Samuel Messages: 45 Registered: January 2014 Location: USA
Baron
Are there particular formats for storing your audio, that will last for longer than others? I don't mean those which won't become obsolete, but rather those that won't wear out or degrade.
All media will suffer degradation over time. CDs last a long time before their metal layer starts to oxidize, but we are still only talking a couple of decade.
The best as I understand it is a hard drive. This can be external, but it has to be powered up on a regular basis. Doing this while attached to the computer helps to catch and fix errors as they occur and to fix them. It also means that the file can be kept backed up so that if a failure happens, it isn't an end of life situation for the file.
Samuel Messages: 45 Registered: January 2014 Location: USA
Baron
Hard drives aren't the most convenient thing in the world unfortunately. What about solid state storage such as flash drives, how long would they last?
I don't have figures on hand but what I can tell you is this. Every time a new technology comes out, it is generally backwards compatible. That means that as long as you continually move your files to the latest storage, you'll be OK.
Not to mention, when you are storing digitally, you have the option of keeping good backups. The backup means that should one copy degrade or become damaged, you have a spare. So long as you check on the files to make sure the storage is working, and keep it safely stored, I think you'll be OK.
Samuel Messages: 45 Registered: January 2014 Location: USA
Baron
Sounds like a lot of work, or at least like the onus is on me and that otherwise, any format will work? Thanks for the help, I'll look into getting a good external hard drive.
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