About the Company
Nagra (Kudelski SA) is the iconic Swiss manufacturer of portable professional reel‑to‑reel recorders that became the de facto world standard for film, TV and location recording from the late 1950s through the 1980s.
Origins and early models
The company was founded by Polish‑born engineer Stefan Kudelski in Switzerland; “Nagra” means “it will record” in Polish.
Kudelski’s first compact recorder, later known as Nagra I, appeared around 1951 as a miniature, self‑contained reel‑to‑reel using valves and a clockwork motor.
The first production series, Nagra II and Nagra II CI (with printed‑circuit construction), followed in the early–mid 1950s and were already used by broadcasters for field work.
Nagra III and dominance in film and broadcast
In 1958 Nagra launched the Nagra III, a fully transistorized mono recorder with closed‑loop servo capstan and Kudelski’s famous modulometer; this machine effectively set the standard for film and TV location sound.
The Nagra III NP variant incorporated the Neopilot pilot‑tone system for synchronous sound recording with film cameras, driving massive adoption in cinema and single‑camera television.
By 1959, large orders such as over 100 units for Italian broadcaster RAI to cover the Rome Olympics illustrate how quickly Nagra machines became entrenched in broadcast operations.
Nagra IV family and refinements
In 1968 the Nagra IV‑L (mono, Neopilot) appeared, adding dual mic inputs, limiter, and improved ergonomics while retaining the compact field‑recorder form factor.
The Nagra 4.2, introduced around 1970–72, further improved audio performance and added mic powering and equalizers; later upgrades allowed SMPTE timecode capability.
In 1971 the IV‑S stereo version was released, offering two‑channel recording in the same basic chassis, with variants such as the IV‑SJ targeted at scientific and industrial instrumentation work.
Miniature and specialty recorders (SN, SNN, IS, E, etc.)
Nagra developed a line of miniature covert and special‑purpose reel‑to‑reel machines, notably the Nagra SN (and later SNST, SNN), using 1⁄8‑inch tape on tiny open reels; these became famous in security and intelligence use.
In 1971 the SNN was introduced as a miniature 1⁄8‑inch reel‑to‑reel recorder intended for applications beyond traditional film and broadcast.
The Nagra IS (1974) was a compact single‑speed mono reporter’s recorder, with later ISN/ISS variants able to replay SN‑format 3.81 mm tape.
The Nagra E (1976) simplified the IS concept further as a cost‑reduced mono machine for journalists.
Instrumentation, logging, and transfer machines
Beyond film/broadcast, Nagra built multi‑channel instrumentation and logging recorders: examples include the Nagra TI (1977–78, four‑channel instrumentation) and the T‑RVR remote‑voice‑recorder, a capstan‑less long‑duration deck designed for automatic recording and hand‑off between machines.
The Nagra T‑Audio, introduced in the early 1980s, was a ¼‑inch studio transfer/production machine adapted to new synchronization formats and widely used in post‑production facilities, often regarded as one of the most sophisticated ¼‑inch reel‑to‑reel machines ever built.
Transition to digital (Nagra D) and beyond
In 1992 Nagra introduced the Nagra D, a four‑channel PCM digital recorder using a helical‑scan head on ¼‑inch open‑reel tape (5‑ and 7‑inch reels), targeting film and music recording at the very high end.
The success of the Nagra D led to a broader line of digital and eventually tapeless recorders (e.g., ARES and later Nagra VI), marking the company’s shift from analogue reel‑to‑reel to file‑based systems.
Historical significance
From the 1960s through the 1990s, Nagra portable reel‑to‑reel machines were the standard for location sound in cinema, TV, radio journalism, ethnographic fieldwork, and high‑end reportage because of their robustness, precision transports, and excellent audio performance.
Nagra’s catalogue spans everything from clockwork‑driven mono portables and miniature spy recorders to sophisticated multi‑channel instrumentation decks and digital open‑reel recorders, giving the brand a uniquely broad and influential footprint in reel‑to‑reel history.