Topic: DATs got wet during recent rain

[Mattyb123]

Can anything be done to salvage them?

[John Willett]

Assuming you mean DAT tapes and not the DAT recorder.

I would put them in an airing cupboard and leave them to dry out for several days.

Then I would play them through and transfer the recordings into your DAW.  Hopefully this will work.

Listen carefully for glitches and maybe rewind and try again.  If the second pass is perfect then you can delete the first pass.  Or, if the glitches are in different, places you may have to edit to get a good recording.

Once this is done never use the DATs again.

At least - this is how I would do it...

[stevetoney]

Assuming you mean DAT tapes and not the DAT recorder.

I would put them in an airing cupboard and leave them to dry out for several days.

Then I would play them through and transfer the recordings into your DAW.  Hopefully this will work.

Listen carefully for glitches and maybe rewind and try again.  If the second pass is perfect then you can delete the first pass.  Or, if the glitches are in different, places you may have to edit to get a good recording.

Once this is done never use the DATs again.

At least - this is how I would do it...

Seems like I read a long time ago that a concern with DAT tapes, which I think have metal emulsions, can start to corrode with moisture and humidity so I'd try to dry them ASAP.

[F.O.Bean]

My Sony D8 got wet at moedown in 2001, and I had to dry it out in the sun for 2 days before it would work again. Luckily, another taper loaned me his backup D8