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Recording The Masters (8)
RTM – Recording the Masters Reel-to-Reel Tape High-Quality Analog Tape for Exceptional Sound We are proud to offer RTM - Recording the Masters reel-to-reel tape, a trusted choice for musicians, engineers, and audiophiles who value the warmth and character of analog sound. Manufactured with precision, RTM tapes provide excellent performance for recording, mastering, and playback, ensuring your music and memories… -
Open Reel - Analogue Tapes (8)
Protape began as a specialist supplier of professional recording tape, serving music studios with high-quality analogue reel-to-reel tapes. While most modern studios now record digitally to HDD and SSD systems, there remains a strong demand for the unmistakable warmth and character of analogue sound. We currently stock premium-grade analogue tape from Recording The Masters, supplied on metal spools for professional…
Professional Pro Audio Equipment for Recording and Archiving
The world of professional audio equipment has changed enormously over the past three decades, but some truths remain constant: the quality of your capture medium and archiving format determines what survives. At DataStores, our pro audio equipment range is curated for recording engineers, mastering studios, and audio archivists who refuse to compromise — whether they are cutting lacquers in a vinyl production facility or preserving a lifetime’s worth of reel-to-reel master recordings.
Open Reel Tape: The Professional Standard
Despite the digital revolution, open-reel analogue tape continues to occupy a respected place in high-end recording. The tactile warmth and harmonic characteristics of tape are qualities that no plugin yet fully replicates, and many mastering engineers still choose to pass mixes through a tape machine as the final stage before delivery. Our open reel tapes include formats from ¼ inch to 2 inch, stocked in standard NAB and IEC spool sizes to suit every machine, from a Studer A80 to a Tascam MSR-24.
For the finest in professional mastering tape, our Recording the Masters range — formerly known as BASF/EMTEC — is regarded as the benchmark by leading studios across Europe and beyond. We also stock ATR Magnetics open-reel tape, a long-standing favourite among engineers who demand the highest signal-to-noise performance.
Vinyl Mastering: Lacquers and Beyond
The vinyl revival shows no sign of abating, and with it comes growing demand for professional-grade lacquers for disc cutting. A lacquer disc is the first physical link in the vinyl chain, and the quality of the aluminium blank and its coating directly affects the final pressing. DataStores stocks MDC master lacquers, widely considered the industry standard for high-fidelity disc cutting.
Archiving Your Masters
Analogue masters require careful long-term storage. For studios looking to migrate tape archives to a secure digital format, LTO tape storage provides a cost-effective, longevity-proven solution — the current generation of LTO can store up to 18TB per cartridge natively, with a rated archival life of 30 years. Many record labels and broadcast facilities now use LTO as their primary archive medium alongside their physical tape vaults.
We also stock cassette tapes for studios working with legacy consumer formats and restoration projects.
Why DataStores for Professional Audio Equipment?
We are not a general electronics retailer. Every item in our pro audio equipment range is selected because it meets the standards demanded by working professionals. Our team understands the difference between a reference monitor alignment tape and a general-purpose reel, and we stock accordingly.
For bespoke orders, bulk pricing, or technical advice on format compatibility, get in touch with our team.