What is the configuration of a fully-loaded ATS-1 and how do you describe the various cards?
Machine 1: M-79 ("open")
Machine 2: M-800 ("tight")
Machine 3: M-351 ("present")
Machine 4: M-102 ("transcendent")
Tape A: T-GP9 ("clarity")
Tape B: T-456 ("glue")
Tape C: T-111 ("groove")
Tape D: TX-0 ("headroom")
The TX-0 card provides all the benefits of a tape signal path (bias, etc...) but without any additional distortion. It's the tape formula scientists and engineers struggled to come up with since 1932.
People love it because it really brings out the differences between the tape machines.
I heard on the Internet/Gearspace/one time at band camp that...
There are thousands of posts about AnaMod going back 15 years. In some threads, hundreds of posts before we even shipped the first unit out the door.
We enjoy those sites too, but we also know it can be a bit much to sort through. Heck, sometimes it's hard to click "Buy It Now" on a $9 kitchen appliance after being overwhelmed by Amazon reviews written by toaster enthusiasts.
Snappy responses to common folklore:
• Across the product lines, the AnaMod and REALIOS noise floor is lower than that of the original equipment.
• Top mastering engineers use the ATS-1—in some cases where they couldn't use real tape machines due to noise.
• The version number on an ATS-1 card is the production run. All versions of a card sound the same.
Good news: unlike that toaster with the highly-controversial bagel sensor, you can actually talk to the people who design and build AnaMod equipment. If you see something odd online or just want to chat, please contact us. Discover something particularly amusing and we'll add it to the Folklore section below.
YouTube: AnaMod ATS-1 at AES Vienna (2007)
$30,000+ Fairchild 660 vs AnaMod 660
“i'd be shocked if #2 is the anamod. flabbergasted. why cant ppl hear that #1 has the life squeezed out of it? i can hear that #1 is the anamod.. there's nothing sonically special about it. it does NOT have the mojo ppl pay $30k for. the mojo is EVERYTHING.”
#1 is the REAL DEAL Fairchild
#2 is the AnaMod