Studer A816

A820 and A812 are heir of the A80, the A816 is the heir of the A81. Produced from 1989 until 1996 exclusively for the ARD (the German State Radio-Television broadcasting company), together with the A827- 24 tracks it is the last analog recorder designed by Studer. It offers all the performances of his predecessor and much more. For its control an completeness it was up to the most sophisticated requests of the world of recording; its swiftness, fluency and versatility in the management of the tape are unique and hold the lead.

As it always is for the German market also the A816 keeps the heads block turned towards the reels. Its manufacturing is superb also for its finishing in light alloy, artfully brushed. A816, just like his siblings Master Recorders A812 and A820 with which shares the electronics and the keyboard managing of the service menu, was born in an era when digital control room rapidly established. Despite this, A816 is still in service in some ARD recording studios that keep it jealously.

This fact and its sky high original price that limited its original diffusion, make the A816 one of the most desired and wanted components on the market today. It was born as a built-in device for the control room consoles. "The Recorderman" builds an apposite plexiglass trolley similar to the one that can be seen in the pictures of the Studer C37, customizable upon request as for the working surface height.

Main Technical Features

2 tracks stereo recorder, ¼ inch (6,35 mm).
Master recorder for control room consoles (Plexiglass trolley available by “The Recorderman”).
Tape speeds: 30 -15 - 7.5 – 3,75 ips (76,2 - 38.1 - 19.05 – 9,5 cm/sec.).
Servo-controlled tape transport.
Capstan controlled by microprocessor quartz reference.
Spooling motor control with pulse-width modulation.
Manual key to gradually adjust the spooling speed and invert the spooling direction.
Equalization: CCIR – NAB switch selectable.
Tape A and Tape B switch selectable with independent setting and memory storage.
Tape Reel: AEG-DIN (standard), CINE (EIA) -Trident (Optional).
Reel size: up to 12,5” (31,8 cm) for metal reels or plates.
Balanced XLR input and output.
Digital real time display for all speeds; H, Min, Sec.
Edit mode with Jog and Shuttle function Zero locator; Locator 1; Locator 2, Master Safe-Rec Ready button; Service menu with digitally programmable audio and tape deck setup with non–volatile memory storage; Library wind button to select a reduced spooling speed; Varispeed; Auto-Mute during FF-REW mode.
Butterfly heads.
Spooling time: about 70 sec. for 760 mt. of tape.
Weight: about 49 Kg
Dimensions: H x W x D, 900 x 630 x 660 mm.
Power absorption: about 90 W in Stop, 150W Play-Rec, 190W FF-Rew.
Voltage selector: from 100 to 240 Volt, 50-60 Hz.

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