Audio

We currently have the capability of transferring cassette, reel to reel, and mini-cassette. Each format involves slightly different procedures, outlined below. These procedures assume that you have turned on the power to all of the equipment in the A/V Reformatting station via the power battery backup underneath the desk, then booted up the Mac. Also, don't forget to boot up the external drive.

Generally we will be creating two files: an archival master and an access file. The archival master should be saved as a .wav file and the access copy should be a .mp3 file.

If the files are part of a collection and will end up in Credo, follow this naming convention:

collectionID-box#(if applicable)-item#-part#-filetype like so:

• mums741-b001-i027-001.access for .mp3
• mums741-b001-i027-001.archival for .wav .

1. Make sure the 1/4“ cables from the Revox are plugged into the front of the Scarlett 2i2
2. Determine if your tape requires a “big hole” or “small hole” and put the appropriate take up reel on the right hand side of the Revox.
3. Secure your reel on the left “turntable” and thread your tape above the “tension arm” under the “headblock cover” and around take-up reel. Manually turn the take-up reel a few times to secure the tape.
4. On the Mac, open either Audacity or Audition to digitize audio (See each page for software settings.)
5. On the Revox, determine whether the original tape is mono/stereo and turn the “mode selector” on the monitor panel to the appropriate position. You can do this by switching between modes and watching the channel monitors.
6. Put either Audition or Audacity in monitor or pause mode so that you can preview the tape to adjust your levels in the software.
7. If you are lucky, the tape will have tone at the beginning of the tape (many of the broadcast WFCR tapes have this). Use this to set your levels. Watch the meters on the Revox. Adjust the gain nobs on the front of the Scarlett so that the meters in Audacity or Audition approximately match the levels on the Revox. If there is no tone on the tape, you may have to take a few passes to get the levels right. As a rule you don't want to be hitting 0db (“the red”) too often. A good motto is: -12db is the place to be. The rewind to the beginning.
8. Once you set levels, hit record in Audition or pause Audacity, then hit play on the Revox.
9. Once the file has been digitized you can clean it up and make derivatives if appropriate.
10. If you think you will need to do further editing on the file, save an Audition or Audacity work file, otherwise the .mp3 and .wav files will be fine.

1. Make sure the 1/4” cables from the Teac are plugged into the front of the Scarlett 2i2
2. Insert your cassette into the deck.
3. On the Mac, open either Audacity or Audition to digitize audio (See each page for software)
4. Put either Audition or Audacity in monitor or pause mode so that you can preview the tape to adjust your levels in the software.
5. Play back the cassette and adjust your levels on the Scarlett while watching your audio meters in the software.
6. Once you set levels, hit record in Audition or Audacity, then hit play on the Teac.
7. If you need to record both sides, hit pause in the software when side 1 is done, flip the tape and hit pause again in the software. If you want to preserve the side 1 and side 2 division, you could create a new file for side 2.
8. Once the file has been digitized you can clean it up and make derivatives if appropriate.
9. If you think you will need to do further editing on the file, save an Audition or Audacity work file, otherwise the .mp3 and .wav files will be fine.

• Sometimes old cassettes will leave behind a rust colored residue on the heads of the deck. This is an early sign of "sticky-shed syndrome". When this happens, the audio signal will slowly get “foggy” sounding by losing some of high end. The tape may also squeal or stop playing. Handle the tape carefully and run it through another cassette player to get some of the residue off before you digitize. Also, clean the heads of any machine you run these tapes through with a combination of cotton swabs and Isopropyl.

1. We don't have permanent cabling for this, so we have to set this up “on the fly”.
2. Take the 3.5mm 1/8“ plug to 2 mono 1/4” plug from the headphone jack of the micro cassette player to the front of the Scarlett 2i2
3. Insert your cassette into the player.
4. On the Mac, open either Audacity or Audition to digitize audio (See each page for software
5. Put either Audition or Audacity in monitor or pause mode so that you can preview the tape to adjust your levels in the software.
6. Play back the cassette and adjust your levels on the Scarlett while watching your audio meters in the software.
7. Once you set levels, hit record in Audition or Audacity, then hit play on the micro cassette player.
8. If you need to record both sides, hit pause in the software when side 1 is done, flip the tape and hit pause again in the software. If you want to preserve the side 1 and side 2 or tape 1 tape 2 division, you could create a new file for side 2 or tape 2.
9. Once the file has been digitized you can clean it up and make derivatives if appropriate.
10. If you think you will need to do further editing on the file, save an Audition or Audacity work file, otherwise the .mp3 and .wav files will be fine.