Transferring audio tapes to digital media?

[Harriet J. Ottenheimer]

Just to respond and fill in a few blanks, the digital converter that I 
have used can convert to .wav format (my preference, too), and I think 
that it functions something like an amplifier in the line so you are not 
dependent on volume controls on either your computer or your source. 
Yes, you are working in real time, but once you check and set the volume 
levels you can use your computer for other work at the same time that 
the transfer is taking place.  I transferred reel-to-reel field tapes 
made originally in 1966-1968 tapes from my old Uher, as well as some 
made in the 1970s with a Sony pro cassette.  One trick was getting the 
Uher back into proper working condition and that took finding a Uher pro 
in New York who had all the parts and could even make me new cables 
(including a nice Uher to computer via usb).  I first tried plugging the 
Uher directly into the laptop (Panasonic W-5) with my new Uher-usb cable 
but of course as Celso points out, that introduced a lot of extra 
computer noise into the files. So I bought and tried the DAK and it did 
a super job.  Most of my New Orleans field tapes were interview and 
language tapes, although some were music tapes (street parades, blues 
bars). My Comoro field tapes were mixed, both music (indoors, outdoors, 
drums, stringed instruments, etc) and language (interviews, narratives, 
linguistic stuff, etc.).  Definitely important, also, to have your 
computer plugged in while digitizing, too.  My main need was simplicity 
of process, as well as quality of audio.  Although I don't do much 
digitizing any more (most of my recordings are now made with a Sony 
DCM-50 digital recorder) I still find uses for the sound-editing 
software that came with the DAK.  The DAK is also supposed to be good 
for digitizing LPs but I haven't gotten around to using it for that.  
--Harriet

