Re: [ARSCLIST] And on the plus side ...

[Scott Phillips <scottp@xxxxxxxxx>]

Agfa 468 in the '80's I had many, terrible problems with, in all width
formats including 2". Sticky shed was the presentation, looking back at
it. It was as if after a certain number of passes it just fell apart. A
pity, as it was VERY good sounding tape with a nice 'type' of noise
floor.

-----Original Message-----
From: Association for Recorded Sound Discussion List
[mailto:ARSCLIST@xxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Marie Azile O'Connell
Sent: Sunday, March 19, 2006 5:33 PM
To: ARSCLIST@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] And on the plus side ...

I agree whole-heartedly.  Virtually every tape I have encountered from
the 50's and 60's presents with almost no problems, and the sound
quality is very good, if not excellent.  This has been with 3inch, 5
inch and 7 inch reels, and most
10.5 inch reels.  Strangely, the only brands I have had HUGE problems
with in the 10.5 inch reels are AFGA 469 (I think) and PYRAL, or ones
that have been spliced together with different brands of tape, having
been recorded, in the field, on a Uher, and later spliced together and
put onto a 10.5 inch reel. 
Once we hit the 70's, all hell broke loose, and they changed the
formulas!  In hindsight, they didn't do us a favour at all!  Infact,
they gave/give us endless problems - just because it it new, doesn't
mean to say it is good, or the best!

My sixpence worth!

Marie

Quoting Mwcpc6@xxxxxxx:

> In a message dated 3/19/2006 6:40:23 AM Eastern Standard Time, 
> tflists@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx writes:
> Wow, the tape fairies are in the air! I had the same experience with 
> an early
> 
> 60's reel of AudioTape
> mylar-backed on Friday evening. 
> *****************
> 
> I've yet to have a problem playing a tape made between 1950 and 1965.

> Most of this was the cheapest tape I could buy so I'm not talking 
> about high quality, just that it is now just as good (bad) as it was
when new.
> 
> Unfortunately around 1980 I spent a considerable amount of time 
> transferring
> 
> and editing material from that era to new, professional grade tape. I 
> am having trouble playing some of those transfers.
> 
> Now should I go back to the originals and spend the time again, though

> less with the help of digital editing, to make new copies on a 
> possibly even less
> 
> durable medium?  I'm too old to maintain the copies myself for another

> 25 years, and who else will?
> 
> Mike Csontos
> 


Marie O'Connell
Sound Archivist/Sound Engineer/Sound Consultant Center for Oral History
& Cultural Heritage University of Southern Mississippi
Phone: 601-266-6514
Mobile: 601-329-6911