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Services Mastering Mixing Studio Recording Recitals and Location Recording Restoration for analog audio tape and vinyl LPs Tape
Restoration Transferring old vintage analog tapes to a digital medium can sometimes be a problematic task. Sometimes there can be no problems at all! But... Splices can be sticky, gumming up the heads and transport, or will come apart during play. Acetate tape, which was used until the sixties, does not stretch and can become brittle. The tapes must be handled gently and with extreme care. There can be much shedding of the oxide, which must be periodically cleaned from the tape machine. High output polyester tapes (such as Ampex 406/407/456) from the mid-seventies through the eighties will absorb moisture over time. This moisture will cause the tape to become sticky and not playable. If a tape in this condition is played, it will most likely be permanently damaged. The tape machine will exhibit sluggish behavior and eventually shut down as the oxide clogs up the tape machine's transport. Don't play a tape in this condition! A tape in this condition must be baked to remove the moisture prior to playing. You cannot bake the tape in a conventional oven, or microwave, and you definitely don't want to bake an acetate tape. I suppose my point to the above is that you should not attempt to play your tape if you're not sure how to handle the above problems. Bob Klotz Audio Productions can bake your polyester tapes to allow them to be played. I can often bake multiple tapes at one time, which increases the bake time slightly, but can reduce your cost. Tape formats supported
Tape machines for transfer
Please contact me if you have any questions about this process.
Vinyl LP Transfers Vinyl LP transfers are peformed using an audiophile quality Creek phono preamp, and a Bang and Olufsen turntable.
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