Monday, February 04, 2013

Technical Bulletin: The Digitization of Audio Tape



Richard Hess has circulated the following announcement:
After several years of work (on and off), the Canadian Conservation Institute has released Technical Bulletin #30, "The Digitization of Audio Tapes" by Joe Iraci, Kimberley Flak, and me. We have attempted to put down in writing and pictures most of the things people need to know to do a more-than-merely-competent job of digitizing audio holdings.

Here is the abstract:
Many archives and heritage institutions possess audio tapes that are the only record of culturally significant information. Unfortunately, these analog audio storage formats have a finite technology lifetime. If the information is to remain accessible, it must be migrated to new technology. This Technical Bulletin provides information and procedures for digitizing cassettes and reel-to-reel tapes. It is intended to assist small to mid-size heritage institutions that lack the funds for professional digitization. Note that the procedures discussed in the bulletin are intended primarily for oral history collections; they will not capture all the fine details extant in high-fidelity recordings.
The English version is available for a modest fee (US$25) here:


The authors all hope that this will aide in the preservation of holdings where there is no funding available for professional transfers.

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