Classic Recording Studio Gear

Vintage Digital

Effects Timeline

Our Vintage Digital and Analogue Effects timeline now includes Audio Recorders and Classic Music Tracks to help place these effects and devices within the history of recorded music. Any errors, please notify us using our contact form.

1980

dbx 165 Compressor/Limiter

The dbx 165 is a professional single channel compressor/limiter that features the new dbx Over Easy compression curve. The dbx Over Easy compression curve permits extremely smooth, almost inaudible compression due to the gradual change of compression ratio around the threshold, instead of the customary sharp threshold.

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1981

AMS DM2-20 Tape Phase Simulator

The AMS DM2-20 tape phase simulator is the result of extensive research into the requirements and needs of the recording industry, for accurate simulation of tape phasing. Unlike other units of this kind, which solely mix the delayed signal with the original, the DM2-20 uses two independent delay lines to allow true ‘over the top‘ tape phase simulation.

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1981

In The Air Tonight

Phil Collins

In the Air Tonight is one of Phil Collins’ most iconic tracks, famously known for its haunting atmosphere and dramatic drum break. The song’s recording process played a crucial role in its unique sound and subsequent impact on the music industry, particularly in the development of 1980s production techniques. The initial stages of recording In […]

Engineered by: Phil Collins, Hugh Padgham

Mixed by: Hugh Padgham

1981

Bette Davis Eyes

Kim Carnes

In the early part of 1981, Bette Davis Eyes took the music world by surprise and became a massive hit. It topped the charts in 21 countries and won both the Song of the Year and Record of the Year Grammy Awards, cementing its place in music history. While the exact details of all the […]

Engineered by: Val Garay

Mixed by: Val Garay

1981

Roland SDE-2000 Digital Delay

Roland's first digital delay, the Roland SDE-2000 was a big hit when it arrived, guitarists took to it like a duck to water, as too did home recording studios. It may have had limited bandwidth with the relatively low sampling rate of 26kHz, but that did not stop the success Roland enjoyed with the SDE-2000, but it did kill off the Space Echo, for a while at least.

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1981

AMS DMX15R Digital Reverb

The AMS DMX15R was designed as a digital reverb add-on for the AMS DMX 15-80S digital delay system. However, it is uncertain if this product was ever mass-produced, and if it was, it remains extremely rare. It is more likely that the AMS DMX15R was eventually developed into a standalone digital reverb unit (AMS RMX 16) that did not depend on the AMS DMX 15-80S to operate.

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1981

Sony DRE 2000 Digital Reverberator

The Sony DRE 2000 was Sony's first digital reverb and they headed straight for the heart of Lexicon with a complex and very advanced system, that also proved fragile. These reverbs are hard to find on the used market, partly because those who have them hang onto them, and partly because many of them have died, proving to be too expensive and difficult to fix.

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1981

Our Lips Are Sealed

The Go Gos

Our Lips Are Sealed is a song by the American all-female band The Go-Go’s, that was released in 1981 as a single from their debut album, Beauty and the Beat. The song became a major hit, reaching the top 20 in the United States and the top 5 in Canada. It also became a popular […]

Engineered by: Rob Freeman

Mixed by: Rob Freeman

1981

Tainted Love

Soft Cell

Soft Cell’s rendition of Tainted Love, originally recorded by Gloria Jones in 1964, is undoubtedly one of the most enduring classics of all time. Released in 1981, the song became an instant sensation, reaching the top spot in 17 countries worldwide. In the United States, it also set a Guinness World Record for the longest […]

Engineered by: Don Wershba and Paul Hardiman

Mixed by: Harvey Goldstein

1981

AMS RMX 16 Digital Reverberation System

There have been many digital reverbs over the years, but few are as revered as the AMS RMX 16, which you will still find in studios the world over, some 40 years later. That in itself is enough to indicate just how good this reverb unit is, but it is also the only 'old' digital reverb that is being remade now.

