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Reformatting Wire Recordings



OK! OK!  Enough people have asked for this to make it worth retyping for
benefit of the List.
I compiled the following for the use of my superiors, because we have some
Weber wire reel recordings made in the 1950's.  Thanks are due to all the
people who gave us the following recommendations.

"Sound Recording Conservation Services

Before we hire a service, we must decide on which new format we want for
these recordings: cassette tape, digital analog tape (DAT) or compact disc
(CD).  All audio archive experts I've spoken with agree that cassettes are a
short-lived medium, and must be re-made at least every 20 years to prevent
loss from tape degradation.  Some vendors only transfer to one or another of
these media.

Several of the vendors I spoke with explained that the time needed to
reformat will involve playing once to evaluate, disentangling snarls, etc.,
and playing again to reformat.  Each full  reel of wire in good condition
takes about an hour to play.  Total time for the finished product may be as
much as 3 hours each.

Each of the following vendors has been recommended to us.

Mr. George Blood operates Delaware Valley Digital Media.
(georgeblood@dca.net.  Ph:  215-248-2100.)  He charges $80 per hour.  He
reformats only to CD.

The Library of Congress does not offer this service.  But Mr. John Howell
works for LC's  Special Formats Division, and does freelance reformatting.
He charges $30 per hour, plus materials.  He reformats to cassettes only.
Mr. Howell was recommended to us by the Smithsonian Institution.

Mr. Steve Smolian was recommended to us by the Conservation Center for Art
and Historic Artifacts (Philadelphia), and by many others.
(www.Soundsaver.com).  He charges $100 per hour and $60 per cassette or CD.

Mr. Mike Stosich operates Esoteric Sound (Ph:  630-960-9137).  He charges
$50 per hour and $15 per cassette, DAT or CD.  Mr. Stosich was recommended
to us by the Museum of Broadcast Communications (Chicago).

Mr. Ed Beaty is the Audio Director at Vidipax (ed@vidipax.com).  They charge
$95 per hour for reformatting to either DAT or CD. Vidipax was recommended
to us by Indiana University's Archives of Traditional Music."

No, we have not chosen a vendor yet.

Cordially,

Judy Robins,
Collections Supervisor,
Wood Library-Museum of Anesthesiology
520 N. Northwest Highway
Park Ridge, IL  60068-2573

Tel:  847-825-5586

Fax:  847-825-1692

e-mail:  j.robins@ASAHQ.org

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