The Ampex ATR-100 is a multitrack tape recorder, designed by Ampex Corporation, of Redwood City, California

Redwood City, California

Redwood City is a California charter city located on the San Francisco Peninsula in Northern California, approximately 27 miles south of San Francisco, and 24 miles north of San Jose. Redwood City's history spans from its earliest inhabitation by the Ohlone people, to its tradition as a port for...

. It was introduced at the Spring 1976 AES Conference in Los Angeles , and was geared towards the ultra high end studio market, and having been designed specifically as a stereo or quadrophonic (2 or 4 track) mixdown and mastering deck. It has gained a virtually unchallenged reputation in the recording industry and amongst engineers as the most accurate tape recorder ever to be produced.

Features and Design

Key features of the design are the machine's interchangeable headblock system, which allows the ATR-100 to be quickly converted to run either quarter-inch or half-inch magnetic tape. Also, Ampex was the first company to implement a servo-controlled, direct-drive-capstan tape transport, which allows the tape speed and tension to be continuously monitored by a servo relay. The transport consequently has excellent wow and flutter specifications. The ATR-100 also features dual VU meter

VU meter

A VU meter is often included in audio equipment to display a signal level in Volume Units; the device is sometimes also called volume indicator ....

s, or four VU meters in the case of the four track models, and a digital tape timer. An optional remote control

Remote control

A remote control is a component of an electronics device, most commonly a television set, used for operating the television device wirelessly from a short line-of-sight distance.The remote control is usually contracted to remote...

is also available.

Upgrade

Approximately two years after the release of the ATR-100, Ampex released the next generation Ampex ATR-102, which was essentially the same machine as the ATR-100, with the exception of some repositioned components and slight design modifications.

Evolution

Following the success of the ATR-102, Ampex went on to release the 16-track Ampex ATR-116 and the 24-track Ampex ATR-124. Both machines were designed with the same transport and similar electronics. The Ampex ATR-124, though still widely regarded as the most accurate and best sounding multitrack ever produced, was a financial disaster for Ampex, resulting in only 62 being produced. Base price for these recorders in 1980 was $48,500 for the sixteen track machine and $62,500 for the 24 track machine. With additional components and customizations, either machine could easily reach over $100,000 in cost when it was originally released. Because of this, the Ampex ATR-124 is extremely rare, extremely expensive to service and maintain, and is referred to by many engineers as "The King of All Tape Machines."
Chronology of Ampex Professional Products (Draft: 29 Oct 95; Rev. 4 Nov 99) Compiled by Howard Sanner