Original Stelladat by Sonosax recorder and their users

[Giorgio Foschi]

Hello, I’m writing from Italy and hope to get some help (informations) regarding the as beautiful as infamous Stelladat and the people who used it.
At the time it was developed, I was working as a vision engineer and also maintenance engineer in a TV network and, being audio my great passion, I also followed the fairs and other events related to music production and sound for TV. I already had some DAT machines for my personal use, like the Sony DTC-1000 and TCD-10, but, the first time I saw a picture of the Stelladat, I instantly fell in love. But there was a but… there were two big problems: it was completely beyond my financial means and it wasn’t available yet, because of the big problems encountered when in development and also after the pre-production series has been completed. Fortunately one of my colleagues was a friend of Jacques Sax who, in the end, acquired the whole lot of ready machines and all the parts to assemble a consistent number of them. During the time Sonosax was developing many new modules to make that unit working with a decent degree of reliability (for sure the internal PS, the mixer, the analog I/O connection panel and monitoring amplifier for the headphones, the ADC and DAC modules, a new transport functions keyboard and some other bits, besides, of course, a new firmware), I tried to buy a unit in “as is” condition, but the price was still too high, if I recall correctly about Italian Lire 5.000.000 which was around USD 3400 in 1993. So, with great regret, I had to put aside the idea of having a Stelladat.
And so it was, until 2007, when I found a ”basically working” unit in the L.A. area for a “reasonable” amount. To make a long story short, in the years I was able to find two more units in the same condition (purchased from Trew Audio and labelled as Stella and Della) and two more for parts (partially cannibalized).
Now, the help I’m looking for… there are two machines, out of those five, but maybe also four, considering that those from Trew Audio had their own nickname, which I believe can still be addressed to the original owner for some reasons. One is the first unit I purchased from a big electronics surplus reseller in the L.A. area and the other is one out the two for parts.
Let’s see how they are recognizable…
The complete and basically working unit originally had to pieces of paper tape with some notes to reset the machine via menu and to clean the heads. See the first two pictures. Unfortunately I don’t have clearer pictures, since later I removed those bits of tape.

 

Next nine pictures show the one has been used as a prop in the movie Enemy of the State. Again some pictures below. Some are mine, some are from the seller, some are screenshots from the movie. Pay attention to the  arrows showing some dents, pen marks and adhesive tape residuals. There is no doubt the machine is exactly that one appearing in the movie, which doesn’t necessarily means it was also the recorder used to tape the dialogues in 1998. The sound mixer for that movie is Bill Kaplan who is also one of the independent owners appearing on the Sonosax list of their equipment’s owners.

 

Last seven pictures are those of the Stella and Della unit from Trew Audio.

 

Giving the good connection between sound mixers and the enormous visibility of this forum among the professionals, I hope someone could recognize the units and help my finding the original owner.

This is the an excerpt from the Sonosax list with US users:
Bill Kaplan
Bill Drucklieb
William Sarokin
Glenn Berkovitz

 

Stefan Springman
Ronald Judkins
David Ronne
William Patterson
James Tanenbaum
Lee Strassnider
Richard Lyman
Ken McLaughlin
Richard VanDyke
Powel Wdowczak
John Klett

 

I believe that at least two machines come from the first group of four  sound mixers.

 

Curiously, on the lid of the unit with notes on paper tape there is a strip of velcro just over the display window that could have served as a hooking point for a sort of hood to better the visibility of the display when in direct sunlight (see first picture).

This is another special feature that could help the original owner identifying the machine, even if he doesn't remember the S/N (257), after all these years.

 

Thanks for reading to the end and, if there will be some interest, I will post more pictures taken during there refurbishment of the first unit I purchased, along with some ideas I’ve developed about that device.

 

Giorgio

 

Edited January 9 by Giorgio Foschi
Added additional text

[johngooch]

Not mine(sold many years ago) ---  too bad there is no serial numbers to work by..   Just checked my picture archive, there was a serial number stamped by the XLR TC I/O,on my unit.  

 

Good luck.. 

 

j

 

 

[Jeff Wexler]

I am surprised that you did not find me on the list of StellaDAT users  --  I was one of the early adopters way before Sonosax had anything to do with the recorder. Just as you had stated, one look at the StellaDAT and I was in love --  easily the most "Nagra like" DAT machine ever produced. I actually went through 2 machines and finally had to give up on the StellaDAT. The first problem was the dreaded sunlight problem  --- light getting into the machine and tripping the optical sensor and shutting the machine down. The other major problem was heat. The machine would get so hot you could barely touch it. I had to abandon it in. favor of the HHB PortaDAT that proved to be the most reliable of all the DAT machines I used (and I think I used them all). I  never fell in love with the DAT format and was so pleased when I was an early adopter of the Zaxcom Deva, the first file-based production recorder that revolutionized the industry. 