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1981

Sony PCM-F1 Digital Audio Processor

The Sony PCM-F1 is a groundbreaking digital audio processor that delivers superior sound quality, versatility, and portability, setting new standards in the digital recording industry.

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1981

Roland SDD-320 Dimension D Chorus

Roland's Chorus effect that featured heavily on their JC Series guitar amplifiers was a unique and desirable sound back in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The demand for this new chorus effect was so great, Roland developed the Roland SDD-320 Dimension D to satisfy that market demand, and it is quite possibly the greatest chorus effect processor ever made.

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1981

dbx Model 224 Type II Noise Reduction System

The dbx Model 224 Type II Noise Reduction System was not a professional noise reduction system, but it did find its way into smaller studios and home studios for noise reduction duties on reel-to-reel recorders of the day.

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1982

Marshall AR-300 Tape Eliminator

The Marshall AR-300 Tape Eliminator was designed for one purpose only; to duplicate the sound of true analogue tape echo. The Marshall AR-300 Tape Eliminator can eliminate the need for a dedicated tape machine, along with overcoming many of the limitations associated with tape and tape transports.

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1982

Korg SDD-3000 Digital Delay

The Korg SDD-3000 is one of those effects that has retained it's appeal even after decades of newer product coming after it. The Korg SDD-3000 digital delay has remained so popular that Korg themselves have re-introduced it in a guitar pedal form, as it was guitarists that fell in love with this very capable delay.

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1982

Ibanez AD202 Multi-Mode Analogue Delay

The Ibanez AD202 offers a wide range of delay effects, from filtering to long echoes, using advanced switching technology. It includes modes for echo, doubling, chorus, and flanging, with automatic adjustment for ease of use. It has two inputs for microphones or instruments, adjustable levels, and is built with a durable steel cabinet, fitting any EIA standard audio rack, ideal for road use.

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1982

Lexicon PCM 42 Digital Delay Processor

The Lexicon PCM42 improved on the PCM41 and became a studio staple, even today you will find this nearly 40-year-old digital delay in use around the world. The Lexicon PCM42 combines Lexicon’s reliability with features for musician. Unique in concept and execution, the Lexicon PCM-42 performs all of the functions you would of a high-quality digital delay line, while the door to realms of musical expression that were only a dream now.

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1982

Quantec Room Simulator

The Quantec Room Simulator is a new technical concept that enables emulating the acoustical behaviour common to spaces of any volume or size, so that acoustical impressions ranging from a tin can to a columned cathedral may be synthesised and created at fingertip command.

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1982

Tascam 244 Portastudio

The year was 1982, Tascam introduced the Tascam 244 Portastudio, and in doing so they managed to change the recording world forever, particularly for home musicians! This was also a game changing moment for recording studios.

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1982

Ibanez DM1000 Digital Delay

The Ibanez DM1000 is a versatile digital delay unit with up to 900 ms of delay, offering controls for tone, modulation, and feedback. With multiple outputs and a repeat hold function, it’s ideal for studio use, delivering a wide range of effects from echo to reverb.

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1982

Bel BD-80 Digital Delay

The Bel BD-80 processor is a high-quality digital delay with an expandable memory with loop edit facility, synchronised record and playback (sampling), keyboard control (1 V per octave), echo and flanging. The Bel BD-80 must be one of the most popular delay/samplers ever produced, being found in most modest home set-up to the more high-profile studio.

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1982

Drawmer DS201 Dual Noise Gate

The Drawmer DS201 is a sophisticated dual channel noise gate incorporating a number of features pioneered by Drawmer, which are invaluable to the sound engineer, and not found on conventional noise gates.

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1982

Sony PCM-3324 DASH Multitrack Digital Recorder

The Sony PCM-3324 stationary-head 24-channel digital audio recorder, when used with the optional RM-3310 synchroniser/auto locator/remote control, offers an ideal combination of digital performance and convenience, in addition to all the prime functions of analogue recorders.

