Digital Audio Tape

We used to back up to data tape to archive projects. A lot is going to depend on how and what was backed up.

In working with my old ProTools LE system I have to "print" all my tracks to files in order to work in Cubase on my current system. The original project might have several takes and while they are all in the audio files folder, aligning them and sorting through all of them can be daunting without committing the project to tracks first. There are ways to work on old projects but I've found having a working system makes it all that much easier.

It would be helpful if you knew what version of ProTools the project was recorded with. Given that it was archived on DDS it is likely it was a professional TDM system vs Native LE. First step would be having to commit to attempting to restore the archived files to even figure out what they are. If you think you'll one day want to restore this project, don't wait. Time is not on your side and like analog, even digital tape media is subject to degradation. As James Perrett pointed out, there are restoration services that can evaluate the tape condition and give you an estimate on restoration. Will these services be around in the coming years? Your first step or investment is file restoration. Avid's Protools forum would likely be a good resource once you know what you have. The alternative would be coming to terms with losing the files forever.
 
If it can be read by a current version of Pro Tools, or someone has a version that can read it, it shouldn't be too hard to export the audio. It might be a bit tedious if the older PT doesn't have a dedicated export function. Newer versions have a consolidate option which turns a track full of individual clips into a single audio file. If you consolidate all the tracks in the project, they should all have the same start point.
 
Thanks for the help everyone. At least now I have a direction, which was more than when I first posted this.

Still not sure I’ll pursue this. I understand the tape degradation issue, and the “time is not on my side” issue. But until I found these tapes, I forgot they even existed, and never missed them, lol.

I thought it might be a fun exercise to try and remix them - as the tools and my knowledge have improved over the past two decades. But the raw material is somewhat marginal to begin with, so it’s not worth a lot of time or effort to me.

Perhaps if it was a single issue - just reading the tape or just converting the Pro Tools files - I might be more inclined. If I change my mind, at least you’ve all given me a starting point. 👍🏼
 
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