PDA Event: Creating Preservation Quality Oral Histories

Making sure the stories of your oral history subjects will be available long into the future starts before you even press “record.” This session teaches participants about the technical considerations that go into making an oral history recording preservation-quality. This includes selecting the right equipment, capturing audio that is clear and with as few ambient noises as possible, and making sure your recordings are in file formats that support digital preservation.  The instructor will cover practical and achievable recommendations that meet different resource levels and budget needs so that both small and large organizations can improve the preservation quality of their oral history recordings.

The BLC is proud to partner with the Northeast Document Conservation Center (NEDCC) for this series of five virtual programs on digital preservation practices. 

Presenter: Karl Fleck, Associate Audio Preservation Engineer, NEDCC 

Karl Fleck has worked in the field of audio engineering since 2011 and has extensive knowledge of audio mastering and recording techniques in both analog and digital formats. He has held positions in a variety of recording studios and performance venues in New York City, Boston, and throughout Michigan. Over the years, Karl has worked with a variety of clients from many styles of music including Greensky Bluegrass, Birdsong at Morning, and the Grand Rapids Symphony Orchestra. At NEDCC, Karl’s passion for historical audio is central to his work. He is responsible for performing fully-attended transfers of obsolete magnetic audio tape, and assisting with traditional and optical-scanning methods for reformatting grooved media formats.

Karl earned a Bachelor of Arts in Recording Arts from Hope College in Holland, Michigan. In 2016, he earned a Masters of Music in Sound Recording Technology from the University of Massachusetts, Lowell.  He is an active instructor, author, and musician, primarily enjoying the mandolin. Additionally, he is a member of the Audio Engineering Society (AES), having presented his research, “Audio Mastering: An Investigation and Analysis of Contemporary Techniques” in May of 2016.

Register to attend.

Sponsored by BLC