Evergreen

Vinyl LP / Disc / Tape Restoration to CD-R

Audio Cassette, 1/4" Stereo Reel Tape*. 16-3/4, 33-1/3, 45, 78-RPM, Homemade Acetate, and Edison Voicewriter Recordings

Our Process Packaging Options and Equipment Prices

Customer Comments

*1/4" domestic reels, stereo or mono. Recorded speed: 9.5 and 19cm/sec (3-3/4 and 7-1/2in/sec). Other speeds can be converted digitally.

Ordering

Request Ship Kit (US/Canada only) or Estimate-> Free Demo CD-> (US/Canada only)

Start by requesting an Estimate (image above). You may also simply telephone, and we'll be happy to explain our options. If you're ready to ship your media, ship to the address on our Home Page, or click the image above and we will send you an appropriate media packing kit (Requires $20 deposit, refunded at completion of your project, US/Canada only). One kit has everything you need, including package tape. [Our Ship Kit is sent to US locations via USPS Priority Mail. If you need it sooner than 2-3 days, let us know your shipping choice in the comments field.]

NOTE: We have brought back the "pre-paid return shipping label" as an option with our ship kits! Simply tick that option on the Ship Kit Request Form, and we'll include a pre-paid return label for you in the ship kit. Once you have your kit packed and sealed, apply the self-adhesive label and either drop off the package to the carrier yourself, or request carrier pickup from your location. Be sure to select your choice of carrier and service; UPS is our preferred carrier.

Shipping Note: Whether using your own packaging, or our Ship Kit, we have found that ground-type shipping subjects parcels to excessive damage, as they are often trucked with much heavier items; for this reason, we recommend you ship your recordings to us via one of the following methods, and choose one of these methods for your return shipping (make sure your package is insured for replacement value of your media). Many of our customers choose less-expensive Ground service anyway. This is fine, since our ship kits are very protective, but just be aware that your box may get damaged somewhat.

	UPS: Any except Ground service.
	FedEx: Any except Ground and Home Delivery services.
	USPS: Express Mail, or Priority Mail.

World-Wide Shipping — We recommend highly that you use UPS or FedEx. You may use your local postal system, but make sure it is insured, and certified if possible.

Include your Estimate or contact/payment/instructions information, pack your media in their original covers, (if using your own packing materials, use 2+ inches packing material for even, flat support on all 6 sides in corrugated box. Bubble wrap is best for packing material. Do not use shipping envelopes alone) and ship to the mailing address on our Home Page. We will notify you when we receive your media. [Payment Note: Your estimate will allow you to select payment by check, telephone or online secure Credit Card, or you can have an invoice sent to you via email or US Mail. Payment is not due until your project is complete.]

Recording/Restoration Process - In Detail

Processing Time: Our process requires 1-4 days for each 12" LP or tape.

If you require faster service, or have a large number of recordings, you can save time and cost by omitting artwork, and/or reducing the amount of restoration.

We record each of your albums with care and attention. Tracks are restored according to the unique requirements of each. We do not use mass-production techniques in any of our processes.

