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<h1>The Official Alt.Music.Bootlegs FAQ</h1>
<p class="version">Version 4.1 (modified 2002/09/13)</p>
<hr>
<h2>Contents</h2>
<p><strong>Chapter 0: Prologue</strong><br>
[<a href="#0-1">0-1</a>] Welcome to the alt.music.bootlegs FAQ <br>
[<a href="#0-2">0-2</a>] Copyrights <br>
[<a href="#0-3">0-3</a>] Do's and Don'ts <br>
[<a href="#0-4">0-4</a>] Credits [<em class="updated">Updated</em>]<br>
[<a href="#0-5">0-5</a>] History [<em class="updated">Updated</em>]<br>
[<a href="#0-6">0-6</a>] Where can I find the latest version of this FAQ? <br>
[<a href="#0-7">0-7</a>] What if something is wrong on this FAQ? <br>
</p>
<p><strong>Chapter 1: Legal and General</strong><br>
[<a href="#1-1">1-1</a>] What <em>is</em> bootlegging? <br>
[<a href="#1-2">1-2</a>] What is alt.music.bootlegs? [<em class="updated">Updated</em>]<br>
[<a href="#1-3">1-3</a>] Which laws apply to bootlegging? <br>
[<a href="#1-4">1-4</a>] Where can I find out more about legal issues? <br>
[<a href="#1-5">1-5</a>] Which bands allow taping? <br>
</p>
<p><strong>Chapter 2: Trading, Buying and Selling</strong><br>
<strong>2.1: Trading</strong><br>
[<a href="#2-1">2-1</a>] Where can I find traders that have such-and-such-band? [<em class="updated">Updated</em>]<br>
[<a href="#2-2">2-2</a>] I've never traded with anyone before. How should I phrase an email to someone I want to trade with? <br>
[<a href="#2-3">2-3</a>] I'm new to this. How do I get started? [<em class="updated">Updated</em>]<br>
[<a href="#2-4">2-4</a>] What's a B+P? <br>
[<a href="#2-5">2-5</a>] What's a 2 to 1 trade? <br>
<strong>2.2: Buying and Selling</strong><br>
[<a href="#2-6">2-6</a>] Why will some people not sell bootlegs? <br>
[<a href="#2-7">2-7</a>] Where is a good bootleg store in XXXXXXXX? <br>
[<a href="#2-8">2-8</a>] Where is a good online bootleg store? <br>
[<a href="#2-9">2-9</a>] What is a fair price to pay? <br>
<strong>2.3: Bad Traders</strong><br>
[<a href="#2-10">2-10</a>] What is a Bad Trader? [<em class="new">New</em>]<br>
[<a href="#2-11">2-11</a>] How can I avoid Bad Traders? [<em class="updated">Updated</em>]<br>
[<a href="#2-12">2-12</a>] How long should I wait before posting someone as a bad trader? <br>
[<a href="#2-13">2-13</a>] What information should I include when posting someone as a bad trader? <br>
[<a href="#2-14">2-14</a>] What information should I <em>not</em> include when posting someone as a bad trader? <br>
</p>
<p><strong>Chapter 3: CD-Recordable</strong><br>
[<a href="#3-1">3-1</a>] What is Disc-At-Once (DAO)? Track-At-Once (TAO)? <br>
[<a href="#3-2">3-2</a>] I've heard that burning at high speeds can cause errors. Why is this? <br>
[<a href="#3-3">3-3</a>] Which CDRs are the best? [<em class="updated">Updated</em>]<br>
[<a href="#3-4">3-4</a>] How long will CDRs last? <br>
<strong>3.1: Standalone CD-Recorders</strong><br>
[<a href="#3-5">3-5</a>] What is the difference between PC CD-recorders and standalones? <br>
[<a href="#3-6">3-6</a>] What is the best model of standalone CD-recorder? <br>
[<a href="#3-7">3-7</a>] What are the best kind of discs to use? [<em class="updated">Updated</em>]<br>
[<a href="#3-8">3-8</a>] What is SCMS? [<em class="new">New</em>]<br>
<strong>3.2: PC CD-Recorders</strong><br>
[<a href="#3-9">3-9</a>] What is "on the fly"/"off the fly" recording? Which should I use? [<em class="updated">Updated</em>]<br>
[<a href="#3-10">3-10</a>] What is the best model of CD-recorder? <br>
[<a href="#3-11">3-11</a>] How do I extract perfect WAV files from a CD? [<em class="new">New</em>]<br>
[<a href="#3-12">3-12</a>] How do I perfectly copy a CDR? [<em class="updated">Updated</em>]<br>
[<a href="#3-13">3-13</a>] How do I avoid adding SCMS protection to CDs? [<em class="new">New</em>]<br>
</p>
<p><strong>Chapter 4: Other Formats</strong><br>
<strong>4.1: DAT</strong><br>
[<a href="#4-1">4-1</a>] Does anyone trade DAT? <br>
[<a href="#4-2">4-2</a>] Where can I find DAT traders? <br>
<strong>4.2: MiniDisc</strong><br>
[<a href="#4-3">4-3</a>] Does anyone trade MiniDiscs? [<em class="new">New</em>]<br>
[<a href="#4-4">4-4</a>] Is MiniDisc lossy? <br>
[<a href="#4-5">4-5</a>] How does ATRAC work? Is it the same as MP3? [<em class="updated">Updated</em>]<br>
[<a href="#4-6">4-6</a>] Which brand of MiniDiscs has the best sound quality? [<em class="new">New</em>]<br>
[<a href="#4-7">4-7</a>] What is MDLP? [<em class="new">New</em>]<br>
<strong>4.3: Cassette</strong><br>
[<a href="#4-8">4-8</a>] Does anyone still trade cassettes? <br>
[<a href="#4-9">4-9</a>] Where can I find cassette traders? <br>
[<a href="#4-10">4-10</a>] What is the best way to dub tapes? <br>
<strong>4.4: MP3 Files</strong><br>
[<a href="#4-11">4-11</a>] What are MP3 Files? [<em class="new">New</em>]<br>
[<a href="#4-12">4-12</a>] What are the advantages and disadvantages of trading MP3 files? [<em class="new">New</em>]<br>
[<a href="#4-13">4-13</a>] How can I listen to MP3 files? [<em class="new">New</em>]<br>
[<a href="#4-14">4-14</a>] How do I convert MP3 files into another format? [<em class="new">New</em>]<br>
[<a href="#4-15">4-15</a>] How do I make MP3 files? [<em class="new">New</em>]<br>
[<a href="#4-16">4-16</a>] Where can I find MP3 traders? [<em class="new">New</em>]<br>
[<a href="#4-17">4-17</a>] Is there anything else I should know about MP3 files? [<em class="new">New</em>]<br>
[<a href="#4-18">4-18</a>] How can I tell if a CD is MP3 sourced? [<em class="updated">Updated</em>]<br>
<strong>4.5: SHN Files</strong><br>
[<a href="#4-19">4-19</a>] What are SHN files? [<em class="updated">Updated</em>]<br>
[<a href="#4-20">4-20</a>] What are the advantages and disadvantages of trading SHN files? [<em class="new">New</em>]<br>
[<a href="#4-21">4-21</a>] How can I listen to SHN files? [<em class="updated">Updated</em>]<br>
[<a href="#4-22">4-22</a>] How do I convert SHN files into another format? [<em class="updated">Updated</em>]<br>
[<a href="#4-23">4-23</a>] How do I make SHN files? [<em class="new">New</em>]<br>
[<a href="#4-24">4-24</a>] Where can I find SHN traders? <br>
[<a href="#4-25">4-25</a>] What are MD5 files? <br>
<strong>4.6: Video Tape</strong><br>
[<a href="#4-26">4-26</a>] What is NTSC? What is PAL? What is SECAM? [<em class="new">New</em>]<br>
[<a href="#4-27">4-27</a>] How can I convert between PAL, NTSC and SECAM? [<em class="new">New</em>]<br>
[<a href="#4-28">4-28</a>] How do I copy a video? [<em class="new">New</em>]<br>
[<a href="#4-29">4-29</a>] How do I copy a video without using SCART? [<em class="new">New</em>]<br>
<strong>4.7: VCD</strong><br>
[<a href="#4-30">4-30</a>] What is a VCD? [<em class="updated">Updated</em>]<br>
[<a href="#4-31">4-31</a>] How do I copy a VCD? [<em class="new">New</em>]<br>
[<a href="#4-32">4-32</a>] How do I create a VCD? [<em class="new">New</em>]<br>
<strong>4.8: Rarely Used Formats</strong><br>
[<a href="#4-33">4-33</a>] What are OGG files? [<em class="new">New</em>]<br>
[<a href="#4-34">4-34</a>] What are RM/RA/RAM files? [<em class="new">New</em>]<br>
[<a href="#4-35">4-35</a>] What are ASF/WMA/WMV files? [<em class="new">New</em>]<br>
[<a href="#4-36">4-36</a>] What are FLAC files? [<em class="new">New</em>]<br>
[<a href="#4-37">4-37</a>] Does anyone trade DVDs? [<em class="new">New</em>]<br>
</p>
<p><strong>Chapter 5: Packaging</strong><br>
<strong>5.1: Artwork</strong><br>
[<a href="#5-1">5-1</a>] Should I send artwork with my bootlegs? <br>
[<a href="#5-2">5-2</a>] How do I make artwork? [<em class="updated">Updated</em>]<br>
[<a href="#5-3">5-3</a>] Where can I find artwork for XXXX? [<em class="updated">Updated</em>]<br>
[<a href="#5-4">5-4</a>] How many pixels by how many pixels for CD artwork? [<em class="new">New</em>]<br>
[<a href="#5-5">5-5</a>] What image format should I use when making artwork? [<em class="new">New</em>]<br>
<strong>5.2: Mailing</strong><br>
[<a href="#5-6">5-6</a>] What is the postage rate from XXXX to YYYY? <br>
[<a href="#5-7">5-7</a>] What's the best way to wrap CDs securely? [<em class="updated">Updated</em>]<br>
[<a href="#5-8">5-8</a>] Why do people tell me not to use fibre-mailers? <br>
[<a href="#5-9">5-9</a>] Should I send by priority mail? First class mail? etc? <br>
[<a href="#5-10">5-10</a>] Are there any special considerations when sending things internationally? <br>
[<a href="#5-11">5-11</a>] What is an International Reply Coupon? [<em class="new">New</em>]<br>
[<a href="#5-12">5-12</a>] I sent some CDs weeks ago, but the other guy is claiming not to have received them. What should I do? [<em class="new">New</em>]<br>
</p>
<p><strong>Chapter 6: Basic Bootleg Management</strong><br>
[<a href="#6-1">6-1</a>] Why should I keep track of which bootlegs I have? <br>
[<a href="#6-2">6-2</a>] How should I keep track of which bootlegs I have? [<em class="updated">Updated</em>]<br>
[<a href="#6-3">6-3</a>] What information should I include? [<em class="updated">Updated</em>]<br>
[<a href="#6-4">6-4</a>] How should I grade quality? <br>
[<a href="#6-5">6-5</a>] What do those letters under Source such as SB, AUD, FM, etc, mean? <br>
[<a href="#6-6">6-6</a>] Should I include my "rules"? <br>
[<a href="#6-7">6-7</a>] Should I include a list of people I've traded with? <br>
[<a href="#6-8">6-8</a>] What should I do with my list? <br>
[<a href="#6-9">6-9</a>] How often should I post my list? <br>
[<a href="#6-10">6-10</a>] Crossposting? <br>
</p>
<p><strong>Chapter 7: Taping</strong><br>
[<a href="#7-1">7-1</a>] What equipment should I use? <br>
[<a href="#7-2">7-2</a>] What are the advantages and disadvantages of DAT and MD? <br>
[<a href="#7-3">7-3</a>] Where are the best venues to tape? <br>
[<a href="#7-4">7-4</a>] How should I sneak it in? [<em class="updated">Updated</em>]<br>
[<a href="#7-5">7-5</a>] Where should I put the microphones while recording? [<em class="updated">Updated</em>]<br>
[<a href="#7-6">7-6</a>] Any other taping tips? <br>
[<a href="#7-7">7-7</a>] Can I get a soundboard patch? <br>
[<a href="#7-8">7-8</a>] What happens if I get caught? <br>
[<a href="#7-9">7-9</a>] Should I tape in Mono or Stereo? [<em class="new">New</em>]<br>
[<a href="#7-10">7-10</a>] What else should I know? [<em class="new">New</em>]<br>
</p>
<p><strong>Chapter 8: Audio Editing</strong><br>
[<a href="#8-1">8-1</a>] What audio editing tools should I use? [<em class="updated">Updated</em>]<br>
[<a href="#8-2">8-2</a>] How can I get rid of the gaps from CDs burnt in TAO mode? [<em class="updated">Updated</em>]<br>
[<a href="#8-3">8-3</a>] Why is that such a complicated process? <br>
[<a href="#8-4">8-4</a>] How to I transfer a recording from another format (DAT, MD, Cassette, Vinyl, etc) to CDR? <br>
[<a href="#8-5">8-5</a>] There's a lot of hiss on my recording. How do I fix that? <br>
[<a href="#8-6">8-6</a>] How can I remove small pops and clicks from the recording? <br>
[<a href="#8-7">8-7</a>] What are some general tips and tricks? <br>
[<a href="#8-8">8-8</a>] What does "Clipping" mean? <br>
</p>
<p><strong>Chapter 9: The alt.music.bootlegs Newsgroup</strong><br>
[<a href="#9-1">9-1</a>] What is a newsgroup? <br>
[<a href="#9-2">9-2</a>] How do I access newsgroups? [<em class="updated">Updated</em>]<br>
[<a href="#9-3">9-3</a>] Are there any special considerations when posting messages to newsgroups? <br>
[<a href="#9-4">9-4</a>] Are there any special considerations when posting messages to alt.music.bootlegs in particular? [<em class="updated">Updated</em>]<br>
[<a href="#9-5">9-5</a>] How long has alt.music.bootlegs existed? How long do you think it will last? <br>
[<a href="#9-6">9-6</a>] What other newsgroups might be of interest to me? <br>
</p>
<p><strong>Chapter 10: Miscellaneous Questions</strong><br>
[<a href="#10-1">10-1</a>] Isn't that piracy? [<em class="updated">Updated</em>]<br>
[<a href="#10-2">10-2</a>] What is the difference between an Outtake and a Demo? <br>
[<a href="#10-3">10-3</a>] Where do soundboard shows come from? [<em class="new">New</em>]<br>
[<a href="#10-4">10-4</a>] What's a filler? <br>
[<a href="#10-5">10-5</a>] What is a "generation"? <br>
[<a href="#10-6">10-6</a>] What is Mono? What is Stereo? What is Joint Stereo? [<em class="new">New</em>]<br>
[<a href="#10-7">10-7</a>] What is FTP? [<em class="new">New</em>]<br>
[<a href="#10-8">10-8</a>] Further Reading [<em class="updated">Updated</em>]<br>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Chapter 0: Prologue</h2>
<h4>[<a name="0-1">0-1</a>] Welcome to the alt.music.bootlegs FAQ</h4><p>Welcome to the FAQ for alt.music.bootlegs. This newsgroup
has existed since mid-August of 1994. It was started by Ben Kierulff
because he felt that people needed a place to trade their tapes. He had
gotten into trading NIN, exclusively on alt.music.nin, because there
was no other place around, and it was a pain to trade for other music
groups on a.m.n. If you wanted a Pink Floyd boot, you would have to
hope someone would post on the Pink Floyd newsgroup about it. There
needed to be a place for tapes of any and all origins to be swapped
amongst netters, so he made one, alt.music.bootlegs. We can all thank
him for it, because no one would be here today without him, and there
wouldn't be a FAQ for a newsgroup that didn't exist. :)</p><p>The first FAQ for the newsgroup was created by
, it was read by Jeff Kuhn who liked the idea, and with
the agreement of Chewtoy2 developed a new FAQ for the newsgroup which
he maintained from 1995 until 1998.</p><p>From 1998 until 2001 the FAQ went unmaintained until I
posted about the idea of starting a new one. A few people said they'd
help out and Jeff kindly allowed me to use parts of his original FAQ in
this one. You can find a full list of the parts that are based on
Jeff's original FAQ later on in this topic.</p><p>So here is the FAQ. We have done our best to ensure the
accuracy of our answers, although it should be pointed out that this is
a work in progress. If you have any additions or corrections, please
contact the authors of the FAQ.</p><p>-Toby</p><h4>[<a name="0-2">0-2</a>] Copyrights</h4><p>This FAQ is the copyright of its respective authors. All
rights reserved.</p><p>I. You have the following rights make copies of this in
original form, so long as:</p><ul><li>(a) the copies are complete and exact duplicates of the
original;</li><li>(b) you do not charge a fee for copying or
distribution;</li><li>(c) the distributed form is not in an electronic magazine,
within computer software, unless you have gotten specific permission
from me;</li><li>(d) the distributed form is the newest version of this FAQ
to the best of your knowledge;</li><li>(e) the copies are in electronic form;</li><li>(f) under NO circumstances will a monetary fee be given in
exchange for this document.</li></ul><p>II. The following disclaimers are in effect:</p><ul><li>(a) The author and contributors are not responsible in any
way for their contributions.</li><li>(b) The author and contributors are not responsible or
liable for any consequences resulting from the use or misuse of the
information they gave. The contributors, as well as the author, make
no guarantees as whether the information contained within is
correct.</li><li>(c) Some documents were reprinted electronically without
permission. In doing so, they may or may not have been been
edited.</li></ul><p>Parts of this document are from the alt.music.bootlegs FAQ
ver 3.1, reprinted with the author's permission. The copyrights and
disclaimers of that document apply to the extracts contained within
this.</p><h4>[<a name="0-3">0-3</a>] Do's and Don'ts</h4><p>Do Read this FAQ; Don't Not Read it :)</p><p>Do Give the FAQ to people; Don't Post this to Usenet yourself</p><p>Do Put this FAQ on Your WWW/FTP Site; Don't Forget to Notify Me First</p><p>Do Agree/Disagree with the info; Don't Change the info yourself</p><h4>[<a name="0-4">0-4</a>] Credits</h4><p>Version 4.0 of the FAQ is by James Eades and Toby A Inkster, Esq.
