Re: [ARSCLIST] Tape recorders

[Matt Sohn <mahatma@xxxxxx>]

Another option you may want to consider is the Creative Nomad Jukebox 3, a
portable 20 gigabyte hard disk recorder that will record wav files, mp3s or
WMA files, has an 11 hour battery, and USB & Firewire ports to upload your
files to your computer. for more info:
http://www.americas.creative.com/products/product.asp?product=324&category=2
&maincategory=2

I have not used this unit, but it seems to be gaining popularity among live
concert tapers.

Matthew Sohn
Audio Preservationist
Louis Armstrong House and Archives
mahatma@xxxxxx



> At 10:49 AM 2/25/2003 -0500, Alyssa Ryvers wrote:
> >I would just like to add that MiniDisc uses a compression algorithm to
store
> >its' digital audio, meaning there is even less information there than
with
> >"regular" digital audio, which is already lossy enough to my ear, so, by
and
> >large, I am not a fan of the MiniDisc technology. A webpage I just found
> >that describes the compression is here:
http://www.minidisc.org/aes_atrac.html
> >
> >I re-read Tristram's post, and it sounds like he is looking for something
to
> >make copies of already collected materials in his archive. Perhaps you
might
> >consider the HHB stand-alone CD burner: HHB CDR830: $550 US(ish) to make
> >copies. It is easy to use, and the converters are reasonably good. Or
what
> >about using one of your existing computers and recording through a good
> >converter into a digital only card, and then saving the files as sound
> >files, as well as audio CDs? That way you can make one-offs whenever you
> >need from the stored files. These days, hard drive space is so cheap, you
> >might consider transferring the collection to HD and leaving it there.
When
> >you need a reference copy, burn a CD from the file, or record a cassette
> >from the playback of the computer, and voila!
>
> I am a novice with respect to library requirements, so was reluctant to
> post but am enthusiastic about seconding Ms. Ryvers's comments.
>
> Much depends on the sort of support you can find and characteristics of
> your source material. For example, given 'slave labor' in a school and
> master MDs of no more than 80 minutes, transfer to CD-R on a standalone
> semipro deck (not requiring "DigitalAudio" media) makes excellent sense.
> However, if the recordings are on extended MD - either monaural or
> low-speed or both, yielding up to 160 or 320 minutes per disc - I would
> recommend going directly to hard drive or another removable medium in WAV
> or AIFF for later editing and transfer. A viable removable medium is
> DVD-ROM and direct recording to that in UDF is quite feasible.
>
> If the audio characteristics are suitable, you may find CDWAV (linked from
> my site) a good program to capture the sound to hard drive. It puts very
> little load on the system and can be set for automatic termination of the
> recording based on time or loss of signal. It is also convenient for
> chopping the resulting WAV before saving.
>
> Despite its compression, MD should be a good (though expensive) archival
> medium. Its magneto-optic storage is probably durable and recovery has
been
> reliable so far. However, media have been inconsistent and cost is
> significant. For normal mode (stereo, standard speed), it will be of the
> order of five times the price of CD-R and 1.5 times the cost of a large
> hard drive.
>
>
> Mike
> mrichter@xxxxxxx
> http://www.mrichter.com/