The Dawn of Commercial Digital Recording
Thomas Fine
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Satisfied that PCM digital was an improvement over analog tape, Denon engineers set out to develop their own VTR-based system.
Their goals were improved audio quality and multi-track recording capability, which then made the system viable in most commercial recording settings of the 1970s.
In 1972, Denon unveiled the DN-023R, an 8-channel system featuring 13-bit resolution and a sampling rate of 47.25kHz.
The system used a Hitachi (then called Shiba Electronics) 4-head open-reel broadcast VTR as its storage format.
Anazawa noted: "We used the low-band mode of the VTR, for black and white (video). The reasons were stronger (performance) than color mode for tape drop-out and less cost."
Anazawa said, with the DN-023R, "we could edit music recordings and cut (LP) discs using advanced (preview) head" to control lathe-automation.
Denon deployed the DN-023R system immediately and used it to make commercial-release recordings throughout the 1970s.
The first LP made with this system was Nippon Columbia NCC-8501, Mozart: String Quartets K. 458 and K. 421 by the Smetana Quartet.
This album was recorded 24-26 April 1972, at Aoyama Tower, Tokyo, and released in October 1972.
Denon also released at least six other digital-recording LPs in October 1972, including classical, jazz and traditional Japanese music selections.
Denon also made the first commercial digital recording in Western Europe, at Notre Dam de Rose outside of Paris on 2-3 December 1974, Bach "Musical Offering" BWV 1079, by the Paillard Chamber Orchestra.
The LP was released in May 1975.
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