RE: [AV Media Matters] Analogue vs digital tape stock

[jeffkreines@mindspring.com]

russm@idirect.com wrote:

>I would never use old tape for archiving either (then again, I wouldn't use
>digital tape either...but now I'm starting an arguement).

So what is the best format for archiving multitrack 35mm mag recordings,
like mixes?  Another generation of mag?  Digital multitrack?  Analog
multitrack?

And what about mono or stereo mag?  DAT? CD-R? ;-)  1/4" Analog with
timecode or pilotone? Mag?  And if mag, who makes good mag stock these
days?

I recently duped a bunch of 1972 Nagra tapes to both TC DAT and CD-R for
easy access (because I was losing the Nagra-T that I had).  But I know
that the Nagra tapes will likely long outlast the digital dupes.

Larry Black, who writes about sound for MIX magazine, suggests archiving
the hard drives that contain the mix, as well as a computer with the
appropriate software to recover this information.  It can be cheaper than
maintaining mag stems for everything.  You can get 80 gig harddrives for
under $300 these days. But it does seem a bit excessive.

Jeff "wish I had an answer" Kreines