Sometimes the real Tech Tip resides right in the question, as is the case here.
“We made the big mistake of using old DDS (computer) backup tapes to record audio when we ran out of standard DAT tapes. We have a ton of the DDS tapes sitting around, so it seemed like a good use for them. This was before we read your TTOTD entry on the difference between the two (see TTOTD 5/28/98). Oops! …and Ouch! They worked well for a while, but then they started dropping out like crazy, and then breaking. Yes. It was scary. We were really lucky they didn’t tangle up inside the machine. It was a Sony PCM-M1, which would have been very difficult to clear a tape jam from. So there’s a lesson there in using audio DAT tapes for audio, and not DDS. But my question is: We are now stuck with some valuable recordings on the broken DDS tapes. Is there somewhere that we can send these tapes to have the material transferred off safely? I do not want to try splicing the tape myself and putting it back in our own machines. I don’t want to press my luck too far. Can we rescue those recordings?”
No, you’re pretty much screwed. Okay, the news isn’t quite that bad, but close. You have a couple of avenues that may yield results. There are a number of data retrieval companies that specialize in recovering lost data from hard drives and tape backups. There is a chance you may find one that can recover your audio recordings and recreate them either on another DAT or load them as .wav files you can pull off with a DAW. This can be expensive and they usually demand payment in advance for obvious reasons. Your other choice is to find a studio or (more likely) a mastering facility that is experienced in working with lots of different formats. The good facility will be able to tell you if they are competent to splice the tape back together and what the results are likely to be. There’s a pretty good chance you can recover most of the material on the tapes. I don’t have a specific recommendation for either of these as I have never been faced with this type of problem, but I can tell you I have had good experience recovering data with a company called Drive Savers (www.drivesavers.com). There are many other reputable companies who may be more comfortable with the audio material.
