Great post FunkyStrange. It may ruffle a few feathers of fans with tin ears, but peeps must do side by side comparisons of .aiff files vs. mp3s. If they can't tell the difference, good for them. But bad for someone who cringes at the "clipped" sound of mp3s.

If bootlegs had professional studio quality sound, they wouldn't be bootlegs. Today's tinny mp3 sound = yesterday's cassette tape hiss. It's just something to be dealt with.

squirrelgrease said:

So if i copy a track from an original CD to mp3 @ 320kbs, you're telling me there's a big difference?

So if i copy a track from an original CD to mp3 @ 320kbs, you're telling me there's a big difference?

Granted 96kbs and the like sounds like shit, but 320kbs is on the money as far as i'm concerned.

I have loads of Prince bootlegs which sound as if they may have been recorded underwater or something... I don't get stressed about it though, because to me the important thing is just having the recording, after that, decent quality is just a bonus.

If I was playing them regularly then sure it's an issue, But to be honest, most are in my collection simply so I know I've got them.

If bootlegs had professional studio quality sound, they wouldn't be bootlegs. Today's tinny mp3 sound = yesterday's cassette tape hiss. It's just something to be dealt with.

Anxiety said:

I deal with it. I got a copy of Cool Edit Pro 2 of Kazaalite about a year ago. No more tinny MP3's for me. Shitty sounding MP3's can be improved immeasurably using that programe.Lot's of different features, change volume, remove hiss, fade out, Boost bass etc.

It's good fun experimenting with the poorer sounding tracks.Some make it as far as my CD burner, when they wouldn't in their original form.

Although it is much easier to acquire boots these days

sadly the quality is going down.

and I swear it is not different to trading tapes like we used to. Now come on everyone who wants to tell me there is no loss because its a totally digital transfer.

Now I will tll you about the MANY losers out there who are trading mp3 sourced discs as originals. Some are not losers, some just got burned and didnt even know of it until someone told them later it was an mp3 sourced disc.

It goes like this -
Someone downloads a complete boot off the net, converts it to wav, edits it and trades it as an original copy, someone gets that transfers it to mp3, puts it on the net, same loser does it again, downloads the boot off the net, converts it to wav, edits it and trades it as an original copy,

just HOW is that different from getting 2nd, 3rd hell even 4th generation cassette copies ? ITS NOT !

I dont accept trades anymore unelss they are proved to NOT be mp3 sourced, there is a significant difference between mp3 quality and an original wav file.

I have just about everything in mp3, if I wanted that on an audio cd I could burn it myself and listen to it in the car or whatever , but I am NEVER going to trade that disc as an original copy. I dont need someone else to send me that disc

But sadly so many people are doing that these days - it is geting too dangerous to trade.

I either request a sample disc with a sample of a track fgrom each boot so I can test it myself with an audio editor or if they have the know-how they can do it themselves and show me the proof.

Every disc I trade I have checked and are huranteed to NOT me mp3 sourced - all are DIRECT copies of originals.

I think old traders and NEW alike should start doing this

The quality of boots as good as it is anyway is getting worse because of these people. The only we can get this is at the source. If they realise people arent going to accept these discs then hopefully that will be the end of this garbage.

And NO I didn't used to be this anal about sound but its just getting more and more annoying, when i trade 20 cdr and 2 or 3 are mp3 sourced, it's just a waste of everyone's time. I have to get that boot again.

It isn't alot of people who are doing this, I have never personally encountered one myself, but have received which someone got from a few trades down the line, it can get hard to trace, I don't remember where and who every disc came from...

I just dont see the point in purposefully degrading the quality of something for no reason.

What if you saw something for sale - say it cost $2
bought it, & thought thats not bad, then the next day you see the same item but slightly better quality for the same price ? you say hell its only $2 Ill get the better one - so you still have a crappy on your hands then. Only place for that is IN THE TRASH !

sooner it later it will get traded. you might think I can give this to my friend - shes really into Prince - then a few months later she decides to start trading and look what is the first disc she trades with ?
Starts all over again amd again and AGAIN ! getting worse quality every time

Its just crap

so just letting people know

DONT TRADE MP3 SOURCED DISCS

If people want to know how to tell if discs are mp3 sourced, I will gladly post the info how to and the programs needed to do it.

Again dont be offended - people I have traded with on the org have been great - this isnt directed at anyone in particular - just to everyone to be aware of the situation.

thank you please !

A Good way of trading these days is NRG files, direct copies of originals, it is an image file of the entire disc - you cant go wrong, unless the source disc is inferior. - It is warm !



.
[This message was edited Sat Jan 10 8:12:17 PST 2004 by FunkyStrange]

Okay, maybe this is stupid, but what does a file conversion do to the sound quality. For instance if I got an mp3 sourced file and I took it and converted it to .wav...

so you're complaining at length about unofficial material that isn't even meant to even be in your posession

fucking COMEDY!

so you're complaining at length about unofficial material that isn't even meant to even be in your posession

fucking COMEDY!

Can you show me a single reference I made to any particular material ?

I thought that was pretty clear to anyone who read
it - did you bother ?
[This message was edited Sat Jan 10 11:44:50 PST 2004 by FunkyStrange]

rdhull said:

No Not at all, I am complaining about dishonest people. Nothing to do with the actual material.

