Re: [ARSCLIST] Some DAT questions

["Prentice, Will" <Will.Prentice@xxxxx>]

At the BL we're wrestling with high-speed DAT extraction, and have been
encountering all the same problems that have been mentioned here (not
much in the way of simple solutions yet, I'm afraid).

Despite the problems with this approach, one big advantage which hasn't
been mentioned yet is the ability to accurately identify the presence
and location of uncorrectable errors. Whether these errors are audible,
or how you choose to address them having discovered them is another
thing, but wherever it's possible to objectively measure the success of
a digital data rip in an archival environment, my feeling is it should
be pursued.  

Will

-----Original Message-----
From: Association for Recorded Sound Discussion List
[mailto:ARSCLIST@xxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Tom Fine
Sent: 20 January 2009 13:45
To: ARSCLIST@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] Some DAT questions

Based on the answers from this list, plus reading about the somewhat
kludged software and hardware 
involved, I'm thinking I'll stick with real-time dubs. It seems to me
that by the time you verify 
the transfer and solve all the problems to get the transfer in the first
place, you're not saving 
much time. The stuff I have is audio-only, not for picture, so there's
no timecode-recovery need.

Thanks for all the tips and ideas. This was an interesting bit of
research. I suppose the need is a 
tiny niche so no software company with the resources to solve all the
hardware and software 
problems, plus provide a great user interface, will leap into it.

-- Tom Fine

----- Original Message ----- 
From: <Ganesh.Irelan@xxxxxxxx>
To: <ARSCLIST@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Tuesday, January 20, 2009 8:19 AM
Subject: [ARSCLIST] Some DAT questions


1. does anyone on-list have experience with "ripping" audio DATs
directly to hard drive via a DAT data-tape drive? If so, what OS,
software and results are you getting? Is there a favored source for the
appropriate drive?

With the support of someone who has had some success doing this, I tried
three different drives and the latest versions of DATxtract and DAT 2
WAV, all of which were supposed to meet the numerous prerequisites for
such a system, but to date have not succeeded.  Each time we thought we
had gotten all the variables identified and worked out something else
would come up.  The results ranged from astronomical error rates to the
software failing to recognize the drive.  In addition to computer OS,
issues involved are whether the drive is in fact audio capable, the
drive firmware, the DDS version, and the usual interconnect issues.  Be
prepared to deal with a legacy hardware, software, and freeware
quagmire.

Kevin Irelan

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