what is all this talking about masters? does it matter if it is first or second generation in the age of digital recording? i can hear no difference but maybe i am too old....

Actually that's a very good point - digital to digital copying means the term 1st/2nd generation is pretty much redundant :lol:

And so....??? :unsure:

I can hear no difference either.

I disagree, on the basis that most people dont know how to copy CDs properly, resulting in loss of sound quality.

Perhaps you'd like to briefly say how you should an shouldn't copy properly: do you think some programs are much better than others and if so which?

Actually, I agree with Eric to some extent. Some bootlegs are copied poorly, with 2 second gaps added between tracks etc. due to limitations with some folks' programs or, I hate to say, user error.

Something like Nero does a straight CD Copy which never fails.

However, before I pass on any trades I have received I will always redo them - 8/9 times out of 10 there is something which needs doing, eg volume levels boosting (often one channel is quieter than the other, a legacy of mono recordings), hiss reduction required, sometimes a little bit of graphic equalizing. Essentially, every incoming CD that is subsequently traded leaves Chez Clayts in a better condition than when it arrived. I really enjoy doing this, so it's a labour of love.

Software used :

Exact Audio Copy to rip the original CD to my hard drive

open append in Cool Edit Pro to check the integrity of all the files and to merge them into one big wave file. Also remove gaps between tracks if any exist (in some cases no splits at all exist, so they get broken up into separate tracks at that time - Audacity is easier to use than Cool Edit Pro for this seperation of tracks).

Then CD Wave to split the whole file down into exact SBE type splits.

Then burn in Nero, ensuring all the two second gaps between tracks, bar track 1 (where a 2 second intro is required to conform to CD standard) are removed.

The best method to copy CDs without loss of sound quality is to save the information from the CD onto your hard drive in an uncompressed lossless format, wave files if your using Windows. Then copy these files onto CD. The best program to do use for this is Exact Audio Copy, which you can download here: http://www.exactaudiocopy.de/
It saves the information onto your harddrive in lossless format and prevents glitches in the files.

A lot of people I've found are in the habit of saving information onto their hard drives in compressed format, which takes up less space, but results in loss of sound quality. Another incorrect and common way is to copy CDs is directly from one CD drive to the other, which again causes a loss of sound quality.

:confused:

Not sure I agree with that, Eric. Is there anything you can refer me to on that point ? As long as you temporarily burn the image of the original to the hard drive first, and then burn to the second CD that's no different from ripping the disc to your hard drive and burning separately. This is how Nero does CD Copying, although you can have the option of 'on the fly' burning - now that is definitely prone to errors and should be avoided at all costs.

Totally agree about compressed formats though - that's definitely not on....

Thats interesting Clayts, we use the same software for the exact same purposes.
I'll look up that other point tonight, Im positive that I've read from a reliable source that the process causes loss of sound quality.

I can definitely understand it in relation to 'on the fly' recording - that is when the drive burning the new CD takes the info from the CD it is reading at the same time as burning. That is definitely prone to errors, particularly on slower PCs, or CD writers that don't have BURNproof of SMART BURN built in (most of them do have these days, admittedly).

I'd never risk it meself though....

We both have a good taste in software then ;)

What are the (dis)advantages of using Sonic Record?

Yep, that's what I was refering to, avoid at all costs!

ALWAYS BURN AUDIO CDS SLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOwLY

data cds - not so much of a problem if u burn them at 48x or whatever...

but audio cds.... don't do it.

Not as relevant as it used to be, Dave - faster PCs/burners these days can burn audio CDs quite happily at 48 or 52 speed. Improved blank CD media also helps the case.

Out of the gazillions of trades I've done, plus the stuff done for the fallshop CDs, I think I've only ever had two coasters burning at 48/52x - one because the blank media had a ruddy great scratch on it and the other due to reason unknown. I think 2 out of gazillion is a respectable rate...

And that's on a 600MHz Celeron PC too ;)

Not familiar with this software meself, Martin.

summat here...biased but best I could do before I crash out

brilliant idea, this. I was thinking that it would be useful to have a pinned list of all the tradelists on the forum so people wouldn't have to keep bumping theirs all the time.

I'm not saying you will burn a coaster. It is just that the burn is worse, the faster you go...always is. Having said that I always burn fast ... cos I don't care.

They usually get bumped when new stuff makes them interesting again, though...and I think people know when a bump is due and when not.

However, a pinned list wouldn't be a bad idea.

this came packaged with my pc - it works fine for me, pretty quick cdr copy (2½mins) and dvd ok (I think) at about 12 or 13 mins

the only disadvantage is that it searches through my files every time i open up the software, sometimes taking 3 or 4 minutes before I can actually use the burner -I can't work out how to switch this off, will probably reinstall it when I can be arsed

not sure if its an advantage or not, but the last couple of minutes of the 3 or 4 minute delay is often taken up staring at the software logo banner, which can't be healthy...

