With the advent of digital CD's, many reel to reel and record players were considered old fashioned and thrown away. This has left many people with a collection or tapes or LP's, which are no longer playable.


How long will the CD copy last?

We use archival quality CD's from Kodak. Providing the CD is looked after carefully it can last more than a 100 years.


How do I have Precious Voices transfer my tape to CD?

Send the tape or record in question along with the completed order form (see download page) and a cheque or postal order made payable to "Precious Voices" to the address on the form. If you have any questions beforehand, you can download our information pack (see download page) or contact us on our advice line 01848 331999 or send us an email to info@preciousvoices.co.uk.

A confirmation email/card will be sent when we receive your order.


My tape's stretched or broken. My records been scratched? Can you still transfer it to CD?

Sometimes, things aren't as black as they look. We can mend tapes, splicing breaks back together, removing stretched portions. It's even possible to eliminate many of the clicks and pops from scratched vinyl records.

Tape as received. Tape contained multiple breaks and stretched portions		The same tape after repair. It is now ready to play.

We offer an appraisal service, where you can send us a tape or LP which has severely deteriorated and for a fee of £20 we will examine the tape/record and advise you on its condition, together with a fixed quotation for its repair and transfer to CD format. When you receive the quotation its then entirely upto you whether the value of the material on the tape is worth the cost of restoration.

If you decide to continue with the restoration we will deduct the £20 from the total cost of the restoration. If you chose not to proceed we will return your tape to you without any further obligation.


Can you remove all the damage from a recording?

No. There is no known process that can restore a recording to the quality of the original. But we can improve the situation considerably by filtering much of the damage out. Most clicks and pops can be removed and hiss significantly reduced. We can eliminate much of the noise made by a scratch on a record. But where magnetic tape has been stretched or snapped there will be sections of the recording lost forever. Magnetic tape is like old elastic - it can never spring back into shape.


Will my original tape stay in its restored condition?

No - it will gradually deteriorate again. How fast will depend on the conditions its stored in. Avoiding excess humidity and keeping it at a constant cool but not cold temperature will all slow the process down a little. But in the long term transferring the information to a digital format on CD is the only way to guarantee its survival.


My grandson has a computer that can make CDs' - why shouldn't he do this for me?

He also needs the equipment and skills to handle the old media without further damage, and special professional quality computer programs to "clean" up the originals. You wouldn't use a toy hammer and saw to build a real house - you need the right tools for the job.


How much do you charge?

All the necessary processes such as tape repair, noise reduction, etc. are covered by a single fee based on the playing time of your tape/record. Upto an hour of sound from a cassette is £25 (after the first hour, additional hour or sound is £15). For reel to reel tapes upto an hour costs £40 (after the first hour, additional hour or sound is £20). Old 78 Records and LPs are £20. Postage is a standard £8.50 for all orders, see section below. There are no hidden extras to calculate.


What is the copyright or legal position with commercially recorded material?

For homemade recordings, where you own the copyright we are happy to make multiple copies (this does not apply to recordings made from the radio). Transfer of commercial recordings (record or tape) can only be done where you own the copy of the record (or tape) and the CD is for your own use. We must ask that you sign the declaration to this effect at the bottom of the order form.

Do I get my original tape/record back? Yes, we return your original record or tape and the CD copy to you using the Royal Mail's Special Delivery service. Postage & Carriage All media (tapes, CDs or reels) should be sent to us in secure packaging. We suggest that you use a box or stiff cardboard and also use bubble wrap or some other soft packaging material. Please remember to include the completed order form and remittance. In the unlikely event that you cannot download the order form (see download page) please write all relevant information on a piece of paper, remembering to include your name and return address. Or you can telephone us on 01848 331999 and we will send you an order form. When sending anything to us we suggest you do not use the ordinary mail or Parcelforce service, but chose the Royal Mail's Special Delivery service. All parcels are returned to customers using the Special Delivery service. Please Note: We cannot accept responsibility for any recordings which have been damaged in transit.

This is a Special Delivery label

Do you carry out work for customers based outside the UK?

Yes we do. Our website gets many hits from around the World. Because proper audio restorers are few and far between in the World, we are happy to help overseas customers and regularly accept work from across the globe. We ask for payment in advance in sterling from our overseas customers. Some customers prefer to use Fedex or a similar courier. But the postal service in your country will also have an airmail service where the parcel is tracked.

Sending material in the post is always a risk and we can help make the process safer by giving advice on packing precious items. We can also return your restored material to you in a digital form (MP3 audio files) before we post or courier your CD's and original tapes. That way we minimise the risk to your material. It is however impossible for us to obtain insurance for what we do, even from Lloyds of London, because what we handle is often of no monetary value but of enormous emotional worth.

If you think we may be of assistance to you then please email us at info@preciousvoices.co.uk and we will guide you from there. We pride ourselves in our customer service.

Just some of the countries from where we have received work:
Australia	Czech Republic	Denmark	Ireland	Spain	United States