Public domain recordings that might otherwise be lost to the ravages of time are being restored thanks to the efforts of PDRL (Public Domain Restoration & Licensing), a company established in 1996 to specifically tackle this type of work. PDRL recently acquired a Prism Sound ADA-8XR multichannel converter for AD/DA audio conversion in conjunction with the company’s CEDAR Cambridge system. PDRL was one of the first studios in the world to invest in a CEDAR Cambridge, purchasing its system in 2003. In recent months, it has upgraded the software to v4 and, in addition to NR4, NR5, DeClickle 2 and Vintage DeCrackle, has purchased the latest version of Retouch and manual DeClick.
Ultimately, the ADA-8XR was chosen for its combination of flexible configuration and the clean, transparent audio conversion. With the capability of handling 24-bit conversion at 192K, the ADA-8XR can be a 16-channel AD converter, a 16-channel DA converter or an eight-channel AD/DA converter.
Based in Surrey, UK, PDRL has tackled a wide variety of restoration projects, starting with cleaning up the national anthems for the Euro 96 soccer tournament that was held in England. The company is now scouring the country for public domain recordings that can be converted into digital and restored using its CEDAR Cambridge/Prism Sound ADA-8XR combination. Once restored, the recordings will be licensed to record companies.
For more information, visit www.prismsound.com/music_recording/products_subs/ada8xr/ada8xr_home.php.
