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.
1991
Korg A1 Performance Signal Processor
Korg had made a number of effects units by the time the Korg A1 was released, and for this unit they went all out to match the competition. The Korg A1 was designed to surpass the usual limitations of digital multi-effect processors.
1991
Orban 290RX Adaptive Enhancement Processor
By the 1990s Orban was owned by AKG Acoustics, and during this time they released a number of interesting products, such as the Orban 290RX. The Orban 290RX Adaptive Enhancement Processor was an interesting product that was on one hand a sound restoration device, and on the other a noise reduction system.
1991
Zoom 9030 Advanced Instrument Effects Processor
The Zoom 9030 is a versatile multi-effect device with 47 built-in effects, intuitive controls, analogue distortion, real-time modulation, and support for external effect devices, offering dynamic sound processing for a wide range of applications.
1991
Alesis Quadraverb GT Guitar Effects Processor
The Alesis QuadraVerb GT is a stereo effects unit that is ideal for guitar. It combines analogue and digital electronics to provide the best of both worlds.
1991
Hit
The Sugarcubes
Before embarking on a successful solo career, Icelandic singer Bjork was the lead singer and keyboard player for The Sugarcubes. Although the band didn’t reach the same level of success as Bjork did in her solo career, they did manage to make their mark with their hit song Hit and their album Stick Around For Joy which […]
Engineered by: Ed Thacker
Mixed by: Paul Fox, Ed Thacker, The Sugarcubes
1992
Even Flow
Pearl Jam
Even Flow, the second single from Pearl Jam’s debut album Ten, remains one of the band’s most iconic and beloved songs. Released in 1992, the song’s driving guitar riff, propulsive rhythm section, and emotionally charged lyrics helped to establish Pearl Jam as one of the most important and influential rock bands of the 1990s. The […]
Engineered by: Dave Hillis
Mixed by: Tim Palmer
1992
RSP Technologies Intelliverb
RSP Technologies are better known as Rocktron, but for a short time they produced the RSP Technologies brand, aimed more at studios. The RSP Technologies Intelliverb was something of a sleeper, but from all reports it is a very good reverb, and their current prices would support that.
1992
Summit Audio DCL-200 Dual Compressor Limiter
A mainstay of both the live sound and studio environments, the Summit Audio DCL-200 has helped shape the sound of countless concerts and albums for decades, as well as holding down the fort in many of the best dance clubs around the world.
1992
Alesis ADAT 8 Track Digital Recorder
The Alesis ADAT recorder when it arrived in 1992, literally changed the world overnight for studios and home musicians alike, by bringing digital recording to an affordable level for small studios and musicians.
1992
Studer D780 DAT Recorder
In the dynamic world of broadcasting, professionals demand excellence in their studio equipment. The Studer D780 R-DAT recorder rises to meet these exacting standards, ushering in a new era of efficiency and precision.
1992
dbx 1046 Quad Compressor Limiter
The dbx 1046 provides 4 channels of smooth classic dbx OverEasy® or Hard Knee compression that are perfectly suited for use on individual tracks of your multitrack recorder.
1992
Eventide H3500 DFX Sampling Ultra Harmonizer®
The Eventide H3500 is capable of creating affects you have never heard before (1992) and is fully MIDI controllable with click less, real-time MIDI control. The Eventide H3500 incorporates all the effects of the Eventide H3000-SE, plus the Mod Factory dynamic presets, and the Eventide HS322/395 Sampler card.
1992
Sony DPS-M7 Sonic Modulator
After a digital reverb and a digital delay, the next logical choice for Sony was a modulation processor, and that is exactly what they delivered with the Sony DPS-M7. With the new Sony DPS-M7, Sony continued to improve the sonic characteristics of the internals, with the DPS-M7 showing even better noise floor performance than even the DPS-D7 that preceded it.
1992
Sony DPS-F7 Dynamic Filter Plus
After the digital reverb, digital delay and then a modulation processor, what could Sony release next? A dynamic filter, which lacked the appeal of the first three effects in the DPS line up. The Sony DPS-F7 is suited to keyboard players more so than studios, as it generates rather interesting effects for keyboards including vocoder and synthesiser. Having said that, creative engineers could find great use for this effect in their racks.
1992
Ensoniq DP/4 Parallel Effects Processor
Ensoniq were a keyboard manufacturer back in the 1980s, but their legacy seems destined to be their first multi-effect processor, the Ensoniq DP/4. Using their experience from keyboards and samplers, Ensoniq developed their first effects processor in 1992 towards the end of their keyboard era, and to this day, the Ensoniq DP/4 is still sought being after.
1992
Studer D827 MCH 24/48 Track DASH Tape Recorder
The Studer D827 MCH 24/48 Track DASH Tape Recorder enhances the Studer reputation for superior quality, excellent performance and optimum economics. It was of course, based on the Sony DASH format of multitrack digitalrecorders.
