How very depressing it is to have read this thread. However one's experience doesn't have to be this way.
I'm doing special piano tuning that's different to nearly everyone else and have been recording concerts with the tuning now for 18 years . . . And digital recordings last as long as . . ...
Hi!
At a concert recently I did a concurrent recording on
JVC M210 stereo mic into a Tascam reel to reel
Zoom H2
Takstar PCM6100 feeding straight into computer
If you search YouTube for
"Comparison of analogue vs digital and JVC, Zoom and Takstar mics" you'll be able to hear the results...