[ale] HOW2 burn reel2reel tapes to CDs ?

[Jeff Hubbs]

I can't speak for Linux support, but any card with S/PDIF can be hooked 
to an external S/PDIF converter - again, a case of moving the A/D and 
D/A outside the box.

Jeff Hubbs wrote:

>Courtney -
>
>Have a read through http://www.dansdata.com/tbeach.htm.
>
>Jeff
>
>Courtney Thomas wrote:
>
>  
>
>>Jeff,
>>
>>Thank you for your help.
>>
>>I have a TEAC X-300 and have audacity installed on a Debian box.
>>
>>I'd very much like to hear what kind of audio card would be desirable 
>>for this, assuming it might be gotten off Ebay.
>>
>>Cordially,
>>
>>Courtney
>>
>>Jeff Hubbs wrote:
>> 
>>
>>    
>>
>>>Yes; I've done hours' worth and still have more to do!
>>>
>>>First thing you need, of course, is an R2R deck.  It's good to know 
>>>ahead of time if the tapes you're dealing with (I assume this is 1/4" 
>>>tape) are half-track (i.e., two channels across the whole width of the 
>>>tape) or quarter-track (i.e., two channels on one "side" of the tape and 
>>>two more on the other "side") because that will determine what kind of 
>>>deck you need.  You will probably not find a deck that has heads to play 
>>>back both, however, a quarter-track deck will properly play back a 
>>>half-track tape (not vice-versa unless the quarter-track tape is 
>>>recorded only on one side, in which case it will work but at roughly 6dB 
>>>worse S/N). 
>>>
>>>I should tell you that it is difficult to find an R2R deck in good 
>>>working order.  I had my Teac (consumer Tascam) deck from c. 1982 
>>>serviced last Spring and it works very well, but almost any deck you'd 
>>>buy used today almost certainly needs attending to.  Many are likely 
>>>unserviceable.
>>>
>>>Consumer decks typically run at 3-3/4 in/s and 7-1/2 in/s; some 
>>>portables that only take 3" or 5" reels went down to 1-7/8 in/s.  Pro 
>>>decks run at 15 and 30 in/s.
>>>
>>>Different tapes of different ages shed oxide at different rates.  I've 
>>>had 40-year-old tapes hold up better than 10-year-old tapes.  You may 
>>>have to stop mid-reel for cleaning.
>>>
>>>Depending on the quality of the recording, you may want to interpose a 
>>>compressor/limiter between the deck and the computer. 
>>>
>>>You really should get a more serious audio input than your motherboard's 
>>>mic/line-in jack.  Used to be, you'd get an esoteric sound card, but 
>>>these days, audio I/O seems to be being moved outside the machine to a 
>>>Firewire or USB device. 
>>>
>>>Lastly, you'll need editing and burning software.  Audactity appears to 
>>>be the app-of-choice in Linux-land;  I do my tape ripping in WinME 
>>>because my high-end ISA-bus sound card will likely never have a Linux 
>>>driver.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>Courtney Thomas wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>   
>>>
>>>      
>>>
>>>>Anyone successfully done this ?
>>>>
>>>>How, please ?
>>>>
>>>>Thank you.
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>>>>
>>>>
>>>>     
>>>>
>>>>        
>>>>
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>>    
>>
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