Recording and Production in the News

PDRL chooses Prism Sound audio conversion for its restoration projects

Cambridge June 2007: Public domain recordings that might otherwise be lost to the ravages of time are being restored for posterity thanks to the efforts of PDRL (Public Domain Restoration & Licensing), a company established in 1996 to specifically tackle this type of work.

To assist with its efforts PDRL recently acquired a Prism Sound ADA-8XR multichannel converter, which is being used for AD/DA audio conversion in conjunction with the company's CEDAR Cambridge system. PDRL was one of the first studios in the world to invest in a CEDAR Cambridge, purchasing its system in May 2003. In recent months it has upgraded the software to V4 and, in addition to NR4, NR5, DeClickle 2 and Vintage DeCrackle, has purchased the latest version of Retouch and manual DeClick.

Director A B Jacobs says: "Earlier this year we decided to invest in new AD/DA converters as this was the only area where we didn't have the best the market had to offer. There was no compromise on the cost. We knew we wanted the best and in our opinion Prism Sound was the only choice."

Prism Sound's sales and marketing manager Jody Thorne recommended the ADA-8XR because it offered the ultimate in flexible configuration and the cleanest, most transparent audio conversion. Designed for exacting applications that require 24-bit conversion at 192K, the ADA-8XR can be a 16 channel AD converter, a 16 channel DA converter or an 8 channel AD/DA converter.

Jacobs says: "The model we have chosen has a multi-channel FireWire interface and an AES output option. This allows us to connect our CEDAR Cambridge system to the ADA-8XR via FireWire and link our Mastering system via the AES. Our monitoring is then fed back via the ADA-8XR and to our monitors."

Based in Surrey, PDRL has tackled a wide variety of restoration projects, starting with the task of cleaning up the National Anthems for the Euro 96 tournament that was held in England. The company is now scouring the country for public domain recordings that can be converted into digital and restored using its CEDAR Cambridge/Prism Sound ADA-8XR combination. Once restored, the recordings will be licensed to record companies so that a new generation can enjoy them.

"Thanks to its flexibility, the Prism Sound ADA-8XR also gives us the option of expanding our restoration business to those film, TV and multitrack recordings that may require our magic touch," Jacobs adds.