What to do with old tapes?

Subject: What to do with old tapes?
From: Deckman
Date: 11 Sep 01 - 05:44 AM

Because of my longevity, I am the reluctant possessor of many boxes of old reel to reel tapes. These tapes were mostly made in the 50's and early 60's by myself and many friends. In those early days, we would often hide tape recorders under furniture to record the music at hoots ... we called it "collecting" (gleeping). So now, after so many of my early friends are gone, I've got these gems. What do I with them? I've often felt that when I retire ... whatever that is ... I'd like to chronicle them. I KNOW there is some incredible material there. But the sheer volume is immense. Here's a sampling of what I've got: Patti ... 4 boxes. Me ... 5 boxes. Walt ...3 boxes. I've just been offerd another couple boxes of Ken's tapes. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Subject: RE: What to do with old tapes?
From: CharlieA
Date: 11 Sep 01 - 05:51 AM

I think that you can get them (or the music on them) transfered onto cassette tape if u want. if not they would be a really good collection just to collect *g*. Cxxx

Subject: RE: What to do with old tapes?
From:
Date: 11 Sep 01 - 06:08 AM

Or even better put them on CD. If the quality of the sound is still good, it might be worthwhile offering them (if properly indexed giving details of who/when/song_name) to appropriate public archives in your area. The Nova Scotia Public Archive (can't recall the new name foisted on them a few years back) is such a repository in Canada.

Subject: RE: What to do with old tapes?
From: IanC
Date: 11 Sep 01 - 06:17 AM

Probably the EFDSS (UK) or the CDSS (US) would like them for their archives. Material from the '50s and '60s is in short supply!

Cheers!
Ian

Subject: RE: What to do with old tapes?
From: Big Mick
Date: 11 Sep 01 - 07:47 AM

You are going to have to be very careful or you will lose a great deal of it. Tape becomes brittle over the years. Playing it may destroy it. I would suggest that you get in touch with someone who has knowledge of this and can help you transfer it to a more durable media. Should you decide to gift it, make sure it is to someone who will actually take the time to preserve it and not just put it in a corner to rot away. Many of these organizations will grab it just to have it, and then it goes into storage and is never seen again.

Sounds like a fascinating collection, one I would love to hear. Good luck.

All the best,

Mick

Subject: RE: What to do with old tapes?
From: kendall
Date: 11 Sep 01 - 08:42 AM

I have the same problem. Miles of Gordon Bok, and a few others with whom I have made music over the past 40 years. Just playing them back would require months, if not years.

Subject: RE: What to do with old tapes?
From: Bernard
Date: 11 Sep 01 - 07:54 PM

Another problem with tape - unless it is regularly rewound, 'print through' occurs, which basically means that the magnetic signal recorded on adjacent sections of the same tape gradually 'seeps' across, which ruins the recording.

Unfortunately, 'long play' tapes are more susceptible than 'standard play', as the tape is thinner, so the magnetic substrate is closer...

Subject: RE: What to do with old tapes?
From: Art Thieme
Date: 12 Sep 01 - 12:31 AM

Old deterriorated tapes can have the oxide on their surfaces re-set by BAKING them in a COVECTION OVEN for a prescribed length of time at a certain temperaturwe setting. Then those tapes can be played ONE TIME ONLY and dubbed onto a DAT tape. Then they can easily be made into a CD. Unfortunately I don't know the specifics of the process. But we had to have this done for tapes of my music made by Wisconsin Public Radio and WFMT in Chicago and then we used those to make parts of my 1998 CD.

The best of luck.

Art Thieme

Subject: RE: What to do with old tapes?
From: pattyClink
Date: 12 Sep 01 - 09:21 AM

Big Mick is right, don't just donate it, chances are they will be put on a shelf and deteriorate further. We've lost lots of irreplaceable song we thought was properly archived because we assumed the 'authorities' knew what they were doing, and they didn't. The tapes would have been better off stored in someone's kitchen cabinets.