Mine doesn't seem to do DVDs, though maybe I'm doing something wrong. It doesn't do that annoying file searching, though.

And in emergencies, there's always me, I bump EVERYTHING.... :o

I avoid hiss reduction; it will always take something away from the music, even if you don´t always hear it. But then I guess that you can say that it´s a new master, not a degenerated copy... "remastered Chez Clayts"...

Hiss reduction is done very sympathetically in Cool Edit Pro, with a range of settings to suit. Anything taken away in terms of overall sound can be reinstated by using non-hiss graphic equalising.

Where's that nerd smilie gone ?

Not strictly in line with thread (but falls within thread name so here goes)...

I am suffering from low ratio according to Dr D a Dozen. The cure is apparently to upload more often. I cannot understand the instructions for uploading.

Can anyone make it simple. Not a complete luddite but not NASA either.

I too suffer the dime curse; problem is, with me, I think, ADSL which means that info enters faster than it leaves; so unless you stop downloading for a week but leave a popular file or 2 open for others to leech, the alternative is to seed your own.
You need to rip a cd, convert to flac & create a torrent file. It's all covered in the help pages, reasonably straightforward, but it took me a few goes. And this will only account for 500mb or so!!

Unfortunately, these thoughtless bastards host Fall shows at about 3 a week, so I'm always getting stuff, and that 15 disc Tom Waits collection didn't help either!!!!

Maybe you could register a new account :devil2:


also; Cool Edit Pro.. seems expensive & hijacked by adobe, or am I looking at the wrong thing??? Big Audacity fan.

Cool Edit Pro (from Syntrillium) became Adobe Audition, but it was no more than a brand change with a few snazzy high-end extras to justify the ridiculous price hike.

Audacity is a great freeware tool and, whilst fairly limited, can do all the basics.

Re: low Dime ratios, the only way to bolster those is to get in on a new seed right at the start - you may need to keep your PC on for lots of hours, but it should result in you at least maintaining your ratio, if not improving upon it, as you will be responsible for uploading huge chunks of the files to other people joining in, whilst maintaining a slow steady trickle from the original seeder.

Of course, the best way to up your ratio is to upload stuff - a new FAQ about everything Dime related is in the offing :)

For want of a better place.. how about archoiving some shows here?Archive and that way they'll be around for a long time.

Dimeadozen Question

I download my Torrents to Azerus.
In the top half of the Azerus screen, where the progress of my torrents is shown, there is a column on the far left headed 'Health'.
I often get a yellow circle in this column. If you hold the cursor over it, the following message appears...
Tracker is ok, you've connected to peers, but you don't have any remote connection. You may have a NAT problem if your torrents stay on yellow status all the time

What does this mean?
What is NAT?

Any help greatly received :confused:

Are you behind a router firewall ? Sounds very much like it....

Never got on with Azareus me - Bit Tornado is much, much easier and is configurable - not too sure that Azareus is configurable to the same degree... (eg Bit Tornado can be configured in conjunction with Linksys router settings to always get a green light, even when behind a NAT firewall - see here)

Err..dunno - I will consult my IT specialist, he's currently having his nappy changed.

At work currently, I'll have a play with this tonight.

Many thanks Clayts :applaud:

It worked out for me, thanks to Clayts' links & advice :applaud:

Would you believe that Bit Tornado is downloading in Azerus :banghead:

...and of course it is currently queing :rollover:

I'm downloading new york city 7 april 98 from dimeadozen, but i've got stuck on 94.6%. I've looked on dimeadozen & there's 4 of us in the same position (you're on there too, aren't you altfish?).

Can anyone help or has anyone got any advise please?

There's no one seeding at present so I'm wondering if the 4 of us have all got the same 94.6% & have got nothing left to share with each other......... :(

Any advice on 'the CDR brand' (if any) that is preferable to burn those precious copies to?

The really cheap ones always seem a bit week & flimsy & I always worry if they will last the test of time.

Any real opinions, anyone really intersted??

Datawrite Silver Silver (it says here) or Titanium 52x are fine and dandy and been used by me for a very very long time - there's a local shop in Bulwell here that knocks them out for £10 for a 100. Also never had any problems with Aldi's own brand Tevion (ie a mask for someone good like Ritek), but they're quite costly - £7.99 for 50.

Of course, the princes of the CD-R are Verbatim or Ritek, but these can end up being quite expensive.

Don't you just love queues :banghead:

Yup I'm one of them, but it is currently downloading upto 99.1% :applaud:

At the rate it is going about 15-minutes

Bollocks - it's stopped again at 99.3% :rollover: