Re: arsclist Transferring reel-to-reel recordings to CD or digital format . . .

["Richard L. Hess" <lists.rlhess@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Lynn,

I'll let others discuss the companies that can do this but in general I'd
like to mention some things that are obvious but bear repeating:

This is the last time these tapes will probably be played so make sure
they are played in the ultimate quality
  - use the best machine available
  - align that machine for azimuth and EQ
  - make sure you use hardware decoders for any noise
processing
    (if you hear artifacts -- or can measure some -- try a
different
     decoder. I've had bad dbx and Dolby decoders
over the years)
  - Prepare the tape properly (does any of it need baking?)

Then remember as you undertake the analog to digital transfer that these
tapes may represent the highest-quality sound source you've yet digitized
(widest frequency response, lowest noise) as compared to disks. To keep
this in perspective, most LPs from the 50's on were made from tape.
Therefore use the best A-to-D converters you have access to. Again, trust
your ears...especially in A-B comparisons between the original source
material and the digitized copy.

Oh yes, listen carefully...did I say that already? One of THE MOST
ANNOYING things that I found is that the original transfer can have
anomalies that creep in (mostly from junk that gets between the tape and
the head) which can manifest itself by subtle high-frequency loss perhaps
even in one channel and dropouts. The best way to fix this is to go back
and transfer.

There is no instrument that will tell you this has happened (well if you
carefully watch a 2-channel spectrum analyzer you might pick this up),
but in my opinion there is no substitute for
non-distracted-by-other-concerns listening to the transfer by someone who
knows good sound.

There are some anomalies that are easily fixed by retransferring that
cannot be easily fixed later in the computer.

Good luck! 450 tapes is a large project for one person. In my experience,
I'd be hard pressed to do two albums-worth (a bit under an hour)
completely in a day...and even then, I like to live with and listen
several times to the first CDRs and see if I missed a dropout or
something doesn't sound right.

Oh, and don't trust a musician to pick up the technical errors of the
transfer--my experience indicates that musicians are not sensitive to the
same things that engineers are sensitive to. We need both types of
listening for many things, but for the transfer it's the engineering
listening that we need.

Cheers,

Richard

At 09:30 AM 02/01/2001 -0800, Lynn Calhoun wrote:
> Our music
> lab has a collection of between 400 and 450 reel-to-reel recordings of
> university band, orchestra, and choir performances.  I would like to
> archive these recordings by transferring them to CD or digital
> format.  I am aware of techniques used for transferring records and
> tapes to CD/digital format.  Would reel-to-reel transfer require any
> special equipment?  Are there any companies out there that
> specialize in the process?  Any advice would be greatly
> appreciated.  Thanks!
>   
> Lynn Calhoun
> Music/Multimedia Librarian
> Pendergraft Library and Technology Center
> Arkansas Tech University
> Room 209
> Russellville, AR  72801
>  
> Phone: (501)
> 964-0584