First I downloaded Audacity and borrowed my grandson's boombox. Since I am not a sound engineer, I wasn't sure what adjustments to make to clean up the sound. Next I purchased a different software program but my Windows upgrade made it unusable before I got around to using it.
I spoke with band personnel in both the US Army Band and our local High School band but couldn't get any recommendations. My dilemma increased.
This is what I wanted to preserve: my parents recordings of family gatherings in the 1940s ( the voices of my parents, aunts, uncles and cousins.), a 2002 concert of my great-grandfathers music from Norway in honor of his 150th birthday, a letter from my mother and her sisters during their cruise in 1973, and my daughter Laura's senior concert on clarinet in 1989.
Finally I went searching online for a company doing this work. I found a company that appeared to meet my needs and checked out their reviews. I e-mailed the company to be sure they could do what I needed. When the answer was positive, I took a deep breath, boxed up my cassettes and sent them off! It took longer than expected but I received my CDs back last week as promised along with the original cassettes. I am thrilled with the results and will be making copies to share with my eight siblings and twenty one first cousins who will here their ancestors voices once again!
What is the name of this company? I also have things that could be transcribed and I imagine others do as well.
ReplyDeleteThe company I used is Southtree and their website is southtree.com. They also do video.
DeleteGlad you were lucky and they didn't lose your tapes. My friend had a terrible experience with Southtree. Southtree lost one of their tapes. You can read about it and a dozen other one star complaints on Yelp. Plus they have 38 Better Business Bureau complaints. To everyone -- please do your homework before sending out your precious memories.
ReplyDelete-Tabitha
Tabitha, I saw the comments on Yelp today after this blog was published. I read those comments with awe that I had such a different experience. It appears that all the comments are dated between Oct 2012 and Jan 2013. Several also mentioned Groupon. Perhaps they were overwhelmed with orders. I sent in my tapes in early November and within a week received an email confirming their delivery. In December I got a phone call and an email letting me know that they were behind and asking if I really needed delivery for Christmas. Since I had not made any Christmas promises I said I was OK with the delay. About Jan 10 by phone that my cds were ready and were being shipped. I was also offered a discount for any inconvenience. I am happy with the service I received but you are right we should all do our homework.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful treasure, Donna. I'm so glad that the conversion worked out and you are happy with the results. I agree that sometimes the Groupon sales can overwhelm a small company, but it's good to keep up on the reviews. Congrats!
ReplyDelete