Keep the sound and its provenance together
Before you begin: No historic device required. Begin with an audio file you already have permission to keep.
An archive needs both the signal and the explanation of its origin. Distinguish an original recording, a transfer from an older medium, and a modern reconstruction. They can all be useful, but they support different historical claims.
Keep an unchanged source copy and a separate listening copy. Record the transfer chain, processing and unknowns. A plausible reconstructed dial tone is evidence of a reconstruction method, not proof of what one particular phone sounded like decades ago.
Worked example & observations
Synthetic catalogue entry: ‘Cassette transfer, family interview; exact recording date unknown; transferred through a named deck and interface; no noise reduction on preservation copy; edited excerpt stored separately.’ This is a documentation example, not an AUWEN family recording. If the original is lossy, wrapping it in WAV does not restore discarded detail.
Your turn
Someone supplies an MP3 labelled ‘1970 station identification’, with no further information. What can you safely claim, and what should you request?
Show answer and reasoning
You can describe the supplied file and its label, but the label alone does not establish the recording date or source. Request provenance, transfer history and any rights information. Keep unknown fields explicit rather than converting the filename into a confirmed historical fact.
Watch for: A digital copy can be exact while its storage later fails. Preserve multiple verified copies. Do not publish third-party recordings solely because their device is obsolete.
Published and planned
Published: this starter lesson, worked example and exercise with an answer.
Planned: Sourced historic recordings and explicitly labelled reconstructions; none are invented for this starter.
Validation: source review and mathematical checks where applicable. Photography captures, audio listening and device workflows have not been performed for these lessons. Synthetic cases are labelled; no personal media or field observations are implied.
References
Original AUWEN teaching and examples. Sources reviewed 14 September 2026.
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