Off Topic - stereo to PC question

From: Christopher Smith <csmith_at_amdocs.com>
Date: Mon Dec 3 10:06:18 2001

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Carlos Murillo [mailto:cmurillo_at_emtelsa.multi.net.co]

> Get a good cassette deck; I hope that your tapes were recorded
> using Dolby C, or at least B. In either case, the high
> freq response is already lost, but during playback/recording,
> you might actually null out some high frq noise...

As long as we're hypothetically copying hard to find tapes, and willing to
shell out for hardware, you might also consider a recording device that was
designed for the task. It seems to me that one can get a decent digital
multitracking device for the cost of a decent multitracking software package
these days ;) (I may be exaggerating here... but they're cheap)

For instance, I've seen a new unit -- a Boss BR-532 -- which records on
"smartmedia" (4-track), and lists around $400 (I think). I hear that the
128M cards, which are said to hold 90 minutes of audio run about $45.
Obviously this uses some compression, and you wouldn't get the best quality,
but it would provide an easy way of mixing some of the hiss out and adding
some mastering effects if you'd like. This might also be problematic for
recording a cassette tape since I think it only has one channel in. (You
could do it, though)

I wouldn't use this for doing original recording personally, but for
re-mastering a cassette, or other light-duty stuff, it may be just the
ticket.

I personally have a Fostex VF08, which I paid about $480 for from
audiolines.com, but which lists around $599. It's a slightly more heavy
solution, and has 5GB or so of disk in it. No compression, sound records at
44.1khz 16-bit. The unit also has 20-bit ADC and 24-bit DAC with 64/128x
oversampling respectively. It's an 8-track unit with 2 channels in.

I can tell you from experience that this machine could probably make
"smashing pumpkins" sound good. (My opinion, of course... and don't get me
started on "smashing pumpkins.")

(These are mostly from memory, so I might be wrong on some of this... look
it up)

At any rate, one could record, mix, and master the cassette on a similar
unit, and transfer the resulting digital audio to your computer through the
SPDIF digital out.

Wow, that was tangential.

Regards,

Chris



Christopher Smith, Perl Developer
Amdocs - Champaign, IL

/usr/bin/perl -e '
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Received on Mon Dec 03 2001 - 10:06:18 GMT