For my company, the main difference between DLT, LTO, and AIT is who owns the technology. DLT and AIT are single-vendor, LTO multi-vendor (Seagate, IBM, HP) There are differences physically and technically (obviously) as well. John Spencer Bridge Media Solutions > From: Pip Laurenson <[log in to unmask]> > Reply-To: Association for Recorded Sound Discussion List <[log in to unmask]> > Date: Wed, 05 Mar 2003 11:09:36 +0000 > To: [log in to unmask] > Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] Archiving to hard drive > > Does anyone have any thoughts regarding the pros and cons of the > different data tape formats? AIT, DLT, LTO? > > -----Original Message----- > From: Joel Bresler [mailto:[log in to unmask]] > Sent: 05 March 2003 03:19 > To: [log in to unmask] > Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] Archiving to hard drive > > > Sue wrote: > >> You're likely to have to migrate off the cd's or server at some point >> in the near future... > > Thanks for the helpful post. Once the music is on a server (presumably > on a hard disk) why would it necessarily need to be migrated? SCSI > drives have built in error correction, and the data could be mirrored on > another hard disk for security. Isn't this the most likely long-term > data storage solution, bar none? > > Best, > > Joel > > At 02:47 PM 3/4/2003 -0700, you wrote: >> Responding to Claire Michelle Viola's request for information: >> >> <While we have been transferring here and there to CD-R, mainly in >> order to provide service copies, the audio engineers here at Eastman >> are now seriously considering the option of transferring directly to >> hard drive, with several servers to provide for back-up.> >> >> >> The Naropa Audio Archive Project is in a one-year pilot (NEA >> funded)project to test the migration of analog audio cassette from 30 >> years of lectures, performances and panel discussions onto various >> digital formats, including hard drive, for preservation and for access. > >> We've been moving over audio since October. >> >> Both considerations - preservation, and access - have specific >> requirements that need to be addressed before any material is migrated, > >> or you run the risk of having to redigitize it. >> >> For preservation - neither cd-rs or hard drive are 'approved' >> preservation mediums for audio at this time. That means your DAT is >> your oficial preservation copy. Any format you migrate to is >> provisional and needs to be as pristine a copy as you can afford >> (uncompressed file, high sampling rate, professional equipment). >> You're likely to have to migrate off the cd's or server at some point >> in the near future, so budgeting for multiple (continual) migration is >> a consideration. As is the format and encoding you intend to employ in >> creating your digital copy of the audio. >> >> For access, how are you going to catalog the transferred files, how do >> you want access to be handled from the server, what kind of >> permissions, copyright, or releases are necessary, how are you going to > >> log material as it's transferred for which cataloging format...gotta >> work all that out first. >> >> We have a small audio lab equipped with a professional grade (nakamichi >> dragon) cassette playback, (for your project this would be replaced by >> DAT playback machine). After converting analog to digital the signal is > >> transferred in realtime into a digital audio workstation (computer with > >> audio programming - ours is a SADiE). We're sampling at the highest >> rate we can afford to store on - 44/24. We want a high-quality >> preservation master, because the cassettes are going to be unplayable >> soon - even if we are calling it our 'preservation' copy. Is it worth >> it to go even higher? Everyone we talk to disagrees. >> >> Once the file is in the computer, we create: >> -one CD-DA (audio)for reference - this is a flat, unaltered transfer >> -two CD-Rs in BWAV format - also the unaltered file (BWAV is the most >> open format we could find - we want the files to be able to be read in >> 20 or 200 years). We burn copies of the audio files on two different >> manufacturers' CDs because there seems to be almost 10% bad cd stock on > >> a random basis. We're using Mitsui gold and Taiyo Uden, although I >> don't think TU is making gold alloy anymore. Anyone know another >> supplier? This is a preservation issue - gold alloy being most stable. > >> We may move over to DVD's as standards emerge. -one back up BWAV file >> on AIT data storage tape in case the CDs reach some as-yet-unknown end >> of lifespan >> >> As we transfer into the computer, we log the material for all fields >> required in Dublin Core cataloging. We'll test capturing info >> sufficient for Marc/Ead records next month - then we'll make >> test-catalog records for both to see what level of cataloging we can >> accomodate on a moving-forward basis. We want the public and >> researchers to know the material's available, so cataloging for digital > >> web-based access is very important to us. We're also logging the >> content so as to better describe the files. We're not creating >> transcripts at this time. >> >> All copies made to this point go to a temperature and humidity >> controlled storage facility as the preservation copies. We intend to >> check the cds and AIT tape annually for loss of data and migrate as >> needed. >> >> -For access, we take the original file that's still in the SADiE, and >> put it through noise and hiss reduction programs. We edit out the >> intermissions, smoking breaks, and other dead air. We create an access >> protection/dubmaster CD-DA (audio copy) and a listening copy. >> >> This is at a 3-1 ratio - three hours of real time to process one hour >> of original audio. It takes up a lot of CDs. At 44/24 every hour of >> original uses up 3 cds for each BWAV copy. Our librarian does not want >> to store and handle the 15000 or so access cds we expect to make. So >> we're developing plan to test server for digital access to collection. >> >> We will still create CD-rs and AIT tape for preservation. There's too >> much fragility to count on keeping preservation copy on hard drive, at >> least for us. We're in a flood plain. Too much memory for us to afford >> uncompressed hard drive copies of the entire collection. We'll rig up >> output from SADiE into server to move compressed access files over. >> Server will have RAID array as well as a tape back up system. We're >> working on the front-end internet design now. We figure 2.5 tb to store > >> 3000 hours of compressed audio. >> >> The compressed MPEG files will go out to folks over the internet after >> the internet user registers online and signs use agreement. We are >> planning to offer streaming audio as opposed to downloadable audio, but > >> we'll have to see what's most useful to people. What we are worried >> about is how many people might use it at once - I have no idea how to >> budget for bandwidth until we're up; still looking at what to do if too > >> many simultaneous users attempt to listen. We should be so successful. >> >> Hope this is helpful. If you'd like more specifics, budget info,etc, >> don't hesitate to give me a call. I were you, I'd call Seubert and >> Seadle to advise on the project design. They have been very helpful to >> our project. >> >> Sue Salinger >> Administrative Director >> Naropa Audio Archive >> 2130 Arapahoe >> Boulder, CO 80302 >> (303)546-3573 >> [log in to unmask] > > > > Joel Bresler > 250 E. Emerson Rd. > Lexington, MA 02420 > USA > > 781-862-4104 (Telephone & FAX) > [log in to unmask]