DTR-8

The Otari DTR-8 Pro DAT Machine was introduced in 1995.

The DTR-8 has +4 dBu (-10 dBu switchable) active balanced analog I/0 with XLR type connectors and has both AES/EBU and S/PDIF digital I/0. In search mode, the DTR-8 uses TOC information from tape to locate up to 300 times normal play speed. 48 kHz, 44.1 kHz and 32 kHz sampling rates are switchable from the front panel for maximum flexibility in professional environments.

The DTR-8 features an Error Count display and a Drum Rotation time display.

• Active balance input/output: The analog audio input/output of the DTR-8 uses transformerless +4 dBu (-10 dBV switchable) active balanced circuits with professional standard XLR type 3-pin connectors. Higher sound quality is achieved by using pulse flow 1 bit D/A converters, 1 bit wide range linear A/D converters, a clock circuit with less jitter in clock signals, etc.
• Sample rate: One of three sample rates: 48 kHz, 44.1 kHz, 32 kHz-LP (long play) is selectable for analog input recording. When recording digital input, sample rate is automatically selected from 48 kHz, 44.1 kHz, 32 kHz, and 32 kHz-LP according to the status bit information and switch selection.
• High speed search: The TOC information written on the tape is read to be used for recognizing program numbers and the beginning of the program. This is done to enable high speed search at a maximum of 300 times play speed (normal search speed is 200 times play speed).
• Subcodes: Various time information, start ID, skip ID, end ID, etc. can be written on and erased from the tape. TOC information for tape editing and archiving is also available.
• Q code synchronized start ID: When receiving digital signal input from a compact disc player, the Q code in the signal is used to write start IDs precisely even if there is no blank space between programs.
• Character pack: Character data based on the DAT standard can be written/read (displayed). Data for up to 60 characters can be added to the start ID at the beginning of each program. When the character data is read during playback, the characters will automatically appear and scroll in the counter section. The read character data can be shown again by pressing the CHARACTER button.
• Digital interface: Two digital audio interfaces AES/EBU and COAXIAL are available.
• No SCMS: For use in pro audio situations, SCMS (Serial Copy Management System) is not supported.
• Rigid construction: A high rigidity honeycomb chassis design is adopted. The mechanism section is placed in the center of the chassis to provide better weight distribution for minimizing vibration and resonance. Furthermore, the tape is held by a unique cassette stabilizer to prevent degradation of sound quality due to such mechanical disturbances.
• External remote control interface: A parallel remote control terminal is provided. Available commands include: Play, Stop, Rec, Pause, F.FWD, Rewind, Next, and Previous.
• Wireless remote controller with numeric keys