	LP Wet-cleaning. Your disc will be machine-cleaned with an appropriate Smart Devices solution under vacuum, safely removing debris, pressing oil, or mold from the recording grooves. The record is given a new paper/poly liner (your original liner will be included with your original and new materials).
	LAST Record Preservative. This is an optional treatment. More...
	Recording. Each tape or disc is recorded in stereo or 2-track monaural digital format, and later split into track files. The files are recorded at a 96-khz/24-bit sampling rate. These track recordings are ultimately archived to Mitsui Gold DVD's as part of our Recording Protection.
	Noise Filtering. Our restoration software is considered by audio engineers to be among the best in the world. Our investment here will provide you a final recording that is virtually artifact*-free. This software examines the audio around a defect, and recreates this missing audio very effectively, without affecting the original material. We apply the filter settings only as required, to avoid undue influence on the recording's original material. (Note: Discs that have been damaged by an improper stylus, while recordable, are not well-suited to the best restoration. If your media is badly damaged, we can help you in finding a good replacement. Mild-to-moderately warped discs usually pose no problems for us, and we can often resolve cassette problems as well.)
	Final Processing. After restoration and editing, the restored tracks proceed through Voxengo sample-rate conversion, Apogee UV22 Dithering, and are then compiled in CD format (standard "Red Book" format: 16-bit, 44.1khz sampling rate), and written at an optimized rate to silver or gold CD-R's (MP3, WAV, WMA, and AIFF formats are also available). "Red Book" standard inter-track pauses are two seconds; if you wish different pauses (zero to several seconds), just let us know. The standard CD track arrangement will be identical to that of your LP or cassette. If you wish a different arrangement on your CD, simply list your preferred track arrangements along with your shipment to us.
	CD Text. If your CD or DVD player can display track information, such as Artist/Album/Track names, this can be included in your new CD's upon request. If you're not sure, we'll produce your CD's without CD Text (Standard), which is the most-compatible format. CD-Text is not compatible with some older players (a player supporting CD Text will specify that it supports either ITTS spec IEC61866 or SFF8020 or, more simply, your player has an alphanumeric display that shows CD-Text with certain CD's.)
	CD Loudness or Amplitude: For details, click here.

*An artifact is an undesirable processing influence on original material.

Packaging

Your CD-R's are ink-jet printed, and jewel case covers are provided with album and track information from your media. We place images of your album covers on the front and rear covers, and a full front-cover image on the CD. In addition (or as an alternative) we can custom-design your artwork to include personal photographs and information on your covers or CD discs at no extra charge. Simply include your printed photos, negatives, photos stored on other media, or you may email your photo files. [We accept photo file types that are readable by Adobe Photoshop ... which is just about all types.] You have a choice of standard thickness (10mm) or slim (5mm) jewel cases (note that the slim cases have a two-sided front cover only, and do not have edge labels).

If you'd like to include all of your album cover illustrations and information, select CD Insert Booklets in your Ship Kit or Estimate request.

NOTE for unprinted CD-R's: If you have selected (unprinted) Music or HHB CD-R's and wish to write on them, we advise that you use a water-based marker that will not attack the CD-R's reflective layer. Mitsui manufactures a special marker for CD-R's.

Your CD's will arrive sealed. DO NOT break the seals before you have auditioned the accompanying Preview CD. Your Preview CD will contain tracks from each of your CD's, and its purpose is to allow you to verify that the CD's are compatible with your equipment, and that the sound is everything you expect it to be. Please note that cash refunds cannot be made once your CD seals are broken. For new customers, we often include a CD of your raw/unfiltered recordings, which will allow you to assess the effectiveness of your restoration.

Recording Protection

To help safeguard your recordings over time, we maintain file copies of your raw* and finished digital tracks, filtering settings, and artwork. Within the first year, we will replace a damaged original disc you return to us at no charge. Furthermore, as technology shifts, we make every effort to maintain and transfer your backup files to newer media; it is very likely that your original files will be retrievable decades from now.

* Raw tracks are saved in very high resolution WAV files. These files are quite large, and are typically 2GB for a stereo LP. The advantage to saving these files is that, as audio technology changes, they can be satisfactorily reproduced into improved emerging digital formats (such as 24-bit, 48/96khz DVD audio) without the need to re-record the LP's. Currently, DVD Audio (and Video) standards are being negotiated by The DVD Forum. This is an alliance of several manufacturers, whose goal is to reduce many DVD formats to one or two. They can be found at www.dvdforum.org.

Options and Equipment

In September 2006, we completed the final phases of a studio redesign. Our turntables got a new platform! This new wall-mounted platform is a specially-designed 1-1/2 inch thick, floating-top, luan hardwood composite surface with a center layer of visco-elastic material from American Micro Industries. This provides a very high degree of vibration isolation. Along with new preamplifiers, cabling, power controller, Lynx and Weiss digital audio system, the recordings we make for you will be even more superb.

