Start with the audio format, not just the word tape
Electrical Audio says it can decode every common type of noise reduction and invites customers to contact it to confirm whether it can transfer a particular project. Describe the format as carefully as possible. A photograph of the reel, cassette housing and original label can be more helpful than a guessed name, especially when a recording has passed through several relatives.
The distinction matters because an audio reel, a multitrack recording and a VHS videocassette are different projects. The published audio coverage does not establish a VHS transfer service. For a collection that mixes sound recordings and home movies, make an inventory separating the formats before requesting estimates. Keep handwritten notes with the corresponding tape, even when you cannot yet identify the voices or date.
Read the reel prices alongside the project details
Electrical Audio’s booking rates list $50 per reel of mono or stereo material and $100 per reel of multitrack material with three or more tracks. Its transfer page describes most mono and stereo tapes as $50 and most multitrack tapes as $100. Those are audio transfer figures, not published VHS prices. Tape baking is separately listed at $50 per batch, with each batch containing two or three tapes.
Use these amounts to frame a conversation rather than assume a final total. Ask which category each recording falls into, whether any preparation is required and what the complete estimate includes. For multitrack material, also ask whether you will receive separate tracks, a listening mix or both. Having the answer before delivery helps you avoid ending up with files that need additional work before the family can hear them.
Allow time for careful playback and documentation
The transfer page gives a typical turnaround of 2-4 weeks from receipt of tapes. Rush service usually provides delivery within 4-7 days. Confirm the schedule for your project before tying it to a birthday or reunion, and ask about the rush cost if timing matters. Neither estimate should be treated as a guaranteed completion date.
Electrical Audio describes using its maintained studio tape machines and studio-quality analog-to-digital converters. It also says it scans or photographs accompanying documentation and logs technical transfer details, including problems encountered and how they were resolved. A dedicated transfer suite opened in 2025. These details make documentation a worthwhile part of your enquiry: ask how any scans and transfer notes will be delivered alongside the recordings.
The business discusses a tape oven and notes that many tapes it encounters require 48 hours or longer of baking before playback. Do not attempt this at home based on a brief description. If a tape looks damaged or you suspect deterioration, explain its condition and ask what assessment or treatment is appropriate before anyone plays it.
Choose files that you can hear now and preserve later
Before agreeing to a transfer, ask about the digital format, how files will be delivered and whether a preservation copy and a convenient listening copy are available. For voices, check that both channels are included where relevant. For music, clarify how tracks will be named and whether the original running order will remain easy to reconstruct. These are questions to settle with the provider, not promises about its output.
Once files arrive, listen to the beginning, middle and end of each recording. Compare the files with your inventory and note missing sections, unexpected silence or names that need clarification. Keep the original tapes and documentation, and retain a separate backup of the digital files. Invite a relative to help identify speakers while their memories are still accessible; record uncertain identifications as uncertain.
Connect the recordings with the wider family record
After conversion, Memrial is a separate private family archive for digital memories, rather than a tape converter or part of Electrical Audio. Its photos and home videos can sit alongside the family context you have recovered from recordings. Invite relatives to add comments and stories, and use Timeline with exact or approximate dates to find memories by year. Free shared archive storage is 2.0 GB, with no card needed.
For an uploaded home video, Live Watch Parties synchronize playback through the host’s play, pause and seek controls, with voice and text chat for relatives nearby or far away. The free allowance is three hours per month with up to six participants. A reunion is also a useful occasion for Event Memories: share a secure contribution link so people can sign in and add photos or videos without becoming archive members. Contributions go into the event album, and closing the link retains the memories.