Technical Standards, Remastering History, and Digital Preservation Date: October 26, 2023 Status: Comprehensive Overview

Restoration is not correction; it’s excavation. Engineers became archaeologists, coaxing lost harmonics from tape oxide, removing clicks and dropouts without removing character, and deciding what to let remain — tape flutter that spoke of late-night takes, or a breath that proved a singer was human. Each decision was an argument about authenticity: clean up and risk sterilizing, or preserve blemish and risk distracting?