We had some problems with making more copies of TP-022, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Willy and the Poor Boys. We were noticing some degradation of our running masters. We contacted the label to get the original masters back so we could make fresh running masters. Unfortunately they said the original masters had degradation too. This left us in a tough spot. The title has been on hold for a couple of years while we figured out a solution.
Tape Restoration is something we do for clients, so we have some familiarity with the techniques. We worked hard to restore the running masters, but there were still some areas that we were unable to restore to our satisfaction.
Eventually we were able to come up with a version that overcomes the problems, but it required the use of digital tools. We have new running masters and we are making copies again. They have one pass through the digital domain and back onto 1" two track analog.
Does the restored version sound identical to our original version, minus the defects? No. Does it sound pretty darn good? We think so. This is what we will be using going forward.