[Philip Perkins]

The StellaDat was a pretty box that enclosed the same problematic top-loader transport that nearly everyone else used.  So, the same kind of issues all the DATs (eventually) had, at a much higher price.

[Giorgio Foschi]

5 hours ago, johngooch said:

Not mine(sold many years ago) ---  too bad there is no serial numbers to work by..   Just checked my picture archive, there was a serial number stamped by the XLR TC I/O,on my unit.  

 

Good luck.. 

 

j

 

 

The complete machine with notes on paper tape is S/N 257. I believe it's one of the very last ever made. The one used as prop for the movie and probably belonged to Bill Kaplan still has a serial number on its main board which now I can't remember exactly. Unfortunately it's buried in a closet since years and I can't check now.

It would be nice to list all serial numbers here, in order to have a sort of database.

 

The number you read on the I/O panel is the identification number of the module. There were numbers engraved also on the on the mixer module, the transport module and the thin module with lever switches and menu navigation switches. The serial number was indicated on a small label on the back of the unit, and was visible if the battery or mains supply were removed.

 

Giorgio

[Giorgio Foschi]

2 hours ago, Jeff Wexler said:

I am surprised that you did not find me on the list of StellaDAT users  --  I was one of the early adopters way before Sonosax had anything to do with the recorder. Just as you had stated, one look at the StellaDAT and I was in love --  easily the most "Nagra like" DAT machine ever produced. I actually went through 2 machines and finally had to give up on the StellaDAT. The first problem was the dreaded sunlight problem  --- light getting into the machine and tripping the optical sensor and shutting the machine down. The other major problem was heat. The machine would get so hot you could barely touch it. I had to abandon it in. favor of the HHB PortaDAT that proved to be the most reliable of all the DAT machines I used (and I think I used them all). I  never fell in love with the DAT format and was so pleased when I was an early adopter of the Zaxcom Deva, the first file-based production recorder that revolutionized the industry. 

Indeed I was thinking the same, Jeff. That list I found on Sonosax website about 18 years ago. Maybe you purchased the original Stellavox unit, (that one with the green display) and Sonosax didn't keep track of purchasers who bought the previous release. Yes, contrarily to what Stellavox stated in their flyer which described the Stelladat as a climate controlled unit, able to work in the most difficult environments with temparature spanning from -20 to over 30°C, the recorder suffered from extreme heating that caused failures especially to the internal power supply and the servo system and other kind of problems like exposure to direct sunlight, random errors due to non optimized software and so on. I remember that they offered an option to keep the unit even colder in case of prolonged use in ambients with temperature over 30°C, consisting in a small internal blower, which is a nonsense, since they also declared that the unit was waterproof, in a certain way, so without any slot for the water, or the air, to pass through…  Sonosax redesigned most of the modules, trying to reduce the current drain and consequent power dissipation. They also compiled a much robust and flexible software, especially in regard to the power source (read great flexibility of use with different kind of power accumulators). Unfortunately all that efforts didn’t prevent the unit from having a too high incidence of troubles. After many years spent in the repair of almost all DAT models produced (both consumer and professional), I have also found the cure to elevate the reliability of the Stelladat on par with that of the other portables using 4 DD motor transports, but now it is of no use, of course. I just wanted to perfect a beautiful looking product and didn’t care of the many hours spent in research and experiments, it was just a matter of personal satisfaction.

 

I totally agree with you, the HHB PortaDAT is the most reliable recorder I know.

 

Giorgio

[Giorgio Foschi]

3 hours ago, Philip Perkins said:

The StellaDat was a pretty box that enclosed the same problematic top-loader transport that nearly everyone else used.  So, the same kind of issues all the DATs (eventually) had, at a much higher price.

