From Dave H. comes the following question: "I recently purchased several used DAT tapes for next to nothing. Some have songs recorded on them. Is it advisable to use a bulk eraser to clear these tapes for use?"
Thanks for the question Dave! Bulk erasing is not recommended for DATs. Your best bet to clear the tape is to put it in your machine and record silence over it. Recording over old DATs isn’t a big deal. The quality doesn’t degrade in the same way as an analog cassette.