Version 4.1 has been updated by Toby.</p><p>Thanks to Chris Brightwell for information on MDLP.</p><p>The Prologue, Cassette Tape and Bootleg Management parts of
the FAQ are strongly based on Jeff Kuhn's older FAQ. Other parts of the
FAQ also borrow from Jeff's FAQ in part.</p><p>Jeff himself gives credits to the following people for
making his FAQ possible: Andy Strote, David Lynch, David J Carlstrom,
Michael Burstin, Jerry Shugars, Ben Kierulff, John R Harper, Rob
Gronotte, Scott Hannon, Phil Satterley, M Cheng, John Swenson, Len
Moskowitz, Chris Trumbore, Dave, Tomi Kause, Michael Burstin and Adam
Stanley.</p><h4>[<a name="0-5">0-5</a>] History</h4><ul><li>Jun 23, 1995 — 1st Release (beta test release)</li><li>Jul 07, 1995 — 2nd Release (major additions and changes)</li><li>Jul 21, 1995 — 3rd Release (changes, additions, and spelling corrections)</li><li>Aug 04, 1995 — 4th Release (changes regarding store addresses, dolby)</li><li>Aug 18, 1995 — 5th Release (last of big changes, including boot dist)</li><li>Sep 01, 1995 — 6th Release (FTP info, minor revisions)</li><li>Oct 10, 1995 — 7th Release (DAT info, taping bands, minor revisions)</li><li>Jan 15, 1996 — 8th Release (DOLBY, mailing list, structure revisions)</li><li>Apr 26, 1996 — 9th Release (Laws, sound — minor revisions)</li><li>Jun 24, 1996 — 10th Release (minor revisions, FTP info, Happy 1st Birthday)</li><li>Aug 27, 1996 — 11th Release (minor revisions, news articles.)</li><li>Dec 05, 1996 — 12th Release (minor revisions)</li><li>Jun 19, 1997 — 13th Release (revisions, post after inactivity)</li><li>Mar 20, 1998 — 14th Release (revisions, post after inactivity, changes)</li><li>Jun 23, 2001 — 15th Release (major additions and changes, Happy 6th Birthday)</li><li>Sep 13, 2002 — 16th Release (major additions and changes)</li></ul><h4>[<a name="0-6">0-6</a>] Where can I find the latest version of this FAQ?</h4><p>The latest version of this FAQ should always be available
from: <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ambfaq.cjb.net/">http://www.ambfaq.cjb.net/</a></p><p>It should also be posted to alt.music.bootlegs, alt.answers
and news.answers on a regular basis.</p><h4>[<a name="0-7">0-7</a>] What if something is wrong on this FAQ?</h4><p>Please contact one of the authors with corrections or
additions. Our email addresses are: and
</p>
<h2>Chapter 1: Legal and General</h2>
<h4>[<a name="1-1">1-1</a>] What <em>is</em> bootlegging?</h4><p>Essentially, bootlegs are recordings that have not been
released by an artist's main record label. They could be live
recordings, studio outtakes, rehersals, or just jams. The source for
these might be CD's that are put out by various bootleg labels, tapes
made by tapers at concerts, or tapes that one way or another "escaped"
from the recording studio.</p><p>Bootlegging is not, I repeat, not the illegal making and
distribution of alcohol. Well, it is, but that's not what we're talking
about here. If you think that was the definition, you're in the wrong
time and place. Go back about 80 years and go to
alt.tv.dukes-of-hazzard. :) [No, that newsgroup does not exist — please
don't e-mail me on that.]</p><p>Well, then. What is bootlegging, really? Well, it's
something A LOT of people disagree with. Bootlegging is where people go
into concerts, record the concert, then go and press the music onto a
CD and, in turn, sell this CD for monetary profit.</p><p>There is another type of "bootlegging", which is pretty
different. There are people/companies that are making copies of
legitimate releases and selling them as if they were legitimate. This
however, is called pirating, and not really bootlegging. This type of
pirating is what record companies are much most concerned
with.</p><h4>[<a name="1-2">1-2</a>] What is alt.music.bootlegs?</h4><p>Version 3.1 of this FAQ said this:</p><blockquote><p>Alt.music.bootlegs is <em>not</em> any of the above
mentioned text. No-one here goes to concerts and records them, and then
presses them on CD for a profit. Alt.music.bootlegs is for the <em>
trading</em> of bootleg recordings for <em>personal use only</em>,
not for a profit. Many people cringe at the name alt.music.bootlegs because
it implies profiteering.</p></blockquote><p>More recently though, it has become accepted that some people
do sell bootlegs on the group for profit. Generally, their profit margin
is only small and they don't aim to make a career out of it.</p><h4>[<a name="1-3">1-3</a>] Which laws apply to bootlegging?</h4><p>Different laws apply to you depending on where you live. In
the USA, US Code, Title 18, Section 2319A applies to you:</p><blockquote><p>Offense. — Whoever, without the consent of the performer
or performers involved, knowingly and for purposes of commercial
advantage or private financial gain — </p><p>(1) fixes the sounds or sounds and images of a live
musical performance in a copy or phonorecord, or reproduces copies or
phonorecords of such a performance from an unauthorized
fixation;</p><p>(2) transmits or otherwise communicates to the public the
sounds or sounds and images of a live musical performance;
or</p><p>(3) distributes or offers to distribute, sells or offers
to sell, rents or offers to rent, or traffics in any copy or
phonorecord fixed as described in paragraph (1), regardless of
whether the fixations occurred in the United States;</p><p>shall be imprisoned for not more than 5 years or fined in
the amount set forth in this title, or both, or if the offense is a
second or subsequent offense, shall be imprisoned for not more than
10 years or fined in the amount set forth in this title, or
both.</p></blockquote><p>
<a target="_blank" href="http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/18/2319A.html">http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/18/2319A.html</a></p><p>As does US Code, Title 17, Sections 1001-1010, which deals
with any non-profit duplication of copyrighted material:</p><blockquote><p>No action may be brought under this title alleging
infringement of copyright based on the manufacture, importation, or
distribution of a digital audio recording device, a digital audio
recording medium, an analog recording device, or an analog recording
medium, or based on the noncommercial use by a consumer of such a
device or medium for making digital musical recordings or analog
musical recordings.</p></blockquote><p>
<a target="_blank" href="http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/ch10.html">http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/ch10.html</a></p><p>People living in the USA should also be aware that various
state laws may also apply.</p><p>In the UK, there is a legal precedent that may be of
interest. To summarise, someone was accused of <em>pirating</em> (not
bootlegging) a Bob Dylan CD. He claimed that Dylan himself had given
him permission. As Bob Dylan did not have time to go to fly to the UK
to appear in court in Swansea, the defendent was found not guilty. The
case is mentioned in this House of Lords debate:</p><p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/ld199900/ldhansrd/vo000317/text/00317-09.htm">http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/ld199900/ldhansrd/vo000317/text/00317-09.htm</a></p><p>As a general guide, authorities tend to turn a blind eye to
bootlegging as a hobby, usually only targeting those who do it as a
business.</p><p>It should also be noted that most countries' laws treat
non-profit trading of bootlegs differently from selling.</p><h4>[<a name="1-4">1-4</a>] Where can I find out more about legal issues?</h4><p>Consult a lawyer in your area.</p><h4>[<a name="1-5">1-5</a>] Which bands allow taping?</h4><p>A lot of bands (too many to list here) allow you to tape
their shows (often with certain restrictions). These bands include The
Grateful Dead, Phish, Pearl Jam, U2 and Dave Matthews Band. A
constantly updated list can be found at the Bands That Allow Taping
website. <a target="_blank" href="http://btat.wagnerone.com/">http://btat.wagnerone.com/</a></p><p>There are also quite a few bands that are taper-friendly,
but don't have an official taping policy. This is sometimes because
they don't have much of a say over what their record company does, so
if their record company has a no-taping policy, they can't officially
do anything about it.</p>
<h2>Chapter 2: Trading, Buying and Selling</h2>
<h3>2.1: Trading</h3><h4>[<a name="2-1">2-1</a>] Where can I find traders that have
such-and-such-band?</h4><p>Your first place to look should be alt.music.bootlegs
itself. People there trade just about every band under the sun. Post a
brief message with a subject line reading something like
this:</p><ul><li>WTD: Such-And-Such-Band bootlegs.</li><li>ISO: Such-And-Such-Band bootlegs.</li><li>Wanted: Such-And-Such-Band bootlegs.</li><li>Wanted: Such-And-Such-Band 01-July-1997.</li></ul><p>"WTD" is short for "Wanted" and "ISO" is short for "In
Search Of". It is probably a good idea to indicate what you have to
trade in return — particularly recordings by the same and/or similar
artists.</p><p>Remember to include the band name in the subject — most
people reading alt.music.bootlegs only read the subjects most of the
time, so if you don't catch their attention with the subject, your
message is likely to get ignored.</p><p>Also remember with dates different parts of the world use
different formats. "1-2-00" means the 1st of February, 2000 to most people,
but it means January 2nd, 2000 to Americans.</p><p>If you get no responses, try a World Wide Web search on
. The following links might also be of use:
<a target="_blank" href="http://www.tapetrader.com/">http://www.tapetrader.com/</a>,
<a target="_blank" href="http://www.etree.org/">http://www.etree.org/</a>,
<a target="_blank" href="http://www.pauserecord.com/">http://www.pauserecord.com/</a>.</p><h4>[<a name="2-2">2-2</a>] I've never traded with anyone before. How should I phrase an
email to someone I want to trade with?</h4><p>I'm assuming you've already read their list so know what you
want from them — otherwise you wouldn't be sure if you wanted to trade
with them, right?</p><p>My advice is to keep it brief, but friendly. Here is a
sample email:</p><pre>
Hi Joe,
I was looking at your list and saw a couple of shows that I'm really interested
in:
Counting Crows — 23-Feb-1992 — San Fransisco, CA, USA
Travis — 23-Jun-2000 — Glastonbury Festival, UK
[My list is at <a target="_blank" href="http://somesite.com/list">http://somesite.com/list</a> | I've attached my list to this email*]
I'm looking forward to trading,
John.
