Preserve The Music Of Yesterday Through Audio Conversion

[Arik Paran]

Forty years ago, people didn't have their music stored on CD's or on a computer or PDA. They couldn't download the newest songs right from the computer to the iPod or MP3 player (mostly because computers didn't exist in a PC version yet). People actually had to go to a record store and purchase a vinyl record album in order the hear the songs they enjoyed listening to on the radio. Record albums (or records, for short) were played on a record player that used a stylus that sat in the grooves of the record and played the song which was embedded into the vinyl. These records came in 33rpm's (revolutions per minute) or 78rpm's. You could record music from your album onto a tape recorder for use elsewhere (in other words, you could make a portable version of the record through audio conversion) by playing the record while placing a reel-to-reel recorder next to the record player. The sound from the record playing was recorded on the reels and could be played back later (this was the early version of a cassette tape).

Then we progressed to 8-track tape cartridges as an alternative to records. They made music more portable and allowed for better sound quality. They had their drawbacks, though: 8-tracks only played in one direction and you couldn't rewind them or fast forward them, couldn't edit them, and couldn't record over them. They were like a compact, square version of a vinyl record, but you could play them in your car if you had an 8-track player installed. And you could get great sound by playing them through a quad system! Eventually, cassettes came along and they made prerecorded music very portable.

The problem with all of these older music systems is that the media they were recorded on doesn't last forever. In the case of 78s, there are actually microbes that eat the grooves of the record, so eventually it won't play anymore. The old vinyl records will warp if they are left in the heat and the stylus embeds dust into the record tracks over the years, making the recording sound more and more scratchy over time. In the case of cassettes or 8-tracks, the tape gets brittle and cracks or breaks, which usually means the end of that particular cartridge. That's where audio conversion services come in.

Did you know that you don't have to lose the music of by-gone days? You can preserve the music of your youth by having audio conversion done. Your records, 8-tracks, or cassettes can be restored and transferred to a digital format. During the transfer process, the technicians can remove the pop, hiss, crackle, and static noises that are inherent in old musical recordings. Dedicated commercial equipment and professional software enables noise reduction. By putting the old recordings on a digital format, the music quality can be enhanced and your music will sound new again! Also, songs from various records or tapes can be compiled into one CD, enabling a "mix and match" within your audio conversion and this master file can be used to make many recordings, so you always have access to a brand-new version of your music.

Those old cassettes, records, and 8-tracks are aging and losing sound quality even as you are reading this article. Don't let those precious recordings of by-gone days fade away and turn into reels of broken tape and warped or broken vinyl. Preserve your music memories through audio conversion so they will last a lifetime and beyond.

For more information about audio conversion services, contact the audio transfer specialists of Digital Pickle at 1-800-889-0730 or email them today.