Frequently Asked Questions
If you can't find the answers you need in our service descriptions pages,
hopefully you can find some more information here. But if the worst comes to the
worst, and you still need answers, please ask us using our Feedback form, or
give us a call at any time on
1300 78 4576.
List of our most frequently asked questions:
Q. How Much Do Your Services Cost?
A. Our standard services (which include data recovery, information
separation, noise or flaw removal, cover scanning, and full digitisation) start
from around AUD$45.00 per album, tape, video, film spool, or document folder.
Basically, if it's a single album, single video, or single roll of film, we'll
abide by our standard pricing.
For specific and current pricing information, please refer to our
pricing page.
 We're not in the get-rich-quick business, nor do we wish to be taken
advantage of - so prices may vary, especially with photographs (in other words,
don't bother putting your entire family album in one plastic bag and expect
digitisation of hundreds of photos for $12.00!).
Especially with audio recoveries, we provide incredibly sophisticated,
world-leading audio editing facilities, and as it can take literally days to
recover badly-degraded recordings for a few minutes' worth of audio, it would
not be logical nor reasonable to expect us to provide this level of expertise
for nothing more than a minimal compensation! However, we always take time to examine recordings and documents
first, and we will always inform you before starting if we identify some
problem or issue that may result in excessive editing time.
Most of our customers have some idea of the quality of the recording they
supply to us, and if there's any chance of confusion, we'll bring it to your
attention before everything turns into a slanging match!
[Back to FAQ List]
Q. What If I Don't Like It?
A. The nature of our business means that the results of our work can be quite
subjective. What we consider "acceptable" or "reasonable", you may consider to be rubbish. If this kind of unfortunate incident happens, in every
case, we will try to provide you with what you consider an acceptable (or better
yet, fantastic!) result.
 In
other words, if you find a click or pop on an audio recording we've worked on,
or a flaw on a digitised photo or document, just call us to let us know you've
found a problem, and we'll fix the problem and provide you with a new copy (at
no additional charge), or we'll explain in clear language why we are unable to
repair the problem, and if possible, we'll suggest an alternative option.
In every case, we will endeavour to meet or exceed your
expectations. This is especially true for our so-called "standard" services
(which, to be fair, are far more sophisticated than most other "specialised"
service offerings)
We are lovers of music, all kinds of music, and regardless of whether we
personally enjoy a particular artist or film or image, we always endeavour to
provide a standardised, professional, and reasonable service, no matter what the
content. Hey, we're not prudes!
However, if the underlying media is flawed beyond recovery, or there are
other physical or practical reasons why we may be unable to meet your
requirements, we will always contact you first to explain the problem, what can
be done about it, and what you can expect from us. After all, that's only common
courtesy!
[Back to FAQ List]
Q. Why Should I Pay $StandardCost for a recording I can get for
$10 in a music store bargain bin?
A. That's a really good question. (Go away)
Seriously, this is one of our biggest beefs (beeves?).
In some cases, the commercial re-release of a vinyl album on CD (especially if the
material has been properly digitally re-mastered) is sometimes as good as
(or, rarely, better than) the original recording. In that case, you'd be mad to pay us
for a different copy of the same material!
Sadly, this isn't the case with most commercial CD re-releases of
vinyl (or earlier) albums recorded before about the mid-70s. Many of these CD
re-releases are just awful - we've lost count of how many commercial CDs we've
heard where you can clearly hear the stylus hitting the lead-in groove of
the record, or (more inexcusably) talking or laughter that's leaked from the
mastering booth into the CD recording. And there's just no justification for
clicks or pops or stutters on a commercial re-mastering, but they're there in a
shockingly large number of these recordings.
There's a lot to be said on the subject of the other problem CD re-release,
the "Piggybank Release" (as we call these little nightmares).
These can be identified by the tinny, reedy, thin sounding replay, where no
equalisation has been applied; or else the bass knocks holes in your walls and
you can't hear the vocals; or the mid-range has been boosted to the point where
your ears bleed - and the rest of the instrumental or backing vocal is left to
fend for itself in a muddy haze of badly unbalanced channel mixes. It's like
karaoke for the terminally stupid.