</pre><p>(*delete as appropriate)</p><h4>[<a name="2-3">2-3</a>] I'm new to this. How do I get started?</h4><p>First, read the FAQ to find out what a 2:1 and a
B+P are.</p><p>Once you know this, look around for traders who have CDs by
the bands you are interested in. If there's a lot, maybe ask around to
see which CDs are the best — usually demos and TV/radio broadcasts are
pretty cool.</p><p>Contact a few traders and ask for B+Ps and 2:1s. Ask
politely. Don't be disappointed if they turn you down. Maybe if they're
too busy they might be able to point you in the direction of someone
who isn't. If you've looked around a bit and haven't had many offers,
you may have to resort to buying a few bootlegs to start off.</p><p>Now (hopefully) you'll have a few bootlegs of your own.
Listen to them, enjoy them. See which shows you like the best. You
might want to try to find some more like that. Again, ask for
recommendations — now you have a better idea of what you like so you'll
be able to get more out of the recommendations.</p><p>You'll probably want to start keeping a list of your
bootlegs now.</p><p>Look for traders who have medium-sized lists (around 40
bootlegs). Find some traders who have some shows that you want <em>and</em>
want some shows that you have! Write to them, asking for a trade.
You'll probably want to read this FAQ for information on how to trade.</p><h4>[<a name="2-4">2-4</a>] What's a B+P?</h4><p>A B+P is a type of trade which is usually to help newbies.
The newbie will send a trader enough blank media to record what they
want onto, plus enough money or stamps for return postage. The B stands
for "blanks" and the P stands for "postage", hence B+P.</p><p>For a description of the B+P in gruesome detail, see:
<a target="_blank" href="http://www.mcnichol.com/bnp/">http://www.mcnichol.com/bnp/</a></p><h4>[<a name="2-5">2-5</a>] What's a 2 to 1 trade?</h4><p>A 2 to 1 is similar to a B+P, but the newbie sends twice as
many blanks as would be needed to record what they want onto. The
trader keeps the spare blanks as "payment". This kind of deal is often
discouraged by fans of taper-friendly bands, in preference for
B+Ps.</p><h3>2.2: Buying and Selling</h3><h4>[<a name="2-6">2-6</a>] Why will some people not sell bootlegs?</h4><p>Some people regard the music as not their property, and so
do not feel comfortable with selling copies of their bootlegs — they
are just simply morally against the whole idea of selling. Others with
make a small charge to cover the cost of the materials and
postage.</p><p>Other reasons include that the trader does not want to risk
being caught by the authorities for selling music that he/she does not
own the rights to, or the trader has no need to sell — they may be
interested more in building their collection and so prefer to conduct
trades only.</p><h4>[<a name="2-7">2-7</a>] Where is a good bootleg store in XXXXXXXX?</h4><p>It would be impossible to list all the stores worldwide that
sell bootlegs in the FAQ. However, the newsgroup is the best place to
ask. Post a message asking if there are any good bootleg stores in
XXXXXXXXX, and hopefully someone who reads the group will being able to
provide the information you require.</p><h4>[<a name="2-8">2-8</a>] Where is a good online bootleg store?</h4><p>It would be unfair and biassed of this FAQ to recommend
particular places to purchase bootlegs online. Not only that, but
stores are appearing and disappearing so regularly that it would not be
feasible to maintain a list of the best places to purchase online,
although eBay can be a good source.</p><p>The best place to ask is on the newsgroup itself — post a
message asking for opinions on where to look.</p><h4>[<a name="2-9">2-9</a>] What is a fair price to pay?</h4><p>This is another question that has sparked a lot of debate in
the past. Typically, a 'fair' price would be simply what it costs to
make and post the bootleg the blank cd, the jewel case, the printing of
artwork and postage and packaging (maybe a tiny bit of profit on top
depending on the seller). As a guide, never pay the price for a CD-R
copy as you would for an original CD.</p><h3>2.3: Bad Traders</h3><h4>[<a name="2-10">2-10</a>] What is a Bad Trader?</h4><p>Simply a trader (or seller) who does not deliver what he or
she promises. Maybe their bootlegs are considerably worse that they had
promised, or maybe they didn't deliver anything at all.</p><p>You should avoid calling someone a bad trader merely because
of receiving a lower product than expected, because sound quality is
a matter of opinion.</p><h4>[<a name="2-11">2-11</a>] How can I avoid Bad Traders?</h4><ul><li>Ask them for references. If a trader has been trading for a
while, they will have amassed a large number of contacts, who will
hopefully be more than willing to recommend them. If they won't supply
references, then you will have to do a little more digging.</li><li>Searching on Google <a target="_blank" href="/">/</a> or Google
Groups (formerly Dejanews) <a target="_blank" href="/">/</a> for
mentions of the trader's name might be productive.</li><li>Post a message on alt.music.bootlegs with a subject like
"Trader Check: John Doe" and see what responses you get.</li><li>The first time you trade with someone, only trade a few discs.
That way, if you <em>do</em> get ripped off, then it will only
be for a few discs.</li></ul><h4>[<a name="2-12">2-12</a>] How long should I wait before posting someone as a bad
trader?</h4><p>Two months is what I recommend. If they send you a nasty
email as soon as they've got your package and tell you not to expect
anything in return, then by all means, post them straight away. But if
they offer you some sort of excuse, please give them the benifit of the
doubt and wait for at least two months for their stuff to arrive before
posting them as a bad trader.</p><h4>[<a name="2-13">2-13</a>] What information should I include when posting someone as a bad
trader?</h4><p>You should include enough information for anyone else
trading with them to be able to identify the bad trader with. A name
and email address is generally not enough — services such as Yahoo and
Hotmail offer free, easy email addresses, so a bad trader can easily
change email address.</p><p>Most people include the bad trader's address, as that is one
piece of information that the bad trader can't easily change. If you
feel uneasy posting someone's address to a public forum, then try
obscuring parts of it. For example:</p><p>XXXX Main Street, Smalltown, IL YYYYY USA.</p><p>You should also include details of why you think this person
is a bad trader. A tiny click might be enough for one person to think
of a trader as bad, but another person might not think of this as a
problem at all!</p><h4>[<a name="2-14">2-14</a>] What information should I <em>not</em> include when posting someone as
a bad trader?</h4><p>Do NOT include death threats, suggestions for people to find
them and lynch them or anything else of that sort. If the trader did
get hurt, the police would be knocking on your door straight away! Try
to keep things in perspective — while the bad trader may have betrayed
your trust, they probably didn't break your bank.</p>
<h2>Chapter 3: CD-Recordable</h2>
<h4>[<a name="3-1">3-1</a>] What is Disc-At-Once (DAO)? Track-At-Once (TAO)?</h4><p>CD Recorders usually give you two methods of recording a
disc — DAO and TAO. Consult your manual/help system to find out how to
switch between them. Each mode has its advantages and
disadvantages.</p><p>TAO writes one track at a time. Between each track, the
laser in your CD recorder is switched off briefly. This causes there to
be 2 second gaps between each track. On a live recording, these gaps
are undesireable, so DAO is usually preferred.</p><p>With DAO the laser is left switched on for the entire disc.
This means you can control how long the gaps are between tracks — you
can have 10 second gaps, 2 second gaps, 0.5 second gaps... even no
gaps! I have not yet found a person that would prefer you to use gaps
than a gapless recording. Consult your manual. Find out how to make
gapless recordings.</p><p>A lot of newbies seem to think that if you record something
in DAO mode, a CD player will not be able "seek" tracks. This is plain
wrong.</p><h4>[<a name="3-2">3-2</a>] I've heard that burning at high speeds can cause errors. Why is
this?</h4><p>Whether it makes any difference depends on the recorder, the
media and the player.</p><p>Put simply, a CD recorder contains a laser that "burns" tiny
parts of the disc to make them darker — this is how information is
stored. If disc is spinning round faster, the laser has less time to
burn each bit of the disc, so the dark bits aren't quite as
dark.</p><p>This might mean that the player has trouble telling the
difference between the dark bits and the light bits.</p><p>Most CD recorders take this into account and turn up the
laser power when burning at high-speed, but how well yours copes is a
matter for you to decide.</p><p>Generally speaking, burning at speeds of up to 4x should not
cause any problems.</p><p>While on the subject of burning speeds, it is <em>not</em> true
that a CD burnt at 2x can only be read at 2x — burning speed does not
effect reading speed like this. However, if you burn so fast that it
causes errors, this may <em>slow down</em> reading the CD back.</p><h4>[<a name="3-3">3-3</a>] Which CDRs are the best?</h4><p>It is widely held that brand-name CDs are the best. Exactly
which brand is best will depend on your exact setup.</p><p>Taiyo Yuden are usually touted as the best of the pack.
Their factory is in Japan and they make CDRs for (among others) TDK and
Sony. They also manufacture discs with their own brand on them and ones
with no logo at all.</p><p>In general, it seems most of the Japanese factories put more
care into their CDs than the Taiwanese ones.</p><h4>[<a name="3-4">3-4</a>] How long will CDRs last?</h4><p>It is really too early to say — CDRs have not been around
for very long. Experts predict that a well-made CDR if handled
correctly could last for up to 200 years. However long they last, it
should be longer than DATs or Cassette Tapes.</p><h3>3.1: Standalone CD-Recorders</h3><h4>[<a name="3-5">3-5</a>] What is the difference between PC CD-recorders and
standalones?</h4><p>Standalone recorders are designed to operate as part of a
stereo system rather than a computer. There are several differences
between them and their PC counterparts. Here are some advantages and
disadvantages:</p><p>Advantages:</p><ul><li>They are easier to learn and use than PC
CD-recorders</li><li>The Analog/Digital converter is usually better than a PC
soundcard</li><li>They can communicate easily with DAT decks</li><li>There is a "pause" button</li><li>You very rarely end up with a "coaster".</li></ul><p>Disadvantages:</p><ul><li>Audio editing is severly limited</li><li>Standalones require more expensive discs</li><li>Standalones themselves are usually more expensive than PC
recorders</li><li>A standalone unit is unable to duplicate a disc created
by another standalone unit — this is a copyright protection
"feature"</li><li>There have been reports that standalones deliberately
introduce clicks between tracks when recording at speeds above
2x</li><li>Of course — with a standalone, you can <em>only</em> record
audio — PC recorders can also record CD-ROMs, PhotoCDs, VCDs and
more.</li></ul><h4>[<a name="3-6">3-6</a>] What is the best model of standalone CD-recorder?</h4><p>Recommendations will follow in a later revision of this
FAQ.</p><h4>[<a name="3-7">3-7</a>] What are the best kind of discs to use?</h4><p>Standalones require special discs that support a technique
called Serial Copy Management System (SCMS). SCMS discs are usually
marketed under phrases such as "For Audio Use Only" or "For
Consumer".</p><p>As with PC recorders, it is best to use brand-name blanks
like TDK.</p><h4>[<a name="3-8">3-8</a>] What is SCMS?</h4><p>Short answer: your enemy!</p><p>Long answer: SCMS, often pronounced as "scums", is short for Serial Copy
Management System. It is a copy-prevention system embedded in most
consumer grade digital audio recording equipment, including DAT
recorders, MiniDiscs and stand-alone CD burners.</p><p>Under SCMS, you are allowed to make a copy of any original
recording, but not a copy of a copy. Any piece of digital media has
one of three types:</p><ul><li>Unprotected: this is copyable. Any copies will also
be unprotected.</li><li>Protected: this is copyable, but any copies will be
marked as a duplicate.</li><li>Duplicate: this cannot be copied.</li></ul><p>There is no easy way to work around these restrictions
without a computer-based CD burner, so when you trade for discs, ask
for them to be unprotected if possible. However, most people who use
PC-based burners won't know what this is and won't know how to set
their software up to do this — to make matters worse, the default
setting is often to record the CDs as protected or duplicates.</p><p>See also <a target="_blank" href="http://www.mitsuicdrstore.com/SCMS_nh.html">http://www.mitsuicdrstore.com/SCMS_nh.html</a></p><h3>3.2: PC CD-Recorders</h3><h4>[<a name="3-9">3-9</a>] What is "on the fly"/"off the fly" recording? Which should I use?</h4><p>There are two common ways of defining the difference between
these two methods. The first is more technically correct, but the
second is a more useful definition, and it's what people in alt.music.bootlegs
mean when referring to "on the fly" and "off the fly".</p><ul><li>"Off the fly" recording is burning from a large "image
file" stored on your hard drive as your source. "On the fly" recording
is burning directly from a source CD or source WAV files.</li><li>"Off the fly" recording is burning from WAV files on your
hard drive. "On the fly" recording is burning directly from a
source CD.</li></ul><p>It is usually best to burn "off the fly" — in other
words, make a copy of the original CD as WAV files on your hard disc
and then record them to CD. Burning directly from CD to CD can result
in glitches. Here's why...</p><p>Your hard drives and CD drives are normally attached to
things called IDE controllers (unless you have a SCSI system — most
people don't). Systems have 2 IDE controllers. Each IDE controller
can have 2 devices attached. Your setup will probably be something
like:</p><pre>
PC ----- Primary IDE -------- Hard Drive
| |
| |
| --- (empty)
|
|
--- Secondary IDE ------ CD-ROM
|
|
--- CD Recorder
</pre><p>Now, an IDE controller is what allows the drives to
communicate with the rest of the PC. However, an IDE controller can
only do one thing at a time. When you burn on the fly from an audio
CD, you are asking your secondary IDE to read from your CD-ROM and
write to your CD recorder at the same time. It does this by reading a
little bit of data and then quickly switching modes and writing a
little bit of data.</p><p>This requires a lot of work on the part of your PC,
operating system, IDE controller, CD-ROM, CD Recorder and even the
discs themselves. Often, something will go wrong. Maybe there's a
fingerprint on the CD-ROM and the IDE controller takes just a little
bit too long reading it. Then the CD Recorder will run out of data to
burn, so you'll end up with a shiny new coaster.</p><p>It really is too easy for things to go wrong when burning
on the fly from an audio CD. Even if the CD appears to have burnt
correctly, the sound quality may not be as good as you'd get with
burning from WAV files on your hard disc.</p><p>See also:
<a target="_blank" href="http://pages.cthome.net/homepage/eac/cdtocd.htm">http://pages.cthome.net/homepage/eac/cdtocd.htm</a></p><h4>[<a name="3-10">3-10</a>] What is the best model of CD-recorder?</h4><p>Generally, Plextor's get the best reviews, but if you're
careful, it really shouldn't make much difference. See
also:</p><p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.cdrfaq.org/faq05.html#S5-1">http://www.cdrfaq.org/faq05.html#S5-1</a></p><h4>[<a name="3-11">3-11</a>] How do I extract perfect WAV files from a CD?</h4><p>Your CD is spinning at thousands of revolutions per minute, there
are lasers shooting — it's all quite exciting really. Extracting a
perfect copy of a song in extreme conditions like this seems less like an
exercise of precise science and more like a black art. However, there are
some software writers who do study such witchcraft, and here is what they've
created:</p><ul><li>Exact Audio Copy (a.k.a. EAC) [Win]
<a target="_blank" href="http://www.exactaudiocopy.de/">http://www.exactaudiocopy.de/</a></li><li>CD Paranoia [Linux] <a target="_blank" href="http://www.xiph.org/">http://www.xiph.org/</a></li></ul><p>If you want a perfect copy of a CD, then these are your tools. To
set up EAC, refer to <a target="_blank" href="http://pages.cthome.net/homepage/eac/setup.htm">http://pages.cthome.net/homepage/eac/setup.htm</a>.