On 11/8/2010 6:15 PM, Celso Alvarez Cáccamo wrote:
> Claire,
>
> Yes, that was method 6 in my improvised list. It's a good option, you're right ;-), if the digital recorder is good and it has certain goodies, yes, it may be the best, as you say, though it may not ;-) (see below). It just occurred to me to list the various methods I have used, and I haven't used digital recorders which could record directly in WAV (except the iPod, which is not primarily a recorder). I've used a SONY portable digital recorder that has its own special audio format that has to be re-converted, etc. Good quality, but other problems. Same thing with DAT.
>
> What Harriet mentions in her message is 2b) on my list, an analog-to-digital converter gadget. I suppose the outcome depends on the brand. And it has the problem that it does keep your computer working. Remember that digitalization is done in real time ;-), and you don't want to be sitting for an hour watching how the CPU is doing. I would go for a dedicated audio device, and do the file transfer to the computer afterwards.
>
> At any rate, my list is just a bunch of possibilities depending on the equipment available, and money. For example, I've even done good digital recordings of events with a setup like this: good SONY microphone =>  analog SONY Pro Walkman tape recorder (to amplify the signal) =>  line-out to Belkin mike with line-in attached to =>  iPod. So, it all depends on available resources. I've seen information on Marantz, but they are quite expensive.
>
> A very important issue is signal amplification: Does the portable digital recorder/converter take non-pre-amplified signals from the tape player's line-out? (I've seen many that don't, that's one of the reasons I never got one).  Or does it take the signal from an amplifier to which the tape player is connected?  If the latter, and you don't have an amplifier or a pre-amp box (yet another gizmo to link to the chain), then the signal has to be sent through the HEADPHONES' line-out, and volume must be controlled in the tape player, which may give you problems. I think it's safer to record a line-out signal which the converter normalizes, and THEN deal with volume through software if it's a little low: volume saturation is practically uncorrectable. Besides, with the headphones you may believe that you recorded it right, but then you find out that loud bass tones reverberate annonyingly. These are important issues if you're dealing with tapes recorded at variable volumes.
>
> Second, what about file transfer speed from the recorder to the PC? Portable digital recorders use solid media (SD or SDHC, CF; not the iPod Classic, which uses a hard drive), whose read/write speeds (and, therefore, data transfer rates) are not great. If the portable recorder uses an SSD (Solid State Disk), which can be very fast, then it ain't cheap ;-) .  Hard drives are fast and have USB 2 connections, which, short of USB 3 and Firewire, are the fastest for data transfer (60MB per second, that is, 1 hour of audio is transferred in 10 seconds, if my calculations are not wrong ;-) ). File transfer speed is crucial if you're dealing with large amounts of data. That's why I suggested a large, external hard drive type solution (USB 2), where you can also permanently keep the "raw" digitalizations as backups (another VERY important issue: the storage space of SDHC or CF cards is limited, and you may end up swapping cards constantly).
>
> Another issue (and not a minor one) is connectors. Minijacks in portable digital recorders are fragile (not the one in the iPod, though ;-) ), and with so much plugging-in and pulling-out of the cables, they may fail (one channel may be lost, and you may end up jiggling the audio cable so that the minijack plug gets both channels).  Devices with RCA-type connections for composite video/audio (red=right; white or black=left; yellow for video) are more solid. Media Hard Drives and HD-DVD recorders/players have RCA connections.
>
> And yet another issue is whether you can monitor the sound in the analog recording while digitalizing it. That's it: if you have to use the headphones' line-out to send the signal to the digital recorder, THEN you have to plug in headphones or speakers in this digital recorder. But, what if you only want to check the volume in the tape or finding a segment before starting to convert it?  Does the analog-to-digital loop work IF you are not yet recording? This is not always the case, so that you end up plugging and unplugging headphones from the analog player to the digital recorder, or using Y-splitters or other cumbersome solutions.
>
> With a hard drive system the signal is received via line-out in the player, as I believe the digitalizer/recorder itself amplifies the signal (whether from a VCR or from a tape player). This prevents volume saturation, and you may keep the headphones always plugged in the analog player. Or two sets of them, one in each device.
>
> There's an added feature which at least some HD-DVD recorders or Media HD's I've used have: When sound stops (that is, when the analog player stops sending any signal, and there's no video either), the recording stops after a while, to save disk space. So, you may leave the tape running, go for a capuccino, and come back to only trim the last minute or so of silent recording.
>
> As for the final file format, high-quality MP3 (320 Kpbs) is practically undistinguishable from WAVE (or WAV) 44 kHz. But I'm a llittle obsessive with trying to preserve sound quality as close as possible to the original, at least. If one wants to do phonetic analysis, this may make a difference. And editing and reediting an MP3 (like a JPG) deteriorates its quality.
>
> Anyway, these are some thoughts. In my experience, a basic home HD-DVD recorder or a media HD may be a good resource (we're talking only about converting sound, not editing it).  In the old times, people also used VCRs for recording or storing only audio in those wide, long VHS tapes. For a funded project (which I don't have), the ideal setup (which I've never used) is of course a good, professional dedicated digital recorder (not the one you take to the field), permanently hooked to a good tape player and/or amplifier if needed, and to a dedicated computer, etc. And I would say a UPS (Uninterrupted Power Supply) gizmo is a must: if the electricity goes off one minute before the end of the tape without a UPS, you either lose the whole thing (say, 44 minutes of work!) or you have to cut and paste two audio files, which is quite difficult.
>
> Now, if one only wants to do it occasionally, any solution and a little of imagination may be fine.
>
> -celso
>
>
> A 2010/11/08, às 17:18, Claire Bowern escreveu:
>
>> This is a nice summary of possibilities. However I'd add the best way
>> of all for those without access to professional recording studios --
>> from cassette, etc to a digital recorder such as a Marantz, Zoom,
>> Edirol, etc. Presumably (I hope!) people are using these sorts of
>> recorders for their fieldwork; they record directly to .wav files in
>> lossless formats. Use the line-in jack to hook up the tape player and
>> press record. It's better than using a computer (which is highly
>> dependent on the quality of the sound card for results).
>> Claire
>>
>> 2010/11/8 Celso Alvarez Cáccamo<lxalvarz at udc.es>:
>>> Leila, there are many many ways to digitalize audio. Some suggestions:
>>>
