SPARS code

SPARS is an acronym for the Society of Professional Audio Recording Services. The SPARS code is a three-letter code that appears on some Compact Discs recordings telling the consumer what type of tape recorder was used in the recording process, either analog (A) or digital (D). Several limitations of the code have led to it being largely abandoned.

Codes

The three letters of the code have the following meanings:
*First letter - the type of tape recorder used during initial recording (analog or digital)
*Second letter - the type of tape recorder used during mixing (analog or digital)
*Third letter - the type of mastering used (digital only)

There are four types:
*AAD - Analog tape recorder used during initial recording, mixing/editing, Digital mastering.
*ADD - Analog tape recorder used during initial recording, Digital tape recorder used during mixing/editing and for mastering.
*DDD - Digital tape recorder used during initial recording, mixing/editing and for mastering.
*DAD - Digital tape recorder used during initial recording, Analog tape recorder used during mixing/editing, Digital mastering.

Since CD is a digital medium, it must be produced from a digital master – therefore the last letter of the code will always be ‘D’.

As digital tape recorders only became available in the mid 1970s, all recordings prior to this date that appear on CD will be AAD or ADD – having been ‘digitally remastered’. This means that the original analog master tape has been converted (transcribed) to digital. It does not always imply that there has been any additional editing or mixing, although this may have taken place.

Limitations

By the mid 1990s, confusion surrounding the code and the anomalies it produces led the inventor to recommend its discontinuation. As a result, new CD releases are less likely to include a SPARS code.

Lack of detail

The main limitation of the code is that it only covers the type of tape recorder used, not taking into account other equipment used in the production of the recording. For example, during the mixing stage (the middle letter in the code) many DDD recordings may have actually been converted from digital to analog, mixed on an analog mixing console, but converted back to digital and digitally recorded, thus earning it a 'D' in the relevant part of the code. This is because many engineers still like to mix on analog consoles while taking advantage of the editing possibilities of the digital recording medium. Also, analog tape is becoming much harder to find and somewhat limits the number of tracks available, thus leading to digital recording being used more often. In addition to this, many recordings have effects or parts of different recordings added on to them, creating more confusion for the code.

Representation of quality

The SPARS code is not a reliable indicator of the quality of the recording. There are many poor quality DDD recordings around, and many excellent quality AAD recordings. This was particularly true in the early years of digital recording, as recording engineers were inexperienced with the new technology and did not know how to get the best from it. Even today, when digital tape recorders are inexpensive, many recordings, including many pop records, are made AAD and have excellent sound quality.

Examples

*Weezer – The Blue Album (1994) – AAD
*U2 – The Unforgettable Fire (1984) – ADD
*Yello – Flag (1988) – ADD
*ABBA – The Visitors (1981, released on CD 1982) – DDD
*Wendy Carlos – Switched-on Bach 2000 – DDDD (The Additional "D" is based on the fact that the instrument the music was made on was also digital, and the recording was digitally recorded, mixed, and mastered)
*Amy Grant – Lead Me On (1988) – DDD
*Amy Grant – Heart In Motion (1991) – AAD
*Kenny Roberts – You're My Kind Of People (1988) – DDA/DDD (Digital Recording And Mixing, but initially released only on analog formats. Released on CD in Early 2000s.)
*Kenny Roberts – It Only Makes Me Cry (Forgetting You) (1988) – DDA/DDD (Digital Recording And Mixing, but initially released only on analog formats. Released on CD in Early 2000s.)
*Simple Minds – Street Fighting Years (1989) – DAD
*Celine Dion – Unison (1990) – AAD, DDD (four tracks)
*Haswell & Hecker – Blackest Ever Black (Electroacoustic UPIC Recordings) (2007) – DDDD
*David Bowie – Rykodisc had an LP series of reissues with the AAA code [analog tape used in all the processes]
*They Might Be Giants – Flood (1990) – DAD
*Dire Straits – Brothers In Arms (1985) – DDD

See also

* Analog sound vs. digital sound