CD Paranoia is a fairly complicated command-line program, but there is a
nice graphical front-end for it called Grip <a target="_blank" href="http://www.nostatic.org/grip">http://www.nostatic.org/grip</a>.
</p><p>Download this software and use it whenever you need to create
WAV files from a CD.</p><h4>[<a name="3-12">3-12</a>] How do I perfectly copy a CDR?</h4><p>Firstly, you will need to extract the perfect WAV files
from the source disk. How to do that is answered in the previous
question. Open up your CD burning software. Select all the WAV files
you've just created and put them into a new audio CD. Make sure you
set the gaps between each track at 0 seconds (you may need to put 2
seconds gap before the first track). Put your software into
Disk-At-Once (DAO) mode. Consult your manual for details of how to
do this. Now record your CD! (To be a complete perfectionist, you
may want to specify a speed of 4x or below when asked what speed to
burn the CD at.)</p><h4>[<a name="3-13">3-13</a>] How do I avoid adding SCMS protection to CDs?</h4><p>SCMS is a very irritating feature of standalone burners,
and if you're planning on trading with the owner of one of these
devices, it is polite to avoid adding SCMS protection to their
CDs. Exactly how this is done depends on your software.</p><p>In Nero [Win], once you have selected which tracks to record,
highlight them all and choose properties from the right-click menu.
In the properties section, find the "Protected" check-box and make
sure it is empty.</p><p>In cdrecord [Linux], use the "-copy" parameter.</p>
<h2>Chapter 4: Other Formats</h2>
<h3>4.1: DAT</h3><h4>[<a name="4-1">4-1</a>] Does anyone trade DAT?</h4><p>There are a small number of very active DAT tapers and
traders about. A lot of people feel that DAT traders are a very
"exclusive" group who don't often "lower themselves" to trade with
the rest of us.</p><p>Of course, DAT is a higher quality medium than CDR, so it
is quite reasonable for them to refuse to accept CDR
recordings.</p><h4>[<a name="4-2">4-2</a>] Where can I find DAT traders?</h4><p>Try joining the DAT-Heads mailing list. On this discussion
list, people with DAT equipment swap hints on how to get the best
possible recordings out of their DATs and set up trades with each
other. To find out more, visit the DAT-Heads website at:</p><p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.solorb.com/dat-heads">http://www.solorb.com/dat-heads</a></p><h3>4.2: MiniDisc</h3><h4>[<a name="4-3">4-3</a>] Does anyone trade MiniDiscs?</h4><p>Yes, alt.music.bootlegs does have a small number of MiniDisc
traders, although most people trade CDR or Videos. MiniDiscs seem to be
mainly used by tapers though.</p><h4>[<a name="4-4">4-4</a>] Is MiniDisc lossy?</h4><p>Yes, MiniDisc uses a lossy compression system called
Adaptive Transform Acoustic Coding (ATRAC) to achieve a compression
ratio of roughly 1:5. If no compression was used, a MiniDisc could hold
only 15 minutes of audio.</p><p>There have been a number of different versions of ATRAC used
in MiniDiscs over the years — several by Sony and several by Sharp —
and the audio loss with recent versions can only be noticed by die-hard
audiophiles, although of course, loss increases with
generations.</p><h4>[<a name="4-5">4-5</a>] How does ATRAC work? Is it the same as MP3?</h4><p>ATRAC is similar to MP3, but most people agree that it
sounds better — probably because ATRAC stores sounds in 292kbps,
whereas normally MP3s are no more than 192kbps. A full technical
article can be found at minidisc.org's website.
<a target="_blank" href="http://www.minidisc.org/aes_atrac.html">http://www.minidisc.org/aes_atrac.html</a></p><p>Because ATRAC is heavily patented, there are currently no
computer ATRAC players/recorders like there are with MP3. There
are ATRAC3 players though:</p><ul><li>ATRAC3 Codec [Win] <a target="_blank" href="http://www.minidisc.org/atrac3.zip">http://www.minidisc.org/atrac3.zip</a></li><li>Realplayer [Win, Mac, Linux] <a target="_blank" href="http://www.real.com/">http://www.real.com/</a></li></ul><h4>[<a name="4-6">4-6</a>] Which brand of MiniDiscs has the best sound quality?</h4><p>Despite some MiniDisc manufacturers' claims, all MiniDiscs
really do sound the same! Data is stored on MiniDiscs digitally, so
disk quality does not affect the sound quality.</p><p>Disk quality is important though — not to sound quality,
but to <em>reliability</em>. A good quality MiniDisc will
last longer than a low quality disk, which may wear out after a few
years.</p><h4>[<a name="4-7">4-7</a>] What is MDLP?</h4><p>MDLP stands for MiniDisc Long Play. It is a way of fitting more
sound on a standard MiniDisc, similar to the Long Play mode of some VCRs.
There are two MDLP modes: LP2 which gets 160mins of sound onto a standard
disc; and LP4 which gets 320mins onto a disc. This is a feature of some
newer MiniDisc players.</p><p>MDLP uses a different way of storing sound called ATRAC3 (there
was no ATRAC2 — probably a marketing decision given the popularity
of MP3) so will not play on older MiniDisc players. ATRAC3 uses only
132kbps for LP2 and 66kbps Joint Stereo for LP4 resulting in a lower
recording.</p><p>That said, LP2 recordings are reportedly almost as good as
ATRAC recordings. LP4 recordings have noticeable artifacts so should
probably not be traded.</p><h3>4.3: Cassette</h3><h4>[<a name="4-8">4-8</a>] Does anyone still trade cassettes?</h4><p>Not really! Most people are stopping trading tapes and
moving onto CDR. A lot of CDR traders will be willing to dub their
CDs onto tapes for you, but very few people will accept tapes in
return, unless it's something ultra rare!</p><p>That said, it does depend on which band or artist you
are trading — some are still heavily centred on cassettes
— for example, Jewel, whose taping policy forbids CDR
trading, but not tape trading.</p><h4>[<a name="4-9">4-9</a>] Where can I find cassette traders?</h4><p>You can <em>try</em> asking in alt.music.bootlegs
and you might get one or two replies, but I doubt you will.</p><h4>[<a name="4-10">4-10</a>] What is the best way to dub tapes?</h4><p>The previous edition of this FAQ (version 3.1, from 1998)
was almost all concerned with trading cassette tapes. For a detailed
explanation, find a copy of that FAQ. What follows is a short
summary.</p><p>Most people prefer you to dub <em>without</em> using Dolby Noise
Reduction. While Dolby NR suppresses a lot of the hiss generally
associated with cassettes, it also cuts back on some of the
"ambience".</p><p>Nearly everyone will tell you <em>not</em> to use high-speed
dubbing. High- speed dubbing can damage sound quality
considerably.</p><p>Use "virgin" tapes — in other words, do not record the
bootleg over the top of something else — use a brand new, unused tape
to record the bootleg onto.</p><p>Maxell and TDK are generally considered to be the best
tapes. You should always use "Type II" tapes.</p><h3>4.4: MP3 Files</h3><h4>[<a name="4-11">4-11</a>] What are MP3 Files?</h4><p>MP3 is short for Motion Picture Experts Group, Layer 3. It
is a way of compressing sound data, invented for MPEG video files, but
commonly used in plain audio files (without any pictures).</p><p>The compression is "lossy", meaning that the sound of
the MP3 file will be of a slightly lower quality than the original
source. The quality difference is generally rather small though.</p><h4>[<a name="4-12">4-12</a>] What are the advantages and disadvantages of trading MP3 files?</h4><p>MP3 files are small enough to send over the Internet, so
unlike trading CDs or other physical media, you don't have to pay any
postage.</p><p>Also, as you are not sending anything physical, there is
less of a problem with bad traders.</p><p>However, MP3 files lower quality than the original CD source. Also,
you probably can't play MP3 files in your car stereo.</p><p>While MP3 files are smaller than a lot of other audio
files, they are still big (a typical song will usually be at least
4 megabytes). Downloading could take a long time on a slow Internet
connection.</p><h4>[<a name="4-13">4-13</a>] How can I listen to MP3 files?</h4><p>There are a wide range of software players for MP3 files. Here
are just some:</p><ul><li>iTunes [Mac] comes free with Mac OS X</li><li>mpg123 [Linux] <a target="_blank" href="http://www.sfs.nphil.uni-tuebingen.de/~hipp/mpg123.html">http://www.sfs.nphil.uni-tuebingen.de/~hipp/mpg123.html</a></li><li>WinAmp [Win, Mac, Linux] <a target="_blank" href="http://www.winamp.com/">http://www.winamp.com/</a></li><li>Windows Media Player [Win] comes free with Windows.</li><li>XMMS [Linux] <a target="_blank" href="http://www.xmms.org/">http://www.xmms.org/</a></li></ul><p>There are also a few portable MP3 players available.</p><h4>[<a name="4-14">4-14</a>] How do I convert MP3 files into another format?</h4><p>There are several pieces of software that can convert MP3s
to WAV files.</p><p>Probably the best tool to use is LAME. Like many of the tools
I recommend, it is a command-line program, but has several user-friendly
interfaces, such as winLAME. The LAME site also has a list of other
programs that feature the LAME decoding engine. WinAmp and mpg123 mentioned
above also have the ability to convert MP3s to WAV files.</p><ul><li>winLAME [Win] <a target="_blank" href="http://winlame.sourceforge.net/">http://winlame.sourceforge.net/</a></li><li>LAME [Win, Mac, Linux, Others] <a target="_blank" href="http://www.mp3dev.org/mp3/">http://www.mp3dev.org/mp3/</a></li></ul><p>Although the International Standards Organisation (ISO)
definition for the MPEG format rigidly specifies the method for decoding
MP3s so that all software should give the same results,
as always, some software has bugs that result in lower quality
output. In particular, versions of WinAmp before 2.7 may contain a
bug that causes static when decoding certain files. For details of
this bug and deficiencies in other decoders, please see
<a target="_blank" href="http://privatewww.essex.ac.uk/~djmrob/mp3decoders/">http://privatewww.essex.ac.uk/~djmrob/mp3decoders/</a></p><h4>[<a name="4-15">4-15</a>] How do I make MP3 files?</h4><p>Unlike decoding MP3s, the ISO MPEG specification allows
programmers to invent their own ways to encode MP3s. This means that
different MP3 encoders will give you MP3s with different sound
qualities. It is generally accepted that LAME (mentioned above) is
the best of the bunch.</p><p>There are some CD rippers that include the ability to
make MP3s of your CDs. Exact Audio Copy (EAC) and Grip are two of
these and they can both use the LAME engine to do the conversion.
Other CD rippers, like AudioCatalyst use faster but lower quality
MP3 encoders so should be avoided where possible.</p><ul><li>EAC [Win] <a target="_blank" href="http://www.exactaudiocopy.de/">http://www.exactaudiocopy.de/</a></li><li>Grip [Linux] <a target="_blank" href="http://nostatic.org/grip/">http://nostatic.org/grip/</a></li></ul><p>When encoding an MP3, you can choose its "bitrate". MP3s
with higher bitrates have better sound quality, but are bigger files.
MP3s with lower bitrates are lower quality, but have smaller file
sizes. 128kbps is typically used as a good compromise between file
size and sound quality. 192kbps is used when quality is very
important.</p><h4>[<a name="4-16">4-16</a>] Where can I find MP3 traders?</h4><p>alt.music.bootlegs has a lot of MP3 traders reading it,
who will often trade by sending files from computer to computer by
a method called FTP (File Transfer Protocol).</p><p>People also often tade files using "file sharing" services
like Morpheus or Napster.</p><h4>[<a name="4-17">4-17</a>] Is there anything else I should know about MP3 files?</h4><p><em>God, yes!!!</em> Most serious traders do
not want to receive a recording which is sourced from MP3 files
because of the lower sound quality. This does not just mean that
they don't want the MP3 files, but that they don't want a CD made
out of the files either. Or a CD made out of a CD made out of MP3
files, etc, etc...</p><p>Please respect this wish and if you are planning on
trading an MP3-sourced recording, <em>warn your trading partner
in advance!</em> If you do not, you are likely to be posted
as a bad trader, and it could repesent the end of your new hobby!
For this reason, it is strongly advisable to keep a careful record
of where all your CDs come from and if they have an MP3 "generation"
in their history.</p><h4>[<a name="4-18">4-18</a>] How can I tell if a CD is MP3 sourced?</h4><p>First of all, listen to it. If you can't tell the
difference, does it matter? Well, if you still think it matters, here's
a way of checking.</p><p>Rip a random track from the CD into a WAV file using EAC.
