I am a Quad-head that owns a one room project studio.
I saw the post by Kap'n Crunch that he no longer can do conversions.
In the past I have made back-ups of my reel tapes and CD-4 discs to DVD-Audio. As a result I have been able to extend the life of my quad recordings by playing the back-ups instead of the tapes or LPs.
In a month or so, I may be able to provide such a service to forum members. I want to
get a feel for the demand such a service would command before I commit my time to the project.
My current quad source equipment includes a Tascam 44 reel to reel, a Teac AN-300 quad Dolby B decoder, a Marantz CD-400B CD-4 demodulator,
and an Akai CR-80D-SS (that needs minor repair).
My table is a Denon DP-60L with a Signet AM40 Shibata cartridge.
I can borrow a Sansui QSD2 from a friend as well. It does QS and has a full logic SQ decoder . If spending money permits, I might get a Fosgate 101A down the road.
I can record to Cubase at 24/48 and output the files to Discwelder Bronze for
rendering to DVD-Audio. The 48K sample rate is the limit that Discwelder imposes on non-stereo material. This is because it does not include MLP. However, a 24/48 backup will sound extremely close to the original analog media.
I have another potential technical advantage for those who wish to get back-ups of their quad discs. I am planning a purchase of a Mac and Pure Vinyl software for it sometime in the next 6 months. Michael Fremer of Stereophile magazine did a review of this LP archiving software. You can find it here:
http://stereophile.com/phonopreamps/pure_vinyl_lp_recording_amp_editing_software/
To make a long story short, he compares the digital RIAA equalization that comes with Pure Vinyl to a pair of expensive hardware phono preamps from Seta. He liked the hardware a lot, but he liked the software better. Read the review. You'll see Fremer loved the Pure Vinyl digital equalization. And he's an analog freak.
To use the digital RIAA EQ in Pure Vinyl, you need the right model of A/D converter. I have a MOTU Traveler, which is listed on the Pure Vinyl test site as a compatible A/D converter.
Fremer says the digital equalizer produces, "superior transient response".
Specifically, the "digital version tightened and clarified the attack and solidified the entire picture. Mush (of the analog filter) became tightly clarified punch." He goes on to say that "the digital RIAA equalization's subjective neutrality revealed and resolved far more detail, particularly of low-level information occurring in the same frequency range as high-level information."
For SQ and QS recordings, I can use this technology to create a better source file than most quad LP equipment owners have in their arsenal. Since QS and SQ decoders take a post-RIAA equalized signal at their inputs, there is no technical problem with this approach.
I'd really like to be able to apply this superior technology to CD-4. Unfortunately, there is a hitch. My Marantz CD-400B will not demodulate the CD-4 without first applying analog RIAA equalization.
So I pose a question:
Does anyone know of a CD-4 demodulator that does not apply RIAA equalization? If not, does anyone have a schematic of the CD-400B and the technical know-how to tell me how to bypass the equalization board inside the demodulator?
Well, I digressed. This would be a future option. So back to the subject at hand.
If you are interested in conversions for back up of your quad media, be aware that I will only make this service available to people with a factory original copy of the tape or LP.
I will not help anyone violate copy-write laws. To take advantage of this service, you will have to send the original to me so I can verify that you own a license for this music. I will not accept any form of file-sharing. Of course, I will send the original back with a DVD-Audio disc.
I will charge $25 for a single title, $20 each for two titles and $15 each for five or more titles. I will pay return shipping via media mail. I have a great deal of money invested in my studio and my quad equipment. My time is also valuable. I feel these are reasonable prices.
If you are interested, please let me know.
Steven Kastner
I saw the post by Kap'n Crunch that he no longer can do conversions.
In the past I have made back-ups of my reel tapes and CD-4 discs to DVD-Audio. As a result I have been able to extend the life of my quad recordings by playing the back-ups instead of the tapes or LPs.
In a month or so, I may be able to provide such a service to forum members. I want to
get a feel for the demand such a service would command before I commit my time to the project.
My current quad source equipment includes a Tascam 44 reel to reel, a Teac AN-300 quad Dolby B decoder, a Marantz CD-400B CD-4 demodulator,
and an Akai CR-80D-SS (that needs minor repair).
My table is a Denon DP-60L with a Signet AM40 Shibata cartridge.
I can borrow a Sansui QSD2 from a friend as well. It does QS and has a full logic SQ decoder . If spending money permits, I might get a Fosgate 101A down the road.
I can record to Cubase at 24/48 and output the files to Discwelder Bronze for
rendering to DVD-Audio. The 48K sample rate is the limit that Discwelder imposes on non-stereo material. This is because it does not include MLP. However, a 24/48 backup will sound extremely close to the original analog media.
I have another potential technical advantage for those who wish to get back-ups of their quad discs. I am planning a purchase of a Mac and Pure Vinyl software for it sometime in the next 6 months. Michael Fremer of Stereophile magazine did a review of this LP archiving software. You can find it here:
http://stereophile.com/phonopreamps/pure_vinyl_lp_recording_amp_editing_software/
To make a long story short, he compares the digital RIAA equalization that comes with Pure Vinyl to a pair of expensive hardware phono preamps from Seta. He liked the hardware a lot, but he liked the software better. Read the review. You'll see Fremer loved the Pure Vinyl digital equalization. And he's an analog freak.
To use the digital RIAA EQ in Pure Vinyl, you need the right model of A/D converter. I have a MOTU Traveler, which is listed on the Pure Vinyl test site as a compatible A/D converter.
Fremer says the digital equalizer produces, "superior transient response".
Specifically, the "digital version tightened and clarified the attack and solidified the entire picture. Mush (of the analog filter) became tightly clarified punch." He goes on to say that "the digital RIAA equalization's subjective neutrality revealed and resolved far more detail, particularly of low-level information occurring in the same frequency range as high-level information."
For SQ and QS recordings, I can use this technology to create a better source file than most quad LP equipment owners have in their arsenal. Since QS and SQ decoders take a post-RIAA equalized signal at their inputs, there is no technical problem with this approach.
I'd really like to be able to apply this superior technology to CD-4. Unfortunately, there is a hitch. My Marantz CD-400B will not demodulate the CD-4 without first applying analog RIAA equalization.
So I pose a question:
Does anyone know of a CD-4 demodulator that does not apply RIAA equalization? If not, does anyone have a schematic of the CD-400B and the technical know-how to tell me how to bypass the equalization board inside the demodulator?
Well, I digressed. This would be a future option. So back to the subject at hand.
If you are interested in conversions for back up of your quad media, be aware that I will only make this service available to people with a factory original copy of the tape or LP.
I will not help anyone violate copy-write laws. To take advantage of this service, you will have to send the original to me so I can verify that you own a license for this music. I will not accept any form of file-sharing. Of course, I will send the original back with a DVD-Audio disc.
I will charge $25 for a single title, $20 each for two titles and $15 each for five or more titles. I will pay return shipping via media mail. I have a great deal of money invested in my studio and my quad equipment. My time is also valuable. I feel these are reasonable prices.
If you are interested, please let me know.
Steven Kastner
