Meeting of the SC-03-02 Working Group on Transfer Technologies of the SC-03 Subcommittee on the Preservation and Restoration of Audio Recording, held in Amsterdam, 2008-05-18

The meeting was convened by sub-committee chair L. Gaustad.

The agenda and the report of the previous meeting, held in New York, NY., US., 2007-10-06, were approved as written.

Development projects

AES-X064: Test methods and materials for archival mechanical media
Project scope: Production of a limited series of a test record set including a re-edition of the IEC PUB 98 coarse-groove 78-RPM test frequency record and a lateral-cut geometrical and level test calibration record, with adequate technical and historical documentation and instructions for use in calibrating a playback system.

Assigned to: SC-03-02, Initiated: 1997
Intent: Information document, Target: 2008
Current goal: Status report, Goal date: 2008-06

It was proposed to rename this project, "Calibration material, 78 rpm coarse-groove discs" to clarify its purpose.

Further discussion revolved around the difficulties of producting a correction curve for the fact that the coarse groove pressing is in vinyl and not in shellac. A original test record was identified at the British Library Sound Archive and this will be use to produce the correction curve by the end of 2008-08.

The question of producing a microgroove test record was postponed and will need to be initiated as a separate project under the working group.

The same goes for a test cylinder.

AES-X106: Styli shape and size for transfer of records
Project scope: to identify the mechanical part of the interface between a mechanical record and an electrical signal representative of the intended information stored by the mechanical record. The standard will propose a set of guidelines to ensure optimal retrieval of the recorded information in various groove systems used in mechanical recording.

Assigned to: SC-03-02, Initiated: 2000-02
Intent: Information Document, Target: 2008
Current goal: PWD, Goal date: 2008-10
Status: Draft discussed and revised; Sec to format as PWD

There was some disussion on the usefulness of recommending procedures that implemented the use of special microscopes in measuring groove size and geometry.

It was felt that this would be outside the competence of the ordinary sound archivist/transfer technician.

One such excample is the "stylus size calculator" used by the Sound Archives at Harvard University, US.

A draft paper has been on the reflector site for quite some time. It was decided that the paper should be used by the secratariat in fornmatting the excisting skeleton draft into a PWD.

Liaisons

There were no other liaison issues.

New Projects

No new projects were received or proposed.

New business

There was no new business.

The next meeting will be scheduled in conjunction with the AES 125th Convention in San Francisco, CA., US, 2008-10.