>>> 1) A special tape player that hooks to a computer via USB directly and comes with a digitizing program. I've never used them, but I understand they are basically to transfer old music (particularly the Bee Gees), so I don't know about their quality. They are sold all around: "Transfer Your Tapes To MP3", etc. If you go for this, make sure the brand is reliable and the sound is excellent.
>>>
>>> 2) A regular cassette player hoooked to the computer via:
>>>
>>> 2a) Line-in ; digitalization is done with the computer's built-in software or with a program such as Audacity (free, I believe; good and versatile, but a little cumbersome).
>>>
>>> 2b) A digitalizer/converter gadget which links via USB, such as Roxio. Scheme is: Cassette player =>  converter =>  computer.  I've used a Roxio one and the sound is quite good. One that only does video can be used; all you have to do afterwards is extract only the audio, PROVIDED that it can record in WAV (see below).
>>>
>>> 3) An iPod with a microphone, such as Belkin, which connects to the base: Cassette player with audio cables =>  microphone =>  Record in iPod in WAV format.  I've used an iPod Classic (don't know about iPod touch). Very easy. Very good sound quality, though I'm not sure now if the recording picks up the noise of the iPod hard disk; when the Belkin is used externally, it does. Then, iPod =>  Computer, it uploads the recordings automatically. iPod is small, easy to carry around, with mike and audio cable, and you may digitalize anything wherever there is a tape player.
>>>
>>> 4) Video hard drive:
>>> 4a) A home digital video recorder/player with a hard drive, HD-DVD (Panasonic, Phillips; Sony menus are horrible; Panasonic is user-friendly). Cassette player =>  DVD recorder, only audio cables. You set the video at lowest quality, as it will show black. You select PCM linear sound (=WAV, but I'm not sure now if it needs conversion), uncompressed (not Dolby). You transfer clips from the hard drive to rewriteable DVD's, then =>  computer, extract audio only, discard original file. The process is a little complex, but the sound is excellent. You can store megaloads of audio. Better yet if the HD-DVD recorder/player can hook to a computer (not frequent, as each brand has its propriety obsessions).
>>>
>>> 4b) Variant: A HD-DVD recorder/player with an USB port where you can digitalize sound directly. Player =>  HD-DVD =>  USB pendrive. I've used a Phillips one. Problem: It only digitalizes in MP3, which is not adviseable.
>>>
>>> 5) Same as 4a above, but using an external "Media Hard Drive" (iOmega, for example), which can then be hooked to the computer directly or to another HD (in "chain") via USB. Player =>  Media HD =>  TV (to follow menus and know what you are doing ;-)  and then Media HD =>  Computer or =>  additional HD =>  Computer.
>>>
>>> 6) Tape player to digital recorder directly: Archos, SONY, etc. I've tried it with a mediocre MP3 player/recorder, one of these clonics, but I would only recommend it if everything else is unavailable. Besides, they usually don't record in WAV (perhaps Archos?).
>>>
>>> There may be more methods I've used which I forget.  A few tips:
>>>
>>> - The quality of the tape player and heads is extremely important. I still use a SONY Walkman Pro bought in 1984 ;-), with excellent sound.
>>> - Don't digitalize on batteries, but AC line.
>>> - Recording directly to computer via line-in (method 1) is not advised in noisy clonic PCs: there may be background "hissing" from all the circuitry, and pops from the hard drive. Mac is supposed to be better for this, but I haven't tried it in mine.
>>> - Digitalizing directly to computer takes time and processing power. It ties up the computer for other tasks; if you do it and the CPU goes mad, you may have artifacts or problems in the recording. Same may be said of method 2b), unless the gadget stores recordings in its own media, not in the computer HD.
>>> - Line-out from the tape player can be done via line-out mini-jack or via headphones mini-jack. In this second case, output volume is variable; adjusting it to avoid saturation may be tricky, but you may also get a "fuller" sound than unamplified sound.  Volume of sound output from the built-in line-out is fixed, but it needs to be amplified with software (not with the volume button in the player.
>>> - I would recommend to digitalize ALWAYS in WAV, uncompressed format, at 44Khz, stereo, 16 bit, that is, the highest quality possible. 60 minutes, around 600MB. Storage space is cheap nowadays. That's the format for CD's, which covers well the range of human hearing. You can always compress the files in "loosy" formats, such as MP3 (choose always the BEST quality, 320 kbps), or FLAC (slightly compressed but "loseless")
>>>
>>> In short, I would recommend trying method 4 with a GOOD HD-DVD recorder (mine is Panasonic; excellent sound) or method 5, or method 1 with one of those digitalizing cassette players if you know the quality is good, or try the iPod also, as it records in 44Khz WAV.  The HD video/audio recorders are made for this; computers are not. The computer is not tied up; you don't have to adjust volume settings; amplification of line out is done automatically by the device; you may store loads of data; you may even trim unwanted segments with the HD-DVD built-in menu (though not sound editing can be done).
>>>
>>> Post-processing audio is another story (again, with Audacity, for example). Depending for what, you may want to clean background noise (moderately!), normalize volume, etc. though you should always do this with a COPY of the file and keep original files well stored, titled, and organized. If you're going to distribute them freely (an MP3, for example) for a class or in a web page, don't forget to add (embed) as many "tags" as possible to the file: Title, Artist (yes; the format of tags is designed for music :-( ), date, copyright, etc. Freeware is available to embed these tags in the MP3 (Audacity does it). Not doing this is like distributing a handout or a paper without a title, an author, or a date. Archaelogists of the 30th century will spend YEARS tracing back what the hell were all those MP3, PDF's and JPGs circulating around in the 21th century without any embedded information, where did they belong?  Seems we haven't LEARNED from trying to date medieval manuscripts.
>>>
>>> There's more, I suppose, if you're going to do this. For example: Muster A Lot Of Patience ;-) .
>>>
>>> -celso
>>> Celso Alvarez Cáccamo
>>>
>>> (PS: My English is becoming poorer and poorer, a good sign ;-) ; I haven't corrected it in this post.)
>>>
>>>
>>> A 2010/11/08, às 03:24, Leila Monaghan escreveu:
>>>
>>>> Hi,
>>>>
>>>> One of the requests I've had for the Linguistic Anthropology Tool Kit site (
>>>> http://kit.linguisticanthropology.org/about/) is information on how to
>>>> transfer audiotapes to digital format.  Does any one have suggestions?  I'll
>>>> post answers on the Tool Kit site and would also be happy to make any
>>>> interested parties regular bloggers on the site.
>>>>
>>>> all best,
>>>>
>>>> Leila
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> Leila Monaghan, PhD
>>>> Department of Anthropology
>>>> University of Wyoming
>>>> Laramie, Wyoming
>>
>>
>> -- 
>>
>> -----
>> Claire Bowern
>> Associate Professor
>> Department of Linguistics
>> Yale University
>> 370 Temple St
>> New Haven, CT 06511
>> North American Dialects survey:
>> http://pantheon.yale.edu/~clb3/NorthAmericanDialects/

-- 

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