Open it in a good audio editor. Run a "frequency analysis" on the WAV
file and take a look at the treble frequencies. Most MP3 encoders
savage frequencies above about 16KHz or 18KHz, so if there's little to
no sound in that region, the CD is <em>probably</em> MP3-sourced.</p><p>However, newer better MP3 encoders are always being
developed. LAME at bitrates of above 192Kbps is virtually
indistinguisable from the original WAV file.</p><p>Also, there can be other reasons for the loss of high
frequencies — older MiniDiscs for example have a similar effect, as can
a cassette tape generation followed by hiss reduction.</p><p>Small clicks between tracks can also be a sign of an
MP3-sourced recording, but it is possible to convert MP3s to CDR
without adding clicks, and there are also other reasons why the
clicks could be there (a bad TAO to DAO conversion for example)</p><p>So in short, there's no way to be 100% sure.</p><h3>4.5: SHN Files</h3><h4>[<a name="4-19">4-19</a>] What are SHN files?</h4><p>SHN is an abbreviation for "Shorten".</p><p>Unlike MP3, SHN files are <em>non-lossy</em>, so
the sound contained in a SHN file is exactly the same as the WAV file
it was created from. </p><p>SHN does have some disadvantages though — SHN encoders and
decoders are slower than the equivalent MP3 tools. Also, SHN files
are much bigger than MP3 files. Here is an example. These are all the
same song (an acoustic version of REM's "Losing My Religion" if you
must know!):</p><pre>
MP3 (128kbps, Joint Stereo) ... ... ... 4,209 KB
MP3 (192kbps, True Stereo) ... ... ... 6,314 KB
SHN ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 27,870 KB
ZIP (Maximum Compression) ... ... ... 43,400 KB
WAV ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 46,397 KB
</pre><p>It should be noted, that SHN compresses Mono recordings
<em>very badly</em> — use FLAC instead.</p><h4>[<a name="4-20">4-20</a>] What are the advantages and disadvantages of trading SHN files?</h4><p>Like MP3 files, they can be sent over the Internet, so you
have no postage to pay and less trouble with bad traders.</p><p>Unlike MP3 though, once you've downloaded an SHN file, you
have a nice CD-quality recording which you can freely trade.</p><p>However, SHN files are much bigger than MP3 files, so you will have
to spend a <em>long</em> time downloading them! Usually only
people with broadband (very fast) Internet connections trade them.</p><h4>[<a name="4-21">4-21</a>] How can I listen to SHN files?</h4><p>MP3 files are a lot more popular than SHN files, so while
there are 100s of MP3 players around, there are very few SHN players.
That said, a few do exist.</p><ul><li>ShnAmp plugin for WinAmp (2.x) [Win]
<a target="_blank" href="http://www.etree.org/shnamp.html#download">http://www.etree.org/shnamp.html#download</a></li><li>XMMS-SHN plugin for XMMS [Linux]
<a target="_blank" href="http://shnutils.etree.org/xmms-shn/">http://shnutils.etree.org/xmms-shn/</a></li><li>SHN plugin for MacAmp Lite X [Mac]
<a target="_blank" href="http://www.macamplite.com/addons/plugins.php">http://www.macamplite.com/addons/plugins.php</a></li></ul><h4>[<a name="4-22">4-22</a>] How do I convert SHN files into another format?</h4><p>Firstly, it is wise to check that the files haven't been
corrupted during downloading them. This step is not neccessary, but it's
a <em>very good idea.</em> There is usually an MD5 file that
comes with the SHN files. This file allows you to check the SHN files
are OK. To use the MD5 file, you will need some MD5 software:</p><ul><li>md5sum.exe [Win]
<a target="_blank" href="http://www.etree.org/md5com.html">http://www.etree.org/md5com.html</a></li></ul><p><em>Note:</em> Linux users probably already have md5sum
installed. On Red Hat based systems, it is in the "textutils" package, which
is generally installed by default. On Debian based systems, it is part of
the "dpkg" package, which is always installed. See the md5sum man page
for detailed usage instructions.</p><p>In general, to perform the check, type the following at the
command prompt:</p><pre>
md5sum -c [FILENAME].md5
</pre><p>If any of the files have been damaged while downloading, then
you should re-download them. If after a second download they are still
corrupted, contact the person you are downloading them from and have him
check that the files aren't corrupted at his end. If they check out OK,
then continue...</p><p>Now you are sure the files are alright, you can decompress them.
To do this, we need some more software:</p><ul><li>shortn32.exe [Win]
<a target="_blank" href="http://www.etree.org/shncom.html">http://www.etree.org/shncom.html</a></li><li>Shorten [Mac]
<a target="_blank" href="http://www.hornig.net/shorten/">http://www.hornig.net/shorten/</a></li><li>Shorten [Linux]
<a target="_blank" href="http://www.etree.org/linux.html">http://www.etree.org/linux.html</a></li></ul><p>Once again, we go to the command prompt to decompress the files:</p><pre>
shortn32 -x [FILENAME].shn [FILENAME].wav
</pre><p>If you are a Windows user and thus terribly afraid of using
the command line, then I can heartily recommend a piece of software
called mkwACT that does all the MD5 checking and decompressing for
you using a nice drag-and-drop interface.</p><ul><li>mkwACT [Win]
<a target="_blank" href="http://home.att.net/~mkw/mkwact.html">http://home.att.net/~mkw/mkwact.html</a></li></ul><p>There are some nice instructions on how to install and use
it here <a target="_blank" href="http://www.etree.org/mkw.html">http://www.etree.org/mkw.html</a></p><p>Anyway, you should now have your SHN files in the
flexible WAV file format. As WAV files, they can be recorded onto
CDs or converted into other file formats.</p><h4>[<a name="4-23">4-23</a>] How do I make SHN files?</h4><p>Firstly, you will need the same software specified in the
answer above. To create an SHN from a WAV file (to create WAV files
from CDs, check out the CDR section above) you can either use mkwACT
or go the command line way. mkwACT is so easy to use that I won't bother
explaining it. Here's the command line way. For each WAV file do:</p><pre>
shortn32 [FILENAME].wav [FILENAME].shn
</pre><p>At the end of converting all the files, it is a good idea
to create an MD5 file:</p><pre>
md5sum *.shn > [FILENAME].md5
</pre><h4>[<a name="4-24">4-24</a>] Where can I find SHN traders?</h4><p>Currently, the biggest group of SHN traders can be found
at etree.org. You can also try searching the Web for other SHN
traders.</p><h4>[<a name="4-25">4-25</a>] What are MD5 files?</h4><p>The MD5 algorithm is described in RFC1321 by R. Rivest.
Using the MD5 algorithm, it is possible to calculate a "signature"
for a file. For example:</p><p>5c63cea472906212bffa149299be0e59</p><p>This signature is <em>essentially</em> unique to that file. Any
changes to the file (even tiny ones!) will result in a completely
different signature.</p><p>An MD5 file contains a list of all the signatures of all
the SHN files of a bootleg. You can check the signatures in the MD5
file against the signatures for each SHN file. If some of them don't
match, it means that those files were damaged during downloading
them, so you should try downloading again.</p><p>For MD5 software that automates the checking process, see
etree.org. Also, mkwACT has MD5 checking built in.</p><p>For more details about how MD5 works, please see the
original RFC at:</p><p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.faqs.org/rfcs/rfc1321.html">http://www.faqs.org/rfcs/rfc1321.html</a></p><h3>4.6: Video Tape</h3><h4>[<a name="4-26">4-26</a>] What is NTSC? What is PAL? What is SECAM?</h4><p>NTSC, PAL and SECAM are different ways of broadcasting
audio/video information. PAL and SECAM offer slightly better resolution
than NTSC, but on the other hand, NTSC has less flicker.</p><p>NTSC is short for National Television System Committee.
It was developed in the USA and is used in most of North and South
America and most of Asia, including Japan.</p><p>PAL is short for Phase Alternating Line. It is used in
most of Europe and in Australia and Brazil. There are 5 variants of
PAL, but once the signals have been put onto video, the differences
between them are eliminated.</p><p>SECAM is short for Sequential Couleur Avec Memoire. It
is used in France, some of Eastern Europe and the Middle East. It
has two variants, which are similarly compatable once they have been
recorded onto tape.</p><p>The bad news is thata PAL video won't play on an NTSC
VCR. A SECAM VCR can't play an NTSC recording. Et cetera.</p><p>The exception to this is that most modern European VCRs
can now play NTSC videos as well as PAL, but only record in PAL.</p><p>For more information, I recommend
<a target="_blank" href="http://www.ee.surrey.ac.uk/Contrib/WorldTV/">http://www.ee.surrey.ac.uk/Contrib/WorldTV/</a></p><h4>[<a name="4-27">4-27</a>] How can I convert between PAL, NTSC and SECAM?</h4><p>The short answer is that <em>you</em> can't!
It requires specialist equipment. Of course some people have this
equipment and will offer to do the conversion for you for a small
fee — expect to pay between $5 and $15 (US dollars) per hour.
There will usually be a big reduction in picture quality caused
by the conversion.</p><h4>[<a name="4-28">4-28</a>] How do I copy a video?</h4><p>You need two VCRs. We will call the VCR that plays the
original video "VCR P" and the VCR that records onto the blank
tape "VCR R"</p><p>If your VCRs are relatively new, they will have SCART
(Syndicat des Constructeurs d'Appareils Radiorécepteurs et
Téléviseurs) sockets at the back. These are big rectangular
sockets, similar in appearence to the parallel port socket on
your computer, typically used for printers. If you don't have a
SCART socket on both videos, go to the next question.</p><p>Connect a SCART lead between the two VCRs. Put a blank
tape into VCR R and make sure it is rewound. Switch VCR R onto
the "AV" channel.</p><p>Put the original tape into VCR P and fast-forward/rewind
to the beginning of what you want to copy.</p><p>Press "record" on VCR R and wait 5 seconds. Press "play" on
VCR P. Wait until the program you are copying is finished. Press "stop"
on VCR P. Press "stop" on VCR R. Rewind the tape in VCR R.</p><h4>[<a name="4-29">4-29</a>] How do I copy a video without using SCART?</h4><p>(Note: using SCART you will get a better quality
copy and it will be easier. Use SCART if it is possible.)</p><p>You need two VCRs. We will call the VCR that plays the
original video "VCR P" and the VCR that records onto the blank
tape "VCR R"</p><p>Get a regular TV aerial lead (the kind you normally use
to connect a video to a TV. Connect it from the TV-out of VCR P to the
aerial-in of VCR R.</p><p>Put the original tape into VCR P and fast-forward/rewind
to the beginning of what you want to copy.</p><p>Press "record" on VCR R and wait 5 seconds. Press "play" on
VCR P. Wait until the program you are copying is finished. Press "stop"
on VCR P. Press "stop" on VCR R. Rewind the tape in VCR R.</p><h3>4.7: VCD</h3><h4>[<a name="4-30">4-30</a>] What is a VCD?</h4><p>VCD stands for "Video Compact Disc". It is a CD that
contains video as well as audio. These CDs can be played on some DVD
players and some CD-ROM drives as well as VCD players (these came out
years ago, but never sold very well, except in Asia). They can also be
played in PlayStations, Dreamcasts and Sega Saturns if you purchase the
appropriate add-on.</p><p>A 74min CDR can hold 74min of film when used as a VCD. This
is thanks to MPEG1 compression. Like DVDs, they can have menus and
chapters.</p><h4>[<a name="4-31">4-31</a>] How do I copy a VCD?</h4><p>Just copy the VCD like a data CD-ROM.</p><h4>[<a name="4-32">4-32</a>] How do I create a VCD?</h4><p>The details of VCD creation are way beyond the scope of
this FAQ. A basic summary is:</p><ul><li>Capture the video as an AVI file.</li><li>Convert the video into MPEG format.</li><li>Create your menus, chapters and still pictures.</li><li>Burn your creation onto a CDR.</li></ul><p>Further information at <a target="_blank" href="http://www.vcdhelp.com/">http://www.vcdhelp.com/</a>
</p><h3>4.8: Rarely Used Formats</h3><h4>[<a name="4-33">4-33</a>] What are OGG files?</h4><p>Ogg Vorbis is a lossy compression similar to MP3, but it gives
you slightly better sound quality and slightly smaller files. It also
has much less restrictive licensing conditions. Other than these
differences, you may treat OGG files almost the same as MP3 files.
For more information, see <a target="_blank" href="http://www.xiph.org/">http://www.xiph.org/</a>
</p><h4>[<a name="4-34">4-34</a>] What are RM/RA/RAM files?</h4><p>These files are for Real Networks' media player called
Real Player. It is very difficult to convert these files to any other
format, although there is a piece of Windows software called Streambox
Ripper than can do it. Streambox no longer makes this product, but
copies can be found in the online underground.</p><p>The official Real Player can be downloaded from
<a target="_blank" href="http://www.real.com/">http://www.real.com/</a>.</p><p>The format is lossy.</p><h4>[<a name="4-35">4-35</a>] What are ASF/WMA/WMV files?</h4><p>These files are for Microsoft's Windows Media Player. It is even
harder to convert these files to any other format.</p><p>The official player (only for Windows and Macintosh) can be
downloaded from <a target="_blank" href="http://www.microsoft.com/">http://www.microsoft.com/</a>. An unofficial
player for most other operating systems is Xine, which can be found at
<a target="_blank" href="http://xine.sourceforge.net/">http://xine.sourceforge.net/</a>.</p><p>The format is lossy.</p><h4>[<a name="4-36">4-36</a>] What are FLAC files?</h4><p>This is a new non-lossy format designed to replace SHN.
It creates smaller files than SHN (by about 15%), especially when
dealing with a Mono recording (sometimes about 40% difference from
SHN!). The files have built in integrity checks (so MD5 files aren't
needed), built in seek tables (so you can fast-forward and rewind them
in media players) and tagging support (so you can store information
about the files, such as Title and Artist). The format also has less
restrictive licensing conditions.
</p><p>The FLAC home page is
<a target="_blank" href="http://flac.sourceforge.net/">http://flac.sourceforge.net/</a>.</p><h4>[<a name="4-37">4-37</a>] Does anyone trade DVDs?</h4><p>There are recordable DVDs now, and people do trade them, but
not many people have the equipment.</p>
<h2>Chapter 5: Packaging</h2>
<h3>5.1: Artwork</h3><h4>[<a name="5-1">5-1</a>] Should I send artwork with my bootlegs?</h4><p>This is entirely up to you as a trader, and something that
you need to discuss with the other party during trades. However, most
traders prefer to have artwork with their shows if possible, so it is
good practice to always include artwork, if only by email, if
possible.</p><h4>[<a name="5-2">5-2</a>] How do I make artwork?</h4><p>There are many programs that can be used for making artwork,
from MS Word to specialist labelling programs.</p><p>One of the most popular is Neato's MediaFace II, which can be
downloaded for free from <a target="_blank" href="http://www.neato.com/">http://www.neato.com/</a>. This has ready-made
templates for Casettes, CDs, DVDs, Videos and much more. Of course, any
decent graphics package can be used.</p><p>What you put on the artwork is entirely up to you — some
people simply put a tracklist on the back cover, some prefer making
full colour photo-quality artwork for the front and back.</p><h4>[<a name="5-3">5-3</a>] Where can I find artwork for XXXX?</h4><p>A good starting point is Jamaka's artwork page, that has
literally hundreds of links to various artwork pages, sorted by
artist. <a target="_blank" href="http://home-1.tiscali.nl/~jamaka/artwork.html">http://home-1.tiscali.nl/~jamaka/artwork.html</a></p><p>If that fails you then ask on the newsgroup or search on
Google.</p><h4>[<a name="5-4">5-4</a>] How many pixels by how many pixels for CD artwork?</h4><p>This depends on what resolution you want to use. 150 pixels
per inch is a fairly common resolution. The front cover should be 12cm
by 12cm (12cm is 4.75 inches) which works out to be a 712 pixel square.
