Reel-to-reel tape transfer frequently ask questions

1. What kind of reel to reel tapes do you transfer?

2. Will I be charged if there is nothing on my tapes?

3. I don't know what's on my tapes and I have no way of playing them. What can you do to help?

4. Is there any reason at all that you may not be able to transfer my tapes?

5. How many tapes fit onto one CD?

6. Will you put my audio on a DVD if I request it?

7. What type of CDs do you use?

8.  

9. What is Sticky Shed Syndrome and could my tapes have it?

10. Can you bake a tape? (What is tape baking?)

11. What is Dry Tape Syndrome?

12. Do you sell reel to reel decks?

13. Will my finished CD have tracks?

14. What will be printed on the finished CD?

15. I don't know anything about reel to reel tapes. Where should I start?

16. How much audio can a reel to reel hold?

17. Do you offer a bulk discount?

18. How long does it take?

19. Do you make audio CDs? Or data CDs? What's the difference?

20. What is meant by tape speed?

21. Can my tapes audio be transferred to MP3 or .wav instead of audio?

          Ask a question

What kind of reel to reel tapes do you transfer?

All 1/4" tapes. We have the equipment and experience to transfer any 1/4" reel-to-reel tape to CD as audio or data. 1/4" reel-to-reel tape is the most common type of reel-to-reel tape used by the average consumer. Any other reel-to-reel tape was found almost exclusively in professional recording studios or home "project studios".

To determine what your reel-to-reel is, measure the width of the tape as shown in the photo below.

We do all speeds and head configurations. Mono, stereo, 4 track mono etc. Tape has sticky shed? We bake. Tape has Dry Tape, we have a fix. Smell like vinegar? We will try.

We have been doing this for many years so when we say we never met a tape we couldn't transfer...we mean it.

2. Will I be charged if there is nothing on my tapes?

    Absolutely not.

3. I don't know what's on my tapes and I have no way of playing them. What can you do to help?

Send your reels along, or bring them in, and we can look them over and give you a report back as to what you have and how much it is going to cost to transfer to CD.  Many of or clients find reel-to-reel tapes after loved ones pass away and have no idea what type they are or if there is anything recorded on them.

We will create an MP3 sample  that allows you to hear 3-5 minutes from each reel-to-reel tape along with a short description of each reel-to-reel tape so you can determine if you want them transferred or not. We also send an estimate via email the day we receive your  reel-to-reel  tapes plus an updated estimate after you hear your samples.

Your samples will come to you as an email with a link to a web page. So be sure to include your correct email address and ad info@reel2reel2cd.com to your address book so it is not bounced as spam.

4. Is there any reason at all that you may not be able to transfer my  reel-to-reel  tapes?

It is very rare that we run into a reel-to-reel tape that cannot be transferred. There are rare issues that tapes can have such as Sticky Shed that will cause an extra charge. But other than that we foresee no reason why we cannot transfer your reel-to-reel tapes to CD. We have been doing this since early 1999 and have learned very much about these reel-to-reel tapes and the obstacles involved in transferring them to CD. One serious problem is vinegar syndrome. This is very rare but it is the only obstacle that has beat us. When reel-to-reel tape starts to decay they put off a strong vinegar like smell. That is why it is referred to as vinegar syndrome. If the decay has advance too far there may be nothing we can do. Smell your reel-to-reel tapes, if they smell like vinegar get them too us right away. If they don't we should have no problem transferring them.

5. How many  reel-to-reel  tapes fit onto one CD?

First, a CD can only hold 80 minutes of audio. So as long as a reel-to-reel tape is under 80 minutes it will fit on one CD.  In many cases, a reel-to-reel tape is longer than 80 minutes. This depends on the size of the reel, how much tape is on the reel, the speed the tape was recorded at, the thickness of the tape, and, how the reel-to-reel tape was recorded. (Mono, stereo, 4 track mono, both directions .) These factors all play into the over all length and quality of your tapes final transfer.

 Remember you can send us your tapes with no obligation and we can give you an invoice after we evaluate the  reel-to-reel  tape and know how much audio is really on it.

Of course you do have the option of having your reel-to-reel tapes transferred to CD or DVD as data. In that case a CD will hold 700MB and a DVD 4GB's. The size of  the audio file taken from your reel-to-reel tape would depend on if it was compressed, such as an MP3, or uncompressed, such as a .WAV or .AIF.   Having your tapes transferred to MP3 format would allow for many reel-to-reel tapes to be placed on one CD or even more reel-to-reel tapes placed on one DVD.

6. Will you put my audio on a DVD if I request it?

Sure. Please specify this on the order form and specify what type of data you want. MP3, WAV, AIF or any other is fine. Just let us know up front.

7. What type of CDs do you use?

White printable CD-Rs by Taiyo Yuden. Taiyo Yuden is recognized as a leader in the manufacture of reliable, accurate media for CD and DVD recording. They also invented the CD-Recordable.

9. What is Sticky Shed Syndrome and could my tapes have it?

Sticky Shed Syndrome is a condition higher quality tapes from the  70's and 80's can have. Usually, if your reel-to-reel tapes where not recorded in a professional studio, you don't have to worry about sticky shed. If they were, and if they do have Sticky Shed, we offer tape baking for just $25.00 per batch of tapes being baked. After the baking process the tapes will be as good as new. If you think your tape might have sticky shed, do not try to play them! Playing tapes with Sticky Shed without baking them will ruin them. Tapes by the brand "Ampex" commonly have Sticky Shed.

