R-R Tape Recorders from Switzerland

World War II

1939 -1945 – The family of Stefan Kudelski left Poland during the Second World War and eventually settled in Switzerland after living in Hungary and France.

Post-World War II

As he was unable to interest anyone in his CNC machine tool project, he turned his focus to designing a recorder suitable for broadcast use.

1951 – Stefan Kudelski founded Kudelski Company. Built a small, lightweight, portable tape recorder with a focus on sound quality and named it as “Nagra”, meaning “to record” in Polish.

1952 – First Nagra I was bought by a local radio station, followed by orders from both Radio Lausanne and Radio Geneva.

1953 – Established manufacturing operations at a house in Prilly (West of Lausanne) and production of the NAGRA II began.

NAGRA II –  driven by a Grammophon spring from language laboratory equipment, and with excellent subjective and audio quality. The recorder is extremely sturdy; No advertising is needed, every day new reporters become acquainted with the machine and immediately try to buy one

1958 – Release of Nagra III –  legendary radio, TV and cinema recorder. A solid-state machine employing an electric motor with closed loop servo speed control.  A fully transistorized machine with all the modules enclosed in metal cases, powered by conventional “D” type batteries, and is equipped with a true peak meter called a “Modulometer”.

1959 – Italian radio network RAI (Radio Audizioni Italiane) ordered 100 machines to cover the Olympic Games in Rome.

1959 – French director Marcel Camus used a Nagra II to record part of the sound on the feature production of Black Orpheus. In result, Kudelski quickly set designing a version of the Nagra III that could utilize a pilot system for synchronous filming (referred to as the PILOTTON system).

1960s – Kudelski’s firm began making miniature recorders or “surveillance and security” work. First pocket-size machines was the SN “Serie Noire,” which was “originally ordered by President J F Kennedy for the American secret services”

1962 –  Kudelski invented the “NEOPILOT” system, the standard synchronization system used to synchronize these separate elements.

1965 – Purchased a factory in Neuchâtel. A huge tract of land is purchased in Cheseaux-sur-Lausanne, which allowed for the construction of a dedicated factory.

1967 – Sale of the 10,000th Nagra III

1969 – Nagra IV recorder with more reliable silicon transistors and sported two mike inputs.

1970 – Nagra 4.2L recorder was released.

1971 – IV-S or the stereo version of the Nagra 4.2 was introduced, it offered two channels of recording in the same footprint as the mono recorder.

1971– New pilot system, called NagraSync FM, which records a FM modulated pilot signal at 13.5 kHz between the two audio tracks.

1971 – Launched of the unique SNN recorder, a miniature recording using 1/8” wide tape, but in a reel-to-reel configuration as opposed to a cassette which would mark the introduction of equipment destined for applications outside of the traditional film and broadcast arena.

1972 – Nagra IV-SJ, a two-channel instrumentation recorder aimed at scientific and industrial markets.

1974 –  Introduction of Nagra IS, originally designed to be a single-speed mono recorder for reporters.

1976–  Nagra E – a further simplification of the IS recorder.

1977 – Kudelski introduced the NAGRAFAX – unique portable weather facsimile machine aimed at the maritime market. This would mark Kudelski’s first departure from recording equipment.

1977 – Another instrumentation recorder, the Nagra TI with four channels of recording.

1981 – Nagra TA recorder with unique ability to chase timecode in forward and reverse, and was specifically aimed at the telecine post market.

1983 – Joint project-venture with Ampex (US) and launched AMPEX-NAGRA VPR-5, the world’s smallest, lightest professional portable C-format video recorder.

1984 – JBR security recorder was introduced to replace the ageing SNST technology with a smaller, undetectable covert recorder for the security industry.

1985 – Nagra T-AUDIO was also adapted to this new universal synchronization format. Became the most sophisticated transfer machine ever built and found in post-production facilities all over the world.

1992 – Nagra D, a unique (and proprietary) four-channel digital recorder aimed at the film and music recording market.

1997 – Introduced a line of high-end audiophile components, and later incorporating the VPA mono-block tube power amplifier and MPA 250-watt MOSFET power amplifier.

2002 – Nagra V, a hard drive recorder intended as replacement for the Nagra 4 series analog recorders.

