RE: [AV Media Matters] Print-through - progress of technology? & dubbing requ

[lists.rlhess@mindspring.com]

At 07:37 AM 07/09/2000 -0700, Graham Newton wrote in part:
>the caveat of my comments was:-
>
>**************************************************************
>> Since technology will progress, there will doubtless come a time when
>better
>> transfer or restoration means are at hand and it will be desirable to
>> re-transfer the deteriorated tape.
>**************************************************************

This is an interesting comment. Yes, our digital technology will continue
to improve, but the analog reproduction technology is, to the best of my
knowledge, stagnate. While one can argue in 1/4-inch that top of the line
Ampex ATR-100's, Nagra-T's, Otari MTR10's and 12's, Sony APR5003v's, and
various Studer machines are at the pinnacle of reproduction quality, most
if not all of these are out of production and will need increasing
maintenance as time goes by. Due to time and budget constraints as well as
the crossover of technologies, I believe that in most cases the transfers
we do today may be the only ones ever done on a substantial portion of the
existing material. While I'd love a better recording medium than 44.1/16,
the majority of the tapes I have access to don't exceed the dynamic range
of this system (and there is a comfortable margin). Also, the high-end
response is a bit lacking, but only noticeable in direct A-B comparisons
with some of the best 30ips masters.

Certainly our 44.1/16 archives are much better than shellac 78's and
probably better than 95-99+% of the LPs out there.

Very few libraries have the resources evidenced by Fox about eight or ten
years ago when an entire special system was developed to transfer the aging
Fox Movietone News nitrate films to a 1Kx1K pixel data format using
continuous motion transport and a xenon-flash-based exposure system. A
custom telecine was actually manufactured for the purpose.

Other than that type of investment, I don't see the reproduction equipment
improving with age. In my opinion, even today, the analog reproduction
equipment for audio and video is becoming the limiting factor. Thank
goodness for the two companies on this list who maintain the several
million formats needed to reproduce all the odd formats we've inflicted
upon ourselves over the years. In my sideline business of music
restoration, I can get by with three machines.
   Sony APR5003V
   Tandberg 3500X
   Turntable, etc.

Hey, as a side comment...anyone on this list have an 8-track 1-inch audio
player (probably 15ips) with 8 tracks of dbx AND a 20-bit ADAT (preferably
the XT-20 or better) and would be able to do a transfer for me?

Cheers and thanks,

Richard
Richard L. Hess                              richard@richardhess.com
Glendale, CA USA                           http://www.richardhess.com/
Web page: folk and church music, photography,
                  broadcast engineering, home wiring, and more