10. Can you bake a tape? (What is tape baking?)

Yes we offer tape baking for just $25.00 per baking session. We have a specially designed oven created just for baking tapes. It cannot get hotter than 150 degrees and can hold up to 25 tapes at once. Each session is 4 hours long. Tapes are then cooled for 4 hours or more before being played. We have been dealing with sticky shed for the past 8 years and have not met a tape we couldn't fix. If you think your tapes might have Sticky Shed, do not try to play them.

Tape baking refers to a process of  baking tapes in an oven for 4 hours at about 130 degrees to remedy a problem certain tapes can have called Sticky Shed Syndrome. The tapes with this problem are usually Ampex (not always) and usually come from a professional background. Cheap tape does not usually have this problem. Also just because a tape is very old does not mean it will have this problem. The opposite is true.

11. What is Dry Tape Syndrome?

Dry Tape Syndrome is a term used to describe very old reel-to-reel tapes that have be stored in a very dry environment and the lubrication in the tapes have dried up. This causes such inflicted tapes to squeal when being played back. The squeal is audible as distortion in the tapes recorded audio. (Due to the tape vibrating over the heads.) These tapes can also ruin your machines heads and damage other parts. So, if you feel you have tapes with "Dry Tape" please do not attempt to play them.

We have been dealing with problems like this for many years and learned tricks to over come Dry Tape Syndrome. We do not charge any extra for dealing with Dry Tape.

12. Do you sell reel to reel decks?

Sorry, no. Try Ebay.com .

13. Will my finished CD have tracks?

Yes. Track placement is determined by the technician who edits your audio.

NOTE > If you are have classical music or opera transferred your track markers may not be correct. We do not charge for nor guarantee track placement. Just audio transfer quality. When playing your CD from start to finish you will not know where tracks are. (No space or gap between tracks.)

14. What will be printed on the finished CD?

We will print any information we can find on the tape, such as year, names etc, also a small clip art within the theme of your tapes audio. If more that one disc is needed Disc 1 of 2 and 2 of 2 will be printed accordingly. If you have a small title you would like to see printed on your CD please include it on your order form. We can also print a photo if you would like to send one along with the tapes or email it to us.

15. I don't know anything about reel to reel tapes. Where should I start?

Read over the information at www.reel2reel2cd.com

Fill out our order form being sure to select "yes please create a preview sample page for me"

Pack the reel-to-reel tapes up safely using a box, not an envelope. We like the Priority Boxes the USPS supplies you with for free when using Priority Mail. Just pop in your local post office and ask for some "Priority Boxes".

Mail your  reel-to-reel tapes to us with no money or payment information. Just contact information.  We will see that you checked MP3 sample, and create small, 3-5 minute MP3 files for you to download and listen to from your home PC or MAC. We will email you these samples with short descriptions. If there is any other problems associated with your reel-to-reel tapes that would also be communicated to you then.

Then you can decide if you want to have the reel-to-reel tapes transferred or not.. No surprises. If you decide not to have them transferred we only ask you pay for return shipping. If you don't want the reel-to-reel tapes back we will take care of them for you and you pay nothing.

16. How much audio can a reel to reel hold?

That is not so easy to answer. Reel-to-reel tape did not have just one speed it played at like cassettes. They played from 1-3/8 inches per second, 3/34 inches per second 7 1/2 inches per second and more. Then, if that's not enough, there was many different sized reels. From 3" to 10.5". Each holding more tape. But wait, one more thing, thickness of tape. Some companies made very very thin reel-to-reel tape and bragged about how much more for your money you could get. And some made thicker tape and bragged about quality. Oh but wait, there was many different ways a tape could have been record: Mono, stereo or four track mono or a combination of stereo and four track mono. 

See, tapes had sides. Side 1 and Side 2.  Then they have tracks. Left and Right Side 1 and Left and Right Side 2. A person could have recorded on left and right together for stereo recordings. Or use left and right separately for four track mono.

So to sum this up, it is really impossible to predict how much audio is on your reel-to-reel tapes. That is why we started the MP3 preview sample service. So clients could think about there transfer needs after they knew what they were dealing with. 7" reels recorded at 1-3/8 IPS 4 track mono is the worst we see and that produces 6 hours of audio. A CD holds 80 minutes. So if you are trying to determine worst case scenario that gives you something to go on.  But remember that is a rare scenario. On average most tapes take 1 or 2 CDs to transfer.

17. Do you offer a bulk discount?

Yes, 10% after15 tapes. 15% after 30 tapes.

18. How long does it take?

First I would like to say we are always willing to work with your deadline. So if you have a special need please call us and let us know and we will work with you. We enjoy helping people make an occasion special for a loved one.

Now the standard answer: 1-5reel-to-reel  tapes, 1 week. More than 5 reel-to-reel tapes 14 days. More than 20 tapes please call 1-800-617-8273 for more information.

19. Do you make audio CDs? Or data CDs? What's the difference?

By default we make audio CDs. We can make data CDs if you request that. There is no extra charge for data disc.

An audio CD is similar to one you might buy in a record store. It plays in any CD player such as the one in your car or home audio system.

A data CD is for your home computer. It could contain audio in the form or MP3 files, .wav files or other computer files. This option would be helpful if you wanted to edit your audio on your home computer, or, wanted your reel-to-reel tapes to be transferred into MP3s so you could listen to them on a personal listing device.

20. What is meant by tape speed?

Reel-to-reel tape speed is measured in IPS or "inches per second".  It is the speed tape went from the source reel to the take-up reel. The options were 1 3/8s IPS, 3 3/4 IPS, 7 1/2 IPS and 15 IPS. The faster the speed the better the quality but the less audio you could get on a tape.

21. Can my tapes audio be transferred to MP3 or .wav instead of audio?

Sure. We can transfer your audio to CD as audio or as data. We can also transfer your reel-to-reel tapes to DVD as data.

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