1992
Drawmer 1960 Mic Pre/Compressor
The Drawmer 1960 is a two-channel unit with each channel comprised of a completely natural sounding "soft knee" vacuum tube compressor and an extremely low noise microphone pre-amplifier with switchable 48-volt phantom power. Upon its release in 1993, it was THE mic pre to have!
1992
Summit Audio TLA-100A Tube Leveling Amplifier
The world-renowned Summit Audio TLA-100A tube leveling amplifier has been regarded as a staple by studio and live engineers around the world for more than a quarter of a century.
1992
Otari DTR-90 Digital Tape Recorder
Otari didn't just re-package an existing consumer recorder when it came time to build the Otari DTR-90 professional DAT machine. Instead, they applied the same formula as they have to all our professional audio products: They asked audio professionals what features they wanted. The result is a truly professional R-DAT that is destined to become the standard of the industry.
1993
Roland SRV-330 Dimensional Space Reverb
Taking what they had learned with the R-880, Roland developed a new SRV reverb, the Roland SRV-330 and it is one of Roland's finest digital reverbs. The Roland SRV-330 is a fantastic reverb that offers a broad range of reverbs, from real space emulations to retro gear emulations, and they all sound fantastic with smooth tails and low noise.
1993
Akai DR4d Hard Disk Recorder
With the Akai DR4d Version 4, Akai has taken affordable digital recording to the next level. Building on the power and flexibility of the original DR4, the DR4d Version 4 further expands your creative horizons with our new VirtualTracks and Stereo Ping Pong capabilities.
1993
Langevin Dual Mono Mic Preamp
The Langevin Dual Mono Mic Preamp is our refined version of the historic Langevin AM-4 console channel.
1993
Universal Audio LA-2A Leveling Amplifier
The Universal Audio LA-2A Leveling Amplifier is true to the original design, Universal Audio's famed tube-amplified T4 electro-optical compressor.
1993
Roland SDE-330 Dimensional Space Delay
The Roland SDE-330 digital delay was released at the same time as the SRV-330 and offers just as spectacular performance as it's sibling. Roland had by now made a number of digital delays, and the SDE-330 showed they had nailed the concept.
1993
Tascam DA-88 Modular Digital Multitrack Recorder
The year of 1993 saw the arrival of the first challenger to the groundbreaking Alesis ADAT, and what a challenger it was too, with smaller tape size, and importantly better sound quality! It went on to become the biggest selling product in Tascam's history, selling more than 60,000 units!
1993
Yamaha SPX990 Multi-Effect Processor
The Yamaha SPX990, regardless of the name came after the Yamaha SPX1000 and continued the Yamaha tradition of providing superb quality. The Yamaha SPX990 effect systems offers 80 preset effect programs including accurate simultaneous natural reverberation and early reflections.
1993
Manley Mid Frequency Equaliser
This single channel Manley Mid Frequency Equaliser is the secret weapon for vocal, guitar, snare and all the other midrange instruments that are the meat of the mix.
1993
EMT 248 Digital Audio Processor
The EMT 248 Digital Audio Processor served as a versatile solution for handling audio signal processing, rendering individual sound effects and processing units obsolete. The front panel of the device features program modules that offer quick access to a range of functions.
1993
D.W. Fearn VT-1 Microphone Preamplifier
In designing the D.W. Fearn VT-1 preamp, no compromise in sonic quality, reliability, or ruggedness was permitted. Like the best tube equipment of the 1950s and ’60s, the VT preamp is built on a heavy-gauge aluminium chassis, utilising point-to-point wiring.
1993
Yamaha FX770 Guitar Effect Processor
The Yamaha FX770 is a compact, all-in-one guitar effects processor offering a wide range of effects, including compressors, WAHs, amp simulations, delays, and modulation, all programmable and controllable via MIDI or foot controller. It replaces bulky setups with a single, flexible unit designed for professional sound customisation.
1994
Manley Stereo Variable MU Limiter Compressor
There are few modern classics in the world of professional studio effects hardware, but the Manley Stereo Variable MU limiter compressor is most definitely one such processor. An all-tube limiter built in the great tradition of the Fairchild 660, the Manley Stereo Variable MU has been a cherished part of many studios for decades.
1994
Fostex D-30 Digital Master Recorder
The Fostex D-30 Digital Master Recorder was the pinnacle of DAT recorders for mastering duties, offering every conceivable feature you could think of.
1994
Sony K-1203 Super Bit Mapping Processor
The Sony K-1203 Super Bit Mapping Processor was a digital processing unit that was unique to Sony, and it enabled conversion of higher than 16-bit signals to 16-bit without audible loss.
1994
Langevin Elop Stereo Electro-Optical Limiter
Set it and forget it! The Langevin Elop Stereo Electro-Optical Limiter makes your job easy.
1994
Akai DR8 Hard Disk Recorder
The Akai DR8 is an 8-track digital hard disk recorder and editor, with a built-in digital mixer. Features CD quality audio, non-destructive editing, etc, but unlike computer-based systems, the Akai DR8 is as easy to use as an ordinary multi-track tape recorder.
