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!
