Record Industry's Digital Storage Crisis: Rolling Stone Magazine

[dodgeaspen]

Back in 1992, I looked at reels of tape that my Dad had had for years, some since the late 50s/early 60s. They were transparent ! Literally. You could see through them. I got something of a shock. I then realized all those stories about Queen recording so much on 24 track tape that it went transparent (during Queen 2) weren't just pop fantasy.
I've had negative experiences with storage both digital and analog. Neither is foolproof. Even our memories fade eventually ~ and so do we........

From what I read these things were stored in climate a controlled environment. With a regular every day Joe he stores his tapes in a backroom in the house that freezes in the winter and hot as the sun in the summer time. Furthermore, we are talking about high end studios loosing files not some consumer Radio Shack tape that was junk to begin with.

 

[lonewhitefly]

For me its no big deal. There hasnt been anything recorded in the last 40 years I give a crap about listening to.
Yes Im old and stuck in the 60,s now. I dont listen to anything past 70 much.

amen! tape recorders are a time machine for me ...

 

[Chilljam]

For me its no big deal. There hasnt been anything recorded in the last 40 years I give a crap about listening to.
Yes Im old and stuck in the 60,s now. I dont listen to anything past 70 much.

shouldn't you be more concerned about this? How else can you manage to keep listening to recordings from 60s and 70s without a reliable storage medium?

 

[lonewhitefly]

shouldn't you be more concerned about this? How else can you manage to keep listening to recordings from 60s and 70s without a reliable storage medium?

vinyl records are a very reliable storage medium, especially when produced in mass quantities.

 

[grimtraveller]

From what I read these things were stored in climate a controlled environment. With a regular every day Joe he stores his tapes in a backroom in the house that freezes in the winter and hot as the sun in the summer time. Furthermore, we are talking about high end studios loosing files not some consumer Radio Shack tape that was junk to begin with.

None of that is in dispute. I was simply pointing out that both can have drawbacks.
It does seem a little amusing though that in trying to justify one's preference for the sound of analog, it's supposed prowess as a storage medium comes into play. . In point of fact, vinyl, even when stored superbly and responsibly, can warp a little and tape after a long while may need to be baked after which, you won't be using it too much again.
I don't have qualms one way or the other. All my CDs and records get/got put onto cassettes and I have some C120s that I've played regularly since the mid 80s. I've also had stuff I recorded onto CD in 2004 disappear by 2008. But it's all much of a muchness.

 

[Foamfoot]

Is anyone still making tape heads? What happens when all the tape heads wear out?

 

[lo-fi_guy]

Mr Beck...

The most recent article I've seen on the vulnerability of digital for long-term storage. Nothing new to those of you who remember our discussions about archiving over the years, but here we are almost 2011 and it's still an issue... or rather becoming a bigger issue. Enjoy!


I've read an article just like this a few years back. In that one, they mentioned how all these analog reels from the library of congress, ya know... old historical stuff, was being transfered over to digital, and the reels were then destroyed. They were like, "well we won't be needing this anymore..." Hmm... we'll just keep the cubic zirconia version instead...

I'd much rather take my chances with a roll of tape or even a cassette before I'd archive something to a time untested, time unproven format.

Nice

 

[lo-fi_guy]

Is anyone still making tape heads? What happens when all the tape heads wear out?

The kwel thing about "time honored" formats is that they take a loooong time to totally go away when they become obsolete. Just because analog tape is "Dead", doesn't mean it's buried. You can still get things, most of us have been "stocking up" for the future.

Then on the other, just think of those who flock to the lastest greatest, only for it to become obsolete in a couple of years or so, they have no choice but to upgrade & re-backup everything......

 

[Foamfoot]

The kwel thing about "time honored" formats is that they take a loooong time to totally go away when they become obsolete. Just because analog tape is "Dead", doesn't mean it's buried. You can still get things, most of us have been "stocking up" for the future.

Then on the other, just think of those who flock to the lastest greatest, only for it to become obsolete in a couple of years or so, they have no choice but to upgrade & re-backup everything......

Yea, I totally get what you are saying. Actually, knowing that the heads were pretty worn on my B16 I started looking around and found a set of brand new heads for it. Installing them and lining up is another story alltogether, but got most of the info I needed to do it from the great people on this forum.

Got me to thinking though. That set of heads wasn't exactly easy to find. What if I need another part? Maybe later I'll get another machine. What if I need parts or heads for it? If no one is making any, eventually all will be used up and gone.

I hope it all works out. Even though i'm new at analog, I'm really digging it. So much so, that it makes me worry even more. Maybe one of these companies, that used to be so much into analog machine/head manufacturing, will eventually realize that there is a need out there.

 

[StevenJacksonMu]

I can't see digital going the way of the Dodo it is an established medium now.
I've certainly worn out plenty of tape decks yet my Cd player keeps on going....
I think it's a storm in a teacup.

 

[ausrock]

I don't think anyone's predicting that digital is doomed just that at this point in time, it is still a flawed and/or imperfect medium especially regarding it's usefullness for "archival" storage.

 

[StevenJacksonMu]

I'm not sure there is a perfect medium !.
Written documents have to be stored carefully.....
Art (great masterpieces etc) are stored in controlled environments.....
The masters of The Beatles recordings are showing signs of wear and tear....I've heard the tapes actually have to be 'baked' to make them usable.
The first Cd editions of The Beatles catalogue came out in 1987.
I have those and they are in pristine condition. Like any medium it's a case of 'handle with care' ....they aren't frisbees !
Same with records 'treat with care' and they will last.
Who knows what the medium will be in 100 years...?
Most of us won't be here anyway to worry about it !

