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Problems with old tape files
Posted: Tue May 28, 2013 1:16 pm
by Gardeniapips
I haven't been able to get any of my old tape files into the XROAR29.
The Screen just says S all the time and doesn’t F anything even for an IO error. Does this mean my tapes have degenerated and are no use? I can't check them on the Dragon itself as it no longer works. As I remember tape loading was always a problem.
I wanted to remember some of my own creations. A friend and I sold some block graphics programs in early 1983 just by putting an advert in popular computer weekly, Abacus did take one of my later ones about Weather for which I only ever got 10 pounds.
Re: Problems with old tape files
Posted: Tue May 28, 2013 8:35 pm
by sixxie
Do you have anywhere you can upload a representative tape sample? We could check that out and see if there's anything obviously wrong...
Edit: actually, others have managed to upload wavs right here...
Re: Problems with old tape files
Posted: Tue May 28, 2013 11:34 pm
by Alastair
sixxie wrote:Edit: actually, others have managed to upload wavs right here...
But please zip the wave file before uploading.
Re: Problems with old tape files
Posted: Wed May 29, 2013 8:43 pm
by Gardeniapips
Wave files are not very much smaller even if zipped are they?
Re: Problems with old tape files
Posted: Wed May 29, 2013 10:05 pm
by Alastair
Gardeniapips wrote:Wave files are not very much smaller even if zipped are they?
I have some wave files for "Death Mines of Sirus" which come to 112 MiB, zipped they come to 76 MiB, so it is a bit of a reduction.
Re: Problems with old tape files
Posted: Wed May 29, 2013 11:42 pm
by Gardeniapips
This was my Geography Quiz one.
I used line in on this one, I have tried microphone but neither worked for me.
Re: Problems with old tape files
Posted: Thu May 30, 2013 7:31 am
by sixxie
That sounds pretty horribly clipped, and looking at the waveform in audacity, the periods where the signal is supposed to remain above zero, it spends bouncing around all over the place.
It might be worth trying sampling it again with a lower volume on your tape player - all the usual tricks you had to pull to get things to load in the past will be applicable here!
Re: Problems with old tape files
Posted: Fri May 31, 2013 8:28 pm
by Gardeniapips
I have tried different volumes but will keep trying from time to time.
I've been trying to get XROAR working since 2008 so I won't give up just yet.
It has been interesting seeing the Dragon again. Thank you to whoever made it possible.
p.s. I have just managed to get one of mine and a "real" one recorded, I used a very quiet setting but obviously line in has better ears than me.