If you would prefer a booklet style front cover, then double the width.
The back cover should be 15cm (5.92 inches) wide and 11.85cm (4.67
inches) high, which is 886 by 700 pixels. This includes the left and
right "lips" which are 6mm/0.25 inches/36 pixels.</p><h4>[<a name="5-5">5-5</a>] What image format should I use when making artwork?</h4><p>I recommend using PNG format. This format gives you great
compression (better strength than GIF) and is supported by all major
browsers.</p><p>JPEG is also often used, although it should be noted that
JPEG pictures are lower quality than their PNG equivalents because
the JPEG compression scheme is lossy.</p><h3>5.2: Mailing</h3><h4>[<a name="5-6">5-6</a>] What is the postage rate from XXXX to YYYY?</h4><p>Postage rates vary from country to country, state to state,
and are dependant on the destination combined with the package's
weight. The best way to find the postage rate for an item is to visit
your local post office, or the post office's website, which should be
able to give you an indication of prices.</p><h4>[<a name="5-7">5-7</a>] What's the best way to wrap CDs securely?</h4><p>The best way to ensure that cds arrive at their destination
in the same condition as they left you is to use bubble-wrapped padded
bags (usually known as jifffy bags). These protect the cd on all sides
and are much better than the fibre-filled bags — those tend to make a
mess if they get torn.</p><p>In addition to this, pieces of cardboard can help to ensure
that a package is not bent. It is especially important to ensure that a
package is not bend if you are sending without the cds in a jewel
case.</p><p>If you use staples to seal a package, please cover the staples
with plastic tape, because metal staples can be sharp and the post office
may refuse to deliver your package if it feels that it could endanger
their staff. (Stabs with pieces of metal can cause tetanus amongst other
infections)</p><h4>[<a name="5-8">5-8</a>] Why do people tell me not to use fibre-mailers?</h4><p>Not only are fibre mailers harder to reuse, but if they are
not opened carefully they can shower you and your room with dust. Some
traders are also afraid that the fibres will get into their system and
cause havoc with the workings, and while we haven't ever heard of this
happening, it is certainly a possibility.</p><h4>[<a name="5-9">5-9</a>] Should I send by priority mail? First class mail?
etc?</h4><p>This is up to you as a trader to discuss with the other
party. Priority costs more, but ensures that the package is delivered
much faster. With inland mailing, you can usually also pay for recorded
and next-day delivery. It is usually good practice to send by first
class mail, and avoid second class, though this is another thing for
you to discuss with the other party.</p><h4>[<a name="5-10">5-10</a>] Are there any special considerations when sending things
internationally?</h4><p>International shipping takes much longer than inland
posting, and can take over 4 weeks when sheeping to certain parts of
the world.</p><p>There are usually two options when sending packages
internationally — air mail and surface mail. Air Mail is by far the
quickest method, and is preferred by almost all traders. Surface mail
is marginally cheaper, but usually takes 5 to 6 weeks, and so should be
avoided at all costs.</p><p>When shipping abroad you will sometimes also need to fill
out a customs form. These are usually small green stickers that are
attached to the front of your packages with the weight, description of
the contents and a signature. When filling out a customs slip, it is
usually best to mark the item as a 'gift' rather than 'merchandise',
and make the description 'used cds', with a low monetary value. This
will help to ensure that the recipient does not have to pay tax upon
receiving the item.</p><h4>[<a name="5-11">5-11</a>] What is an International Reply Coupon?</h4><p>When sending a package to someone, if you want a reply,
you'll often enclose a stamped self-addressed envelope for them to
use. However, if you are sending a package internationally, your
stamps are unlikely to be worth anything. This is where International
Reply Coupons (IRCs) come in.</p><p>An IRC can usually be bought from your local post office.
Prices vary from country to country — for example, at the time
of writing an IRC cost $1.75 in the USA, but $3.50 in Canada. Part of
this price difference is due to the lower value of the Canadian
dollar, but that only accounts for a small difference in price —
the simple fact is that IRCs cost different amounts in different
countries.</p><p>Then you can send the IRCs off. The recipient can exchange
the IRCs for a local stamp. This is usually a stamp of the values of
the cheapest airmail to the country the IRC came from. Because you
are probably sending a heavier package (containing CDs or whatever)
you may need more than one IRC to cover the postage — typically
one IRC for each CD you send and then one more.</p><p>The IRC system is run by the Universal Postal Union (UPU) which
was formed in 1874 and is the oldest International Organisation in
existance. However, the UPU does not cover the entire world, so some
countries may not accept IRCs.</p><h4>[<a name="5-12">5-12</a>] I sent some CDs weeks ago, but the other guy is claiming not
to have received them. What should I do?</h4><p>Firstly, e-mail them and tell them to wait a little while
longer. Some packages take longer to arrive than others.</p><p>If after a month or so has gone by then you can safely assume
that they've got lost in the mail. It happens. It is now your responsibility
to replace them.</p><p>Make new copies of the discs. Double check his address —
maybe you had it wrong and that's why they disappeared. Take them to
your post office and send them. <em>Obtain proof of postage</em>
— this is usually free.</p><p>If he still doesn't get your package, then you can assume that
he's probably lying and just trying to get lots of spare copies from you.
You have proof that you've sent it and it is unlikely that the post office
would lose both packages.</p>
<h2>Chapter 6: Basic Bootleg Management</h2>
<h4>[<a name="6-1">6-1</a>] Why should I keep track of which bootlegs I have?</h4><p>Anyone who is serious about trading will need to keep a
list. Otherwise people will not know what you have, so will not be able
to set up a trade with you!</p><h4>[<a name="6-2">6-2</a>] How should I keep track of which bootlegs I have?</h4><p>Create a new file on your computer and simply list every
bootleg you have. The two most common formats for bootleg lists are
plain text and HTML. These are good, because they can be read by pretty
much anyone on the Internet. Probably in the near future some people
will be using XML too.</p><p>If you use a more exotic file format (such as MS Word files,
Excel files, Databases, etc), be sure to keep an up-to-date text file
or HTML file as well, because not everyone will have the right software to
view your list in its native format.</p><h4>[<a name="6-3">6-3</a>] What information should I include?</h4><p>At a minimum, record the name of the band, the date (if
known) and location (if known). It is also a good idea to include the
source of the recording (see later on!) and a quality grade (also see
later!).</p><p>Other things you might want to consider including are the
length of the recording — for example, 57 minutes; a setlist; a
detailed desciption of the source — type of microphone used, etc; the
generation of your recording (see later).</p><p>In my experience, if you are making your list as plain text,
it is best to keep information minimal, so that each bootleg only
requires one line of text. Including setlists will detract from the
readability of the list.</p><p>If you are using HTML, you can use different font sizes and
other techniques to make the headings (bands, dates, locations) stand
out so that you can include extra information such as setlists without
making your list unreadable.</p><p>If you are using HTML, you might also want to consider
keeping setlists on separate pages and hyperlinking to them from your
main list.</p><h4>[<a name="6-4">6-4</a>] How should I grade quality?</h4><p>Firstly, you should bear in mind that quality is an
indication of the <em>sound quality</em> of the recording. In other words, a
high quality show is very clear, has very little audience noise,
etc.</p><p>Quality is NOT based on "what good songs were
played".</p><p>The usual way of grading quality nowadays is by using school
grades — A+ is an exceptionally good recording, E- is terrible! This
method of grading is used as it is pretty easy for people to
understand. Here are some other ways of grading that you may come
across:</p><p>Older Standard:</p><pre>
EX+ — Perfect recording.
EX — Excellent recording.
EX- — Mainly excellent recording, maybe with some minor flaws.
VG+ — Very, very good recording.
VG — Very good recording. Very listenable.
VG- — Not quite as good as very good.
G — Good recording. Listenable.
P — Poor recording. Only for true collectors!
VP — Very poor. Difficult to tell what's going on at the show!
</pre><p>Number Grading (mainly used by DAT traders):</p><pre>
10 — Perfect recording.
:
:
1 — Awful recording.
</pre><p>Fractions are occasionally used, for example 9.5</p><p>Older Number Grading (never used today!):</p><pre>
1 — Excellent
2 — Good
3 — Fair
4 — Poor
5 — True collector only
</pre><p>Whichever system you choose to use, try to be consistant.
You may want to explain your grading system somewhere on your
list.</p><h4>[<a name="6-5">6-5</a>] What do those letters under Source such as SB, AUD, FM,
etc, mean?</h4><p>These abbreviations stand for the source of the live
recording.</p><pre>
ALD = Taped from an assisted listening device (some venues have
this system for people with hearing problems to listen to)
AUD = Audience (These can be real good, or real bad)
FM = A show broadcast on FM radio
#PRO = Where # represents the number of cameras used in a pro-shot,
but unreleased video
PRO = Pro-shot video (unspecified number of cameras)
SB = Soundboard (Generally, the best type of live recording)
SBD = Soundboard
SDBD = Soundboard
STU = Studio tracks (Demos, Out-takes, B-sides, etc)
ST = Studio tracks
TRI = TRIpod shot (video)
TV = A show broadcast on television
VHS = Audio was taken off a VHS video-cassette
WEB = Webcast
</pre><p>The term "soundboard" should not be used lightly. For a
recording to be truly soundboard-sourced, it must come directly from
the venue's mixing deck. TV/FM broadcasts (and webcasts!) to not count
as soundboard.</p><p>You may also see these abbreviations (particularly AUD and
SBD) prefixed with a D — i.e. DAUD or DSBD. This just means that they
are digitally sourced — no MP3 generation, no cassette
generation.</p><h4>[<a name="6-6">6-6</a>] Should I include my "rules"?</h4><p>It is useful to include a list of rules/guidelines for
trading with you. If you put them at the top of your list, try to keep
them as concise as possible, as no-one wants to read through pages of
rules before trading with you! If you put them at the bottom of the
list, or on a seperate page (on a website), then feel free to write on
and on and on and on and...</p><h4>[<a name="6-7">6-7</a>] Should I include a list of people I've traded with?</h4><p>It might be a good idea to add such a list to the end of
your main bootleg list. Not only will it give people a nice list of
traders that they can trust (because they didn't rip you off!), but it
will also act as a set of references for you.</p><h4>[<a name="6-8">6-8</a>] What should I do with my list?</h4><p>When you have the list made, you should post it to
alt.music.bootlegs in an attempt to have people respond to you,
interested in some of your bootlegs. That's how trades
start.</p><p>Make sure you only post a <em>text</em> version to the newsgroup.
People don't like HTML posts to newsgroups. If your list is in HTML,
put it on a website somewhere and post a link to it on the
newsgroup.</p><h4>[<a name="6-9">6-9</a>] How often should I post my list?</h4><p>This depends on how busy you like to be! Every two weeks
would be sensible. Every two days would not.</p><h4>[<a name="6-10">6-10</a>] Crossposting?</h4><p>Crossposting is posting your article to several newsgroups
at once. This is commonly done, but I think people would advise you to
post only to groups relevant to your list and what you generally
collect. Don't go posting to rec.music.rem if you don't like
them.</p>
<h2>Chapter 7: Taping</h2>
<h4>[<a name="7-1">7-1</a>] What equipment should I use?</h4><p>What equipment you use to record live concerts will greatly
determine the quality of your recordings. Nowadays, the most commonly
used equipment is either a DAT or MiniDisc recorder hooked up to some
good microphones, although some people still record to analogue
cassette tapes.</p><p>Cassettes are by far the cheapest option, but of course do
not offer the same sound quality that DATs or MDs do.</p><p>MiniDisc is an ideal setup for beginners. A good MiniDisc
recorder should be reasonably priced, and they are very small.
