Industry Standards

Industry Standard marks the workhorses that defined day-to-day professional practice in their era. These models were everywhere: dependable, effective and trusted across studios, broadcast and live sound. Entries in this tier achieved broad professional adoption and set expectations for performance, reliability and workflow in their category. They may not be the most famous, but they were the default choice when results mattered.

1975

Compressors & Limiters

/ Made In U.S.A.

dbx 160 Compressor/Limiter

The dbx 160 and 161 are single-channel compressor/limiters combining sophisticated technology and user-oriented features in a compact package. Unique circuit designs, such as true rms level-detection and feed-forward gain reduction, place the 160 and 161 in a completely different class from conventional compressor/limiters.

1981

Modulation Effects

Made In Japan /

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.

1982

Other Analogue Effects

/ Made In U.K.

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.

1983

Digital Delays

Made In Japan /

Roland SDE-3000 Digital Delay

The Roland SDE-3000 was a natural progression from the earlier SDE-2000 and offered better sound quality through increased bandwidth among other improvements. The Roland SDE-3000 is a high-quality Delay Machine featuring various delay effects and also the Memory function that retains up to eight different panel settings, therefore, it is extremely helpful for both studio and live performance.

1985

Digital Reverbs

/ Made In Japan

Yamaha REV7 Digital Reverberator

The Yamaha REV7 was more affordable than the REV1 and found a home in many studios world wide. People seem to either love or hate these old Yamaha reverbs, in fact the Yamaha REV7 would have to be one of the most polarizing reverbs there is, with no in between it seems. But make no mistake, there is much love for this classic 1980s reverb!

1985

Other Digital Effects

Made In Japan /

Yamaha SPX90 Multi-Effects Processor

The Yamaha SPX90 was released in 1985 as an affordable multi-effects processor for the masses. It remains today a true classic digital effects processor. It is also the most looked at effects processor on the Vintage Digital website.

1992

ADAT Recorders

/ Made In U.S.A.

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.

1993

DTRS Recorders

Made In Japan /

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

Other Digital Effects

/ Made In Japan

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.

1994

DAT Recorders

Made In Japan /

TASCAM DA-30 MkII Digital Audio Tape Recorder

The TASCAM DA-30 MkII is a professional-grade DAT recorder that is designed for high-quality audio recording and playback. It offers a range of advanced features that make it suitable for use in professional recording studios, post-production facilities, and broadcasting environments.

Think we have missed one that clearly meets the criteria above? Send a correction with sources and we will review.

Expecting to find a piece of gear here and it’s missing? That usually means it’s classified as a Studio Legend rather than an Industry Standard. A Studio Legend goes beyond simply being widely adopted, it’s a piece of equipment that has achieved iconic status through its near-universal presence on countless recordings, shaping the sound of entire eras and becoming inseparable from the history of recorded music.

Industry Standards

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