The 4DD motor transport used in the Stelladat was also used in the Fostex PD-2 and many studio machines such the Tascam DA-60, the Fostex D-30, the Otari DTR-90 and maybe others that I now forget. That kind of transport proved to be very reliable in the first 10 years of life. Then the SMD capacitors on the capstan motor PCB started leaking and drying, causing malfunctions. On studio machines, another problem was related to the loading/ejecting mechanism which might remain stuck somewhere midway. There was a simple remedy to correct this issue. Once replaced the dried capacitors and put on a new pinch roller, these trasnport are still working good after 30 years on all the studio machines. Problem on the Stelladat arised when the transport was subject, or better to say, immersed in a too hot ambient. Tolerances weren't calculated for extreme temperatures and the request of current to move the motors, especially the capstan motor which is partially involved in the loading/unloading process was too high, giving the usual and well known errors like transport blocked or tape blocked. Also some (actually very few) plastic parts reacted bad to high temperatures and worsened the situation. Another Achille's heel in the Stelladat is the internal wiring, especially that connecting the transport to the main board, too undersized and with connectors of poor quality. I understand they did so because of the very little space inside. Consider that the Stelladat II used the same transport with just a slightly different upper cylinder and it worked much better because of the lower temperature of the device. I've attached two pictures showing the crowded internal, seen from bottom side.

 

Giorgio

 

EDIT:

Forgot to tell that the other commercially available 4DD transport available was the Sony (used on all their editors and professional portable, including the one of a kind PCM-2000). This one was pretty good like the ALPS mounted in the Stelladat, but suffered from a bad choice of lubricants and glues which caused some partsa to stuck and other to loose, with catasftrophic results for tapes. After some years, also the gear on the rotary encoder craked and rendered unusable the recorder in which it was mounted.

Actually there was a third transport, that one made by Nakamichi. Nakamichi is the only brand, together with Sony who developed a transport in house, but, contrarily to Sony, they never made it available to manufacturers. The biggest difference to all other mechanics is that the pre and post guides, referred to the head, were fixed instead of mobile, with the advantage of a more accurate tape stability on the drum. That would have been a super nice feature, if used on a portable unit!

 

 

 

 

 

[Philip Perkins]

DAT machines all develop "personalities" in their transports eventually.  So much is being asked of the tiny helical-scan mechanism  that it has to be perfectly aligned, clean, lubricated, powered, unworn, relatively cool and COMPLETELY DRY to operate correctly.  Recordists of the time looked at the Stella and thought: "oh--a digital Nagra (or Stellavox)", ie something that they could use reliably in the same way in the same conditions as they had used their 1/4" reel recorders in.  I was one of those recordists, and got myself into all kinds of hairy situations with DATs working in all climates, weathers, levels of filth and vibration.  At first it was mostly ok, until the machines (all brands, studio and portable) began to get significant wear.  Then strange and unpredictable things started to happen with increasing regularity.  And there was also the issue of intermachine playability of tapes once that wear had taken place.  Several times I had to ask field recordists to dub off their DATS on their own machines because they were so far out of spec that the tapes would not play on correctly set-up machines...  Note that these complaints are about the machines themselves--not taking to account the flakiness of a lot of DAT stock (remember "DIC DAT"?).  

[Giorgio Foschi]

6 hours ago, Philip Perkins said:

DAT machines all develop "personalities" in their transports eventually.  So much is being asked of the tiny helical-scan mechanism  that it has to be perfectly aligned, clean, lubricated, powered, unworn, relatively cool and COMPLETELY DRY to operate correctly.  Recordists of the time looked at the Stella and thought: "oh--a digital Nagra (or Stellavox)", ie something that they could use reliably in the same way in the same conditions as they had used their 1/4" reel recorders in.  I was one of those recordists, and got myself into all kinds of hairy situations with DATs working in all climates, weathers, levels of filth and vibration.  At first it was mostly ok, until the machines (all brands, studio and portable) began to get significant wear.  Then strange and unpredictable things started to happen with increasing regularity.  And there was also the issue of intermachine playability of tapes once that wear had taken place.  Several times I had to ask field recordists to dub off their DATS on their own machines because they were so far out of spec that the tapes would not play on correctly set-up machines...  Note that these complaints are about the machines themselves--not taking to account the flakiness of a lot of DAT stock (remember "DIC DAT"?).  

Humidity has always been the most feared condition with DAT recorders. 

 

Since the tape is extremely thin, it is very easy for it to stick to the head. The heating elements, which DATs are equipped with, can help, but only to shorten the drying time of a recorder that has been exposed to a humid environment and then brought into a controlled environment, but they are not effective in continuous use in humid environments.

 

Since the mechanics are extremely small and compact, it is more difficult to maintain low tolerances, which is essential for the proper functioning of a digital recorder, and the lifespan is obviously shorter than that of an open reel mechanic for a wider tape. The DAT format should probably never have been included in the professional audio market, quite for reasons related to reliability. On the other side, manufacturers had low success with sales on the consumer market because governments declared illegal to sell those kind of devices without incorporating a copy control system, later invented and called SCMS.

