Questions and Answers:
A: WHAT Do I offer?
To record form 1/4" open reel tape to CD / mp3
The Details: For those of you who do not wish to buy a reel to reel tape deck just to listen to or transfer transfer a few tapes: I offer professional reel to reel / open tape reel to CD / digital transfer services. Cut your tapes to CD, or even get e-mailable MP3 files of your material. I publish my own music comercially and have a full featured recording studio based on a Digidesign ProTools System and various reel to reel decks. I can handle 15, 7 1/2, 3 3/4, 1 7/8 IPS recording speeds and full track, half track, quarter track and 4 track / 4 chanel recording formats
I offer transfer, restoration, editing, enhancement and post processing services. I process orders only under the agreemnt, that you are in possession of all legal licenses to copy copyrighted materials and that you take full responsibility for any claims that may arise from potential copy right violations.
How much does it cost? My work aimes for highest audio quality. I bill: - by the hour, or by a special dicounted rate per day, or if your project takes more than a day of work time, - at a further discounted rate, if your project takes more than 3 days.
I also sell refurbished quality reel to reel tape decks.
B: WHAT Do I need form YOU to give an estimate for the needed work?
Detail information about the tapes that you have.
I process 1/4" tape.
The Details needed:
1) What is the estimated total length of all material that you with to have trasnfered from all of your tapes added up together?
If you do not know 1): 1b)What Reel size(s) are your tapes: 3”, 5”, 7” 10”, and how many reels of each?
1c) Recording format: stereo or mono tracks (or multi track)
1d) track fromat / track width: quarter track, half track, full track, (or special asigned, such as staggered, multi track - 4 or 8 track?, etc.)
1e) Recording Speed(s)? (Speeds: 1 7/8, 3 3/4, 7 1/2, 15, 30 IPS)©2004 ultraelectronicactive.com
2) Physical condition of the tapes(s) - (like new - to: dusty and torn up, etc.)
3) Audio material on the tape(s). (For examle: family recordings, home music, commercial music, lecture, poems, etc.)
4) Need special editing? (No, if you wish to have the entire side of a tape recorded to one accessible track on CD; YES if each item o a tape side should be separtely accessible as a track on CD, or if there a complications or special requirments with your tape. Details about this in section C: Details
C: How much work time does it take to transfer a Reel to Reel tape to CD or MP3?
As a rule of thumb: for a high quality product it takes me about double the PLAY TIME of the resulting material to recorded form your tapes.
The Detlais:
The time required to transfer depends entirely on: the format and the quality of your recordigns, and on the quality of the desired final product.
Rule of thumb: If wishing to receive CD’s (or MP3’s) where each tune / section from a tape can be accessed as a separate item, or track on a CD, an average work/transfer time double of the material length (or: play time can) be expected.
More Detlais:
These factors likely may reduce required time to process:
- Recording in one swoop without any interruption - (drawback: output CD will have only 1 accessible track on it)
- Tapes recorded at highest speeds
- Recordings of excellent quality and that are:
- propperly separated with silence between each tune / piece
- Tapes in perfect physical condition
- Tapes that have little material on them or have few separate tuens / pieces requiring no- or little separation.
These factors will add to the required work time to process:©2004 ultraelectronicactive.com
- different recording levels or different tonal qualities on the same tape, (tape was recorded on different machines, or at different times, or have great variation of material on the tape)
- sound quality poor or varies (may add considerably to the time it takes to process, as each change requires time to readjust processing).
- Poor quality recordings (set-up time for equalisation / resotration and post processing)
- Tunes merge into each other; talk over the beginning or ending of materials etc.
- Poor physical quality tape materials: aged tapes that are brittle, have loose tape partices, are torn, have wrinkles, are tearing apart easily, or a chemically contaminated, were storred in poor environments, etc.
D: How long is the recording time of an open reel tape?
From a few minutes up to 12 hours per tape reel!
The details: As tape reels vary in sizes and can be recorded in various diferent formats and recording speeds, a definte estimate can only be given when all details in regards to formats and the recorded material a tape contains, are known . See section B©2004 ultraelectronicactive.com
More details: One 7" Open Reel Tape contains about 1800' of tape and will play in stereo: 45 Minutes @ 7 1/2 IPS, 90 Min. @ 3 3/4 IPS or 180 Minutes @ 1 7/8 IPS, PER SIDE (!) - so double the time if recorded double sided; AND: if recorded in mono: (as there are 2 tracks per side for quater track width) double the time AGAIN!
E: How to contact me:
For the fastest response please submit answers to questions 1 through 4 form section B: (see top of page) with your inquiry. Thank you!
Contact me
©2004 ultraelectronicactive.com