Oh, the record companies just love these releases - they cost almost
nothing to produce (they sure as hell don't pay for a producer or engineer to
match the original recording production settings!), and most people will pay
just as much for one of these awful recordings (because it's "on CD!") as they
would if the record company wasted all that money on a recording engineer who
knew an instrumental spatial position from an MP3 tag.
In that case, and especially where vinyl recordings have never been
re-released, and the only copy you have is scratched or warped, or just a bit
over-played, we can definitely provide you with a better-sounding recording than
the bargain bin box.
In most cases, the sound quality of the recording you get back from us beats
even correctly-recorded commercial re-releases. And if you have a specific
requirement for a preferred equalisation setting (to suit a particular playback
environment or specific equipment), or for channel upmixes, we can accommodate
that too.
Either way, you'll get more enjoyment out of $StandardCost than $7.50.
[Back to FAQ List]
Q. Will the CD / DVD play in any player?
A. We go to great lengths to ensure that the final recording will play in
just about any player. However, older players or worn or damaged players will
obviously have problems playing any recordings.
 We
try to ensure (as far as technically possible) that the
CD (or DVD) will work in old players, car players, portable equipment, and just
about any other player you may have. Of course, this assumes your player is in
full working order, and has no modifications to bypass or contravene existing
technical media standards. This means Playstations and
other toys that have been imported or modified may not play the media we provide.
Unfortunately, that's your problem, not ours. Sorry!
We only use premium quality recordable media, media-compatible inks, and our
mastering and recording processes ensure that what is put on the CD, stays on
the CD.
[Back to FAQ List]
Q. Exactly how long will the digital copy last?
A. It depends. How long is a piece of string?
If the CD/DVD we provide to you is handled correctly, stored properly, and
not left in the sun or on top of a furnace or put in a microwave oven or chewed
by Cujo, then
you can reasonably expect the media to last for at least
10 years. Some manufacturers claim 50 years or more, but that's, um,
unlikely, unless they've tested it in the TARDIS or they know something the rest
of us don't...
In practice, although we use only premium quality media, we don't have
any
control over changes the manufacturer may make in the production of that
media, whether by accident or design.
We should point out that current CD and
DVD recording technology relies completely on the stability of organic dyes to
preserve the digital recording. Whether these dyes will last for 10 years, or
50, or a thousand years, we
honestly can't say with any reliability. We can guess, but that's about it.
 What
we can tell you is that if you make a digital copy of the media
before the lifetime of the dye is exceeded, then that copy should last
another X years (assuming recording technology continues to improve), and so on.
And, because you now have a digital copy, it is
extremely unlikely that any information could be lost during the copying process.
We do everything possible to ensure that
the digital copy we provide to you will last at least as long as the
manufacturer guarantees, and contains all the information needed to
recreate the copy perfectly if needed.
[Back to FAQ List]
Q. Do You Pick Up And Deliver?
A. Yep. Anywhere in the greater Melbourne metropolitan area (this includes
Sunbury, Melton, Geelong, and the Peninsula) is fine by us. Or you can post or
courier items to us, or drop them in yourself!
Obviously, international and overseas customers (Cocos and Christmas Islands,
Fiji, New Zealand, and so on) will need to package and post the recordings. We
would suggest 'sandwiching' LPs between tough cardboard layers and using a
good-quality padded post pack. For detailed instructions on packaging various recordings, check out the Shipping section on our pricing page.
[Back to FAQ List]
Q. What About Copyright?
A. Good question. Next?
 Copyright
is a bitterly complex and technical issue. Basically, it boils down to this:
If you own the original recording or image, and
you can present that to us (which is pretty much implied in our service
requirements - i.e. no item, no service), we are entitled to make one, and only
one, copy of the original item for your personal use. The copy we make is
covered by the original article's copyright agreement - which means you are
specifically not permitted to copy it further, publish it, or broadcast it in
any way in contravention of the original copyright.
