We pride ourselves in helping preserve music history, whether it be a major label archiving project, an obscure band from your youth, or a family heirloom. We are experts at evaluating, restoring and transferring tapes from all eras.
tape transfer FAQs:
What's involved with an analog to digital tape transfer?
Transferring an old reel of tape is not as simple as loading it on a machine and pressing play. We take all necessary steps prior to the transfer to ensure that your audio is preserved at the highest quality possible.
We evaluate each reel and bake them (if applicable) before we attempt a transfer. Skipping these steps could result in an unsuccessful transfer, full of audio dropouts and can even damage the tapes permanently. We take the highest level of care to ensure that your transfers are successful, and that your tapes remain intact.
Why trust us with your fragile old tapes?
We have thousands of reels worth of tape transfer experience and have been trusted with many high-profile tape transfers. Paul McCartney, Chuck Berry, Johnny Cash, June Carter, Tony Joe White, James Brown, JJ Cale, Credence Clearwater Revival, Charley Pride and many other legendary artists have trusted Welcome to 1979 to digitize their analog media.
Additionally, thanks to our sister company, Mara Machines, the tape machines we use are restored and well-maintained, so your transfers sound as close to the day they were recorded as possible!
Why bake tapes?
After years of sitting unused and tightly packed, reels of tape begin to trap moisture between the layers of tape. This causes the tape to become sticky when it is time to be put on a machine for a transfer. It is imperative to bake your tapes before transferring to ensure a smooth and successful transfer; however, not all tapes can be baked! Certain formulations of tape can be damaged if baked. We know which tapes need baking, and for how long and what temperature to bake them at.
Need to Ship Your Tapes?
UPS & FedEx are preferred for shipping your tapes to us. Please email us for our Transfer Agreement Form when you ship us your tapes. We’ll add return shipping costs and a hard drive to your invoice upon completion of the transfer.
formats
- 1/4″ Mono
- 1/4″ Two Track (Half Track / Professional)
- 1/4" Two Track (Quarter Track / Consumer)
- Vinyl (33, 45 & 78 rpm)
- DAT
- ADAT (16,18 & 20 Bit)
- Cassette
- 1/2″ Two Track
- 1/2″ Four Track
- 1/2″ 8 Track
- 1″ 8 Track
- 2″ 16 Track
- 2″ 24 Track
Pricing
Multi-track:
- $50/song
- $150 minimum per reel
- $75/hr will be added for problematic tapes
(3 hours max per reel)
Stereo two track:
- $25/song
- $75 minimum per reel
Includes evaluation and standard baking times.
Contact us about bulk pricing!
Questions?
Send us an email to learn more!
Interested in purchasing a tape machine of your own?
We're home to the world's largest tape machine restoration company, Mara Machines. We fully restore and modify Sony MCI JH24 and JH110 series tape machines and ship them to clients all over the world! They are available in a variety of sizes and formats, from 1/4" 2-track to 2" 24-track and anywhere in between! Each machine comes with a 6-month warranty and a lifetime of tech support.
check out our inventory
Browse our selection or send us an email for a quote!