YOUR MEDIA	OPTIONS AVAILABLE
YOUR MEDIA	FILTERED-PLUS	FILTERED	BASIC
Disc - 33-1/3 rpm:
Disc - 45 rpm:
Disc - 78 rpm:
Disc - Edison VoiceWriter:
Disc - Transcription
Cassette/Reel Tape:

Filtered-Plus - This option provides noise filtering and 2 hours of Waveform Restoration. Your finished audio is written on archival gold CD-R's.

Filtered - This option provides noise filtering, and your finished audio is written on Memorex silver CD-R's.

Basic - This option provides digital conversion without noise filtering, and your finished audio is written on Memorex silver CD-R's.

*Disc-dependent: See turntable details here.

Noise Filtering:

Defects such as clicks, crackle, hiss and rumble are seamlessly removed from your recording. Algorithmix Pro and Steinberg software is currently used for this filtering.

Waveform Restoration:

Defects such as noise/distortion not detected in Noise Filtering, or with durations longer than typical clicks (4 milliseconds to a second or two) require waveform replacement or hand restoration. The effectiveness of these techniques is dependent upon several factors, but satisfactory replacements are often achievable. Successful restoration of this type is $15. per-hour (two hours are included with the Plus options).

If your recording is heavily affected by these defects, we recommend replacement of your recording, if possible. For example, a heavily damaged LP, or one suffering from defects in its original pressing, can require anywhere from 10 to 30 hours of hand restoration. We will notify you if your recording requires additional restoration or recording replacement.

Equipment:

33/45-rpm Disc Recordings / Filtered-Plus, Filtered, Basic Options - The VPI HW-19 Mk4 with Sumiko Blue Point Special EvoIII (Moving-Coil) cartridge, and PS Audio GCPH preamplifier.

78-rpm Disc Recordings - The Rondine 3 turntable from Esoteric Sound using either the Shure V15VxMR (Moving-Magnet) archival cartridge and N78S (2.5mil) stylus, or the Stanton 500E-MKII (Moving-Magnet) cartridge and custom-sized stylii. The PS Audio GCPH preamplifier and Re-Equalizer from Esoteric Sound round out our dedicated 78 equipment.

Cassettes - The phenomenal Nakamichi DR-10 (Japan) is our tape deck of choice for standard cassette tapes, a Philips 488 for mini's, and a Sony M-675V for micro's.

Reel Tapes - The vintage Pioneer RT-707 (Japan) is our transcription deck for (up to 7" reel) tapes.

Edison VoiceWriter Disc Recordings - We use an original Edison VoiceWriter (US) machine interfaced to our Weiss converter.

(click here for turntable and cassette details).

Digital Audio / CD-R / Software:

The (above) analog equipment drives our Weiss ADC2 (Switzerland) and Lynx AES16 with LynxTWO (US) professional 24-bit digital audio system, providing quiet, faithful reproduction, and crystal-clear analog-to-digital conversion. Your CD-R's are written on the Plextor external CD Writer (Belgium), or the HHB 830 Professional Recorder (Great Britain). Our mastering software suite is comprised of the finest innovations of Algorithmix GmbH, Voxengo, and Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH.

Payment Options

If you haven't already, let us know your payment option anytime before we complete your project.

[Secure] VISA, MasterCard, American Express, Discover

Receive an email invoice and click-to-pay online, or

Receive a printed invoice with instructions to pay online.

[Secure] PayPal - Sign-in to your PayPal account, and send a payment to: billing@evergreenpcs.com. Include the Estimate or Invoice Number in the comments field.

Check or Money Order - Make check payable to Evergreen Computer Services, include the Estimate or Invoice Number on your check, and mail to address on our Home Page.

Telephone - You may phone-in your credit card information directly to Evergreen at: (207) 877-8580.

Prices

All options include custom CD/insert artwork and Recording Protection

16-3/4, 33-1/3, 45, 78, VoiceWriter Discs, Cassette and Reel Tapes

Basic and Filtered CD Capacity is 80 minutes on Memorex Silver CD-R's

Filtered-Plus CD Capacity is 74 minutes on your choice of Delkin, Mitsui, or HHB Gold CD-R's*

CD Print-surface background colors: Memorex, Delkin: White - Mitsui: Matte Gold

*HHB Gold CD-R's (unprinted) recorded in real time on the HHB-830 Pro are an additional $20 per-CD-R

[Prices per LP or Tape, in US $. Your cost for return shipping will vary, depending on your choice of shipping. We only charge actual shipping cost.]

