Welcome to a "tips of the trade" page!

  Rating recordings: Yes or No?

Wow ... this must be the most subjective concept.

I choose not to rate my stuff on my list.  I will usually try to specify when a recording is definitely from an audience source, or if it is "rough," meaning that it's probably not suitable for a casual car listen, but is meant for true "historians" of a given band.

A "9" to me may be a "7" to you.  And the folks who go with things like "7.4" just confuse me.  What is the exact criteria used to differentiate a "7.4" from a "7.3"?  What it comes down to: Is there some hiss in there? Is it extremely listenable despite some noise?  Does it date from an era when home or portable recording equipment did not come close to today's norm? Is there some crowd noise or flutter on a tape or CD of a show that is unique and exclusive to my list(s), or the lists of a handful of traders?  These are a few of the points that need to be considered when analyzing a tape.  Yes ... the sound quality is very important, but some other points are worthy of consideration.

The most important thing is that these points should always be discussed ... especially when dealing with a fellow newbie.

What I often do is consider my fellow trader's list.  Suppose someone asks for a 1992 Elton John show from my list.  The source is a "European" CD, but there are some choppy edits and Elton has a cold for the evening's performance.  More often than not I will double check with the other trader as to whether or not they chose that particular show for a specific reason, or are they simply looking for a representative show from that era. If the case is the latter, I may suggest a different show.  Perhaps the sound is not quite as perfect - say, a "7.5" versus an "8" - but the overall enjoyment factor will be higher.

I write this all with due apology to folks who spent $1100.00 on their Mitsubishi Dragon tape decks and 24-bit super-bit remastering equipment.  Yes ... for these high-enders the most subtle difference in a CD or tape can make all of the difference in the world.  The key thing is communication, and reading the other traders rule pages.

A quick note about the "What format is the original on?" question.

I may rant here for a minute, so pardon me.

I traded with someone once who insisted that he didn't want anything that didn't come from a DAT master.  I had some phenomenal shows from the 80s that were from reel-to-reel sources, and they were exactly the type of material that this trader seemed to hunger for.  The exchange went like this:

DAT Man: Well, I mean ... I really would prefer if it came from a digital source.
Reel Man: But, y'see, this material was recorded analog to begin with.  There's no way that a tape from 1982 could have been preserved any way but on tape ... and this is only a two generations away from the master.
DAT Man:  Uh ... still, I think I'll hold off until I can find a digital master.

He's still holding. Y'know, sometimes I feel like calling him and telling him that I've got all the stuff from DAT sources now.  If he believed I was telling the truth, his ears would believe they heard a difference. But I'd just as soon trade with other folks that make more sense!