Software Vault: The Diamond Collection/The Diamond Collection (Software Vault)(Digital Impact).ISO/cdr14/cd_tt_1.zip/GC3.TXT

Text File | 1995-02-16 | 10KB | 206 lines

PART 3

TAPE TRADING INFORMATION AND ETIQUETTE

Your List

Your list should include:
Band, Date, Venue, Source, Generation, Grade and Time(length).

Source

The source is how the master tape was made.  A Soundboard (SBD) is a tape
made from the direct outputs of the soundboard at a show.  The sound is
usually up front and very clear.  Depending on how it is mixed there is
usually little to no crowd/hall ambiance mixed in.  These are generally
the most desirable tapes.  However, keep in mind that not all SBD master
tapes are perfect and there are several examples of defects on them.
Audience (AUD) tapes are made with microphones in the venue.  With Dead
shows most of these come from the taper's section which is behind the
soundboard.  Front of Board (FOB) tapes are recordings that are made from
in front of the soundboard and are usually stealth.  Most consider the
front of the soundboard a better place to record from.  Stealth
recordings are recordings that are made at shows or in parts of a venue
where taping is not allowed.  AUD recordings are rarely as clean as SBDs
but some people prefer them because they give a better sense of "being
there."  Recordings made off of the radio are usually designated FM.
With a good tuner FM recordings can sound quite good.  Due to the
limitations of radio they do lack the highest frequencies, however.  Some
people make finer distinctions regarding sources but that is beyond the
scope of this article.  If you are not sure of the source of your tape
you can try to make an educated guess.  It is a good idea to put a
question mark on your list if you are guessing.  Example: SBD?

Generation

The number of the generation is every copy in series made after the
master.  DAT(Digital Audio Tape) generations are generally not counted
since a DAT copy of a DAT is a virtual clone.  Some people call the first
analogue(cassette) copy in a series an "analogue master", but I strongly
disagree with this.  To me the master tape is the tape that was made at
the source.   Period.  Subsequent DAT copies of a DAT should be called
clones.  DAT copies of the old tapes from the GD vault are usually not
counted as a generation.

Examples:

DAT(SBD master)>DAT>cass 1> cass 2

Cass 2 would be a 2nd generation copy of the soundboard.  Many would
indicate it like this SBD/2

Analogue reel from the vault(SBD master)>DAT>DAT>cass 1>cass 2

Since people do not count the DAT generations this would also be
considered a SBD/2.

Some people will refer to DAT masters and DAT copies from the vault as
DAT SBD, DSBD or DSB.

If you make an audience tape at a show yourself or tape something off of
the radio that would be considered a master tape.  Some people indicate
this as FM/0 but I prefer FM/M.

If you do not know the generation do not guess.  I will put the
generation as "low" on my list if I am pretty certain it is less than
about 6th or so but don't know the exact generation.  I usually base this
on who I got the tape from and the sound of the tape.

The important thing with generations is to be consistent.  The lower the
generation of the tape the more desirable it is.  Higher generation tapes
will have progressively more hiss, and host of other problems that can
include: lack of bass and high frequencies, dulled transients, congested
or otherwise blurred and indistinct sound.  The cassette decks can play a
major factor as well.  A fifth generation tape that has only been through
Nakamichi decks will likely sound better than a third generation tape
that has gone through cheap dubbers.

Grading

The main thing to remember is be honest.  If you grade tapes high just to
attract people, they won't ever trade with you again.  Grading is very
subjective and varies from person to person.  It is a good idea to
thoroughly explain your grading philosophy on your list.  Most people use
letter grades.  Some try to grade all tapes on the same scale, some make
allowances for older tapes and AUD tapes and grade them easier.  I try to
grade everything on the same scale.  Either way, explain your approach on
your list.  To give you an idea, this is how I grade my tapes:

A+  An exceptional tape, sound is on par with a commercial release of a
live recording.  Only low gen SBD or FM qualify.

A   A very good tape with no major problems.  May have some hiss when the
band is not loud.  Generally only SBD or FM, but a rare few exceptional
AUD tapes can make it.

A-  Some problems, but nothing that really distracts from the music.  May
have some hiss, weak bass, or muffled sound, but not too badly.  Usually
higher gen. SBDs and decent AUDs.  I will usually include 60s tapes with
very slight amounts of distortion as A- as well- this is the one place I
do slide a little.

