The Sound of Memory: Preserving Old Audio and Music Recordings
Building off of last month’s blog post about oral history we wanted to talk about audio and music recordings this month. When most people think of family archives, they imagine photo albums, letters, and scrapbooks, but some of the most powerful memories come in the form of old recordings. Whether it’s a grandparent’s historical audio from a radio show, a home music recording on a cassette tape, or a shellac record from the 1930s, these audio recordings carry voices, music, and stories that photos alone can’t capture. Preserving family audio recordings ensures that the essence of your family’s past can be heard for generations to come.
Audio Recordings Art Part of Family History
Audio preservation captures nuances that written documents or photographs cannot:
Accents, laughter, and emotion in a relative’s voice
Musical talent or performances
Home music recordings that reveal everyday life
For families who never met older generations, hearing these historical audio recordings can make history feel immediate and alive.
Types of Recordings You Might Find In Your Family’s Collection
Family audio collections can come in many forms, each with unique preservation needs:
Shellac and vinyl records – Popular from the early 1900s to the 1980s, often fragile and easily scratched.
Reel-to-reel tapes – Common for mid-century home audio and professional radio recordings.
Cassette and 8-track tapes – Used widely from the 1960s through the 1990s for home music recordings.
Digital audio files – CDs, mini-discs, or computer-based recordings from more recent decades.
Steps to Preserve and Digitize Audio Recordings
1. Careful Handling
Handle vinyl records, shellac records, and tapes by their edges.
Wear gloves if necessary to prevent oils from damaging the surface.
2. Cleaning
Shellac records and vinyl records: gently remove dust with specialized brushes and non-alcohol cleaning solutions.
Magnetic tapes: rewind carefully to avoid tangling or snapping.
3. Digitization
Use high-quality turntables, tape decks, or professional transfer services for digitizing audio.
Convert recordings to digital formats for easy storage and sharing.
Optional: edit or enhance historical audio recordings for clarity.
4. Safe Storage
Shellac and vinyl records: store upright in protective sleeves, away from heat and sunlight.
Tapes: store in archival boxes in a cool, dry place.
Digital files: back up in multiple locations, including cloud storage and external drives, to protect your family audio archive.
Sharing Your Family’s Story with Digitized Recordings
Digitized old recordings can bring your family archives to life:
Combine home music recordings with family photos in a slideshow or photo book
Enhance videos with music or voices from past generations
Share recordings at family gatherings or online for distant relatives
Audio is more than sound—it’s storytelling. Each historical audio recording carries a voice, a melody, or a laugh that helps future generations connect with their heritage.
Preserving Your Family’s Audio Recordings is About Keeping Memories Alive
At its heart, preserving your family’s audio recordings is about much more than protecting physical objects. It’s about keeping voices, stories, and music alive for future generations. Every shellac record, cassette tape, or reel-to-reel holds a piece of your family’s history, capturing moments and emotions that photos and documents alone cannot convey.
By carefully handling, cleaning, digitizing, and storing these recordings, you’re creating a bridge between past and present. You’re ensuring that the laughter, songs, and voices of your ancestors can continue to inspire, teach, and connect your family for years to come. In doing so, you’re not just preserving audio…you’re preserving memory itself.