Here is a link to a very useful database on digital audio and helpful tips. http://www.tangible-technology.com/DAT_INDEX.html Marie O'Connell wrote: > Perhaps you may wish to email [log in to unmask] for his > findings on DAT preservation and other options, a paper he recently > presented at the 2009 IASA conference in Athens. > > Cheers > Marie > On Mon, Nov 2, 2009 at 9:39 AM, Richard L. Hess <[log in to unmask]>wrote: > > >> At 01:54 PM 2009-11-01, A. F. Thal wrote: >> >> The notion (championed by persons whom I would characterize as being >> >>> mis-informed) that archival audio transfer technicians might now collect a >>> number of such worn-out machines for spare parts, in order to re-assemble >>> enough working units to go forward with the transfer work, is one I find >>> preposterous if any (even bare minimum) technical standards are to be met. >>> >>> >> I would have to agree with Fred here. Having obtained some other decks, >> sight unseen, thinking they would be useful for parts, has been a very >> hit-or-miss affair and I now no longer collect parts machines as the same >> parts seem to be broken on many of them. That is not to say that I'm getting >> rid of any parts or parts machines, but I see it counter-productive to >> acquire any more. There comes a time where the most-likely-to-fail part will >> have to be re-sourced or re-manufactured in one way or another. >> >> With that said, the A80 appears to be the most easy to maintain deck >> available due to its use of standard (but very high quality) ball bearings. >> I am sure that Fred returns these machines to the finest "Swiss Watch" >> precision possible. >> >> We are seeing fewer and fewer "cream puff" versions of any tape machine and >> a beat-to-a-pulp machine is a sad thing to try and put right. >> >> With that said, I do spend a fair amount of my time in machine maintenance, >> but the most annoying formats are the oddball cassette formats. My >> four-track Tascam cassette just died and it sounds better (though is not as >> flexible) than my CMS unit. Sigh. The real annoyance here is that I do about >> two to four tapes a year in this format. >> >> As a broad caveat, I am not aware of anyone doing what Fred is doing for >> DAT and other dedicated digital audio tape machines (maybe Manhattan Sound >> Technicians in Minneapolis) so I think that these dedicated digital formats >> are even more at risk than the older open reel. >> >> Thanks Jim and Fred for highlighting these issues. I feel comfortable that >> I'll be able to transfer tapes as long as I want to with the parts that I >> have and are still available, but I'm not encouraging my sons to continue >> with it (thankfully, one is thinking about being a doctor). >> >> Cheers, >> >> Richard >> >> >> Richard L. Hess email: [log in to unmask] >> Aurora, Ontario, Canada (905) 713 6733 1-877-TAPE-FIX >> Detailed contact information: http://www.richardhess.com/tape/contact.htm >> Quality tape transfers -- even from hard-to-play tapes. >> >> > >