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Re: [ARSCLIST] Is recording to Reel-to-reel still the preferred preservation method?
on 9/29/04 4:58 PM, Alyssa Ryvers at alyssa@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx wrote:
> At the end of the day, which one do you trust? I think it's a matter of
> personal responsibility, but I'm just that kind of person. I'm waiting
> for something I trust more than 1/4", and I await with bated breath...
Seems like this argument keeps on surfacing. I wonder though, does it
concern you that analog tape machines, for all practical purposes, are no
longer manufactured, and that tape companies are quickly ceasing to
manufacture analog tape?
I too am concerned any time I have to play an old CDR, but I cannot say that
I have found analog tape to be any more reliable.
>No matter what virtues can be expounded with respect to digital files,
>I can't imagine anyone would say stability and longevity is one of
>them.
On the contrary. We need to abandon the concept of the carrier medium,
rather concentrate on a file-based storage system. It is true that when
there is only a single copy, analog tape is probably the best choice, but
the best way to ensure that a recording survives is to have multiple copies
stored in different locations. At this digital excels. The ease of
migration, easy creation of multiple copies, ease of transmission etc, are a
strong argument for the superiority of digital storage. Not to mention the
much lower cost.
--
Konrad Strauss
Director of Recording Arts
Associate Professor of Music
Indiana University School of Music
http://php.indiana.edu/~kstrauss
http://www.music.indiana.edu/som/audio