FAQ6

Sound Recordings

Digital projects related to Slavic sound recordings usually do not present specific problems caused by their Slavic nature. Slavic sound recordings are found in media formats that are no longer in common use such as wax cylinders and 78 r.p.m. phonograph records as well as formats that are still widely accessible. Digitization can allow for some correction of flaws in the original media, such as noise caused by scratches, dirt on physical media and magnetic tape hiss.

Since Slavic digital projects dealing with sound recordings usually do not present problems specific to their Slavic subject matter, general guidelines for the planning of digital sound projects can often be followed. For example, guidelines for digital sound projects have been prepared by the Colorado Digitization Program. RLG DigiNews has also published a paper by Robert Grotke concerning key factors to consider when transferring analog-based audio materials to digital formats. Another useful resource regarding digital audio best practices is The NINCH Guide to Good Practice in the Digital Representation and Management of Cultural Heritage Materials.

In their paper "Digitizing Speech Recordings for Archival Purposes", Bartek Plichta and Mark Kornbluh address the case of digitization of spoken word recordings.