Morris Sadicario, Owner, Papa's Voice Audio LLC, Madison, Wisconsin
Users mentioned in this release:
Kay Heggestad - Madison, Wisconsin; Dee Anna Grimsrud - Madison, Wisconsin
To help families preserve their spoken family stories, Papa's Voice converts old
tapes, and even wire-recordings, to audio CD's. "There is a real danger of losing
priceless old family recordings that were made in the fast-disappearing reel-to-reel
format," according to Morris Sadicario, owner of Papa's Voice.
When Papa's Voice gets the customer tapes, a multistep process is used. First, the tape is auditioned. Then, it is electronically cleaned up and processed with a combination of digital and analog equipment. Finally, it is reproduced digitally on a modern CD. The secret to Papa's Voice is that first critical step, the listening test. Morris, an amateur violinist, also sings in the Madison Maennerchor, the second oldest German chorus in the United States. Papa's Voice has archived some of the performances of this 144-year old group as well as other performing groups. His musical talents and well trained ear help assure accuracy in the final product.
Instead of using "standard" settings, he uses a combination of processes during the listening test to ensure that the restoration itself does not unduly affect the tonal character of the original recording, which is not altered in any way. Often, the result on CD is amazingly clear compared to the original recording. "Hiss and hum are the usual problems," said Morris, "and we try to provide a background as quiet as possible to let the natural voices come through."
The voice reproduction from old wire recordings owned by Kay Heggestad of Madison, Wisconsin, was so clear that it "seemed they were in the same room," said Kay. "I haven't heard my father play his harmonica in over 30 years," she continued. "This is truly a wonderful gift for our whole family."
Dee Grimsrud, Madison, Wisconsin, wrote "What a joy it is to hear my grandparents recount their histories and my own family just being themselves. Thanks for making this possible. And I don't have to worry about a tape deteriorating over the years - the CD's should last forever. Makes me think about getting this generation recorded sooner."
According to Morris, the "gold" recordable audio CD's Papa's Voice uses are expected to last at least 30 years. "No medium lasts forever," he said, "but once the recordings are in digital format, they can be transferred to any other digital medium (including the Internet) with no loss of quality. Our process makes the family tapes safe, easy to share and easy to archive."
Papa's Voice, 5101 Retana Drive, Madison, Wisconsin 53714-2753,
has served customers around the world. The email address is morris@papasvoice.com.
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12/28/01