Sound and Vision Hoax

The new issue of "Sound and Vision" had a nice hoax.

They "reported" that the Library of Congress had done a study about the very best way to archive some very old sound recordings and that their research indicated that the only method known to last over 100 years was to archive to 78 rpm disks!!! They went on to say that they were going to provide a Cartridge and stylus so that future generations could play the disks back!!

Of course, at the end of the article, they came clean and confessed that the LOC would never do such a thing.

Reminds me that there is a "Time Capsule" buried somewhere in the US that was buried in 1963 and is not to be opened until 2063. In this time capule is a 45 rpm copy of "Be My Baby", with the explanation "An example of the perfect pop record. Funny thing is, by then, I'm sure there will be "universal players" that play ANYTHING ever made, Lp, 78, 45, Cd, Dvd, etc, all read by one laser. I wonder how it will sound to them?

 

How about a universal tape player that can read eight tracks, cassettes, DAT, DCC, reel to reel, etc.?

BC

 

Re: Re: Sound and Vision Hoax

 

I read the same article last night and got a nice laugh!

 

I know, it really WAS funny. 78 rpm!!!!

 

In the same Mag, did you see the article on "Quad" with the picture of the Sony SQ decoder? Flashback city! (He should have bought a Tate)

 

Yes, i did!! That Sony was one HOT looking unit, with the 4 VU meters!!!

 

I seem to recall that a cartridge and stylus was also loaded onboard one of the Voyager space probes launched back in the '70's along with a copper record of Chuck Berry's "Johnny Be Goode". Rock on aliens!

 

oh man, imagine the Aliens playing back Johnny be Goode??

That sounds like a good movie....

 

"...........................send more Chuck Berry!"

 

LOL!!!

 

Even though it was a joke there is a point to be made. A vinyl record is playable no matter how technically advance or reverted people are in a 1000 years.

Think about, you can take a sewing needle, stick it into a paper cone, spin the record around and get sound!

Can't do that with any other storage format.

 

yes, but Gabe, its playable only if you have a playback device. I dont think TTs will be around in 60 years, the same way 16 inch Vitaphone machines are hard to find today.

While its true that by 2063 there will be other ways to play an old record, tape would probably be just as good and wont melt, crack, freeze, or get scratched like a record would.

 

Ah, but as I said you don't need a turntable - I can play a record by spinning it on a pottery wheel using that sewing needle and cone of paper. I'd need more than that to play a tape (if the tape lasted long - remember some of Steve's stories).

There's a reason records were sent out on the Voyagers - the simplicity.

While I don't serously suggest archiving everything on records, if I really wanted something to survive the ages I would do exactly what they did for Voyager - press a record on a material that would last a very long time. Yes, not the last word in fidelity, but at least you can be fairly sure the information would be retrievalbe in the future.

 

ok, not a bad point!! Maybe Gold or something.

 

Someone please 'splain this to me? I can't imagine how that would work.

Truthfully, archivists really have have held to the notion, at least until recently (I don't know if there's now a digital medium that is considered better), that the phonorecord is the most reliable medium for long term storage. Tape is potentially more fragile. It can be erased by stray magnetic fields, or self-erase to some degree, the binder can fail so the oxide falls off the tape, or the backing can become distorted so that it weaves up and down as it goes through the machine, or else get cupped so tape/head contact is poor. And we still haven't talked about sticky-shed syndrome. I'm sure Steve H. could tell you plenty of tales of woe there.

 

I dunno Steve. A well made reel of Magnetic Tape, properly stored can last 60 years, at least.

 

It's the only proven medium for any real length of time. My 1895 Berliner disk plays fine, that's nearly 110 years. Mechanical recording has 60 years or more on tape.

While I need a somewhat specialized player for a disk of that age, I don't need a specially restored tape deck of unique characteristics to get anything at all from the medium, like 1/2 in master tapes.

Much of the problem with digital archiving is the amount of maintenance required to make sure your archive is still there. And once it's gone, it's gone. Not like Betamax gone, like no one can restore the signal gone. That's not true of even damaged disks and tape and film, which are partly restorable.

Mike, who would love to retire to the LOC and play in the archives...

 

I can see the aliens now: "Oh SH!T, Zurbog--it's on Ampex 456!"

Should we pack it with baking instructions?

 

I actually think that disks are wAY more fragile than magnetic tape.

Simply drop a reel of magnetic tape, nothing happens. Drop a disk on its edge....goodbye.

 

True in terms of handling, but in terms of time, the tape will deteriorate before the disc.

Even if tape lasts 60 years, that means the first rock & roll songs would be on their way out right about now (some have already gone that way due to improper storage). The first rock records, however, haven't deteriorated because of time. Sure, many have been worn out by playing repeatedly with less-than-ideal equipment, but as a storage medium for preservation purposes (where they'd be seldom-played), the record should last for an indefinite period.

 

Well, we only know tape lasts 60 years because thats all its been around. It might well last 100 years, we dont know.

 

Agree, but quality of original blank tape and storage conditions will have a lot to do with it. Can't see it lasting as long as a record, though, stored under similar conditions.

 

Well, you know Cass....if that were really true, than why hasnt ANY record company or national institute chosen disk for the archival format? Theres gotta be a reason ..........

 

There is a reason - you just can't record on it. Libraries like the LOC archive disks, the same as they archive books - just the mass produced article, on a shelf.

Preserving folklore, spoken arts, singing *itself*, which the LOC has a great history of, is done on tape. These days, its probably done with digital tape. Maybe a computer, maybe not.

But I bet the archive master won't be a disk file. Think of all those wordstar files you'd have of books written in the 80's. And all those old IBM PCs needed to read the 5 1/4 floppies... but you can pull the book right off the shelf and read it.

I'm happy with multiple archive formats. Tape (master), CD or CD-rom (wav files seem to last better than word documents..) for interim use and on-line. But if you want it in 100 years, have a disk cut and pressed in vinyl.

Oh, and record companies if they have any sense at all keep a disk copy of all their releases. There are a couple of each in Fantasy's vaults, along with the tape masters.

Mike