 

[lonewhitefly]

i don't think beatles-era tapes need to be baked, but they are vulnerable for sure.

records are the most proven, time-tested medium up to this point. tapes sound better. the issue is really with multi-tracks. in my opinion, the most reliable thing to do is make tape duplicate (safety) copies periodically. the irony of some of these situations is that tape made prior to the mid-'70s is usually more reliable than tape since. so often later safety copies are bad and the originals are still okay!

 

[StevenJacksonMu]

i don't think beatles-era tapes need to be baked, but they are vulnerable for sure.

records are the most proven, time-tested medium up to this point. tapes sound better. the issue is really with multi-tracks. in my opinion, the most reliable thing to do is make tape duplicate (safety) copies periodically. the irony of some of these situations is that tape made prior to the mid-'70s is usually more reliable than tape since. so often later safety copies are bad and the originals are still okay!

Agreed.
This is probably why it is a good idea to copy both analogue and digitally.
Storage is the key here....climate controlled so the tapes aren't subject to too much humidity, light etc.

YouTube - Please Tell Me Why

 

[grimtraveller]

Who knows what the medium will be in 100 years...?
Most of us won't be here anyway to worry about it !

Most of us ? If any of us is around in 100 years, we'll be so incoherent, that even our perspective on history's transitioning will sound like accapella free jazz without the harmonies !

I'm not sure there is a perfect medium !.

This, I think, is the bottom line. Hedge your bets and back up to everything in existence !

 

[cyrano]

i don't think beatles-era tapes need to be baked, but they are vulnerable for sure.

Any tape older than 10 years needs to be de-humidified every two years or so. I've done thousands of tapes. Some contain almost half a cup of water. And these were tapes that had been stored in a controlled environment (broadcast TV). Some of them were taken out of course and not treated very well. But even tapes that hadn't been taken out at all, contained water.

And I think "baking" is a very badly chosen expression. The devices used professionally don't heat the tape, since that would be disastrous.

But the film industry has the exact same problem. The old pellicule (the inflammable kind) lasts much longer than the modern type that should be copied every 20 years. And these copies are very expensive...

 

[lonewhitefly]

Any tape older than 10 years needs to be de-humidified every two years or so. I've done thousands of tapes. Some contain almost half a cup of water. And these were tapes that had been stored in a controlled environment (broadcast TV). Some of them were taken out of course and not treated very well. But even tapes that hadn't been taken out at all, contained water.

And I think "baking" is a very badly chosen expression. The devices used professionally don't heat the tape, since that would be disastrous.

But the film industry has the exact same problem. The old pellicule (the inflammable kind) lasts much longer than the modern type that should be copied every 20 years. And these copies are very expensive...

tapes manufactured prior to 1969 do not have backcoating and should never be "baked". '50s and '60s-era tapes have their own set of problems, including become too dry and brittle and exhibiting loss of lubricant. baking or dehumidifying would make things worse. your advice may very well be true for tapes made since '74 or so (when they changed the binder).

 

[cyrano]

tapes manufactured prior to 1969 do not have backcoating and should never be "baked". '50s and '60s-era tapes have their own set of problems, including become too dry and brittle and exhibiting loss of lubricant. baking or dehumidifying would make things worse. your advice may very well be true for tapes made since '74 or so (when they changed the binder).

Are you really sure about those dates?

Some of the tapes I treated were definitely from before 69. And I'm not sure there was a lot of moisture in the older ones, but our national TV station required treatment for all their archived tapes. It was a long time (30 years) ago, tho. Could very well be they weren't informed about the change in back coating, but that would astonish me. Or is there a difference in audio/video? These were 90% video tapes.

 

[lonewhitefly]

Are you really sure about those dates?

Some of the tapes I treated were definitely from before 69. And I'm not sure there was a lot of moisture in the older ones, but our national TV station required treatment for all their archived tapes. It was a long time (30 years) ago, tho. Could very well be they weren't informed about the change in back coating, but that would astonish me. Or is there a difference in audio/video? These were 90% video tapes.

well i don't know anything about video tapes, there are probably differences! there are a few articles out there but there are not definitive answers as all situations are somethat unique. if you are dealing with sticky-shed, the problem was not prevalent until tapes made with back-coating, which was not introduced until 1969, with scotch 206 (and ampex 406 soon after). if you are dealing with tape that is moist, this may be a different issue. but tapes from the '50s through the mid-'60s were more commonly acetate -- you should NEVER bake acetate tape. polyester tape was available throughout the '60s (without backcoating) but i've found acetate to be more common. acetate tapes have their own set of problems which must be dealt with differently. in my experience, '60s tapes are more likely to be dried and brittle than too moist. some may actually be in need of RE-hydration. "vinegar syndrome" (in acetate) and mold are the biggest issues i've seen in '50s-'60s tapes.

i guess what i'm getting at is people should never simply "bake" a tape just because it is old! the general consensus is that tapes made from roughly 1974-94 are likely to need baking, which some exceptions. in my experience, scotch 206 is usually fine even though it has backcoating.

some good reading: Sonicraft Guide to Tape Baking, Restoration and Preservation

happy holidays!

 

[cyrano]

Thx for the link. Interesting read indeed!