MiniDiscs can hold up to 80 minutes of stereo music (or 160 minutes of
mono) with very little quality loss.</p><p>DATs are the preferred taping medium, although they are much
more expensive than MiniDiscs. They record at 48000 samples per second
(better than CD quality) and can last for up to 3 hours non-stop.</p><p>Possibly more important is your choice of microphone. There
are two main types of microphone — unidirectional and
omnidirectional.</p><p>Unidirectional microphones are "focussed". If you aim them
at the sound source, they should pick that sound source up very well
without picking up much surrounding audience noise. They also can help
filter out echos, if they acoustics of the venue aren't that great. A
popular type of unidirectional microphone is the Cardioid.</p><p>Omnidirectional microphones on the other hand pick up sound
from all directions and are thus preferred for stereo recordings. These
are best used in concerts where there is only a little audience
noise.</p><p>It is a good idea to have a good set of both type of
microphone for different occasions, but if you have to settle on one,
unidirectional microphones are more flexible.</p><p>Either way, you should check your microphone's sound
pressure levels (SPL). If you are going to be recording loud concerts,
make sure you get microphones with a SPL of at least 120
decibels.</p><p>It is also important to have a "battery box". This will
amplify the signal from the microphone, allowing you to plug directly
into your recording unit's line in. The line in is preferable to the
microphone socket, because most taping units have fairly poor preamps
in their microphone sockets.</p><p>A bass roll-off is also useful for concerts with a lot of
bass, because bass tends to cause distortion on a lot of recordings.</p><h4>[<a name="7-2">7-2</a>] What are the advantages and disadvantages of DAT and
MD?</h4><p>DAT:</p><ul><li>Holds 180 minutes of music</li><li>You'll never need to switch DATs half way through a
show</li><li>Better than CD quality</li><li>The actual tape used in DAT degrades with time</li><li>DAT can randomly fail uring recording</li><li>Very expensive</li></ul><p>MiniDisc:</p><ul><li>Holds 80 minutes of music (or 160 minutes in
mono)</li><li>It takes about 30 seconds to switch from one MD to the next
one</li><li>Lossy compression</li><li>MiniDisc is much more stable</li><li>MiniDisc is usually OK, unless you bump it hard</li><li>Reasonably priced</li></ul><h4>[<a name="7-3">7-3</a>] Where are the best venues to tape?</h4><p>It is often good to start taping in smaller venues as you
will be able to get closer to the source of the sound (speaker stacks,
stage, etc). You may also be able to build a friendship with the sound
guy this way. (See the question on getting a soundboard patch)</p><p>Another advantage of taping in smaller venues is that you
will be able to speak to the band before and ask them if they would
like you to record them, which brings me to my next
point...</p><p>A good place to tape is anywhere a taper-friendly band is
playing! When getting started it is useful to be able to openly tape
without worrying about your shiny new equipment being confiscated, so
taper-friendly bands are ideal practice. (See the question on
taper-friendly bands)</p><h4>[<a name="7-4">7-4</a>] How should I sneak it in?</h4><p>Assuming the band does not allow taping (otherwise you
wouldn't be sneaking your gear in, right?), you may need to be a little
cunning.</p><p>Various methods include "crotching" (wearing two pairs of
under-wear and putting your equipment between them) to creating a false
bottom in a girlfriend's handbag. And of course, BIG
jackets!</p><p>Ask fellow tapers for ideas but be creative, because security
guards have often learned about the older tricks.</p><h4>[<a name="7-5">7-5</a>] Where should I put the microphones while recording?</h4><p>A usual technique is clipping them to your collar or the rim
of your hat. Hats are especially good if you're fairly tall and using
Cardioids, because it will get the microphones above the level of the
audience and hopefully you'll pick up less audience noise. More
importantly... where should you stand?</p><p>In every venue, there is a so called "sweet spot" — the
point with the best sound in the whole building (other than the stage,
that is!). This is often just in front of the soundboard. Another
consideration is audience noise. If there's a balcony, a spot right at
the front of that (combined with unidirectional microphones) will give
you very little audience noise.</p><h4>[<a name="7-6">7-6</a>] Any other taping tips?</h4><p>If the guy next to you is being noisy, it might be useful to
offer him a copy of the tape if he shuts up.</p><p>Use the support band to test how good your sound is. Set up
your gear how you think will be best, then tape the full set of the
support band. Between sets (often over half an hour!), listen to your
recording and make the necessary adjustments to your gear to get an
even better recording of the evening's main event! It's cool to keep
the support band's recording too. One day they may make it big, and
you'll have a very rare early recording of them.</p><p>DATs have higher error rates at the beginning of the
tape.</p><p>Don't bring along blank MiniDiscs — bring along discs with
about 3 seconds already recorded onto them. This means there is already
a table of contents (TOC) on the disc, so when you need to eject the
disc to put in a new one, your recorder will be much faster when
writing the new TOC.</p><h4>[<a name="7-7">7-7</a>] Can I get a soundboard patch?</h4><p>If a band is taper-friendly, they may allow you to plug
directly into the soundboard ("betty board"). If they do:</p><ul><li>be polite to the sound guy</li><li>ask him to do stuff — never order him</li><li>be polite to other everyone else, for that
matter</li><li>don't touch the sound guy's equipment</li><li>YOU will be required to supply the connecting leads —
make sure you bring lots of different types because you don't know
what their sockets will be like.</li></ul><p>If the band is not taper-friendly, the sound guy will <em>not</em>
let you connect to the soundboard — it's more that his job is
worth (unless maybe you're a friend ;)</p><h4>[<a name="7-8">7-8</a>] What happens if I get caught?</h4><p>This depends on the venue. Check the small print on the back
of your ticket. They will probably just send you back to your car and
tell you to put the gear away and come back in when you've dumped it.
In most juristictions, staff should not be able to keep your gear (at
least not once the show is over) if they find it, although they may
have the right to confiscate any media found on you
indefinately.</p><h4>[<a name="7-9">7-9</a>] Should I tape in Mono or Stereo?</h4><p>A good question. The truth of the matter is that your microphones
are not likely to be far enough apart to get a good stereo effect.</p><p>According to the professionals, to get a good stereo recording, you
have to have your microphones three times as far apart as they are back from
the sound source. So for example, if you are standing 50 feet back from the stage,
your microphones should be 150 foot apart from each other! As you are unlikely
to be able to do this, it doesn't really matter if you record in Mono or
Stereo — but remember, often your media will allow you to record for longer
if you use Mono!</p><p>The way to get a truly good stereo recording it to find a taping
partner — one of you can stand at the left of the venue and one can stand
at the right. Use similar rigs and after the show, mix your tapes together. This
is also a useful arrangement if your recorder dies half-way through the gig —
at least your partner will probably be getting a recording.</p><h4>[<a name="7-10">7-10</a>] What else should I know?</h4><p>This section has been written by a non-taper! OK, so I've taped one
or two shows, but my experience of taping is very limited. I have tried to gather
information from a range of experts, but take all this information with a pinch
of salt.</p>
<h2>Chapter 8: Audio Editing</h2>
<h4>[<a name="8-1">8-1</a>] What audio editing tools should I use?</h4><p>Links to all the software mentioned follow at the end of
this answer.</p><p>First, you will need a good audio editor. The best free one
I have found is Audacity — it works on Windows, Mac (Classic or OS X),
Linux, BSD and probably other systems too. Goldwave comes in
at about $50 and is great. CoolEdit costs a little more — about $80.
CoolEdit Pro weighs in at about $300 and Soundforge, the mother of all
audio editors will set you back about $500!</p><p>Luckily, trial versions are available for CoolEdit and
Goldwave. I have been informed that there are various cracks and
patches to unlock the trial versions, but use these at your own risk. I
will not give you any advice on how to find such things.</p><p>General Audio Editing:</p><ul><li>Amadeus II [Mac] <a target="_blank" href="http://www.hairersoft.com/Amadeus.html">http://www.hairersoft.com/Amadeus.html</a></li><li>Audacity [Win, Mac, Linux] <a target="_blank" href="http://audacity.sf.net/">http://audacity.sf.net/</a></li><li>CoolEdit [Win] <a target="_blank" href="http://www.syntrillium.com/cep/">http://www.syntrillium.com/cep/</a></li><li>GLAME [Linux] <a target="_blank" href="http://glame.sourceforge.net/">http://glame.sourceforge.net/</a></li><li>Goldwave [Win] <a target="_blank" href="http://www.goldwave.com/">http://www.goldwave.com/</a></li><li>KWave [Linux] <a target="_blank" href="http://kwave.sourceforge.net/">http://kwave.sourceforge.net/</a></li><li>Sound Sculptor II [Mac] <a target="_blank" href="http://members.aol.com/sculptorii/">http://members.aol.com/sculptorii/</a></li><li>Soundforge [Win] <a target="_blank" href="http://www.sonicfoundry.com/soundforge">http://www.sonicfoundry.com/soundforge</a></li><li>Sound Studio [Mac] <a target="_blank" href="http://www.felttip.com/products/soundstudio/">http://www.felttip.com/products/soundstudio/</a></li></ul><p>Professional-quality digital audio extraction (CD ripping):</p><ul><li>Exact Audio Copy [Win] <a target="_blank" href="http://www.exactaudiocopy.de/">http://www.exactaudiocopy.de/</a></li><li>CD Paranoia [Linux] <a target="_blank" href="http://www.xiph.org/">http://www.xiph.org/</a></li></ul><p>Other useful tools:</p><ul><li>CD Wave [Win] <a target="_blank" href="http://www.cdwave.com/">http://www.cdwave.com/</a></li><li>WAVtrim [Win] <a target="_blank" href="http://www.logiccell.com/~mp3trim/">http://www.logiccell.com/~mp3trim/</a></li></ul><h4>[<a name="8-2">8-2</a>] How can I get rid of the gaps from CDs burnt in TAO
mode?</h4><p>Firstly, extract all the tracks to WAV files using EAC, CD Paranoia or
another good digital audio extractor.</p><p>Now open the first track in your audio editor. Zoom in to
the beginning of the file and delete any silence you find there. Zoom
into the end of the file and do the same. Repeat this process for every
WAV file. You may be able to use WAVtrim to do all this for you, but I
find it unreliable.</p><p>The easy method is now to burn the WAV files in Disc At Once
mode and you're done. This will sometimes result in a flawless copy,
although there are often tiny clicks between tracks. If you want to do
the conversion perfectly, continue reading!</p><p>Now use your audio editor to join all the edited WAV files
up into one long WAV file. CoolEdit Pro has an "Open Append" item on
the "File" menu, which is very handy for doing this. I have also been
told there is a utility called "WavMerge" that can do this, but I
haven't been able to find a copy to test it.</p><p>In Linux or Mac OS X, you can use "sox" to convert the WAV files
to RAW audio files (headerless WAV files), then join them all using the
"cat" command and then use "sox" to convert the resulting file back into
WAV format.</p><p>Listen to the transitions between tracks. Do they sound
good? Do they need a bit of editing? If so, do it. Now is also the time
to do any other editing you might need to do — normalising,
equalisation, cleaning up hisses and pops, etc...</p><p>Save the long WAV file and delete the short WAV files you
made it from — you'll probably be running out of disc space by now
:)</p><p>Use CD Wave to break the WAV file up into tracks again. Burn
these tracks in Disc At Once mode with 0 second gaps.</p><h4>[<a name="8-3">8-3</a>] Why is that such a complicated process?</h4><p>You probably mean, "why join all the tracks together into
one WAV file and then split them up again", don't you?</p><p>Well, the answer is fairly complicated. Tracks on a CD must
be an exact multiple of 588 samples (1/75 second) long. If they're not,
then you'll end up with a click between tracks.</p><p>After editing the WAV files (removing silence from the
beginning and ends), the lengths of the files will be fairly random and
certainly won't all be multiples of 588 samples.</p><p>CD Wave splits files at exactly 588 sample boundaries, so if
you join all your WAVs up and resplit them, you will get a flawless
CD.</p><h4>[<a name="8-4">8-4</a>] How to I transfer a recording from another format (DAT, MD,
Cassette, Vinyl, etc) to CDR?</h4><p>Assuming you are using a PC to record CDRs (it's trivially
easy with a standalone, although your results will not usually be as
good!), first you'll need to connect a device (DAT/MD/Cassette/Vinyl
deck, etc...) to your computer's soundcard.</p><p>Most DAT and MD decks have a digital output. If your
soundcard has a digital input, you're sorted! Follow the instructions
in your manuals and you should have a decent recording in no
time.</p><p>Assuming a digital connection is not an option, you will
need an audio cable to connect your device to your soundcard. You
should be able to find such a thing at your local electrical retailer.
Check what types of output sockets your device has (often a "headphone"
socket and maybe another socket as well) and what input sockets your
soundcard has (usually the "headphone" type).</p><p>Once you have the cable, attach one end to the output of
your device and the other to either the line in (recommended) or the
microphone socket of your soundcard.</p><p>Now, play around with the volume control in your audio
editor and also on the device you are recording from to get the right
volume levels. You want the signal to be as loud as possible without
the risk of clipping. (See the question on this)
</p><p>Once you have this level, reduce the volume a little bit
more just in case — reducing by about 15% should do.</p><p>Now, rewind to the beginning. Set up your audio editor to
record in 16-bit stereo at 44.1KHz. Press "record" on your audio editor
and press play on your device. This first step gets easier with
practice!</p><p>You should now have a long WAV file of what you want to
record to CDR. Use your audio editor to edit out problems such as when
you flipped the tape.</p><p>If you were recording from a tape, vinyl or some other
analog medium, there is probably a small amount of "hiss" in your WAV
file. Most audio editors have an anti-hiss tool that you can use to
reduce this.</p><p>Also, listen to your recording. Does it sound to bassy?
Lower the bass in your editor's EQ. Too tinny? Then lower the
treble.</p><p>Once you have the recording just how you like it, find the
"normalise" function of your audio editor. Normalise the WAV to 99%.
