When PAR launched the annual Gear Guide in 1998, the pro audio world and magazine environment were, shall we say, quite different. The Internet, as a major information conduit, was still a few years away; big recording studios were still the way to put down your tracks, and powered speakers for line arrays were pretty rare. DAT machines and CD-Rs were the dominant way to store stereo tracks, and most microphones were still made in U.S., Germany and Japan.

I thought it would be interesting to go back to that first Gear Guide in Feb. 1998 and see what the trends were. The cover included the future forward-looking Otari Advanta digital console TASCAM’s double DAT DA-302, Fostex’s D-90 hard disk recorder and AudioControl’s newly- launched IASYS digital measurement system.  Hafler Pro supplied us with a pair of its powered TRM-8 studio monitors and EAW loaned us a live sound speaker for a cover shot.

In the Gear Guide's new products section, Denon and Otari introduced new studio MiniDisc recorders, and Apogee Sound revealed a new linear array for the concert environment (no self-power then). Shure also had just announced its new line of mini-condenser boundary mics.

In celebrating his 35th years in the recording business, Tom Jung was pushing the new frontier of high-resolution recording with DSD and other formats that would bring both increased quality, as well as stereo and multichannel listening from one system. He is still pushing.

  The Gear Guide’s advertisements from 1998 were a prime indicator of the industry’s current state-of-products. For example, in the six pages of B&H ads, readers saw several pre-Avid Digidesign products including Pro Tools version 4.0. Judging by the sheer number of models displayed in the B&H mega-spread, DAT decks and portables were still very popular — with models from Sony, Panasonic, HHB, Otari, TASCAM and Fostex.

CD-R was just catching on, as HHB was pushing its top-of-the-line recorder, the CDR-800 for a mere $2,195 (I still have the Fostex version). Other products of note included Mackie’s (made-in-USA) analog consoles, the SR24x4 and the small format VLZs.

Most of the advertised-in-PAR studio monitors were passive in 1998 with Hafler Pro being the lone exception. Digital effects rack processors were all the rage within the B&H pages, including tc electronic Wizard 2000, Sony DPS-V77, Lexicon MPX-1 and Alesis Quadraverb. Eventide had its own page with the DSP 4000.

The tube gear craze was still in its zenith with ads from Manley, Aphex, Bellari, DW Fearn, Millennia Media and others. During the 1996-1999 period, I remember publishing numerous tube mic/mic pre, EQ and compressor reviews.

Another interesting trend was the recording media ads, especially CD-R, that ran back then. You saw ads from Sony, HHB and BASF on ADAT, DTRS (Hi8) and analog cassettes and open reel tape. CD-R was really ramping up then, but the media was premium-priced (more than $5 per disc). Today, with CD-Rs a few pennies per disc and new DAT, DTRS and S-VHS tape-based machines all but gone, you hardly see any media ads.

Though analog tape still lives in specialized tasks, the DAT and DTRS and S-VHS-based recorders have been replaced by computer-based machines that record onto low-cost, high capacity hard drive or high density media. The portables record and store the audio on internal or removable Flash Card media at capacities that were only a dream in 1998.

In another 10 years, we will take another look at the Gear Guide to see what current technologies have given away to new ones. Hey wait a minute... In 2016, I will be 56 years old. Maybe there will be a replacement technology for me by then.

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