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Recording airchecks with a VCR
- Thread starter TimB
- Start date
Check to make sure your VCR setting is on the correct input...ie VCR 1, 2, 3, 4 that match where your rca cords are plugged into it.
I've done this before with success but I've been told that sometimes VCR tapes don't sound as good when played back on a different VCR from which the tape was originally recorded. I have several VCR tapes loaded with airchecks and music but I no longer have the same VCR they were recorded on...I should get one out and see if it still sounds good on the machine I have now. They sounded great on the machine they were recorded on back in the day however.
I've done this before with success but I've been told that sometimes VCR tapes don't sound as good when played back on a different VCR from which the tape was originally recorded. I have several VCR tapes loaded with airchecks and music but I no longer have the same VCR they were recorded on...I should get one out and see if it still sounds good on the machine I have now. They sounded great on the machine they were recorded on back in the day however.
Should work. Years ago when I tried this with an older recorder I had an issue with the speed changing slightly (I was not feeding any video to the recorder - apparently a lack of sync caused the recorder to 'wander' and the recording would speed up and slow down. If you have a recent 'hi-fi' VCR this should work out well.
Regards,
RememberWHEN
Regards,
RememberWHEN
Something I've seen before is a dependency on the VCR to need a video input to provide a stable "sync" signal for the recording timing. Newer VCRs also have a lockout circuit to prevent operation, except for a black screen and muted audio if no video signal is seen by the VCR input.
I cured that by using a regular video feed from my satellite receiver and then changed the audio input cables over to my radio's output and it worked just fine from there on in.
By using the sat video signal, I tuned to a program guide channel that had a time display ... that made it easy to edit things by having an on-screen clock reference in addition to the time display on the VCR, which can sometimes be hard to read. If you are on cable, they likely have a program guide channel that will do the same.
Hope you're up & running soon, its a great way to obtain excellent quality airchecks, and can be setup to record when you're not at home by using the timer function, just like you were going to record a TV show.
Regards,
Lee
I cured that by using a regular video feed from my satellite receiver and then changed the audio input cables over to my radio's output and it worked just fine from there on in.
By using the sat video signal, I tuned to a program guide channel that had a time display ... that made it easy to edit things by having an on-screen clock reference in addition to the time display on the VCR, which can sometimes be hard to read. If you are on cable, they likely have a program guide channel that will do the same.
Hope you're up & running soon, its a great way to obtain excellent quality airchecks, and can be setup to record when you're not at home by using the timer function, just like you were going to record a TV show.
Regards,
Lee
TimB said:
Dang I didn't even know you could record with a VCR but why would you want to? That doesn't make sense.
I used to do that all the time...in 1990.
For $15 in software (Total Recorder, by High Criteria) and a 750-gig hard drive that cost me under $200, I can record literally DAYS of radio at a time, without worrying about VHS tracking errors, tape tangles, or swapping out tapes at the 6- or 8-hour mark.
Add in another $75 or so for a DVD burner, and I can store 24 hours or more of audio on a disc that costs me about 45 cents and stores in far less space than those VHS tapes.
Now, if I could just find the time to digitize 20 years' worth of tapes from before it got this easy...
For $15 in software (Total Recorder, by High Criteria) and a 750-gig hard drive that cost me under $200, I can record literally DAYS of radio at a time, without worrying about VHS tracking errors, tape tangles, or swapping out tapes at the 6- or 8-hour mark.
Add in another $75 or so for a DVD burner, and I can store 24 hours or more of audio on a disc that costs me about 45 cents and stores in far less space than those VHS tapes.
Now, if I could just find the time to digitize 20 years' worth of tapes from before it got this easy...
Scott Fybush said:
I'm still trying to find the time, Scott. What worries me is that the media degrades, or the machines fall apart before the task of getting them all copied is completed. It's work.
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