[Coco] Cassete reading

Tue Dec 11 22:22:33 EST 2012

Hi,

First look at the tapes for physical damage. I have had audio tapes that the 
coating just fell off.

> Maybe rewind/FF a couple of times before using them? Yes, but use a player 
> that does not stretch tapes.

The best advice to perhaps the use the very best player you have, a Stereo 
player for music not Tandy's Computer tape deck for sure. Borrow from a 
friend if needed.

The first time you attempt to play a tape, record it digitally if possible. 
The entire tape. You may not have a second attempt, but analog to another 
tape is the second best option. Digital would allow level changing, but 
editing doing any good is very unlikely. PC programs are available to 
convert to CoCo emulator formats.

Before starting, record some brand new tapes and listen to them on the CoCo. 
You soon will be able to tell by ear what a good recording sounds like. Get 
the playback level right with a fresh recording.

Clean the tape head, capstan and any guides. (I have two bottles of tape 
head cleaner. Never run out.)

Demagnetize the heads.

Hope for the best. Our floppy disks are sometimes unreadable these days.

SHF

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Gustavo Ranaur Schoenaker" <ranaur at ranaur.net>
To: "CoCoList for Color Computer Enthusiasts" <coco at maltedmedia.com>
Sent: Tuesday, December 11, 2012 6:39 PM
Subject: [Coco] Cassete reading

> Hi Folks!
>
> Anyone here have experience to ressucitate old tapes?
>
> I have around 100 cassete tapes with CoCo programs that I would like to
> "digitalize".
> Well, many programs I probably can find in the net, but there are some
> programs I made by myself, or maybe I can unbury something lost long ago
> ...
>
> What are the best programs to use? I have an Windows XP and MacOSX or
> anything virtualboxed.
>
> The "hardware" I have is an old MSX datacorder and an USB tape player
> (Jansen).
>
> The tapes are very, very old. And maybe are damaged by the time.
>
> Should I do some treatment with them before reading? Maybe rewind/FF a
> couple of times before using them?
>
> Any digital archeology tips?
>
> I'll put my progress in a spreadsheet, for those who want to follow the
> adventure ...
>
> https://public.sheet.zoho.com/public/ranaur/trs-80-ranaur-s-cassetes
>
> Wish me luck!
>
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