We will calculate the lowest cost for you (Flat Rate, or Per-Minute Rate) based on your recording times, and invoice whichever is lower in cost. Generally, if your recordings are less than 22 minutes, use the "Per-Minute" option to estimate cost.

Flat Rate - For Recording All 12 to 17-inch Disc / Cassette Tracks:

Filtered-Plus Option: $70. Transfer with click/hiss noise filtering and two hours of Waveform Restoration. Removes between 80-100% of noise*.

Filtered Option: $50. Transfer with click/hiss noise filtering. Removes between 80-95% of noise*.

Basic Option: $39. Straight transfer to CD. Pure, with no filtering.

Per-Minute Rate - For Recordings less than 22 minutes, or Selected Disc/Cassette Tracks and Reel Tapes:

Base Price per CD: $15. Add your track time per-minute cost below:

Filtered-Plus Option: $2.50 per-minute. Transfer with click/hiss noise filtering and two hours of Waveform Restoration. Removes between 80-100% of noise*.

	Filtered Option: $2 per-minute. Transfer with click/hiss noise filtering. Removes between 80-95% of noise*.
	Basic Option: $1 per-minute. Straight transfer to CD. Pure, with no filtering.

	Additional CD Copies (non-copyrighted material only):
	Complete CD, Case and Covers: $15. (HHB CD: $35)

CD only: $10. (HHB CD: $30)

Case and Covers: $5.

Transcription Upgrades:

Customers with Basic or Filtered transcriptions can upgrade their recordings to Filtered or Filtered-Plus without having to re-ship your original media. To estimate cost, figure the option difference and add $10. For example, an upgrade of (Flat Rate) Basic to Filtered-Plus would be $31. + $10. for a total of $41.

    * Filtering effectiveness depends upon the condition of your media. You probably know that there is quite a bit of variation in recording quality, and it runs from "excellent" all the way down to "defective", especially with vinyl. Modern (microgroove) vinyl discs are very difficult to manufacture correctly, as they require a cleanroom environment, and are among the most costly media to produce today. Filtering software is primarily designed to correct damage to your media that occurred after it was manufactured; however, many manufacturing defects are correctable, or can be reduced. Since manufacturing defects can be severe, a variety of other techniques is sometimes required to help correct them, and these techniques can be very time-consuming.
    Finally, speaking of sound, you should also know that digitizing your analog media onto a CD will not, by itself, make it sound better. Defect sounds that exist in your analog recording can usually be removed, and your digital version will sound cleaner, but digitizing cannot create something from sound that doesn't exist. However impressive audio restoration is, there are limits to the amount of damage that can be corrected.
    Certain other perceived shortcomings in your media (like an instrument being too soft or loud) are also correctable. However, we view these types of changes as remastering, which we have decided not to do, particularly with copyrighted material. We strive for an accurate reproduction of your media, and do not take it upon ourselves to arbitrarily change the work of the original mastering engineer or recording company. If you feel that your recording should be re-mastered, we can send your finished media to a mastering engineer for this work. Overall, I felt it was proper that I should give you a bit of a "reality check" on re-recording. While we often achieve perfect results, you should be aware of certain worldly limitations that sometimes impose themselves upon us.

Note: Two LP's or cassettes can often be recorded to a single CD, if you wish, as long as the total recording time is 74/80 minutes or less. Most of our customers prefer one album per CD, but we will combine recordings for you at no additional charge. The recording time of reel tapes is often unknown until recorded; we will let you know what and how much material is available on your reels.

Note: Some older CD players use a copyright-detection scheme, and may only play retail CD's or Music CD-R's (these CD-R's contain factory-encoded royalty information). We are pleased to provide Mitsui Gold Music CD-R's for you upon request at no additional charge. Printable-Surface Music CD-R's are not yet available, and we find paper or polyethylene labels problematic over time. Thus, Music CD-R discs are delivered to you unprinted.