Re: [ARSCLIST] The dawn of commercial digital recordings

[David Hamilton <davidham@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Tom: I can help you with item #3: the recording you refer to was the Virgil
Thomson\Gertrude Stein opera "The Mother of Us All," recorded during the
1976 summer season of the Santa Fe Opera.  The (fairly voluminous) recording
credits on the initial LP issue (New World NW-288, 2 LPs) read as follows:

Producer: Andrew Raeburn; 
Recording Engineer: Jerry Bruck
Production Manager: Mark Dichter
Mastering: Lee Hulko, Sterling Sound
Recording facilities: Viking Studios, Denver, CO
Chief Engineer: Wade Williams
Assistant Engineers: George Counnas, Ron Oren, Darla Reddick
Recorded at The Armory for the Arts, Santa Fe, NM
Director: Alton Walpole; Assistants: David Bigelow, Matthew Heinz

This was reissued on CD as New World 80288, and is still available in that
format, according to the New World website.

Hope this is helpful,

David Hamilton


-----Original Message-----
From: Association for Recorded Sound Discussion List
[mailto:ARSCLIST@xxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Tom Fine
Sent: Tuesday, October 23, 2007 7:18 PM
To: ARSCLIST@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [ARSCLIST] The dawn of commercial digital recordings

Hi All:

I'm working up an article on the early days of digital recording, back in ye
days of digital-to-LP 
recording. A few questions, which I'm hoping some collectors and
discographers on this list will 
have answers to:

1. As far as I can tell, the first system used to make an all-digital
recording released on LP was the Nippon Columbia/Denon system, developed in
1973. I guess the first question is, true or false on 
Denon being first?

2. what were some of the early Denon recordings and were they released on LP
in the USA? Were these 
earliest digital recordings ever put out on CD?

3. Soundstream made what is widely called the first US commercial digital
recording at Santa Fe in 1976. What was the LP generated from this recording
(title, performers, label)? Was this ever reissued on CD?

4. Was Ry Cooder's "Bop Til You Drop" the first created-in-studio
multi-tracked rock album to be 
done all-digital? What were some other early all-digital rock albums?

5. What was the first all-digital (digital basic tracks, digital master)
recording to hit #1 on the 
Billboard charts?

I hope this next request is taken in the proper spirit -- answers of facts
only please. Citations 
would be most appreciated.

Thanks in advance to all the experts on this list.

-- Tom Fine