In a word, no, ariosto.

However, if it's on DVD and CD (and hopefully duplicated or even triplicated onto media from different sources - they're very unlikely to fail simultaneously) then regular backup to new media will ensure that even if the originals fail, you've still got pristine copies.

(Hope they're not all being kept in the same location, by the way.... Perhaps remote online backup would offer buttons as well as belt and braces.)

Ron

Bryn and Ron

Thanks for your quick responses - and good advice. I did keep a hard disk backup somewhere else for a while - whilst I was abroad. But yes, I should try and put another copy somewhere else - maybe with my daughter. In fact this recording will probably not see the light of day as a proper CD, as we are arguing a lot about whether it is really any good! SDHC cards I will investigate.

Regards

Thanks IRF for your thoughts - points noted. I was wondering about cost, as there are many GB's of data - from memory probably about 15 GB, and off line independent storage might be costly over a long period.

Regards

Interesting option, Ron. Must find out the price.

David_Underdown

David

Thanks - I've had a look. More things to worry about!! (I think they are a little out of date - info from 2003) But very useful points which are always valid.

Just as an offshoot, I've been archiving some old recordings I made on reel to reel machines from as early as 1971 and some of the tapes are OK. Difficult to know if the acceptable transfers I've "digitalatised" (right word/spelling?) just now, are as good as when I made them, I doubt it. Some tapes were giving problems such as gumming up heads and guides- whereas others worked very well. Some makes better than others.

Even the BBC are interested in one of these - an old radio recording of about 1972 - a documentary on the sinking of the French Fleet in 1940. Most of the others are personal recordings of friends etc., doing concerts and making demo tapes.

Some makes better than others, ariosto? Very much so; even the major record companies have had major problems with some analogue master tapes. There was whole run of Ampex which almost disintegrated with time, and needed to be returned to the manufacturer to be slow baked in order to seal the coating to the backing long enough to enable the priceless material thereon to be duplicated. It's normal to store two-track master tapes on which the recording runs only in one direction 'tail out' (i.e. with the end of the tape on the outside of the reel) so that the whole thing is wound before playing: and I'd normally give any tape just out of storage three or four rewinds before playing it, whether reel, cassette or video. Scotch could be nasty in this respect, too, and I have some Agfa reel tape which clogs the heads up horrendously, entailing stopping and cleaning every five minutes or so - digital editing's an absolute godsend at this point, though I do miss the hands-on artistry of a jointing-block and razor blade.

Ron

I have to say that I used to enjoy cutting and splicing! I was pleased that none of my edits had fallen apart. Yes, I had the same thing with the Agfa reels, a terrible problem with gumming up and even sticking when the tape was stationary, on my Revox B77.  I did store the tapes so they had to be re-wound first. Strangely enough some of the Ampex tapes were OK - as were odd ones like Sony - even though some 30 years old. At least I'm relieved that I have now transferred most of them, and a lot of the sound is pretty good.

A related Q&A in teh Guardian's technology section today http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/may/08/3