Quality Control in (Outsourced) Preservation Projects

PHONOGRAMMARCHIV – AUSTRIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES
Quality Control
in (Outsourced)
Preservation Projects
Nadja Wallaszkovits
Dietrich Schüller
Nadja Wallaszkovits/ Dietrich Schüller
Contents:
h Introduction
h Quality control in automated transfer systems:

advantages / disadvantages
h Individual transfer - human skills:

advantages / disadvantages
h Controlling the control mechanisms – proposal towards

an adequate quality check procedure
Introduction
Digitisation - Major decisions:
– Outsourcing vs.
In-house?
– Service provider vs.
Internal staff?
– Automated system vs.
Individual transfer?
Introduction
h Digitisation:
– Quite complex process → lots of possible error

sources → not easy to trace
– Lots of commercial (small scale) providers
– Compromise between costs and quality
– How to find a trustable provider?

– How to control his work to still trust him???
QC in Automated Transfer Systems:

Advantages / Disadvantages
h Automated detection of errors based on

analysis of the digitised signal
h Analysis can be performed real-time or in a
second step
(e.g. on transferring already digitised data from external storage sources)
h Conclusions on the quality of the signal chain,

the original recording, the original tape
Conclusions are indirect!


Automated parameter detection
h Time saving - cost effective

h Parallel transfer of multiple sources possible
h Offers visual presentation of the results
Displayed anomalies need interpretation

and action!

Detected parameters offer conclusions on

h Behaviour of the transfer chain
h Errors due to the playback machine
h Errors due to the original medium
Detection of clicks, crackles, hum, dropouts,splices,
distortion…
h Punctual parameters:
like energy, bandwidth, saturation, peak signal level, silence
duration, noise duration, phase correlation
h Global quality of the captured audio:
average signal to noise ratio, mean levels, max peak etc…
Detected parameters:
Non modifiable
Start / End of Modulation
modifiable
Signal Pauses
event related
Analog Distortion/ overload on media
cyclic diagnostic parameters
Clicks
single error detection
Dropouts
statistical parameters...
Hum
....
Mutes
...
Bandwidth
..
DC-Offset
.
Correlation
?
Azimuth balance
Peaks But: how many errors are too many?
Signal-to-Noise Ratio
Average level
digital overload on A/D Converter L/R
Stereo / mono program
Speech / music content

h Detectedparameters are stored e.g.within the

BWF file structure or exported as XML report…
… and create
Metadata…
and Metadata…
and Metadata…
But: do these metadata really tell us, what
we want to know???
Individual Transfer – Human Skills:

Advantages:
– all matters related to the original tape and it’s
condition/ replay behaviour
– most matters related to the analogue transfer
chain
– all content related decisions
Individual Transfer – Human Skills:

Disadvantages:
– related to the digital transfer chain
– no continuous visual/ written report of detected
parameters possible
– parallel transfers are problematic
– expensive…
Controlling the control mechanisms…

…towards an adequate quality check procedure
Choosing a provider considered trustworthy
h Sample tape(s) for test digitisation

h Prepared test tape(s) representing at least
average quality of the collection to be digitised
by the provider
h Comparative digitisation under best possible
controlled conditions - analysis

Basis digitisation data

– correct file naming, format, resolution
– coding history
– technical metadata
– file integrity, checksum, completeness
– correct contents, etc…

Analysing the original carrier after digitisation:

– physical condition: winding condition, pack problems,
leader tape added/ not, broken/ replaced spools, etc.
– chemical condition: deformations, hydrolysis, vinegar
syndrome – how has the tape been treated?
– all procedures of carrier restoration:
– any precarious findings:
Documentation???

Analysing the original carrier after digitisation:

– tape brand?
– tape composition?
– charge number?
– corresponding box/ spool?
Documentation???

Analysing the digitised files:

– print through?
– correct track format?
– correct equalisation?
Documentation???


– correct tape speed?
– vari speed: if used, why?
– NR yes/no, which one?
– azimuth?
Documentation???



– signal immanent errors:
clicks, crackles, hum, dropouts, distortion…
– have they been cross-checked with the original
signal?
Documentation???


– signal quality: digitisation chain, comparison of
original recording quality and digitisation accuracy

Analysing the corresponding metadata:
Documentation???

Prioritising parameter detection


Documentation of the threshold settings of the

automated audio analysis
Documentation???

Ongoing routine quality checks:

h Random samples
h Comparative digitisation under best
possible controlled conditions
Problems
Handling of digitisation restart for optimising

parameters within the workflow chain
Software Updates???
Detected parameters have to be interpreted,

cross checked and verified!
Trust is good, control is better!
Thank You!
Nadja.Wallaszkovits@oeaw.ac.at
http://www.pha.oeaw.ac.at/

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PHONOGRAMMARCHIV – AUSTRIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES

h Quality control in automated transfer systems:

h Individual transfer - human skills:

h Controlling the control mechanisms – proposal towards

Digitisation - Major decisions:

– Quite complex process → lots of possible error

– How to find a trustable provider?

QC in Automated Transfer Systems:

h Automated detection of errors based on

h Conclusions on the quality of the signal chain,

 Conclusions are indirect!

QC in Automated Transfer Systems:

Automated parameter detection

h Time saving - cost effective

 Displayed anomalies need interpretation

QC in Automated Transfer Systems:

Detected parameters offer conclusions on

QC in Automated Transfer Systems:

h Detectedparameters are stored e.g.within the

Individual Transfer – Human Skills:

Individual Transfer – Human Skills:

Controlling the control mechanisms…

Choosing a provider considered trustworthy

h Sample tape(s) for test digitisation

Controlling the control mechanisms…

Basis digitisation data

Controlling the control mechanisms…

Analysing the original carrier after digitisation:

Controlling the control mechanisms…

Analysing the original carrier after digitisation:

Controlling the control mechanisms…

Analysing the digitised files:

Controlling the control mechanisms…

Analysing the digitised files:

QC in Automated Transfer Systems:

Controlling the control mechanisms…

Analysing the digitised files:

Controlling the control mechanisms…

Analysing the digitised files:

Controlling the control mechanisms…

Analysing the corresponding metadata:

Controlling the control mechanisms…

Prioritising parameter detection

Controlling the control mechanisms…

Documentation of the threshold settings of the

Controlling the control mechanisms…

Ongoing routine quality checks:

Handling of digitisation restart for optimising

Detected parameters have to be interpreted,

Trust is good, control is better!

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Conclusions are indirect!

Displayed anomalies need interpretation