TRADE STATUS: NOT FULLY TRADING – VERY LIMITED
At this point I am not trading like I used to. In fact I just don’t use CD-Rs anymore and anything I have is now in lossless FLAC format. Any trades I will do is through Dropbox, Wetransfer or something similar. With that being said, I am not looking for big trades but if you have something of serious interest or on my want list, please let me know. If I have something you really want like a single show, just let me know and I will try to upload it somewhere for you to grab given my time.
DAO and audio extraction:
If you still have something on CD I need then please read this info. This is by far the most important rule and you will find that most people demand this as well. DAO(disk-at-once) prevents the 2 second gaps between tracks so that there no silence or interruption of the music.This is especially important when it comes to live music. I will not tolerate TAO and even clicks or pops between tracks is considered “uncool” . Please take the time to check your CDs and copies before sending them off.This will help prevent any misunderstandings.
Keep in mind that occasionally some CDs that I have received in trade may have a minor flaw or two.Although the majority are fine,I don’t have control over what people send me.But if there is an issue then I will be sure to let you know first and I will try to correct any problems before shipping.
Lately, audio extraction has been an issue and I think it is important to bring up here.Please do not burn your CDs “on the fly”. I don’t care what kind of hardware you have, it doesn’t matter.To help insure that the audio does not get corrupted during recording,you must copy an image to you hardrive first. A lot of folks use EAC which helps in this process but some burning software has this feature built in.One thing to note:Please do not save individual tracks when using EAC or any other program. It is important to extract the whole image at once with a cue sheet, this will help prevent track “clicks”
Setlist and Source info:
When ever possible, please provide any info you have regarding the source.Like equipment used,including mics.,lineage and setlist. I understand that this is not always available but at least try to have a setlist for me.
MP3 & .SHN/FLAC recordings:
MP3 based recordings are not accepted (unless noted-MB20 2008 & RT 09 tour). This is a degrading format and it does effect the quality of the music. Please do not try to pass along a show that is MP3 based. There are ways to tell and such actions will cause you to be listed as a bad trader.
FLAC is what I prefer now if we do a trade. If there are any MD5 or checksums, please include them with any original text file information.
Contacting:
If you contact me first then I will expect you to send first before I send you anything unless we have dealt before.
Once a trade is finalized,we both will ship at the same time. The usual turnaround for me is day or two to upload. I will expect the same from you as well. But to be sure I will stay in e-mail contact until everyone is happy.
Artwork:
If there was original art with the file set then I will send it along, same goes for you but most items on my list does not have anything so it should not be expected.
MASTER & LOW GEN TAPE TRANSFERS:
As time and the years have past by, I have come across many old collections, tapers with various sources that need to be transfered to CD. In some cases, I have been asked to help in this department which is always fun for me to and can be beneficial to both parties.
Some folks may not have the time, proper equipment or perhaps have lost interest in collecting but the tapes still sit and over time these tapes can potentially go bad. To help preserve the integrity of some of these historic recordings, I am willing to properly transfer them to CD so they can be saved in the digital world forever. Obviously the source has to be close to the master recording or preferably the actual master tape when possible. Of course this doesnt always apply if it’s a rare recording to begin with.
Clearly I am interested in the bands from my list although I can make exceptions in this department because I am willing to transfer anything rare that’s good…
So basically you would have to send me your tapes. You can send whatever you are comfortable with and how many is up to you. Once I get your tapes, I will let you know and start to work on them. Some folks have offered me to keep their tapes which again is up to you. If you want your tapes back, then I will send them back as quickly as I get them done. You will also get CDs in return with your tapes. Or if you just want the CDs then I will only send those.
Digital tapes, minidiscs and/or masters are transferred via digital cable into my main workstation so you get a pure digital copy to CD.
Analog tapes are loaded though the same dedicated rack system which is next to my main workstation.
Typically no EQ mastering is done unless absolutely necessary.If thats the case I will notify you first before proceeding. This is usually when the sound is seriously clipped,distorted or overloaded with some kind of heavy frequencies. Otherwise the typical process is to digitally load them and properly bring any level issues back up to 0 db so the sound is up to par. This includes fixing gaps, pops or other anomalies that exist. Once any level corrections are done, the show is then indexed properly and burned to CD with proper fades at the start and end of each disc.
Usually I will back up all media with DAT clones for myself in the event you want your originals back. So there will always be a back up copy here for you. Once this is all done I will promptly send your media and new CDs back and I will keep in contact with you through out the entire process so you know how things are going and when to expect your package safely.
So if you have an old tape collection, some master tapes sitting around or something you’d like for me to transfer to CD then please drop me an email. I would love to help you out and preserve some history.
The latest versions of the following software:
Nero Burning-Rom
EAC
Cool Edit Pro
CDWave
Plus other common utilities
Home Recording & Rack Mount Hardware:
Sony MDS-JB940 Minidisc home deck unit
Nakamichi MR-1 Cassette tape deck
Behringer SRC2496 A/D Converter
Tascam DA-40 DAT deck
Portable Stealth Recording Hardware:
First Rig:
Sharp 702 portable minidisc recorder
Core Sound binaural mics.
Second Rig:
Sony TDC-D8 DAT recorder
Sound Pro SP-CMC-7 Premium Slimline Audio Technica Cardioid mics.
Third Rig:
Edirol R-09
Sound Pro SP-CMC-8 Premium Slimline Audio Technica Cardioid mics.