 

I’ve never heard of the DIC DAT tapes before! Fortunately they were never sold here in Italy.
 

Giorgio

[The Immoral Mr Teas]

On 1/8/2025 at 3:45 PM, Giorgio Foschi said:

 

This is an excerpt from the Sonosax list with US users:

...

James Tanenbaum
 

 

 

It may interest you to know that Jim Tanenbaum wrote an instruction manual for the Stelladat,

 

"Using A Stelladat in the Unreel World"

 

covering everything up to software v5.00 and timecode v 2.44 in its 175+ pages, a companion volume to his "Using Timecode in the Reel World", back in the 1990s. I have the latter, not this volume (I haven't a Stelladat...)

Heaven know where you might find a copy these days though!

 

Jez

[Philip Perkins]

Most of us decided that the "pretty factor" of the Stelladat was not worth the extra cost vs HHB, Fostex and the lesser non TC recorders, since they didn't turn out to be more reliable.  My soundie friends who saw through the DAT con and were able to keep using 1/4" reel tape until they could adopt file-based recording made the right call.  Unfortunately, this was not possible for many of us, especially those working in commercials and docs.   One of the ongoing ironies of my very extensive DAT experience (at one time I owned 9 different models at once) was that the machines with the best track record in working under severe conditions were the cheapest ones.  Kudos to the lowly Casio DA-7, which stayed working through snow/ice/rain/jungle/cave/factory/sewer etc etc, somehow.  This machine cost about 1/6th of the price of our HHBs.

[mono]

3 hours ago, Philip Perkins said:

 One of the ongoing ironies of my very extensive DAT experience (at one time I owned 9 different models at once) was that the machines with the best track record in working under severe conditions were the cheapest ones.  Kudos to the lowly Casio DA-7, which stayed working through snow/ice/rain/jungle/cave/factory/sewer etc etc, somehow.  This machine cost about 1/6th of the price of our HHBs.

 

https://www.muzines.co.uk/articles/hands-on-casio-da7-dat-recorder/9475

 

 

 

 

 

[Giorgio Foschi]

On 1/9/2025 at 6:04 PM, The Immoral Mr Teas said:

 

It may interest you to know that Jim Tanenbaum wrote an instruction manual for the Stelladat,

 

"Using A Stelladat in the Unreel World"

 

covering everything up to software v5.00 and timecode v 2.44 in its 175+ pages, a companion volume to his "Using Timecode in the Reel World", back in the 1990s. I have the latter, not this volume (I haven't a Stelladat...)

Heaven know where you might find a copy these days though!

 

Jez

Wow, many thanks for the hint!

I was aware of his book on time code in the reel world, but never imagined he wrote something around the Stelladat. I believe not too many copies have been printed…

 

Is there a way to get in contact with Jim? I can’t find him here and perhaps he still has a pdf of the book.

 

Giorgio

 

[Giorgio Foschi]

On 1/9/2025 at 6:45 PM, Philip Perkins said:

Most of us decided that the "pretty factor" of the Stelladat was not worth the extra cost vs HHB, Fostex and the lesser non TC recorders, since they didn't turn out to be more reliable.  My soundie friends who saw through the DAT con and were able to keep using 1/4" reel tape until they could adopt file-based recording made the right call.  Unfortunately, this was not possible for many of us, especially those working in commercials and docs.   One of the ongoing ironies of my very extensive DAT experience (at one time I owned 9 different models at once) was that the machines with the best track record in working under severe conditions were the cheapest ones.  Kudos to the lowly Casio DA-7, which stayed working through snow/ice/rain/jungle/cave/factory/sewer etc etc, somehow.  This machine cost about 1/6th of the price of our HHBs.

Casio made some of the most reliable DAT’s around. DA-2, DA7 and the re-branded Teac DA-P20 were very reliable, but, using just one single D to A converter which was also utilized as an A to D converter, using some additional components for the task, its theoretical ADC resolution was 15 bit, with something in between 13 and 14 bit as actual resolution.

 I have recapped a mountain of DA-2 and DA-7 in the end of the Nineties and, after that repair, they are still working good.

 

Giorgio

 

[Tom E]

I may have been lucky, but my HHB was more or less flawless in the years I used it. The biggest hurdle was a good battery solution. Going from a nagra that would run forever on 12 D cells to batteries that got a couple hours max was painful...

[Philip Perkins]

You were lucky.  One of my HHB PDR1000TCs had so many problems in its first year of use that HHB took it back and swapped me another one to shut me up.  The next 2 developed definite personalities as they got worn (I was pretty busy in those days).  I was very glad to see them go.