/services · archives
Archives & preservation
Preservation and digitization of legacy audio collections for archives, broadcasters, museums, universities and private collections, on site or at the lab.
We are members of the International Association of Sound and Audiovisual Archives (IASA) and follow the best practices and guidelines of major archival institutions. We offer careful assessment, cleaning, digitization and preservation of legacy audio collections, with proper metadata embedding.
Our main goal is to provide a recording that is true to the cultural and artistic intentions of its time.
Services for collections
- Collection assessment: condition survey, format identification and prioritisation of at-risk material.
- Cleaning and conditioning of tapes and discs before playback.
- Digitization to archival WAV/BWF files following IASA TC-04 recommendations, with embedded metadata.
- On-site work when material cannot travel: in 2019 we built a temporary lab at Rádio Nacional de São Tomé to recover its tape archive in situ.
- Restoration of access copies for publication or broadcast: see audio restoration.
- Quality control of existing transfers and of work delivered by third parties.
Quality control and consulting
Many mass transfers done today lack proper quality control and suffer from transfer artifacts and defects that clients are led to believe were present in the original media: poor frequency response, wow and flutter, incorrect or unstable playback speed. This is where experience and knowledge play a very important role. We inspect every item to make sure you get a transfer that conforms to every aspect of QC.
We also provide consulting for studios and institutions with legacy recording preservation projects in hand: workflows, equipment, file specifications and quality control. We're happy to collaborate.
Frequently asked questions
Can you work on site?
Yes. When a collection is too large, too fragile or not allowed to leave the premises, we can set up a temporary transfer lab where the material is kept, as we did at Rádio Nacional de São Tomé.
Which file formats and resolutions do you deliver?
Typically Broadcast WAV at 24-bit / 96 kHz for analogue sources, and bit-exact clones for digital sources such as DAT, CD and PCM tapes, with metadata embedded. We can follow your institution's own specification.
Can you check transfers made by someone else?
Yes. We review existing transfers for speed, azimuth, frequency response and other defects, and report what can be improved by a new transfer.
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Tell us about your project
Describe the material or the music, the format, quantity and any deadline. You'll get a reply with how we'd approach it.