Archiving DATs to computer or server HD

Maybe it is as easy as sharpening a pencil to you but not to someone who has never done it. Why not just be polite. Is that too much to ask? And, by the way, when was the last time someone asked about recording from a DAT? I really do not think it has been asked over and over again. That 32K sample rate can be a problem for many recorders. Maybe it is not as easy as sharpening a pencil.

Vinyl Studio is $29 and looks up albums from online databases and splits the tracks. Many of the inexpensive audio editors do not do that. It is best for vinyl but works for other formats. No need to spend $75. Losts of programs do manual tagging, but few do the database lookups to get tags and timing to split the tracks.

Do the handheld devices you reference automatically split tracks automatically when the tape is being recorded? My guess is no. Hence, you need a way to split the tracks or you need to do it manually as the tape is being played. I know people who prefer to split them as they are recorded and some who split them after the fact. I was just pointing that out.

By Tasman I presume you mean Tascam. Since you know about those models, why not simply give the model numbers. It really is not that easy for someone to dig through those details when they are not familiar with this type of product. Honestly, there are not that many portables that have digital inputs.

Lets leave this discussion at that.

If you can provide model numbers, I think that would be helpful for the OP.

Raymond - The Tascam US-1800 does not have a disk. It takes the real time S/PDIF signal and passes it through the USB to the PC in real time. You then capture that real time signal with software on the PC. It appears as a recording device within Windows or on a MAC. I have not used it, but that is what the manual claims - page 23 has a block diagram of the unit. I once looked at for digitizing vinyl before I went with the Korg MR-2000.

And, a correction. I do not know if the Tascam US-1800 accepts 32K samples. I was thinking of the Edirol UA-5 which does support 32K. Unfortunately, that is no longer available. I am not sure if Roland has replaced that capability or not.

The sampling rate of the digital output of my DAT deck is 44K or 48K depending on the source that I was recording. Thanks Dtc for your insistence on civility. But, I have thick skin and it doesn't bother me. For me, interpreting a Treadmill Stress Test is as easy as sharpening a pencil -- probably not for Raymonda.

Hold on....now you are getting personal. ;?)

Regarding all of the above, I think that audio is entering a new age --- the computer audio age. I am over 70, and grew up in a world where the word "computer' didn't even exist. My computer knowledge is about that of an average 10 year old -- and that's me bragging ! For audio applications, there is just no place to go for specific advice. People who work in audio shops don't know the answers to these questions. Memphis Tennessee, where I live, a city of over a half million, has zero high-end audio stores. Computer shop employees look at you like you are crazy. Some people on the internet actually insult and ridicule you. What the high-end world needs now, is a new breed of computer audio consultants. People who you can hire, who will come to your house, access your system and your needs and tell you exactly what you need to buy. Then your consultant would return to you when the gear arrives, and help you set up and get started. I wish that some sharp computer wiz IT types out there would do this. I'll be their first customer, and I would pay them well. JTV