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1982

Eventide SP 2016 Signal Processor Reverb

The Eventide SP 2016 Effects Processor Reverb is something special. If you’ve never worked with one before, your ears are in for a pleasant surprise. What makes the Eventide SP 2016 so unusual is that (unlike most products in this specialised age) it isn’t just one thing. Not simply a reverb or a digital delay, or an equaliser…but all of these things, and more.

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1982

dbx 128 Dynamic Range Enhancer & Noise Reduction System

The marketing material for the dbx 128 said: 'Records deliver only half of the dynamics of live music. What happened to the other half?' And that is the solution the dbx 128 tried to provide.

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1982

Valley People 610 Dual Compressor/Expander

The Valley People 610 Dual Compressor/Expander is a versatile, high-quality dynamics processor offering dual-channel compression, expansion, and various advanced features for professional audio applications.

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1982

Jack & Diane

John Cougar

It’s hard to imagine that the hit song Jack & Diane from John Mellencamp’s album American Fool almost never made it to the airwaves. The song had a rocky start, with Mellencamp himself almost giving up on it and record company executives insisting on lyrical changes before it could be released. Despite these setbacks, Jack […]

Engineered by: Don Genham

Mixed by: Don Genham

1982

Furman Sound RV-1 Reverberation System with Limiter

The Furman Sound RV-1 was released around 1982 and is a mono analogue spring reverb system with a limiter built in, an odd combination of effects. The Furman Sound RV-1 is a mono device with TRS or XLR inputs on offer. A stereo model was released sometime later.

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1982

Back On The Chain Gang

The Pretenders

Back on the Chain Gang, a song by the Pretenders, holds a special place in the band’s history. It was recorded after the loss of two key members: bassist Pete Farndon was sacked due to drug use, and guitarist James Honeyman-Scott passed away from a drug overdose at a young age of 25. Despite these […]

Engineered by: Steve Churchyard

Mixed by: Steve Churchyard

1982

dbx 165A Compressor/Limiter

The dbx 165A is a professional single channel compressor/limiter that features the new dbx Over Easy compression curve. The dbx Over Easy compression curve permits extremely smooth, almost inaudible compression due to the gradual change of compression ratio around the threshold, instead of the customary sharp threshold.

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1982

dbx 160X Compressor

The dbx 160X replaced the now legendary dbx 160 (VU) and added the over easy compression of the dbx 165 and changed the form factor from the half rack size with wood side panels, to a single rack chassis.

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1982

Thriller

Michael Jackson

Thriller was undoubtedly one of the most important albums in music history, and the stakes for its success were incredibly high. Michael Jackson had already established himself as one of the biggest stars in the world, and with Thriller, he aimed to solidify his position as the King of Pop. The budget for the album […]

Engineered by: Bruce Swedien

Mixed by: Bruce Swedien

1983

AMS DMX 16E Digital Audio Editing Processor

The AMS DMX 16E is a rare digital audio capture and preview editing system renowned for its precision and advanced capabilities.

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1983

Sweet Dreams

Eurythmics

In 1983, the Eurythmics rose to global fame with their hit single Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) from their album of the same name. The song’s success can be attributed to its catchy synth-pop sound, Annie Lennox’s powerful vocals, and Dave Stewart’s masterful production. Despite being recorded in a small project studio, the song’s production […]

Engineered by: Dave Stewart

Mixed by: Dave Stewart

1983

Drop The Pilot

Joan Armatrading

Joan Armatrading’s Drop The Pilot is a timeless classic that has stood the test of time. Despite not charting as high as it deserved to in the US, it was a massive hit in Australia and other parts of the world. Even today, it remains one of the most beloved songs of the 1980s. What […]

Engineered by: Val Garay, Nico Bolas

Mixed by: Val Garay

Ordio Productions

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