›

Preserving tapes

leonleon 883 Posts
edited May 2011 in Strut Central
The ATCQ demo tape thread got me thinking.... What's the best way to preserve a tape? They tend to deteriorate so awfully fast... any Strut knowledge on this?
I have them inside boxes.

  Comments

  • HorseleechHorseleech 3,830 Posts
    It's pretty simple.

    - Keep them from extremes/fluctuations of temperature and humidity.

    - Keep them away from light.

    - Keep them away from any magnetic sources.

    Some tape stock just sucks, however, and will deteriorate no matter what precautions you take, so it's smart to transfer anything that matters to you.
  • tecatetecate 73 Posts
    Digitize them. No matter what they are losing quality with time, even if they are stored in a good spot.
  • DanteDante 371 Posts
    tecate said:
    Digitize them. No matter what they are losing quality with time, even if they are stored in a good spot.

    Might be a dumb question but I guess the same applies to master tapes? Are they all gonna be lost eventually?
  • batmonbatmon 27,574 Posts
    all my 80s tapes are fine.
  • disco_chedisco_che 1,115 Posts
    In order to preserve the tapes make sure you keep it in rotation. Once a year you should at least fast forward them and then put them back into storage. Otherwise you'll get that echo effect when one tape layer is magnetizing the ones next to it.
  • Mr_Lee_PHDMr_Lee_PHD 2,042 Posts
    Whats the deal with tape for reel to reels?

    I have this one with some tape containing stuff from the early 70's and it still sounds mint.

Sign In or Register to comment.