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Published: 09 May 2026
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npj Heritage Science (2026) Cite this article
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Abstract
Since 1947, analog tape recording has become the dominant method of sound recording and has been widely used in music, cultural outreach, scientific research, and news gathering, producing a large number of important audio archives. However, due to the presence of adhesives, mildew often develops on the tape magnetic layer and edges, posing a serious threat to long-term preservation and sound quality. ATR-FTIR and SEM were used to characterize the chemical and physical properties of magnetic tape. Penicillium and Aspergillus were used to prepare samples with different coverage degrees of mildew, and the corresponding audio samples were analyzed using Praat. The relationships between spectral characteristics, acoustic parameters, and mildew coverage were analyzed. Additionally, surface morphology and roughness were observed using laser microscopy. The research reveal the mechanisms by which mildew affects sound quality and provide a basis for improved preservation strategies.
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Acknowledgements
The authors acknowledge financial support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (22572112), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (22002080), Science and Technology Project of the National Archives Administration (2022-B-005), the Key Research and Development Program of Shaanxi Province (2021GY-172), and the Key Scientific Research Project at the Museum Level of Hubei Provincial Museum (25A05).
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Authors and Affiliations
Engineering Research Center of Historical Cultural Heritage Conservation, Ministry of Education, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an, China
Zhihui Jia, Yanan Wang, Shujiao Yu, Quanfeng Cai, Bodian Liu, Huiping Xing & Yuhu Li
State Key Laboratory of Loess Science, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi’an, China
Long Chen
Hubei Provincial Museum, Wuhan, China
Yanhong Zhao
Authors
- Zhihui Jia
- Yanan Wang
- Shujiao Yu
- Quanfeng Cai
- Bodian Liu
- Huiping Xing
- Yuhu Li
- Long Chen
- Yanhong Zhao
Corresponding authors
Correspondence to Zhihui Jia or Long Chen.
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The authors declare no competing interests.
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Cite this article
Jia, Z., Wang, Y., Yu, S. et al. Research on the mechanism of mildew contamination affecting the sound quality of analog tape archives. npj Herit. Sci. (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s40494-026-02592-7
Received: 14 January 2026
Accepted: 20 April 2026
Published: 09 May 2026