This will raise the volume to the highest level possible without the
dreaded clipping.</p><p>Now save your WAV file and close your audio editor. Open up
your WAV file in CD Wave and use that to add in track splits. It is
generally best practice to put the split at the beginning of a song,
rather than at the end of the previous song. A good rule is that if
banter lasts for more than 30 seconds, it should be given its own track
— otherwise leave it at the <em>end</em> of the song before it (not at the
beginning of the song after it!)</p><p>Now save the tracks and use your CD burning software to burn
them in Disc-At-Once mode with no gaps.</p><h4>[<a name="8-5">8-5</a>] There's a lot of hiss on my recording. How do I fix
that?</h4><p>Most audio editors have an anti-hiss function.</p><h4>[<a name="8-6">8-6</a>] How can I remove small pops and clicks from the
recording?</h4><p>Zoom in on the pop and you'll see something like
this:</p><pre>
x
xxxx xxxx
xx xx xx xx
x x x x x
-x----------x----------x----------x----------x-
x x x x x
xx xx x xx
xxxx xxxx
</pre><p>it is pretty obvious which part of the waveform is causing
the pop. Use your best resources to put the rogue samples back where
they are supoosed to go to get a smoother waveform. In this case, I'd
reduce the rogue sample's volume to about 30% of its original level and
then invert it, to get something like this:</p><pre>
xxxx xxxx
xx xx xx xx
x x x x x
-x----------x----------x----------x----------x-
x x xx x x
xx xx x xx
xxxx xxxx
</pre><h4>[<a name="8-7">8-7</a>] What are some general tips and tricks?</h4><p>If you have to do some work on a show, do it on the full
show in one WAV file instead of each track individually — this will
result in smoother transitions between tracks. This is particularly
important in normalising. If you can spare the disc space and memory,
you might want to do all your working in 32 bits (instead of the
standard 16) and convert back to 16 at the end.</p><p>Always do track splits at 588 sample boundaries — CD Wave
makes this easy!</p><h4>[<a name="8-8">8-8</a>] What does "Clipping" mean?</h4><p>A signal that results from an amplifier that is either
overloaded or underpowered relative to the signal amplitude (volume) it
being asked to generate.</p><p>A clipped waveform is one in which the gently rounded peaks
and valleys of the AC audio wave are instead sliced off or clipped, to
yield what looks a lot like a square or alternating DC
wave.</p>
<h2>Chapter 9: The alt.music.bootlegs Newsgroup</h2>
<h4>[<a name="9-1">9-1</a>] What is a newsgroup?</h4><p>A newsgroup is a forum for the discussion of a particular
topic. Newsgroups belong to a vast network called Usenet (short for
"User's Network") which grew up alongside the Internet and they are now
inextricably linked.</p><p>At the time Usenet was developed, the World-Wide Web did not
exist and very few people had an Internet presence. Usenet allowed
people to establish such a presence, by posting articles to its
groups.</p><p>Usenet is heirachically organised. For example, there is a
comp.* heirachy that contains newsgroups about computers. This has a
sub- heirachy called comp.os.* which contains newsgroups about computer
operating systems. This contains a newsgroup called comp.os.research
containing various articles about operating systems
research.</p><h4>[<a name="9-2">9-2</a>] How do I access newsgroups?</h4><p>There are two main ways — through a newsreader or through a
website.</p><p>A newsreader is a program that allows you to communicate
with a newsserver (usually provided by your ISP or University) and lets
you read articles posted to newsgroups and post your own
articles.</p><p>Here are <em>some</em> newsreaders that you may like to
try.</p><ul><li>Mozilla [Win, Mac, Linux] (Free, includes browser, chat and e-mail client)
<a target="_blank" href="http://www.mozilla.org/">http://www.mozilla.org/</a></li><li>PAN [Linux] (Free)
<a target="_blank" href="http://pan.rebelbase.com/">http://pan.rebelbase.com/</a></li><li>Netscape [Win, Mac, Linux] (Free, includes browser, chat and e-mail client)
<a target="_blank" href="http://www.netscape.com/download">http://www.netscape.com/download</a></li><li>Outlook/Outlook Express [Win, Mac] (Free, includes e-mail client)
<a target="_blank" href="http://www.microsoft.com/ie">http://www.microsoft.com/ie</a></li><li>Forte Free Agent [Win] (Free, although there is a paid-for version with extra features)
<a target="_blank" href="http://www.forteinc.com/agent">http://www.forteinc.com/agent</a></li><li>TIN [Win, Mac, Linux] (Free)
<a target="_blank" href="http://www.tin.org/">http://www.tin.org/</a></li></ul><p>As mentioned earlier, Usenet may also be accessed via the
WWW (although most "hardcore" Usenet users would not recommend this, as
it is slower and less flexible). A popular "Web-to-News gateway" can be
found at <a target="_blank" href=""></a></p><h4>[<a name="9-3">9-3</a>] Are there any special considerations when posting messages to
newsgroups?</h4><p>Definately! What follows is a short summary of Usenet
Etiquette. For a fuller guide please refer to
<a target="_blank" href="http://www.csam.montclair.edu/Docs/Users_guide/news.html">http://www.csam.montclair.edu/Docs/Users_guide/news.html</a></p><ul><li>Read news.announce.newusers before you start posting
messages. This newsgroup will fill you in on the history of the
usenet, some of the newsgroups that are available, and the rules of
etiquette.</li><li>Is your post really necessary? If all you are saying is "I
agree" or "Me too", it probably isn't.</li><li>Try to keep messages as brief as possible.</li><li>Do not type in ALL CAPITALS — it is considered shouting and
some people take offence. It is also ugly and difficult to
read.</li><li>Do not reply to someone to correct a spelling or grammar
mistake in their post. Remember, it is easy for your finger to slip
and hit the wrong key and English is not everyone's first
language.</li><li>Read this FAQ before asking a question. We might have the
answer here!</li></ul><h4>[<a name="9-4">9-4</a>] Are there any special considerations when posting messages to
alt.music.bootlegs in particular?</h4><p>Definately! If someone posts asking for a Backstreet Boys
bootleg, it may be tempting to reply with a "flame", telling them that
BSB are crap and they should get a life and listen to some real music
for a change. But don't. We are a mixed bunch in alt.music.bootlegs. We
all have different tastes in music — chances are that someone feels
exactly the same way about your favourite band.</p><p>Think about how to reply. You have two options — you can
reply to the newsgroup, or reply by email to the original sender. Only
reply to the newsgroup if you feel that other people there will be
interested in your reply.</p><p>It is very important to choose an appropriate subject for
your posts. Alt.music.bootlegs is a high-volume newsgroup which usually
receives between 50 and 100 posts per day, so most people skim the
subject lines, and only read the posts if the subject looks
interesting. Good subject lines are:</p><ul><li>WTD: band, venue (date)</li><li>ISO: band, venue (date)</li></ul><p>"WTD" is short for "Wanted" and "ISO" is short for "In
Search Of". They both mean the same thing. It is probably a good idea
to indicate what you have to trade in return in the body of the message
— particularly recordings by the same and/or similar artists. If
you're just after <em>any</em> recording by a particular artist
(not a specific show), leave out the venue and date.</p><ul><li>F/T: band, venue (date)</li><li>F/S: band, venue (date)</li></ul><p>"F/T" is short for "For Trade". "F/T" is short for "For
Sale". Use these when you want to let people know you've just recieved
a show and want to trade/sell it.</p><ul><li>Taped: band, venue (date)</li><li>Filmed: band, venue (date)</li></ul><p>Post these messages to let people know that you've
taped/filmed a particular show. It is a good idea to include
information in the body of the message indicating when you'll be ready
to trade it (MD —> CD transfers can take a while)</p><h4>[<a name="9-5">9-5</a>] How long has alt.music.bootlegs existed? How long do you think
it will last?</h4><p>Alt.music.bootlegs was "newgrouped" (created) with this
message:</p><blockquote><pre>
From Sat Aug 13 00:08:33 1994
Control: newgroup alt.music.bootlegs
Newsgroups: alt.music.bootlegs.ctl
Path: uunet!meaddata!swiss.ans.net!europa.eng.gtefsd.com!
newsxfer.itd.umich.edu!news.cic.net!magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu!csn!
csus.edu!netcom.com!mach3
From: (Ben Kierulff)
Subject: cmsg newgroup alt.music.bootlegs
Message-ID: <>
Organization: NETCOM On-line Communication Services (408 261-4700 guest)
Date: Sat, 13 Aug 1994 00:15:54 GMT
Approved:
Lines: 3
Xref: uunet control:1122418
--
-=-Mach3-=-
</pre></blockquote><p>There then followed a lot of "rmgrouping" (deleting) and
recreating of the group because people couldn't agree on whether it had
been created properly (you are supposed to provide a tagline,
description and optionally a charter when you create a group — none of
this had been done), but eventually people gave up and it now exists
and is widely propogated (it is carried on most news servers) and
widely used.</p><p>Alt.music.bootlegs will exist in some shape or form for as
long as Usenet continues to exist. Once a newsgroup exists, it's pretty
hard to kill!</p><h4>[<a name="9-6">9-6</a>] What other newsgroups might be of interest to me?</h4><p>Alt.music.*, alt.fan.* and rec.music.* probably hold
newsgroups about some of your favourite bands. These might also be of
some interest:</p><ul><li>alt.binaries.sounds.mp3.bootlegs</li><li>alt.videos.bootlegs</li><li>alt.binaries.sounds.misc</li><li>alt.music.bootlegs.lists (not widely propogated)</li><li>alt.binaries.music.shn (not widely propogated)</li></ul><p>If you want to look outside Usenet, there are a lot of
mailing lists around that may be of interest. Yahoo Groups
<a target="_blank" href="http://www.yahoogroups.com">http://www.yahoogroups.com</a> is a good starting
place.</p>
<h2>Chapter 10: Miscellaneous Questions</h2>
<h4>[<a name="10-1">10-1</a>] Isn't that piracy?</h4><p>Bootlegging and piracy are different! As stated earlier, piracy
is the unauthorised copying of legitimately-released material — for example,
the albums and singles of a band. Bootlegging on the other hand is the
(re-)production of other recordings by a band — demos, radio station
sessions, live performances, studio out-takes, etc.</p><p>In my experience, most bootleggers are strongly anti-piracy, and an
uninformed newbie coming to the group looking for a copy of an official release
is likely to be disappointed (and severly repremanded!).</p><p>While some might claim that bootlegging and piracy are treated the
same in the eyes of the law, this is <em>not true</em> — although
certain organisations, such as the RIAA would like you to believe otherwise.
Most nations' laws treat bootlegging and piracy differently and the vast
majority of the readers of alt.music.bootlegs recognise the clear difference
as well.</p><h4>[<a name="10-2">10-2</a>] What is the difference between an Outtake and a Demo?</h4><p>For example, band X is looking for a record contract, so
they get their drummer's cousin (who has a MiniDisc) to help them
record a few tracks. They master it onto CDR and maybe sell a few
copies at shows. But the real reason they did it is to send copies to
record companies.</p><p>Record Company Z listens to X's recording and thinks, "these
guys are really good," so he gives them a contract.</p><p>They go off to record an album. While in the studio, they
record 16 brilliant songs. The record company says that 3 of the songs
don't really fit with the mood of the rest of the album, so those 3
songs are cut. Also, they don't like the way song Y has been recorded,
and ask for it to be recorded in a more upbeat style.</p><p>The album is released and X are an instant worldwide
hit.</p><p>Now, their original recording which they made on a MiniDisc
is a <em>demo</em>. If the 3 songs which were cut from the album, and the
original version of song Y somehow get leaked from the studio (maybe a
recording technician is a bootlegger), those are <em>out
takes</em>.</p><h4>[<a name="10-3">10-3</a>] Where do soundboard shows come from?</h4><ul><li>Some taper-friendly bands allow audience members to make
soundboard recordings.</li><li>Radio stations often record shows for later broadcast. These
recordings are sometimes leaked. (Note: if you record a broadcast from
the radio, this is <em>not</em> a soundboard recording)</li><li>Occasionally a sound guy at a venue will secretly tape a
show.</li><li>Bands often tape their shows. Some of these recordings are
leaked with or without their permission.</li></ul><h4>[<a name="10-4">10-4</a>] What's a filler?</h4><p>If a bootleg is for example 50 minutes long, you may want to
add some extra tracks on at the end to fill up the disc. This is called
a "filler".</p><p>In the days of tape trading, most people used fillers.
Otherwise, you would have to sit through a lot of silence before
getting back to the beginning of the tape again.</p><p>Now fillers are less common. Some people will put them on,
some won't. If you get a filler, it's a nice bonus. It's also a good
idea to pass that filler along to anyone who you make a copy of the
bootleg for, because it doesn't take much extra effort.</p><h4>[<a name="10-5">10-5</a>] What is a "generation"?</h4><p>A generation is kinda exactly what it sounds like. Did you
ever tape a movie from someone on a VHS video-cassette tape? We
probably all have. Say that person who you copied it from, taped it
from someone else, and that person taped it from someone else, and that
person taped it from someone else. Your copy of the tape will most
likely be pretty shitty, because as you continue to make copies of
copies of copies, the quality continues to deteriorate. Simply, the
generation is a number that tells the person how many times your copy
has been copied down from the original.</p><p>For example, if I had a 1st generation tape, that means that
the person that I got it from had the master. That means that if you
wanted that tape from me, your tape would be 2nd generation, and so
on.</p><p>In the age of digital recording, generations have become
less important as a copy is almost exactly the same as its source.
Generations are still important in video trading though. A lot of
MiniDisc and DAT traders also care a lot about generations.</p><h4>[<a name="10-6">10-6</a>] What is Mono? What is Stereo? What is Joint Stereo?</h4><p>A mono recording is a recording where the sound coming out
of the left and right speakers is the same. In a stereo recording, the
sound coming out of each speaker is different, which results in a more
realistic and 3-dimensional sound.</p><p>Joint Stereo is a more efficient way of storing stereo
sound. Most of the time, the left and right channels of a stereo recording
are similar — not the same, but nearly. So instead of storing both
channels, we just store the left channel and then store the differences
between the channels. This type of storage forms the basis of a lot
of audio compression.</p><h4>[<a name="10-7">10-7</a>] What is FTP?</h4><p>FTP is short for File Transfer Protocol. It is the standard
way of transferring files from one computer to another. To connect to
another computer by FTP you will need 4 pieces of information:</p><ul><li>Host address. This tells your computer which remote computer
to connect to.</li><li>User name. This is used when logging in. It is often "anonymous".
</li><li>Password. This is also used to log in. When the user name is
"anonymous", use your e-mail address as the password.</li><li>Port number. This tells your computer which way to contact
the remote computer. If no port number is specified, it is probably 21.
</li></ul><p>Once you have these pieces of information, you enter them into
your FTP client. If you need an FTP client, here are some:</p><ul><li>ftp.exe [Win] comes free with Windows.</li><li>NcFTP [Linux] <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncftpd.com/ncftp/">http://www.ncftpd.com/ncftp/</a></li><li>WS_FTP [Win] <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ipswitch.com/">http://www.ipswitch.com/</a></li><li>Fetch [Mac] <a target="_blank" href="http://fetchsoftworks.com/">http://fetchsoftworks.com/</a></li></ul><p>It is also possible to do some basic FTP with some web browsers.
Just construct an address like this:</p><pre>
ftp://[User name]:[Password]@[Host address]:[Port]/
</pre><p>For example, if I was connecting to the potato.curry.net server
(no, this doesn't really exist!) with user name "toby" and password "secret"
using port 21, this would be the address to type into my browser:</p><pre>
ftp://toby::21/
</pre><h4>[<a name="10-8">10-8</a>] Further Reading</h4><ul><li>PauseRecord Resources <a target="_blank" href="http://www.pauserecord.com/resources/">http://www.pauserecord.com/resources/</a></li><li>Andy McFadden's CD-Recordable FAQ <a target="_blank" href="http://www.cdrfaq.org/">http://www.cdrfaq.org/</a></li><li>How to Find and Trade Bootlegs on the Internet <a target="_blank" href="http://www.rootnode.org/article.php?sid=36">http://www.rootnode.org/article.php?sid=36</a></li><li>The B+P FAQ <a target="_blank" href="http://www.mcnichol.com/bnp/">http://www.mcnichol.com/bnp/</a></li><li>The DAT-Heads FAQ (Old) <a target="_blank" href="http://www.solorb.com/dat-heads/FAQ">http://www.solorb.com/dat-heads/FAQ</a></li></ul>
<hr>
<p class="credits">
Maintained by Toby Inkster <<a href="mailto:"></a>><br>
Written by James Eades <<a href="mailto:"></a>> / Toby Inkster <<a href="mailto:"></a>> / Jeff Kuhn
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