Winkie Pratney Revival Library & YWAM Tyler Audio Cassette Digitizing

Calibration Tests To Do: Digitize Frequency Test Tape on all decks. Compare levels from each deck. Check that both D13 & D14 mkIII models are digitizing at the same levels. Note for example that WP-31 and WP-32 are from a set, presumably recorded on the same gear, yet WP-32 is lower in levels.  WP-31 was digitized on D13; WP-32 on D14.   Tape WP-32 and WP-33 were from the same set.  Retransferring WP33, and future sets, so they are digitized on the same deck as other set member tapes. File labeling error on WP-32 & WP-33.  Redo again, both tapes. Use the same deck.  Deleted "alt" versions. Compare levels and sound samples before and after head demagnetization process. Diagnose more about the tick sounds on Deck 12. Digitize with no tape. Digitize with blank tape. Try Metal tape.  See if it's possible to reproduce same ticks on any other decks.  Open chassis and try the wooden stick test. Look for blown caps. Measure voltage from psu...

April 19, 2016 7:30 pm - 9:05 pm Few more tapes done. Few more started. Arbitrarily adjusting the pitch to "what sounds good and right" is challenging.  It's using subjection judgement.  Anything subjective like that can be a bit uncomfortable. I keep resetting to the calibrated speed then adjusting from there for new tapes but it's a challenge.  I slowed one down quite a bit but when I came back after the transfer to cut and save in Audacity at that time it still felt a little fast too me.  So some of those decisions are just always going to be subjective.  Fortunately I am not really cleaning these just capturing.  Winkie or others can do the serious filtering and can pitch adjust if needed.  I'd think 96 kHz, 24-bit captures should offer a lot of bandwidth to do resample to correct pitch. Ordered an old-school head demagnetizer today off eBay. http://www.ebay.com/itm/131784093179

April 18-19th (Tax Day) 2016 10:30 PM - 2:15 AM Notice the difference in waveforms.  One is sampled from Deck 12, a TASCAM CC-222, now known to have "issues", and the other Deck 13, a TASCAM CC-222 MK III model. See the "ticks" -- that's noise coming from the deck!  Ouch! I wonder how long it would have taken to find that issue had I not been sampling visually. Here the issue is more clearly seen when zoomed in on. Fortunately Deck 15, a TASCAM CC-222 MK II model, is working okay. When I first discovered the Deck 12 issue I was concerned Deck 15 too was producing tick noises but checking the samples again it appears to be clean. Will need to watch for this issue on other decks also. Possible that this Deck 12 issue is related to power noise leaking in but either way the deck needs to be serviced to be useful. ~~~ Added a "Tapes Played Since Head Cleaned" column. Thinking of typing anything but a "zero" there is ...

April 17 - 18, 2016 12:50 a.m. Well, this is sad: CLICKS and POPS! Noticed this on Deck 12 and a bit on Deck 15.  Deck 12 is a CC-222 Tray Load -- an oldie, while #15 is MK II model.  But unlike the very clean MK III's used this deck is showing clicking. I diagnosed by putting the same tape in the different decks and found this issue. I could hear the clicking from the headphone jack right on the deck so it's not the A/D converter or downstream.  Normally I would have assumed this clicking or tick, snap, crackle sound was on the tape.  Now I know I need to listen for it and suspect it as a electronics problem not an analog issue. Hopefully it's a bad cap.  I emailed TASCAM asking for help but I highly doubt that give that out for free.  <sigh.> Well, glad I caught it early. Will have to re-do all the tapes ripped ("ripped"? - captured/sampled/played/digitized) from this deck. Good to catch.  That's some...

Sunday, April 17, 2016 7:45 pm to 8:45 pm, 11:20- Twenty tapes done so far.  About 150 in the first big batch so this is okay progress.  If I came over every day maybe in a couple months I'd be done.  That's still too slow so I need to figure out how to speed up the workflow. Realized I was going to take forever doing only two tapes at a time so I figured out a way to get four at once by racking. Hopefully the decor isn't hurt too much. Starting logging tape counter length for each tape.  Think this might be helpful in identifying similar source tape stock and make me a bit more aware of the content issues.  Not sure if it might just be a waste of time. :) Also started logging "tapes played since last head cleaning." Really need to upgrade the iMac's internal HDD to Solid State Drive (SSD) since right now it takes about two minutes per tape -- about 10 minutes for each batch of four now -- just to save the wave files. Started at sometime right be...

April 14-16, 2016 Work Log Finally configured Motu 828 mk3 to digitize on the iMac 4,1 (27"?). Special thanks for David Gagnon, formally of YWAM Madison & YWAM Madison Podcasts, for suggestion this sort of set up. Problem was the TASCAM CC-222 MKIII units have two sets of RCA line outputs.  But like VHS/DVD combo units this Cassette Deck and CD-R combo unit uses one L/R output only for the CD-R and the second for the cassette deck. So the main issue was that the Motu unbalanced phono had to come from the left/right RCA cable on the cassette deck using OUTPUT #2 -! Found  CueMix FX app on Mac to help set inputs. Originally set trim input to +17 dbi for first two tapes. Then +16 dpi for another set or two. Found the bumper audio on one tape clipped (but never Winkie) so lowered the trim boost to +14 dbi. Tried to use the Motu AudioDesk software and gave up and went to the Audacity.  May wish to revisit that software. Settled on path as follows: T...