[AT] OT: recording vinyl to computer files

[hank at millerfarm.com]

Combining a few replies into one...

RW CDs are erased just by leaving them in the sun.   R (write once)  
CDs are not erased in this way, but the sun is still bad on plastic in  
general.

The limit for files on a cd is the larger of 100 songs, or 74 minutes  
(sometimes you see 80 minute CDs, which cheat the standard in ways  
that almost always work).   DVDs can store more music, but it is rare  
to see a music player that knows what to do with DVDs.   MP3, (ogg,  
acc, ...) can also store a lot more music on a disk, but at the sound  
is worse (often you need an oscilloscope to tell the difference), and  
many cd players can play that music.

As lifetime: don't expect more than 2 years out of a CD unless you are  
taking special care to have it last longer - this means you keep one  
copy for use and one in storage where you never touch it.   Even then,  
you may have problems.  The first pressed CDs are often unreadable due  
to age problems.  At one time Kodak made archival CDs which they  
claimed were good for 500 years, but the price was high enough  
($1/disk) that nobody bought any, so Kodak quit selling them.

If want music for your own use: make 1 perfect copy for storage  
(preferably in a fire safe - this could be the original), and one (or  
several - I keep a copy in each of my cars) that you actually use.   
The storage copy should be the best copy you can make.   The copy you  
use should be whatever is most useful to you.   My car will play MP3  
CDs, so that is what I use there - it is nice to have all my music at  
just the push of a button.

If you want to get into archiving manuals and then like, the best is  
still archival paper (which isn't that expensive) stored in a cool dry  
place.   Future archaeologists will thank you for your efforts if you  
do this (and it happens to be something they care about).

I have seen 1 step, put the record on the player, and out pops a CD  
machines.   I don't recall where anymore, but it was just a couple  
months ago (Guitar Center perhaps?) and I can't find it anymore.    
Still if you search you should be able to find one.

As for what is wrong with records: they don't play in the car, where  
CDs do.   (With the exception of about 200 cars that had a 15 rpm  
record player - I think about 10 albums were released for them).   The  
other problem is wear.  A brand new record sounds better than a brand  
new Cd (Some bands still release records for this reason).   After  
just a few plays the CD is better though because of wear.   For most  
people this isn't a big deal, the poor quality of a high compression  
mp3 is still better than their stereo system.

Quoting "Steve W." <falcon at telenet.net>:

> Ralph,
>   the only problems I have heard of WRT CD problems usually were in
> reference to people who used RW types. The ones you can record to and
> then erase. They can be a problem if certain types of light hit them. If
> your using good CD-R blanks and don't store them in the furnace they
> should be fine for a long time. Original CDs that are made as stampings
> will last a long time.
> Personally I have been buying up a few extra hard drives and making
> double backup copies of everything I want to keep. I just rotate through
> the different drives as needed. I also have a fire resistant back-up
> drive that I built myself. Started with a large safe, then mounted a
> pair of racks in it to hold the drives. The drives are connected up
> using a USB 2 hub inside the safe. The power supply for the drives and
> the hub are all external to the safe. The connections from the outside
> are through a few ceramic connectors and the inner and outer connections
> are staggered. Gives me a total of 480 GB per channel.
>
> --
> Steve W.
> Firefighter,EMT,Fire Police
> VanHornesville Vol. Fire Dept
>
> Ralph Goff wrote:
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: <rlgoss at insightbb.com>
>> To: "Antique tractor email discussion group" <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
>> Sent: Monday, January 28, 2008 9:26 AM
>> Subject: Re: [AT] OT: recording vinyl to computer files (was Re: The Wreck
>> Of The Old 97/OT
>>
>>
>> As with all archival activities in this electronic age, this conversion is
>> NOT the end.  When the CD format disappears (just like the LP record) a new
>> format will have to be used and the material on the previous format will
>> have to migrate to the new "standard".  So even though all this thread about
>> old audio records may seem to be way off topic, it really isn't -- we have
>> the same problem in preserving the literature for our old tractors.
>>
>> As a side comment, the digital version of tractor literature has some
>> advantages that the original didn't have -- it's infinitely searchable.  The
>> orginal materials weren't.
>>
>> Larry, and anyone else who might know,
>> Since nobody else has brought up the subject, just how safe are the cd disks
>> for saving archival material? I have heard some disturbing (rumours)? that
>> the cds can become unreadable in a few years and the material on them is
>> lost. I haven't had it happen to me yet but none of my recorded cds are more
>> than a couple of years old. If that is true, maybe paper is still the safest
>> method of saving old photos and documents. I have family photos over a
>> hundred years old that don't appear to have deteriorated at all. I have been
>> scanning a lot of these old photos and documents to cd but sometimes I
>> wonder just how safe and permanent the material on them will be.
>>
>> Ralph in Sask.
>>
>>
>>
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>>
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