Audiography complies in principle and practice with
all copyright laws and digital amendments in Australia, and we will
endeavour to comply in every respect with national and international copyright
treaties and obligations in all other countries.
What this means is that by law, we can make one, and only one,
permanent copy of an original item, as long as we provide that item and it's
digital replica to you, and we then remove any other
intermediate or working image permanently from our system. If you break
or lose the copy we provide to you, you must furnish us with the original again
in order for us to recover and recreate the digital copy.
We do not keep any
copy of any client data on any of our runtime or backup systems.
Ever.
In addition, the copy we provide to you has all legal copyright mechanisms
intact, and is always clearly labeled as a legitimate copy made for you and only
you. This means that some player mechanisms may be unable to play the copy - in
which case, unless we've made a mistake in the recovery or mastering process,
you may need to use a different player. (Please see the
compatibility question for more information).
If you ask us to recover or copy an unlabelled recording that appears to be
copyrighted material that you are unable to prove you own the copyright to, be it cassette
tape, CD, video, or DVD, we are unfortunately unable to assist you. This
includes MP3, AVI, OGG, and any other lossy or lossless computer recording.
[Back to FAQ List]
Q. I Need A Copy For a Mate...
A1. Don't even think about it. See the copyright
question for clarification.
 A2.
If you are a law-enforcement official or government
agency, and you can authorise and provide independent and verifiable legal
authority, we will of course be willing to assist in any way required by law.
For access to copyrighted material currently on our systems, you will of
course be required to provide the appropriate reference to the 1968 Copyrights
Act and/or the 2000 Digital Amendments, together with a warrant for the
material.
For access to other material, please contact us beforehand and we will make
arrangements to provide all lawful information.
[Back to FAQ List]
Q. Why do you keep saying "reduce or
eliminate" noise? Why can't you just get rid of it?
A. This is a really good question. (For a technical answer to this and other issues, see our Wear and Tear page).
Basically, we can eliminate some noises without affecting the actual
recording of interest. This is especially true for noises that are very
different to the underlying audio. However, some noises are very similar to the
recording itself, and we can't just 'get rid of' these noises, because if we do,
we'll also remove that part of the original recording!
For example, most 'clicks' and 'pops' fall into the fairly easily removed
category. They are very large (compared with the rest of the recording), they
are quite
 short, and there's usually enough recorded sound "around" them to be
able to reconstruct the sound that they replaced. It's a lot like seeing a dark
spot on a scanned photograph - on a plain background, the spot stands out, but
it can easily be "cut out" and replaced by nearby pixels so to all intents and
purposes, it can't be seen anymore.
We need to emphasise here that in nearly all cases, we can remove the sudden
noise without affecting the original audio content. So there's no
'missing' recording, or silence - the underlying audio is restored, although it
is changed somewhat by the process. However, since these types of noise are
usually less than a thousandth of a second long, the results can't be
distinguished, even by the best amplifiers and speakers. Anyone who tells you
different is trying to sell you something!
The second type of noise can be incredibly difficult to remove without
damaging the audio content we're trying to preserve.
This second type of noise is typically a hiss or "grinding" that is usually
caused by wear and tear of the disc or tape. In vinyl records, this noise is
created within the record groove itself. It's usually caused by repeated playing
of the record, and is made far worse by grit and dirt getting caught between the
needle and the record.
Since a vinyl record reproduces sounds by moving the
needle up and down (and left and right, see the photograph at left), when the recording is worn, there's
nothing to move the needle; so instead of a nice musical sound, you hear only
the grinding of the needle against the record.
This noise is especially noticeable when playing back high frequency recorded
sounds - for example, when someone says (or sings) 'S' or 'TH', or during
complex sounds, like orchestral playing. Of course, since these types of sounds
(or frequencies) are recorded on the disc, they need to move the needle very
quickly up and down and left and right - it's kind of like playing sandpaper. So
these sounds are not only most affected by wear and tear, they are much more
difficult to 'clean up'.
Tape players use a very different mechanism for recording sounds, but
repeated playing of a tape will cause very similar problems - the lubricated
film protecting the tape wears out, then the tape head starts scraping against
the recording medium, and that's like driving along a highway
holding your hand on the road!
