Analog Reel-To-Reel, Cassette and Digital Tape Transfer

Quality is important to us at Creative Audio Works, and a superior audio tape transfer service of analog reel-to-reel, cassette tape, and digital tape conversion starts with state-of-the-art equipment. All our machines are calibrated regularly and kept in excellent working condition.

We transfer all ¼” analog reel-to-reel tapes to High-resolution 24-bit/96kHz WAV files

This includes any of the following tape head formats:

¼” Mono
¼” Stereo
¼” Quarter track stereo (4 track)
¼” 4-track
¼” 8-track, 7.5 ips and 15 ips, Tascam and Fostex

We transfer all cassette formats to High-resolution 24-bit/96kHz WAV files

The following cassette tape formats are supported:

Mono Cassette                                               DAT   
Stereo Cassette                                             ADAT (Alesis) 
Micro and mini dictation Cassette              DA88 (Tascam, Studer)
4-track Cassette
8-track, Cassette

¼” Eight Track Reel-To-Reel and Eight Track Cassette Transfer

We also support Fostex ¼” inch 8 track reel-to-reel recordings made on R8, and M80 decks, Tascam 388 decks as well as Tascam 238, 488, and 688 cassette decks.

We can transfer reel-to-reel tapes recorded at the following speeds:

1 ⅞” or 1.875 inches per second (ips), (4.76 cm per second)
3 ¾” or 3.75 inches per second (ips), (9.525 cm per second)
7.5 inches per second (ips), (19.05 cm per second)
15 inches per second (ips), (38.1 cm per second)
30 inches per second (ips), (76.2 cm per second)

½” Eight Track Reel-To-Reel Transfer

Creative Audio Works audio tape transfer service can transfer ½” analog eight-track reel-to-reel tape with or without DBX noise reduction to hi-resolution (96k/24bit) digital audio files. We use a custom head arrangement crafted by John French of JRF Magnetics. In this setup, the erase and record heads are replaced with rollers to reduce drag and pitch fluctuations (wow and flutter).

This recording is the group Birdsongs of the Mesozoic, a live performance performed at the North Shore Music Theatre, Beverly MA., on September 18, 1987. Originally recorded on a Sony PCM 501 modified with Apogee ADDA converters.

Reel-to-reel and cassette repair

Reel-to-reel tapes, cassettes, and microcassettes can experience physical damage. They can snap, pull out from the end of one spool hub, or become wrapped around a part of the player’s transport. We have the tools to repair these problems and minimize any loss of original recording.

We can also repair broken, tangled, and poorly stored open reel tapes

Sticky Tape Syndrome

From the late 1970s onward, Tapes may suffer from “sticky tape syndrome,” caused by the deterioration of the binders in the magnetic tape. Careful, slow heating, a technique referred to as “tape baking,” is necessary to reverse this problem. Creative Audio Works offers an all-in-one package that includes tape baking, using our Fisher Scientific incubator, and transfer to digital files.

Reviews of our Audio Transfer work