Restoration Time

[Malcolm]

I noticed that some people are are finding restoration a long process. I would be interested to hear from those at Diamond Cut who have restored material for sale, realizing they are very skilled by having purchased some of their work. How long would it take them to restore an early-fifties 78rpm side in good condition. Similarly how long for one track of a mid-fifties LPor45rpm disc in very good condition? Just something to have realistic expectations and a goal to shoot for.
Thanks in advance,
malcolm

[Craig Maier]

Re: Restoration Time

Rick and I both do audio restoration work with our own software program (DC Art Millennium). Some of this work is done for commercial release, and some is done for our own personal enjoyment. There are several variables that come into play in terms of the amount of effor required to do a project. If the project is for commercial release (meaning that thousands of copies are going to be pressed) we spend much more time on the process compared to personal stuff. Also, the quality of the source material comes strongly into play here. So, as a general reference, I would say that an average 78 restored for personal use takes about 10 minutes. The same recording takes about an hour and one half for commercial release since, in that case, we try to eliminate even the smallest anomoly. Live tapes are less time consuming, since they suffer at least two less generational loss process and do not have much impulsive noise thereon. I find that the toughest problem with live tape is tape dropout, which must be dealt with manually using selective editing methods. Hope this is of some use to you.