Swiss sound archive preserves 650,000 recordings

The Swiss National Sound Archives in Lugano preserves around 650,000 recordings and uses specialised methods to rescue damaged audio, SRF reports.

Gabriele Franzoso, who has worked at the archive for 22 years, repairs damaged magnetic tapes by carefully heating and smoothing them with a small device. He developed the method after wondering whether a tape could be ironed like a piece of clothing.

The tapes are made of polyester, so the process requires precision. Excessive heat can cause irreversible damage, Franzoso says.

The archive has also developed a unique system for rescuing damaged records. Tonal expert Roberto Righini says the system is the only one of its kind in the world. It photographs a damaged record in high resolution, capturing its grooves precisely enough to reconstruct sound even when the record can barely be played. Dozens of records can be digitised each day.

The work often involves historically significant audio documents. The archive has, for example, digitised recordings of the Nuremberg Nazi trials for a German client.

The federally funded archive stores only recordings connected to Switzerland. Its collection includes music, interviews, speeches and other sound documents. A recording would be archived, for example, if a Swiss musician performed a Beatles song, director Günther Giovannoni says. The decisive factor is whether the work forms part of Swiss culture, history or tradition.

Up to 25,000 recordings are added each year. The archive’s original records, cassettes, CDs and tapes are kept even as the material is gradually digitised.

Because the collection continues to grow, the Swiss National Sound Archives will soon move from its current home in a historic villa in Lugano to a larger location.