Tape-based ADATs - Gone the way of the dinosaurs?

MetallyGuitarded

He whom thou art not
Just wondering. I hear a lot about ADAT I/O but how many of you actually use the good ole ADAT tape units to record with? Also, if ADAT I/O protocols, etc are soo good that most modern devices include them, why don't people use the tape machines? Is everyone using the HD versions of the ADAT? I remember when ADATs first came out and I would drool all over the catalogs and now it seems like aside from a cool off-shoot I/O technology, they're pretty much historical. Granted my studio exposure could be measured in single minutes but I never see ADAT tapes advertised and the machines either.
 
The 2 blackfaces+BRC sitting here gathering dust while mocking our foolish decision to early adopt tell me it's over.
They were horribly unreliable and the converters sounded very wrong indeed.....sigh, you live and learn.
 
I think Alesis innovated a lot with the ADAT, and its lightpipe protocol is here to stay. But linear recording is dead as a general rule, so ADAT logically died along with analog tape. It was a great format for its time, though.