line instead of an analog tape deck with a preview head. I'm not sure why this happened exactly, but there it is. What I haven't known is when exactly this happened, nor have I seen the digital delay unit. Well, today I found this:



The google description says this ad comes from 1979. The site that hosted this image has lots of cool ads like this and it is here:

Phantom Productions reel to reel tape recorder 1908 ad collection

Enjoy!

 

Think I've got a ELO-Discovery, early 80's re-issue that may have used this. It has a frequency cut-off

 

Digital Delay Lines were already introduced by the time we got to 1979, but they were not widespread given it was new and very expensive technology.

DDL was an improvement over existing all analogue technology and processes.

There is some interesting discussion on the history and use of DDL on the hydrogenaudio forum.

 

It is so audiophiles could claim they love the all analog sound, then have to backtrack and say it really did not sound good later.

 

I'm sure it was touted as such, but can you tell me how it was an improvement? The variability of delay time, which was locked in with an analog preview? That's about all I can think of. Anyway, just curious, thanks.

 

It's not "AAA" as the audio is converted to and from digital...
Hard to believe that 5 seconds of digital delay in 1979 could have sounded good...
The real revolution in record cutting was when lathes had computer systems controlling groove spacing, etc, via a preview head.

 

Now I know why records from the '60s and '70s sound different

 

That is correct, technology marches on and computerisation resulted in greater mechanical precision.

 

Could be a number of reasons for that, for example tube equipment. For the most part, I don't thing there is a great deal of sound difference in well made records from the earlier era.

 

Mainly in allowing further fine tuning of the sound before the point of no return.

 

If you strictly interpret the SPARS code then even with digital delay in the signal chain the recording could still be considered AAA (but not All Analogue). The three steps in that code refer to recording medium, mixdown medium, and master tape medium — it is silent on the issue of transport medium

This is why SPARS code is flawed, especially when referring to vinyl for which it was never intended to be used

 

There was pre Redbook digital from the early 70s with Denon and later 3M, Soundstream and Mitsubishi. Sony had its own pre or proto Redbook digital derived from videorecorders. Yes there is a change in sonics in the 80s compared with the 50s, 60, and 70s IMO. Exactly what did the change has not been analyzed.

Denon PCM Encoding in 1970s. Is it different than Sony CD PCM?

 

Not so sure about that digital delay, but I am into that Ampex ATR-100 tape machine. What a sound!

 

The SPARS code is also flawed with CDs. For example Brothers in Arms is DDD but it was processed through an analog console.

 

I think you mean between 70's and 80's . There were some good ones but around 79/80 I noticed some vinyl had curtailed bass and a sort of edgy top end. Maybe a coincidence. I'm sure many records up until the 90's were still all analogue cuts but no sure way of telling especially with changes in production style.

 

That's interesting. I know that for example, the early presses of the Beatles sound a little bit different to later 70s and beyond issues. Some say it is because the early pressings were tube cut. Whether it sounds better or not is subjective of course but many do prefer the 60s pressings.

 

Well, I meant 80s pressings sound a bit different than early 70s pressings too so it is not a tube vs SS issue per se. New computer guided components where beginning to be introduced more generally around 1979-80. Presumably they impacted the sound but no one has analyzed it component by component.

 

I bet you Walter Becker did

 

I should have said: and published it in a journal with data tables.