SPARS code

The SPARS code is a three-position alphabetic classification system developed in the early 1980s by the Society of Professional Audio Recording Services (SPARS) for commercial compact disc releases to denote aspects of the sound recording and reproduction process, distinguishing between the use of analog equipment and digital equipment.

The scheme was not originally intended to be limited to use on digital packaged media: it was also available for use in conjunction with analog releases such as vinyl or cassette (where the final character would always be "A"), but this was seldom done in practice.

The jewel box booklet and/or inlay of early compact discs included the SPARS code, typically DDD, ADD, or AAD.

The typeface Combi Symbols CD includes the two common ways that the code was written on recordings.

These albums with common SPARS codes (AAD, ADD, DDD) are arranged by year of release on CD, where known: Many older recordings previously issued on vinyl were reissued on CD, beginning with the format's commercial introduction in late 1982 (see Digital recording for a timeline).

AAD is the SPARS code (highlighted in red) on Madonna 's 1990 album, The Immaculate Collection
AAD, ADD and DDD codes seen on various CDs of archive material issued by Decca during the mid-to-late 1980s