Let’s Back Up Your Music!

There are many professions in the world that use computers, including composers, arrangers, lyricists and performers, and in today's world, computers are essential for preserving music. You should be very careful when managing data.

So, let's take another look at the music data on various recording media and make sure it can be stored semi-permanently. There is also some minor information, so please read to the end.

-Explanation for Those Who Don't Know about Backup

First of all, I will explain the basics of backup for those who are not familiar with it. If you already know about it, you can skip this section.

Basically, backup means duplicating data and system status in a computer system in preparation for restoring the system in the event of a problem.

In short, it means that you should duplicate and manage your data in advance so that you can restore it if your computer breaks down, your records get scratched, or your CDs peel off.

If you neglect to do this, the photos and videos you have saved, as well as the data and save data for the games themselves, will be lost forever. If you use it for work, the data for your creations and personal information, as well as any ongoing projects, will be lost. The same applies to CDs and cassette tapes.

Typical causes of data loss include physical damage, submersion, fire, short-circuiting due to lightning surges, sudden failure due to the end of the product's lifespan, and initial defects. For CDs and records, the main causes are age-related deterioration and physical damage. Well, most of them are due to age-related deterioration. In particular, the recording device called HDD is very delicate, so if you move it or apply shock to it while it is in operation, it is likely to break down. Also, although it is often possible to recover some data even if the HDD breaks down, it is very difficult and expensive to recover data from the recording device called SSD, which is often used as the main device due to its speed, so it is important to make backups. Furthermore, CDs with poor quality often have the printed surface peeling off, leaving them in a pitiful state to look at. Even if you just copy the data you don't want to lose to another storage device, it will still be a backup.

This article explains how to backup various types of storage media.

-Analog Record Backup

There are various types of recording media in the world. The first thing that comes to mind when we think of typical, historical recording media is probably the analog record. These are the records with the grooves carved into the disc that play music when you trace them with a needle.

The truth is that analog records are very delicate and easily deteriorate. Since they are mostly made of vinyl chloride, they are easily scratched and attract dust due to static electricity. It is quite common for the sound quality of your favorite records to deteriorate to the point where you can't listen to them anymore.

So, before it deteriorates, let's try to transfer the music data on the record to your computer. This is called “digitizing an analog sound source”.

ION AUDIO / Vinyl Motion Trunk-type record player

If you connect a record player or other device that can output audio signals to a computer directly or via an audio interface, you can send the sound of an analog record to your computer. You can digitize the data you receive on your computer in no time at all by converting it to a WAV or MP3 file. I personally recommend this as a stylish interior decoration.

-CD Backups with Unknown Lifespans

Next, I will explain CDs, which handle digital data. How long do you think CDs last? Actually, CDs don't have a fixed lifespan. A book published by Gijutsu-Hyohron Co., Ltd. states that “if they are stored properly in a storage case at a temperature of 24 degrees and a humidity of 50%, they will last for over 100 years (*),” while Hitachi, Ltd. has publicly stated that “if foreign objects get mixed in or there are scratches, this does not apply, and we do not directly state how long they will last. It is advisable to make copies every few years.” To begin with, Philips, the creator of the CD recording medium, began development in 1977. It has not been 50 years yet. The claim that it will last for 100 years is purely theoretical. In addition, there are various types of CD, such as CD-ROM, CD-R and CD-RW, and their lifespans vary. CDs are made in factories, so if the quality is poor, they may become unplayable immediately.

*Source: Tsukasa Tadano, “Simple Solutions to Common Questions: How to Use, Handle, Make and Enjoy CDs and DVDs”, Gijutsu-Hyohron Co., Ltd

What I'm trying to say is that we should back up the data early because it can be damaged and we don't know how long it will last.

There is no deterioration in sound quality on the CD itself, but when importing to a computer, the sound quality is determined by the performance of the CD player's sensors. It is difficult to say which CD player is the best, but all of them tend to play and read at a sound quality that is appropriate for their price, so decide on a budget and choose a model with as good a reputation as possible.

As for the specific method of importing, you just need to connect the CD player to your computer, start the driver, and then load the CD and convert it to an audio file.

-Backup of Old Cassette Tapes

When I think of recording media before the CD became popular, I think of cassette tapes. The compact cassette in particular became extremely widespread and was used as the standard media for recording music. In fact, the compact cassette was developed by Philips in 1962 and became popular without being patented. Philips was very active.
There are actually many different types of cassette tapes, including the compact cassette, EL cassette, C cassette and micro cassette. There were also many other types of cassette tapes with their own unique specifications, such as the TAPE-T developed by RCA Victor in 1958 and the MAGAZINE 50 TAPE-CARTRIDGE developed by Aiwa in 1964.

The lifespan of a cassette tape is about 10 years at most. Over time, the magnetic quality may deteriorate, and depending on where it is stored, mold may grow on it. If this happens, the important audio data will deteriorate, and in the worst case scenario, it may even become impossible to play back. While you can still play it, you should digitize your important cassette tapes and import them to your computer.

If you search for “cassette tape player compact” on an online shopping site, you'll get a lot of results, but choose a player that is well-regarded and matches the standard of the cassette you want to digitize. Many of them can output to USB, but a player with a standard earphone jack will do. You can easily digitize your cassette by connecting an audio cable from the audio output terminal on the player to the audio input terminal (microphone terminal) on the computer, playing the cassette on the player, and recording it using the dedicated software on the computer. Almost all players can output in stereo mini format, so you only need one cable with stereo mini connectors on both ends.

Classic Pro / CMM222 Audio cable stereo mini, 2m

-Managing Backup Data

Finally, I will explain how to safely store the data you have imported for long periods of time.

First of all, there are two main ways to save.

• Save the same data in two places: on your computer and on an external SSD or HDD
• Sign up for a cloud storage service and have your data stored there

Each has its advantages and disadvantages, but the latter, cloud services, are overwhelmingly easy to use and safe, so we recommend them.

Unlike using an external SSD or HDD, there is no risk of failure, and the risk of data being lost due to natural disasters is also significantly reduced.

Some popular cloud services include Dropbox, iCloud, OneDrive, and Google Drive. Please consider using one of these.

The best option for music backup is Google Drive. You can use it for free up to 15GB, which can store over 300 songs, and there are also 100GB plans that can store over 2000 songs and 200GB plans that can store over 4000 songs. Both of these plans are reasonably priced and very convenient. (As of January 23, 2023)

-Finally

In this article, I explained how to back up and store analog records, CDs and cassette tapes for long periods of time. I hope that this has been of some use to you. In the future, I plan to explain how to back up various recording media other than analog records, CDs and cassette tapes, so please look forward to it.

Then, enjoy your music!

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