Audio tape preservation

Barbara Sagraves <bsagraves [at] nwu__edu> writes

>*   Is anyone doing reel to reel sound transfer to CD?
>
>*   What are the costs associated with this?  We think we can
>purchase the CD recorder and other necessary equipment for well
>under $10,000 but wonder if we have the staff expertise to massage
>the brittle tape.  ** What would it cost to send to a vendor?
>
>*   Is there a way to back or support the brittle tape, i.e. mount
>it on a material to give it the support it needs for one last play?

Our company does restore and transfer audio as well as video tape.
Handling tape that is known to be failing is definately not a job you
should consider doing by yourself, it requires specific expertise as
well as more equipment than you may have.  In my opinion, going to CD is
a very bad idea for several reasons, not the least of which is that
there is really no standard format and the life expectancy of the
recordable CD's you are referring is a total unknown, but likely to be
very short for many reasons.  These CD's were never intended for
archival applications, and a call to 3M will confirm this.  We recommend
transfer for most audio to 1/4" reel to reel analog either half or full
track depending on the original.  It is a far more conservative
approach, and what little you *may* give up in quality (we use
professional machines, so you give up *very* little), you gain in
probability of survival. We charge $85 an hour for what ever we do, no
charge for equipment, you pay for the tape you are transferring to or
you can provide it at no additional cost.

Jim Lindner
VidiPax
The Magnetic Media Restoration Company
Help Line 800-653-8434

                                  ***
                  Conservation DistList Instance 8:75
                  Distributed: Monday, March 13, 1995
                        Message Id: cdl-8-75-004
                                  ***