Sony DAT's any good?

From what I've heard through the forum, it is better to get your final mix on DAT then bounce it to CD-R- so my first question is, is that entirely true? Second, I've bad things about Sony DAT players, can anyone back that up? And finally is there a big difference between the 24 bit DAT and 16 bit DAT? The sales man said that I wouldn't be able to tell the difference, but who trusts them? Thanks.

[rat1016]

I agree with mixing to DAT, good backup, no
problems. The Sony A7 DAT machine is not
suitable for studio use. And 24 bit DAT sound
amazing compared to 16 bit counter parts.

[Rader Ranch]

every Sony DAT player i've ever used has had problems...and tapes made on Sonys often have compatability problems on other decks...these have been lower end models though; i suppose they must make some expensive stuff too.

but all DAT's blow...

[UnphasedG]

First, DAT's suck...they were only supposed to be an interrim fortmat when the industry first started to use them. They're fragile, don't last(read-bad for archiving;what "masters" should do) AND they error correct-i.e. change their data-when you make clones.
USE YOUR EARS!!! If the mix sound's great(for instance,you're not hitting your L1 limmiter too hard,etc.,etc.,etc.) then a digital bounce should sound just the same AND copies of files aren't interpolated (like dat's).
Second. EVERY top (and not so top) mastering engineer I've ever been to, goes through some Analog Limmiters and EQ's anyway. So weather you bring it in on 1/2", Bit-Split [email protected] on a DA88, CDR or Dat, it gets converted from digital, to analog, and back. If they're only using Sonic Solution or a DAW to comprees & EQ, your probably not hearing it on the radio.
I mean if your Mutt Lange or somethin' you can worry about being that close to the envelope of theory. Otherwise, use your CDR, you don't have spend money on a soon to be dead format. P.S. if you have a supported CDR you can use MASTERLIST and make a Red-Book Master!!! Me..I've only got Toast Deluxe 4.1 and a twelve times burner-I can burn an hour cd in about four-and-a-half minutes. The last thing I took in to master was first converted by me in Pro Tools as a "Bounce-To-Disc" from my 24bit44.1Khz session to a 16bit44.1Khz AIFF file...and the neither mastering engineer nor anyone else ever cared about the issue-it sounded like the mix!

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really I want to use a DAT player- because you can get a live mix off the DAT, instead of the slow process of putting up every track onto PT's(saving hd space)- plus it seems like you can have sessions anywhere with a portable DAT. Any recommendations on a portable? Thanks.

[rat1016]

A bit pricey, but Fostex PD4 is great. I belive Nagra has a high end one . 10 grand maybe. The budget portables I've seen are the
Tascam, real small and lightweight, and the
infamous Sony. I would lean towards the Tascam, available at Mars Music.

I've heard that portable DATS aren't a good idea for masters, because the components are smaller so they ware out faster then normal sized DAT players, would it be better to just get a regular DAT player?

[PTPerson]

Maintenace and repair costs seem to dearer on portable units - possibly becaue of the space consideration, there are less "fixable" parts.

It all depends on what you need the dat for - if you can afford it get 24bit as it definitely sounds better.

Hey maybe you can experiment for us all and get one of those new Alesis Masterdisk recorders and enthrall us with the joy of 24 bit CD.

Unless you are dealing with lots of other people who need dat, I wouldn't necessarily bother. I rarely use mine - most of my stuff for mastering I send off on CD with few if any complaints.

what would you guys rate as the better DAT player, Tascam DA-40 or Panasonic SV-3800 - thank you.

anyone? Anyone at all?