AV recently preserved over 300 Aikido martial arts philosophy audio cassettes into uncompressed, high-bit rate digital WAVE files. Aikido is a form of martial arts that emphasizes using minimal force for control and highlighting the unity of mind and body. Beyond a physical discipline, Aikido represents a philosophy striving for tranquility and personal advancement. Among the audio collection were more than 340 verbal discussions with Japanese martial art philosophers, delving into their beliefs and practices. Given the content’s future use in publications and various media, AV digitized the tapes to a high quality, editable format.
Converting Audio to WAVE Files
1) Professional Audio Capture
Prior to playback, we prepared, organized, and numbered all the tapes. For capture, we used professional grade Sony audio cassette decks and routed the audio through premium stereo cables into a professional workstation powered by Sony Sound Forge. Every tape received careful handling and was exclusively used one time as a playback source.
2) Level Balancing and Trimming
We captured the audio at approximately -6 db, then applied level optimization to balance the levels at about -6 db (the equivalent to 0 db analog). We then trimmed the beginning and end of each audio file to eliminate any extra static or dead-air that could be heard before or after the recorded portion.
3) Export
AV export the audio captures as high bit uncompressed WAVE files (44 kHz / 16 bit) – the industry standard for professional grade audio from analog sources. Since WAVE files are an uncompressed format, the audio file data is stored in its full original format. As a result, there is no quality loss. WAVE files are also an ideal file type for editing as they are the most compatible uncompressed format.
4) Labeling, Organization, and USB Device
We created separate WAVE files for each cassette and labeled each file by number (corresponding to the numbers we labeled the tapes). We then placed the files onto a USB Hard Drive. USB Drives can be plugged into essentially any device that has a USB port and a screen including a Smart TV, MAC or Windows Computer.
As a result of our transfer process, the audio cassettes are preserved forever and are ready to be easily played, shared, and edited for future projects!
If you have audio cassette tapes you would like transferred – don’t wait too long!
Cassette tapes generally have a lifespan of about 20 years. There are quite a few factors which can cause deterioration in older tapes. Some of these factors include the use of a less durable chromium dioxide coating and the decomposition of the felt pressure pads on lower quality tapes. Tapes with recordings on both sides are also more susceptible to deterioration as the magnetic fields can bleed through to each other. Don’t risk complete deterioration of your audio cassettes and have AV transfer them for you today!
Do you have Audio Tapes you want to convert to Digital?
Check out our Audio to Digital Transfer page for options and pricing.
AV Conversion Services