The NOA ingest line offers the archive world dedicated combined hardware and software systems for the transcription of audio content.
Three different audio ingest systems, each concentrating on a specific type of audio carriers represent the Ingest Line:
1. The NOA Record system enables digitisation of any combination of analog sources (tape, vinyl, DAT, cassette, records, 78s, cylinders) in multiples of 3 parallel ingest streams.
2. MediaLector enables transcription of dedicated cartridge sources (DAT, MiniDisc, cassettes) in 4 or 8 parallel ingest streams
3. CD Lector enables transfer from CDs to files in 4 or 8 parallel grab streams.
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The Ingest Line may be connected either to the Job Database system or to the mediARC system, both being appropriate workflow optimised tools for the transcription of large audio archives.
From the very beginning NOA has focussed on developing parallelised ingest systems where several streams of audio can be handled at the same time. Facing the huge amount of carrier based content in the archive world, this approach addresses the need for efficient and secure migration by introducing notification of critical technical problems when capturing transcriptions into the digital domain, such as Azimuth deviations in tapes, increased BLER in DAT or avoidable interpolation in CDs.
This quality information – collected at the moment of ingest – is then stored in the workflow system allowing for both a centralised quality assessment and export from the workflow system into BWF or into an XML report.
The tasklist, which can be opened per station from a barcode reader or from a filter function, keeps track of the digitisation process. NOA audio transcription tools are nowadays used by the leading archives all over the world.
 Tasklist dialog prompts the user to pick/reserve a task  TAS Graph for zoomable quality analysis |
Algorithmic Recognition
A common algorithmic recognition, preset with different offsets for different carrier types, is implemented for all systems in NOA’s Ingest line. To obtain best digitisation results, it is extremely important to be informed about modifiable playback error symptoms. For example, there may be azimuth errors, digital overloads or sudden changes in bandwidth, as an indication that a tape is being played back on the wrong side. Once identified, such problems can be minimised or even avoided altogether by appropriate setup and maintenance of both machine and carrier.
Non-modifiable parameters such as clicks, mutes, noise level and correlation are reported to give archivists an impression of the physical state of a recording. These parameters cannot be changed at large, but are useful for classification. During recording, the audio data-stream is analysed to recognise azimuth values, bandwidth, correlation, analog and digital overloads, mutes, clicks, modulation start/stop, RMS, peak level and noise.
Warning and error levels can be set to automatically informing the operator or even stopping the transfer when severe problems have occurred.
EVENT RELATED PARAMETERS
- Clicks L/R
- Modulation Start L/R
- Modulation Stop L/R
- Digital overload on A/D Converter L/R
- Mutes L/R
- Break L/R
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TRACE AIDED SPOT LISTENING (TAS)
- Bandwidth L/R (x10 kHz)
- Correlation (-1/+1)
- Azimuth (degree shift @10 kHz)
- RMS L/R ( dBfs)
- Peak L/R ( dBfs)
- Noise L/R ( dBfs)
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CD-Lector – MediaLector – NOA Record
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