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Re: [ARSCLIST] Fw: [ARSCLIST] Vinegar syndrome audio tapes
Despite optimistic statements and predictions, I think ALL content of importance on analog reel to
reel tape should be transferred to a managed digital archive system in the next couple of decades.
Sure, keep the originals, definitely the prudent thing to do. But don't count on them working the
next time they get spun up, so do a good transfer now. There's plenty of first-hand experience in
the remaster world -- tapes that played fine early in the CD era don't play so well when you go back
10-15 years later for a better remaster.
-- Tom Fine
----- Original Message -----
From: "Richard L. Hess" <arclists@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <ARSCLIST@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Thursday, January 19, 2006 7:20 PM
Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] Fw: [ARSCLIST] Vinegar syndrome audio tapes
At 05:56 PM 1/19/2006, Tom Fine wrote:
4. I just recently encountered Audiotape reels with strong vinegar smell. They had been stored in
good conditions (Northeast US room temperature) for a few decades. I was surprised by this because
previous vinegar tapes were more likely from damper places like basements. The tapes played just
fine and I transferred them. Good thing they played because they had some content it would not be
easy to re-record.
My least favorite syndromes are, in order: mold, sticky-shed, bad splices, vinegar, edge
curl/warp.
Tom,
The problem based on what we know from film is that VS is autocatalytic and once started will
progress faster than one would like.
What I see from your comments about 111 (snipped) and Audiotape is that the process has started
and we have a decade or two to get it all transferred if we want to - perhaps longer, probably not
shorter than a decade. I think it's something people really need to think about.
Cheers,
Richard