Direct Tape Transfer to DSD describes albums that were transferred straight from analog master tape to DSD. The tape is played back on a tape machine, converted to DSD by an A/D converter, and delivered as it is: no editing, no mixing and no PCM processing anywhere in the chain. These are sometimes called "flat transfers" or "unmixed transfers".
What it tells you
Every creative decision on these albums (the microphones, the balance, the mix and the edit) was made on tape, often decades ago. DSD is the container that captures the tape. The label therefore tells you about the integrity of the transfer: the music on the tape reached your download without being altered along the way.
It does not say that the album was recorded or produced in DSD, and it does not say how the original tape sounds. The sound you hear is the sound of the master tape, the tape machine and the converter used for the transfer.
How this differs from "Pure DSD"
Pure DSD is reserved for recordings that were made and finished in DSD, either Direct Mixed or Analog Mixed. A tape transfer starts from a finished analog master, so it describes something different, and we give it its own name rather than fold it into Pure DSD. Read more in What We Mean by "Pure DSD".
Where to find these albums
Direct Tape Transfer to DSD albums are marked as such on the album page, and you can browse them here. Labels that release this kind of transfer on NativeDSD include 2xHD, High Definition Tape Transfers, Wilson Audiophile, Magnetic Fidelity, FWRL and STS Digital, as well as selected releases from Yarlung and Fone.
Want the bigger picture of how our music is recorded, edited and delivered? See Why We Sell Albums in Multiple DSD Bit Rates and DXD.