Re: [ARSCLIST] Longevity of half-track reel

[John Ross <johnross@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

At  3/15/2005 08:57 AM, you wrote:
> One person advised us that half-track recording is generaly not
> advised, but I would appreciate your opinion.

It's true that "half track both directions" recording is not the easiest
format to work with, and not the one most of us would choose for new
recordings. But as archivists and conservators of old recordings, we
generally don't have a lot of choice about the format of the media we work
with; you have to take what you can get. In many cases, the makers of the
original recordings weren't thinking beyond their own immediate use.

As stewards and conservators of old recordings, it's our obligation to
provide our successors with content in one or more format that we expect
them to recognize and know how to use.

John Ross
Northwest Folklife