Digitizing records, cassettes, and reel-to-reel tapes:
I would recognize your voice out of a hundred!
We have recordings where we cannot see the old faces, but a single voice brings back every memory.
We store these on our favorite audio carriers from the past 40 years: records, tapes, and cassettes. Do you have some in your closet too?
Whether it's a fond memory of grandma's bedtime story, or a beloved spiritual educational material, saving them is no obstacle for the Memory Savers (Emlékmentők)!
What happens if you leave them in their old formats?
Sooner or later, they will degrade so much that you won't be able to listen to them anymore. Not only is it hard to find a suitable player today, but using them further damages the tapes and records. With reel-to-reel recordings, the iron oxide layer sometimes falls off the tape during playback.
Saving these recordings is one of our specialties; we can save up to 20 hours of material daily. What's more! Several of our restored recordings have even been used as evidence in court proceedings.
For reel-to-reel tapes, there is an assessment fee that must be paid in advance. This helps you save money, because if the tape only contains useless radio recordings, you can decide not to request the backup, or only a small part of it. You can read more about the assessment fee here!
Why shouldn't you hesitate with digitization?
- If you modernize these materials, you won't need to buy a record player or repair old machines!
- You can listen to the recordings anytime; their quality won't deteriorate further!
- You can share them with your loved ones via the internet, and they even make a fantastic gift!
What exactly does our service include?
- creating the digital recording,
- noise reduction (crackle, pop, background noise),
- conversion to MP3 (320 kbit) upon request (extra charge),
- and even copying it to a flash drive.
- If you request the backup on a CD (3,199 HUF per write), this will include:
-writing to a Verbatim CD,
-the CD case,
-and printing the recording's title on the disc as well.
We can digitize the following recordings for you:
You can take these with you in 3 different formats:
Audio CD: Uncompressed audio, written to a CD, printed with a title. (3,199 HUF/disc)
Wav: Uncompressed audio, but this can be copied to a flash drive.
MP3: Compressed but high-quality (320kbit/s) audio, also copyable to anything.
Would you like to know more about digitizing these records and tapes?
For frequently asked questions, click HERE!
We have some useful advice for you before you order from us, it's worth reading quickly!
What should you do before bringing your records and cassettes to us?
- Label the materials (if you know what's on them)!
- Decide in advance whether you need the whole thing or just a part of the audio material?
- If you want multiple copies, indicate it on the order form, so you don't have to wait for us to copy them for you.
- If you are unsure about the usage, book an appointment for Expert Advice; our colleagues will gladly give you some useful tips to help you decide!
Book an appointment for Expert advice and drop-off, or drop the materials in the store using the Fast Lane (or send them by post/courier), and we'll take care of the rest! (Our postal address: 1141 Bp., Cinkotai út 12. or you can send your memories via GLS courier as well, which you can also order on our website.)
Why shouldn't you wait with saving your audio memories?
| If you digitize your audio materials | If you don't digitize them |
|---|---|
| In compressed MP3 or uncompressed WAV format, they only take up space on your computer. | Players will be increasingly difficult to service; it is already a real challenge now. |
| You can throw away the originals, sell vinyl records, and the players too. | The tapes age, dry out, and the iron oxide begins to flake off. |
| You can listen to them anytime, in seconds – no searching. | It will be difficult to digitize them later. |
| Their quality will never deteriorate again – if stored safely, they will last forever! | The originals collect dust and take up space in the apartment. |
Don't delay their digitization any longer!
Book an appointment right now!
UH-OH Guarantee!
Accidents can happen to anyone with freshly received recordings: e.g., if you take it on a flash drive, the electronics might give out. So that you don't have to pay the digitization cost again in such cases, we keep the recordings for 3 days. This gives you time to back up the recordings to a safe place.
Lasting Experience Guarantee (M.É.G)
Emlékmentő Kft. is committed to using and distributing high-quality storage media, so for every storage medium created or purchased from us, we provide a special, lifetime: Bit-saving service.
This means that if the CD, DVD we wrote, or the storage medium you bought from us malfunctions, and the data can be recovered by software, you get a 50% discount on the recovery price, regardless of when the storage medium was created or purchased.
Details and redemption conditions here!
