IDM Mailing Archive

1996-01-31 17:35Jon DrukmanAt 2:11 AM 1/31/96, Davey N wrote: >O.K. i'm going to make myself look really stupid now,

From:: Jon Drukman <jsd@cyborganic.com>
To:: <idm@hyperreal.com>
Date:: Wed, 31 Jan 1996 09:35:04 -0800
Subject:: (idm) DAT vs DCC

At 2:11 AM 1/31/96, Davey N wrote:

quoted 5 lines O.K. i'm going to make myself look really stupid now, but....

>O.K. i'm going to make myself look really stupid now, but.... >Philips have just bought out a range of DCC machines, and i assume that >DCC stands for Digital Compact Cassette. I was under the impression >that it was a system that was similar to DAT, but like it's alot cheaper, >so what's the difference?

the main difference is that DAT is a "pure" digital signal path: ie, what you put in is exactly what you get out. DCC uses a form of compression that "throws away" pieces of the sound spectrum that your ears are unlikely to notice. This way they can use stationary heads instead of rotating heads (as in DAT), which simplifies design and manufacture. there has been much heated debate over whether or not people really CAN notice the bits that have been taken out, with some saying "oh it's terrible" and others saying "you'll never notice." apparently it's more noticeable on quiet, solo passages (like in classical music) and less noticeable on dense, loud parts (like rock music). the other main difference is that DCC (and the Minidisc, which is similar in that it uses lossy compression to get away with lower bandwidth) never took off. if you are planning on getting into the recording biz, DAT is industry standard. everybody uses them for master distribution. most places won't even touch DCC or minidisc. don't save a few hundred bucks (or pounds) now cos you'll regret it later. also, blank DATs are way cheaper (and more readily available) than blank DCCs. avoid DCC and minidisc. -- Name: Jon Email: jsd@cyborganic.com Web: http://www.cyborganic.com/bass-kittens/

1996-01-31 18:09Adam J WeitzmanJon Drukman wrote: > if you are planning on getting into the recording biz, DAT is industr

From:: Adam J Weitzman <weitzman@individual.com>
To:: Jon Drukman <jsd@cyborganic.com>
Cc:: <idm@hyperreal.com>
Date:: Wed, 31 Jan 1996 13:09:26 -0500
Subject:: Re: (idm) DAT vs DCC

Jon Drukman wrote:

quoted 8 lines if you are planning on getting into the recording biz, DAT is industry

> if you are planning on getting into the recording biz, DAT is industry > standard. everybody uses them for master distribution. most places won't > even touch DCC or minidisc. don't save a few hundred bucks (or pounds) now > cos you'll regret it later. > > also, blank DATs are way cheaper (and more readily available) than blank DCCs. > > avoid DCC and minidisc.

For use in the recording biz, absolutely. However, as a portable recordable digital media, I love the MiniDisc. Tiny, instant random-access, re-recordable and re-orderable, practically unskippable, laser-read, sounds damn good. Jon is right that it hasn't taken off, but the convenience and sound quality convinced me to be an early adopter a couple years ago, and I haven't used a tape since. I always hated cassettes, especially when my old ones started deteriorating and became barely listenable and wobbly. But record your LPs and old tapes onto MD, and you have a permanent archive of the sound that you can play repeatedly without fear of deterioration *and* you can take it with you. And it sounds better on quiet passages than you might think, even with the lossy compression. But it's definitely not suitable for recording-industry-quality recording, and it's still struggling in the market, and you can say the same for DCC. You *must* go with DAT in that arena. ObIDM: I'm still trying to figure out what everyone likes about Kid Spatula. Sure, it's very good, but not outstanding or anything. I'm listening to it intensively, but it's still not killing me. Maybe it's too laid-back for what I'm expecting... -- Adam J Weitzman ----- Individual, Inc. ----- weitzman@individual.com "I love the music of the 20th century!" - Bruce Willis, "12 Monkeys"

(idm) DAT vs DCC