2013 – Stefan Kudelski died on January 28^th.

1948 –   January 5th, Willi Studer founded the “Willi Studer, Factory for Electronic Equipment Company” in Herisau, Switzerland which develops and builds oscilloscopes for high voltage labs

1949 –   Development of reel to reel machines, initially marketed under the name Dynavox – the first Studer tape recorder.

1951 –  Dynavox becomes Revox and the first tape recorder bearing the name Revox , the T26 was a revised version of the Dynavox

1952 –  Two product lines and brand names were established. Studer represents the professional studio range while Revox becomes the premium brand for the private music lover

1952 –   “Studer A27” was presented as Willi Studer’s first professional studio tape recorder which  was the first Studer machine to feature a three-motor drive design. Limited production of the Studer A 27 begins

1955 –  Studer A37 and Studer B37 were released

1957 – First portable tape recorder Studer B30. After producing several thousand tape recorders and facing increasing demand, the company establishes an international sales network

1958 –  Studer 69, the first portable mixing console

1960 –  Production of the C37 tube tape machine begins

1962 –   Studer E36 introduced

1963 –   Several new distributors join Studer to market the Swiss tape recorders in many different countries.

1964 –  The legendary Studer J37 4-track tape recorder and multi-channel tape machine with tube technology goes into production.

1965 –  First fully transistorized professional tape recorder, the Studer A62.

1967 –  The “Beatles” choose the Studer J37 4-track for their album Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.

1967 – The Studer-Revox company dominates the area of advanced studio technology for decades.

1968 –   The Studer 189 mixer.

1970-1988 –   Studer A80 is the longest-built, best-selling Studer tape machine with most versions of delivery. Based on a new modular design concept. Willi Studer is honored with a fellowship by the AES for valuable contributions to the advancement of audio engineering.

1972 –   World’s largest professional audio mixing console, the Studer 289 with 30 input channel

1973 –   The first synthesizer-tuner, “Studer A720” was presented.

1978 –   Presentation of the Studer A800, the first microprocessor-controlled tape recorder. Willi Studer is awarded an honorary doctorate from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zurich.Broadcasting Corporation SRG.

1980 –   Cooperation with SONY on standardized PCM-formats.

1982 –  Studer 900-series mixing console, the Revox PR99 and the A710 cassette tape recorder.

1983 –   Studer’s first digital products, the SFC-16 sampling frequency converter and the DAD-16 disc cutting preview delay. Strong involvement in the standardization of the DASH format for streaming audio.

1985 –   Studer A820 analog multitrack recorder, the A725 CD-Player and the 961/962 mixing desk series.

1985 –   Studer A725 and A725 QC – the first CD of Studer in collaboration with Philips

1986 –   Studer A807 – still widely held universal tape machine. In addition, the smallest made by Studer tape recorder.

1986 –   Studer D820X – first digital tape recorder

1989 –   Studer D820 MCH – DASH multi-channel tape recorder with up to 48 channels. This was the last unit, nor participated in the Studer at the age of 77 years in development.

1989 –   D820 48-track DASH tape recorder. Willi Studer wants to retire, several international companies are interested to buy the Studer Revox Group.

(Late 1980s and early 1990s)

Studer was sharpening its focus on digital technology, forming Studer Editech after buying Integrated Media Systems, maker of the Dyaxis hard disk recording system.

1990 –   Willi Studer sells the Studer Revox Group and all subsidiaries to Motor-Columbus AG.

1994 –   Studer Group is revitalized after acquisition by Harman International, Inc.

1996 – Willi Studer died on March 1st, 1996.

1950s– Stellavox founded in Switzerland, developing high quality reel-to-reel magnetic tape recorders
1958– Stellavox released the model Sm 4 reel to reel
1959– Stellavox released the Fi-Cord 101 dicta-phone
1960– released the Sm portable recorder for radio reporters
1969– released the SP 7 R-R recorder
1972– released the 7 SQ, a quadraphonic version of the SP7
1975– released the SP 8,
1979– released the 88 TD universal studio recorder
1984– released the 9 TD, studio machine
1989– released the 9 SP, a version of the 9 TD