[ARSCLIST] Soviet audio tech standards

["Prentice, Will" <Will.Prentice@xxxxx>]

Colleagues

An acquaintance is undertaking a digitisation project in various parts
of the former Soviet Union, involving digitising many hundreds of hours
of 1/4 inch analogue tape, recorded between 1953 and 1991. Recording
speeds are generally low (1 7/8 & 3 3/4 ips), all are mono, mostly full
track.

What equalisation standards are likely to have been used? My vague
understanding is that much (most? all?) Soviet audio technology came
about through reverse-engineering western products, and thus any
standards would accordingly be western derivatives. Is that overly
simplistic? Would that mean European standards or US? If it's of any
use, the recording/playback equipment which survives carries either a
"Romantika" or "Tembr M3" brand name. 

The archivists there could shed no light on the question, and in my own
experience in former Soviet Republics, basic AV technical expertise is
often very thin on the ground today.

In view of the difficulty in obtaining and maintaining quality machines
with such slow playback speeds, they're thinking of ingesting at
double-speed. This obviously throws up questions of appropriate EQ
curves, hence my question.

(A long shot I realise, and while I half expect tumbleweed in response
to this message, I also know not to underestimate the collected
experience of the list ;))

Regards

Will

..............................................
Will Prentice
Technical Services
British Library Sound Archive    Tel: +44 (0)20-7412-7443
96 Euston Road                   Fax: +44 (0)20-7412-7416
London  NW1 2DB                  http://www.bl.uk  
UK                               http://cadensa.bl.uk (online catalogue)

**************************************************************************
 
Experience the British Library online at www.bl.uk
 
Help the British Library conserve the world's knowledge. Adopt a Book. www.bl.uk/adoptabook
 
The Library's St Pancras site is WiFi - enabled
 
**************************************************************************
 
The information contained in this e-mail is confidential and may be legally privileged. It is intended for the addressee(s) only. If you are not the intended recipient, please delete this e-mail and notify the postmaster@xxxxx : The contents of this e-mail must not be disclosed or copied without the sender's consent. 
 
The statements and opinions expressed in this message are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the British Library. The British Library does not take any responsibility for the views of the author. 
 
**************************************************************************