Price list excerpt
| Service | Price |
|---|---|
| Saving and filtering of one vinyl record | 7,999 HUF |
| Digitization and basic noise reduction of a Shellac gramophone record | 7,399 HUF |
| Saving of 7-inch singles and 12-inch maxi vinyl records | 7,399 HUF |
| Machine cleaning of records with a record washing device | 3,999 HUF |
| Saving and filtering of a 60-minute audio cassette | 7,999 HUF |
| Saving and filtering of a 90-minute audio cassette | 9,999 HUF |
| Tracking (splitting into tracks) | 599 HUF/cut |
| Reel-to-reel tape assessment + telephone consultation (includes 30 mins of saving) | 20,999 HUF |
| Saving reel-to-reel tape (from the 31st minute) per 30 minutes | 9,999 HUF |
| Machine drying, "baking" of reel-to-reel tape (AMPEX, SCOTCH) | 15,999 HUF |
| Saving studio magnetic tapes (NAB, AEG) per 30 minutes | 20,999 HUF |
| Splicing/gluing of reel-to-reel tape | 999 HUF/pc |
| Saving from Minidisc (per 45 minutes) | 8,399 HUF |
| Saving from DAT / DCC cassette (per 60 minutes) | 11,499 HUF |
| Dictaphone microcassette saving (per program hour) | 8,399 HUF |
| Dictaphone assessment and saving (requires deposit, per program hour) | 8,399 HUF |
| Complex editing of audio recordings, per minute | 599 HUF |
| Writing backup to long-life CD | 7,399 HUF |
| Printing CD disc with track titles | 3,199 HUF |
| Professional audio retouching | +50% surcharge |
| MP3 conversion | +50% surcharge |
Perfect copy – CD cover and disc graphics
We scan the cover of the cassette or record, retouch it, and convert it into a CD front and back cover, complete with spine text.
The printable surface of the CD disc also receives graphics in the style of the cover. Precise graphic work, printed on quality photo paper. A demanding, unique gift!
10,499 HUF
Curious about what we have saved so far?
The company and memory saving were still in their infancy when our biggest audio order to date arrived: 50 records had to be saved and written to CD. The client collected dance house records and festival recordings; the collection consisted entirely of such records. First, we recorded the records in CD quality, then cleaned their sound from crackles and pops. We wrote it to a CD and printed the tracklist on every disc. We even delivered it to Szigetszentmiklós! It was very interesting that their house also followed the mood of the records: a neat peasant house with lots of raw wood, a beehive oven, and checkered tablecloths. The client really liked the end result, quickly stacked the CDs in the prepared place on the shelf, and put in the first one!
Sándor, besides being a Russian-English-Hungarian simultaneous interpreter, is crazy about fairy tales; in his youth, he prepared to be an ethnographer. He came to us with a bag full of reel-to-reel tapes, on which he recorded fairy tales collected in Transylvanian and Southern Hungarian villages. We saved them all, and even managed to improve the background noises and hisses. One big problem arose towards the end of the backup: he lost his job by the time of the handover. So we agreed on an installment payment plan with him: 20 CDs were made from his tapes; whenever he has a little money from casual jobs, he drops by, and we give him a few discs. He was able to pay and take the whole package in about half a year, and he was very grateful for the interest-free installment option.
We often receive language learning cassettes that follow the theme of a book. We break down every cassette into tracks, so the material can be skipped just like on a CD. We can still break down the German-English teaching material into tracks, but sometimes a French-Spanish, or even Russian cassette pops in. In such cases, we usually suggest saving the cassette as Side A and Side B exactly as they are, and giving it to the client to listen to and write down the cut points. This way, we can cut exactly where the book's lessons are. Sometimes the client prefers to leave the cutting to us; this is always subject to a surcharge, because we have to learn the pronunciation of numbers from 1 to 25 in the given language at least, to recognize the lesson changes :)
What happens after dropping off the audio materials?
- At the time of material drop-off, we ask for your details and contact information so that we can consult you when the backup is ready, or if any questions arise (e.g., in case of a tape break or the need for a case replacement).
- We prepare the digital material by the agreed time and gather the original recordings so you can take them with you.
- You can also listen to the finished material before receiving it.
- You receive the material and the original recordings.
- We keep the digital files for another 3 days, just in case something happens…
Don't let the memories preserved on tapes fade into oblivion either!
Have them digitized at Emlékmentő!
Would you like to get even more out of your audio materials?
We are happy to create a custom cover and CD appearance; this is called a perfect copy! A unique and creative surprise for a birthday or anniversary!
Do you have a question? Ask it here!
