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Audiophile Archive: Digitizing Reel to Reel Tapes

Could anyone please update me on the latest hardware and software required to digitize analogue media?

I have a friend who would like to archive his collection of live jazz recordings.

Another Audiogon thread for digitizing LP's suggested not bothering with digital conversion which I can understand, but the real issue is preservation, not debating the pros and cons of digital vs analogue.

(Of course, extra credit will be awarded for any suggestions that will also satisfy the snobbiest of audiophiles.)

And DOUBLE extra credit for solutions which offer 95% S.O.T.A. performance, but for a reasonable price.

Thank you.
cwlondon
brianw
373 posts
 
With all of the editing functions available on the Alesis Masterlink, I can't imagine using anything else for your project.

Kind regards,
Brian Weitzel
Record Research Labs
tok20000's avatar
tok20000
608 posts
 
I have used an Alesis, and I must say it has the most counterintuitive interface I have ever seen. It is difficult at best to use, and the manual is not terribly helpful. It took me and a friend close to an hour just to figure out how to copy a CD with it... And we are pretty good with operating electronic gizmos. A few months later I wanted to copy some more CDs and it took me nearly 30 minutes to figure out how to do the very same thing again. This machine is not for the weak willed.

Unless the latest Alesis is far different than the one we were using (I do not know), I would go another route.

Keith Forrest
Glacier Showroom
Monterey (Seaside), CA
cwlondon OP
1,210 posts
 
Update from my friend --

it seems he uses an iMac, which has a superdrive where he can burn at least CD's, if not DVDs.

He said copying CDs is very easy and was wondering if he should buy an iMike (?).

Does anyone know what that is or how I should advise him? $35 bucks or so sounds cheap compared to new sound cards, Alesis devices etc so I must be missing something.

Thanks.
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