I thought that was pretty clear to anyone who read it - did you bother ?

Can you show me a single reference I made to any particular material ?

AND Actually this thread doesn't actually even relate to Prince in particular,

This damn trading of mp3 sourced discs is spreading through all ALL fan communities

Go look at the DYLAN newsgroups, Bruce Springsteen, Beatles groups, you will see these same threads there also.

.
[This message was edited Sat Jan 10 11:47:20 PST 2004 by FunkyStrange]

Yes..

and that's even more comedy! You are talking about dealing with dishonest people in t e subject of "bootlegs" itself LOL...Its bootlegs man! You are on some honor amongst thieves type of mentality..it aint like anyone wants to recieve a cool outtake etc with bad quality from someone etc..but you have written at length about how its wrong to do as if it is your god given right to recieve what is in essence , stolen material! LOLOL as if you are talking about some regular activity that is allowed in the mainstream etc.

"Manny traded me this ripped televison set and it doesn't even have a remote with it!"

Yes I read what you wrote.

Do YOU "know" what you wrote? lol

Dont act lie you arent talking about bootlegged material...this essay u wrote stems form th e bootleg thread on this page u wrote in...nice try puddin pie


bang zoom mutherfucker lol
http://www.prince.org/msg/7/75570

rdhull said:

This thread is what it is. I am not getting into the whole illegality of bootlegs or ethics - This is simply a matter of quality and honesty.

Your post hardly brings anything to the thread but I guess in yotu mind it's better to have 20,000 posts of trash than 10 good threads of actual quality right ?

Dont act like you arent talking about bootlegged material...this essay u wrote stems form th e bootleg thread on this page u wrote in...nice try puddin pie


bang zoom mutherfucker lol
http://www.prince.org/msg/7/75570

wow you are really trying your hardest to antagonize me

yes I commented on collecting bootlegs in another thread - so ? Am I a criminal for doing that ?

I haven't said anything I didn't mean to say.

This my last post to you.

bah bumhug !

.
[This message was edited Sat Jan 10 12:31:11 PST 2004 by FunkyStrange]

Although it is much easier to acquire boots these days

sadly the quality is going down.

and I swear it is not different to trading tapes like we used to. Now come on everyone who wants to tell me there is no loss because its a totally digital transfer.

Now I will tll you about the MANY losers out there who are trading mp3 sourced discs as originals. Some are not losers, some just got burned and didnt even know of it until someone told them later it was an mp3 sourced disc.

It goes like this -
Someone downloads a complete boot off the net, converts it to wav, edits it and trades it as an original copy, someone gets that transfers it to mp3, puts it on the net, same loser does it again, downloads the boot off the net, converts it to wav, edits it and trades it as an original copy,

just HOW is that different from getting 2nd, 3rd hell even 4th generation cassette copies ? ITS NOT !

I dont accept trades anymore unelss they are proved to NOT be mp3 sourced, there is a significant difference between mp3 quality and an original wav file.

I have just about everything in mp3, if I wanted that on an audio cd I could burn it myself and listen to it in the car or whatever , but I am NEVER going to trade that disc as an original copy. I dont need someone else to send me that disc

But sadly so many people are doing that these days - it is geting too dangerous to trade.

I either request a sample disc with a sample of a track fgrom each boot so I can test it myself with an audio editor or if they have the know-how they can do it themselves and show me the proof.

Every disc I trade I have checked and are huranteed to NOT me mp3 sourced - all are DIRECT copies of originals.

I think old traders and NEW alike should start doing this

The quality of boots as good as it is anyway is getting worse because of these people. The only we can get this is at the source. If they realise people arent going to accept these discs then hopefully that will be the end of this garbage.

And NO I didn't used to be this anal about sound but its just getting more and more annoying, when i trade 20 cdr and 2 or 3 are mp3 sourced, it's just a waste of everyone's time. I have to get that boot again.

It isn't alot of people who are doing this, I have never personally encountered one myself, but have received which someone got from a few trades down the line, it can get hard to trace, I don't remember where and who every disc came from...

I just dont see the point in purposefully degrading the quality of something for no reason.

What if you saw something for sale - say it cost $2
bought it, & thought thats not bad, then the next day you see the same item but slightly better quality for the same price ? you say hell its only $2 Ill get the better one - so you still have a crappy on your hands then. Only place for that is IN THE TRASH !

sooner it later it will get traded. you might think I can give this to my friend - shes really into Prince - then a few months later she decides to start trading and look what is the first disc she trades with ?
Starts all over again amd again and AGAIN ! getting worse quality every time

Its just crap

so just letting people know

DONT TRADE MP3 SOURCED DISCS

If people want to know how to tell if discs are mp3 sourced, I will gladly post the info how to and the programs needed to do it.

Again dont be offended - people I have traded with on the org have been great - this isnt directed at anyone in particular - just to everyone to be aware of the situation.

thank you please !

A Good way of trading these days is NRG files, direct copies of originals, it is an image file of the entire disc - you cant go wrong, unless the source disc is inferior. - It is warm !

Uve scratched the record Kes, Uve scratched the record!