B+  Beginning to distract from the music.  May have more extreme of the
above and/or some distortion or balance problems.  Also boomy AUD tapes.

B   Getting harder to listen to, but some music is still coming through.
Usually old or rare, where better versions are not available.

B-  Takes some effort to listen to.

C   Virtually unlistenable.

Timing

Basically how long the show is.  Some picky tapers want exact timings.
Most people are happy with the length of tape the show is on to the
nearest side.  For example if you have a show that fits on a 100 min.
tape and on one side of a 90 you would say 145 for the timing.  It is
also a good idea to give some sort of Set indication.  Most use roman
numerals for the sets.  Some will indicate acoustic sets with an a,
encores with an e.  There are various ways of indicating partial sets.  I
use a p as in Ip meaning a partial first set.

Examples of a listing

70/02/13  Fillmore East  DSB/2 A+ 180  all   -or-  I, a, II

85/06/16  Greek Theatre  SBD/4   A??135 Ip, II?

The first one should be obvious.  The second one indicates a show that
fits on one and a half 90 minute tapes and has part of the 1st set and
all of the 2nd.

It is sometimes a good idea to have a column for comments where you can
mention guests, rare songs, first/last times, etc.  I personally find
this a little impractical with sending a large list through email but it
can be worked out.

General Tape Trading Etiquette

Shipping

Agree beforehand how the tapes are going to be sent.  If you are sending
one to three tapes first class mail is the standard way to go and costs
around a dollar or so.  For more tapes Priority Mail is generally the
standard.  Up to 2 lbs is $3 with Priority Mail and usually ships in 2-3
days.  You can send about 8-10 cassettes with cases and 10-12 without
cases at this rate.  Various grade of tape way differently.  If you want
to save some money you can send tapes Special Fourth Class which is
commonly referred to as Book Rate and ships in about 5-7 days.  6 or 8
tapes would work out to around $1.50.  If you are sending a large number
of tapes this can work out to save you quite a bit of money.  Also UPS is
a good alternative if you are sending a large number of tapes.  UPS on
heavier packages is much less than Priority, a little more than Special
Fourth Class, and will ship in 2-5 days depending on the distance.

I prefer to ship tapes without their plastic cases.  With larger numbers
of tapes this can save you some money on shipping.  Also the plastic
cases can break real easy in the mail.  Pull the cassette and J-card out
of the plastic case leaving the J-card to cover the exposed tape.  Make
sure the tape is all the way wound.  Rubber band two cassettes inverted
flat against each other.   They should fit tightly together making a
package not much larger than one cassette in its plastic case.

The standard means of shipping is the padded envelope.  It is best to use
the smallest one possible so that the tapes fit in tightly and do not
shift around too much.  Pieces of cardboard, paper, bubble wrap, etc. can
be useful in packing.  Staple and then use packing tape on the open end
of the envelope.  Shake the envelope as a test.  If the cassettes are
banging around you need to pack it better.  The post office can be fairly
rough on packages.  If you are sending a large number of tapes, you will
need to use a box.

Other things

Don't label the J-card.  Write the date, venue, (set) and songlist on the
back of the sticker labels for the cassette.  Also include
source/generation, and any other pertinent information.

If when dubbing a tape you realize that it does not sound as good as you
thought it did make sure you tell the person you are trading with.

Don't use Dolby, EQ, or in any other way alter the tape unless the person
you are sending the tapes wants you to.  If your copy of the tape has
Dolby and you did not indicate it on your list you should tell your
trading partner and see how he wants to deal with it.

Unless other arrangements have been made, you should ship a typical trade
of tapes(6-10) within 2 or 3 weeks.  If there is a problem contact your
trading partner, don't leave him/her in the dark and hanging.

If you are sending blanks to be dubbed onto DO NOT send more than agreed
to.  (more on trading for blanks(groveling) below)

The general rule with Maxpoints is whoever buys the tapes keeps the
points.

Don't post your whole list to the Internet (this is bad netiquette as
well).  Just have a simple post stating how many hours you have or a few
juicy tidbits from your list or some sort of basic description of what
you have.

Reuse the padded envelopes to save money and space in the landfills.

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