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Re: tape digitizing

Subject: Re: tape digitizing
From: "John" jmccubbinmd
Date: Sat Sep 26, 2009 8:18 am ((PDT))
If your tapes are cassette, then you won't get nearly the quality you will =
get on a digital recording.  What I would do is borrow (or buy) the best ca=
ssette tape deck you can find and run it's "outs" into a digital recorder w=
ith a good pre-amp and good anlogue to digital converter.  If you set it up=
 this way, then that will record it straight to file as clean as can be don=
e.  Then you transfer that file to your computer, which is very simple via =
firewire or card reader.

A zoom H2, for instance, will work as an external audio device anyway.  Whi=
le I haven't tried this, it may even record straight to a hard drive.  My S=
ound Devices 702 does that, but it was pricey.

Almost any digital recorder will work because even 44.1 KHz sampling rate w=
ill supersede the quality of your tapes, most likely.  What will preserve t=
he quality of your cassette recordings is a good analogue to digital conver=
ter.  Are you trusting that quality to a $119 device that also plays tapes?=
?  That is why I recommend a good digital recorder.  It will be slightly mo=
re expensive, but will also serve to make future recordings for you.

If you don't already have a digital recorder, then you probably need one an=
d this would be a good excuse to get one ;-)

That is just my opinion.







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