How we look after your tapes: quality and security from start to finish

1. Your tapes never leave our lab

From the moment you drop off your tapes at our shop, or they reach us by courier, until we return them, they never leave our premises. We do not subcontract any part of the work: capture, checking, corrections and delivery are all done by our own team.

This has a direct consequence: we always know where every tape is, who has worked on it and how far your order has progressed. And your memories never pass through third-party hands.

2. Every tape identified from day one

When your order arrives we register it with all its details: how many tapes, which formats and how you want to receive the result. Each tape gets a unique code, placed on the tape itself and on its case.

• •The tape and its case stay together: often the only clue to what was recorded is what you wrote on the case (“Grandparents’ wedding”, “Summer 1994”). The code keeps that information tied to its tape.
• •Orders never get mixed up: every digital file is linked to its tape and its order, and when we return your material we check that every tape is there.

3. Your original stays intact

Your tapes are only played, on professional equipment with a time base corrector (TBC). Nothing is ever recorded over them.

In addition, the original digital capture is kept untouched throughout the process: any correction is made on a copy. If something needs to be repeated or reviewed, we can always go back to the starting point.

4. We check every tape from start to finish

We never consider a tape finished without checking all of it. We check:

• •The image: that it has been captured completely and steadily, and whether there are blank stretches or defects in the tape itself.
• •The sound: that it is clear and at a balanced level, with no empty channels.
• •The sync: that picture and sound stay together from beginning to end.

We deliver a clean file, ready to watch: no empty minutes at the beginning or end, none of the technical messages that sometimes appear during capture, and with the sound adjusted. What is yours, everything that was recorded, is kept.

5. A quality report for every tape

Together with your files you receive a quality control report: one page per tape with its length, frames from its content and any notes you should know about.

Each tape is marked as “correct”, “with notes” or “with original damage”. If a tape arrived with mould, breaks or erased sections, we explain it clearly, so you know what is and is not on it.

6. We let you know and deliver securely

When your order is ready we tell you by email or WhatsApp, in your language. You receive your files however you prefer:

• •Online download: via a private link to our secure servers.
• •USB stick or hard drive: to collect at our shop or have delivered.

And your original tapes come back to you, each with its case. The usual turnaround is one week for orders of up to 10 items and around two weeks for larger orders.

7. For archives, institutions and professionals

The same principles, our own lab, identification of every item, full checking and a report, underpin our projects with broadcasters, universities and archives, such as the 12,500 tapes of TV3-CCMA or the 16,000 reels of UNED. If you manage an audiovisual collection, our guide to quality control and traceability explains how we work.

Frequently asked questions