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Re: tape digitizing

Subject: Re: tape digitizing
From: "vickipowys" vpowys
Date: Tue Sep 29, 2009 3:16 pm ((PDT))
Lily,

I use Peak LE which I love.

Vicki


On 30/09/2009, at 5:00 AM, Lily Plants wrote:

> vicki, you mentioned recording straight into your mac from a
> walkman. what recording software do you use on your mac?
>
> thank you.
> lily
>
>
>
> ________________________________
> From: vickipowys <>
> To: 
> Sent: Saturday, September 26, 2009 1:58:52 PM
> Subject: Re: [Nature Recordists] Re: tape digitizing
>
>
> All,
>
> John wrote:
>
>>  But, as you probably know, CD-R's don't last all that long.  They
>> are certainly not archive material.
>
> So what is the current accepted way to archive digitized recordings?
> I use CD, DVD and hard drive and try to make multiple copies, but I
> don't have everything backed up on hard drives just yet.
>
> FWIW, I digitize cassette recordings direct from my Sony WMD6C
> walkman (on which many of my own cassette recordings were made), with
> audio lead running direct to iMac computer.  This is a very simple
> system useful for a limited number of tapes.  The quality of copying
> seems excellent, no added hums or anything.  Considering that the
> original recordings had tape and environmental noise, then perhaps
> the super-pro systems would be overkill for my purposes.  I also need
> to be careful with things like the type of tape used for original,
> and have the correct setting for that.  Keep the tape heads clean and
> demagnetised.  Tapes recorded with Dolby are a pest and hard to
> reproduce accurately without noise pumping etc.  The main thing with
> digitizing cassettes as I see it, is to do it NOW rather than wait a
> few years, as the cassettes do deteriorate markedly over the years,
> losing high frequencies and succumbing to print through.
>
> Vicki Powys
> Australia
>
> On 27/09/2009, at 4:42 AM, John wrote:
>
>> --- In naturerecordists@ yahoogroups. com, "marcelo"
>> <bioacusticaucr@ ...> wrote:
>>>
>>> Thanks John,
>>>
>>> Yes, they are all cassettes. We do have digital recorders, a
>>> Marantz PMD 660 and a Marantz PMD 620. However those are mostly
>>> for getting recordings in the field. Digitizing 700 cassettes can
>>> easily take several months so it doesn't make sense to keep them
>>> in the lab all that time. Even if we may use one of those
>>> exclusively in digitizing I think that recording straight to a
>>> hard drive is much faster and those digital recorders can't do
>>> that. So we have to buy a device. I am mostly concerned about the
>>> quality of the cassette tape desk. What should be the minimum
>>> requirements in order to keep the quality of the recordings? We
>>> are applying for funding to get this equipment so, what would be a
>>> good cassette tape desk?  One more question: Does the quality of
>>> the cable connecting the tape desk with the computer matter?
>>>
>>>
>>> Cheers
>>>
>>>
>>> Marcelo Araya
>>> Laboratorio de Bioac=FAstica
>>> UCR
>> If you are going to do 700 tapes, I'd get a dedicated deck, a USB
>> or Firewire digital interface (which really does all the work), and
>> then you'll have high quality components all through the chain of
>> conversion.
>>
>> Even modest analog to digital converters might suffice, depending
>> on your goals.  When I capture live audio to a computer
>> (essentially the same thing you are doing), I use a fireface 800,
>> which is known to have some of the best analog to digital
>> converters out there.  Since you are going to do two channels, at
>> most, you can use its little brother, the fireface 400.  If these
>> are unreplacable recordings, then I'd use the best converters I
>> could find.  If you are just cataloging sounds that you just want
>> to keep, but aren't critical, PreSonus or M-audio gear is very
>> good, and really you could use any firewire interface out there.  I
>> use a Presonus DigimaxFS to expand my Fireface 800 and it connects
>> via ADAT optical. The pre-amps and A/D converters are very clean.
>>
>> Note, I can tell a clear difference between my M-Audio Firewire810
>> interface and my RME Fireface 800 or 400.  The M-Audio is okay, but
>> the RME is just cleaner and does a better job.  The PreSonus
>> channels are nearly as good as the RME.
>>
>> For simplicity sake, USB is less finicky, and you are going to be
>> feeding line level audio into the interface.  So you don't need
>> phantom power, XLR inputs, etc.  Something like this:
>>
>> http://www.guitarcenter.com/PreSonus-Audiobox-USB-104841978-
>> i1388074.gc
>>
>> ...would do very nicely.  The front inputs are combination XLR and
>> 1/4", and you can take a high quality tape deck, feed the RCA out
>> into the 1/4" in, and it will go straight to the hard drive.  I
>> record 10 channels simultaneously on a laptop on occasion via
>> firewire.  You will have at most two channels and this should work
>> well on almost any computer through the lower speed USB line.  That
>> unit has pre-amps and A/D converters that are fairly highly rated
>> by the people who use them.  I like my PreSonus pre-amp, A/D
>> interface.
>>
>> Here is a run down on cassette decks and technology:
>>
>> http://www.cs. cmu.edu/~ mleone/gdead/ taping-guide/ part1.html
>>
>> Something like this unit should allow you do go digital between the
>> SPDIF out of the unit to the SPDIF in on the digital interface,
>> which should give you as noise free conversion as possible.
>>
>> http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/CC222SLmk2/
>>
>> Here is the list of Tascam alternatives,
>>
>> http://www.sweetwater.com/c797--TASCAM--Cassette_Decks?
>> gclid=3DCI7t5v31j50CF dFJ2god9XqK2w
>>
>> You may note that several of those Tascam units also allowed tape -
>>> CD conversion.  But, as you probably know, CD-R's don't last all
>> that long.  They are certainly not archive material.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
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