Re: [ARSCLIST] Digital Audio Preservation Question

[Tom Fine <tflists@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Did anyone out there heavily invest in the DCC format? I think that was better named DOA and it was 
only in-market a couple of years. So I'd bet, little if anything worth preserving exclusively in DCC 
format. Minidisc is another matter. I believe machines are still made by a few companies, in fact 
Sony introduced a "pro" version that would record un-lossy audio a few years ago. But it'll get 
submerged fast now that flash recorders have taken over and come down in price.

I really like my M-Audio MicroTrak II, by the way. Nice little unit, handy like an old Sony Pressman 
but much better sound quality. Good battery life. Tiny and light. No, I wouldn't use it for making 
for-release orchestral recordings but it's fine for anything you'd have used a portable cassette 
recorder for and more.

-- Tom Fine

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Richard L. Hess" <arclists@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <ARSCLIST@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Tuesday, April 15, 2008 12:15 PM
Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] Digital Audio Preservation Question


> At 12:56 PM 2008-04-14, Don Cox wrote:
>
> > I suspect the biggest audio problem in the future will be DAT.
>
> There is good and bad news in this regard.
>
> Good: We are finding that by and large DAT tapes are lasting longer than expected and, with care, 
> so are the head drums.
>
> Bad: Machines are more-or-less out of production.
>
> Bad: It is an officially dead format as far as I can tell -- or if a machine is available it's an 
> $8,000 one.
>
> Coupled with this are the DTRS tapes (8 mm video tapes with typically eight audio channels on 
> them--Tascam DA88, etc.) and ADAT tapes (SVHS tapes with typically eight audio channels on 
> them--Alesis, Studer, etc.)
>
> In addition are some Akai 12-track analog cassette tapes and perhaps some other vendor specific 
> analog and digital "porta-studio" tapes.
>
> Also, I would suggest that MiniDisc is also going to be there soon and DCC (Digital Compact 
> Cassette) is there already.
>
> The Elcaset is not a huge risk as we can fairly easily pull the tape out of the cassette and play 
> it on a reel-to-reel machine as I do with 8-tracks, RCA Sound Tape cartridges, and other formats.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Richard
>
>
> Richard L. Hess                   email: richard@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> 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.