To completely remove this type of noise from the original recording, without
noticeably affecting the original recording can be done, but unfortunately not
by us using our standard services. It takes many hundreds of hours of computer time to correctly
identify the noise, separate it from the recording, and reconstruct the original
recording. Unless we have access to the master tapes, it's effectively
impossible to do.
[Back to FAQ List]
Q. Why don't you use "Disk Doctor" or <etc>,
instead of software?
A. There are two ways to remove noises from audio recordings - hardware (also
called 'in-line' filters) and software.
 The advantages of hardware filters (which are always some combination of
resistors, capacitors, and inductors, in various "L" or "T" configurations,
sometimes attached to a small amplifier) are that they are relatively easy to
set up to "catch" various noises and undesirable effects. They are also
(usually) fairly cheap, and they usually have a consistent effect on the audio
signal that can be compensated against.
The problem with using only hardware filters, is that they always
affect all the audio signal in some way. Vendors of these products will
state categorically that they only suppress such-and-such a frequency, or that
they "split" the signal in some way so that the rest of the signal is
unaffected, and various other reasons why you should part with your cash and
stick their little grey box between your turntable and your amplifier.
In most cases, and particularly with extremely well-designed devices, like
the "Disk Doctor" designed by Silicon Chip magazine, they do have an effect on bad noises coming from your turntable, and can in some cases even
eliminate really bad noises from some really bad recordings, so they aren't a
complete waste of time and money.
 Unfortunately, component manufacturing being what it is, the components used
in the vast majority of such devices have some appreciable (although usually
small) tolerance. Some, unfortunately, have massive great "tolerances" that must
be specified at a particular temperature, humidity, and air pressure! Having
said that, even the finest, hand-carved metallised polyester capacitive films,
lovingly potted in military-grade epoxy, with hand-turned connecting wires, and
individually hand-placed in a Nobel-prize winning configuration by
third-generation Swiss watchmakers will affect all of the audio signal to some
measurable extent.
The problem isn't that these devices don't work - it's that they do
work, but not always the way you'd expect! For someone who just wants to hear a
record again, and doesn't mind (or can't hear) the distortion left behind by
these devices (for example, if the CD is played through typical PC speakers, or
$9.95 earbuds from a consumer electronics store), the hardware answer is probably going to be acceptable.
For the rest of us, where it's important to be able to distinguish the string
section from the horns, or to be able to hear the background chatter on a live
album, or where we're trying to preserve as much of the original recording, as
closely as possible to what's actually left on the disc or tape, hardware
filtering on its own just doesn't cut the mustard.
But (and here's the really important bit) : neither does software! That's why we use both hardware and software to tailor
our recordings. (No, we don't use (and therefore we can't specifically
recommend) a commercially available hardware filter).
Using the software and hardware equipment that we do, we can not only actually distinguish
different frequencies, but we can distinguish between different instruments
on the same recording! To be sure, using software filters and noise reduction can affect more than we expect - this is the main problem with most of the free and popular "click eliminators" and "scratch filters" that are on the market. While their 'presets' and "sound configurations" work with some recordings, they don't work at all with other recordings!
So we've selected, and use, a particular software package that, together with
our recording hardware configuration, allows us to apply all the filters and
modifiers we want, where we want them, and in the order we want. The filters we
use are all completely configurable, so not only can we apply the same filter in
a different way, we can apply the same filter on a very different recording, and
still tune the filter accordingly! It sounds like nerd heaven, but what it means
is that when we find a particular combination of noise suppression that works
really well on one recording, we can 'fit' it to a completely different
recording, say one that nothing else works on. This is fun for us, and the
results work for you.
 Everyone has a pet - a pet peeve, a pet theory, a pet name. We're no
different. But we've tried all the sound pets available, and we've made our own
pet, a sort of cat-mouse-tiger-rhino, that lets us get the most out of your
recordings and in to your ears. We call him "Harvey"...
[Back to FAQ List]
| 