If you can, think about choosing an appropriate library or archive, then raise some money (hold concerts?) yourself / with others. Use the money to pay student interns to tackle it all in one summer, under the guidance of a 'consultant' like Art, to get it copied, transcribed, and maybe a little sub-collection published?

Are there matching funds out there for this kind of thing? Through the LoC?

Subject: RE: What to do with old tapes?
From: GUEST,Russ
Date: 12 Sep 01 - 12:20 PM

Deckman
The bottom line is that if you don't do something about the tapes while you can, nothing will be done. Big Mick is right, but if you don't donate them they will probably be tossed into a dumpster by your heirs. If you donate them in their present condition nothing will be done because the obvious organizations don't have the personnel or money to do anything with them except put them in storage where they will stay until it is time to clean house.

Subject: RE: What to do with old tapes?
From: Art Thieme
Date: 12 Sep 01 - 03:11 PM

I didn't do any of the baking and dubbing work on my old tapes when I made my last CD. I was in no physical shape to do that then or now. Amazingly, it was all accomplished by Tom Martin-Erickson at Wisconsin Public Radio and by Rich Warren at WFMT-FM radio in Chicago.

They were the experts ------ and they did it gratis to help me out at a difficult time. They and so many others helped us then and during the last dozen years that I can never say THANK YOU sufficiently loud or enough times.

Art Thieme

Subject: RE: What to do with old tapes?
From: pattyClink
Date: 12 Sep 01 - 03:43 PM

Sorry, Art, I didn't mean to dub you a tape restorer, just meant that they should get somebody with the knowledge to direct the effort, but others to put in the time.

I read once about how the folk tradition is not just carried on by musicians, but just as much by non-playing, non-singing 'enablers' who keep things going in other ways, by just caring, calling for songs, making home tapes, hosting concerts, etc. Your tape to CD wizards (Tom Martin-Erickson at Wisconsin Public Radio and by Rich Warren at WFMT-FM radio in Chicago) sound like just such wonderful folks.

Subject: RE: What to do with old tapes?
From: Deckman
Date: 12 Sep 01 - 11:37 PM

You all are giving me some very good information. I suspect that "guest Russ" is probably correct ... it's up to me or they will be lost. I guess the next step is for me to became educated in duplicating technology and just do it. I am vey open to more ideas ... Cheers, Bob

Subject: RE: What to do with old tapes?
From: GUEST,Russ
Date: 13 Sep 01 - 09:03 AM

You are getting great suggestions, but people seem to be describing the best of all worlds.
In the real world money might be an issue, or time, or you might not have access to the necessary experts for tape baking and transfer, or you won't be able to find a suitable home for the tapes.
In that case, make sure you've got lots of room on your hard drive, connect the line out of your tape recorder to the line in on your sound card, start your recording software, turn on the recorder, and cross your fingers.
It's easy.

Subject: RE: What to do with old tapes?
From: Hollowfox
Date: 13 Sep 01 - 10:52 AM

I've got a bunch of reels, too. The first thing to do (you, too, Kendall) is to find out what you've got. Over the years, more or less as I got them, I'd listen to the tapes and make a log of what's played by who (if I can figure it out). When and where (as best you can remember) should be noted along the way. This is a good way to relive the good times, and you don't have to do it all at once, or drop everything to listen; I did a lot of it while cleaning house. You're the best one to do this, since you were there. Then you can decide what to do with it. (Over the years, I've given copies of concerts by Sarah Cleveland and Lawrence Older, both seminal performers, to their (performing, thank heavens) families. Grand performances, both of them. They weren't there, I was, and I was the only one recording.)

Subject: RE: What to do with old tapes?
From: Big Mick
Date: 13 Sep 01 - 10:56 AM

But if you do this, make sure you have it hooked up to another recording device. Because if these are very old tapes, you may not be able to play them again. Please take your time and investigate the right methods carefully. It would be terrible to lose this music.

All the best,

Mick