Topic: Incomplete Recordings

[Buzzy]

Is there any value in circulating an incomplete recording? I made one recently before a technical issue occured.  The recording came out really well I think, but  maybe keeping it for myself is the best option. I believe I'm the only source other than the bands. Any thoughts?

[newplanet7]

If you are the only source, Definitely put it out.
Better yet, if possible, see if you can patch with the bands source.

[F.O.Bean]

Yea, I would DEF post it, espec if you were the lone tapir

[twatts (pants are so over-rated...)]

Is there any value in circulating an incomplete recording?

Yes!  Something is better than nothing.

Terry

[rhinowing]

Is there any value in circulating an incomplete recording?

Yes!  Something is better than nothing.

Terry

exactly. there's almost always someone out there who will want to see it...just imagine if grateful dead tapers in the 70s had decided not to circulate their incomplete tapes...

[StuStu]

Definitely post it if you're the only taper. I just posted a Mike Gordon 2nd set because of problems with the 1st set. What can it hurt? Nobody's forced to download it.   

[newplanet7]

A prime example of this working out is a taper on here kennedy had taped an MMW show 2/19/04
but had set two problems. Another taper there happen to only get set 2.
Eventually later on the two sets became a show in circulation.
You never know if someone may come up with the missing portion.
http://db.etree.org/shninfo_detail.php?shnid=25152

[setboy]

seed!!!

[kylieshotpants]

Hi

I've had the same problem- I was able to complete the show by taking the audio from a you-tube video of the song - not ideal but better than nothing

[Brian E.]

yes, you should.  I got caught halfway through a Destroyer opening set in 2005 but put it out because there are few recordings.  People were very grateful to even get that.

[jagraham]

If you are the only source and you wish to share, put it out for sure!  no one that wants to hear the show or band will hold a grudge that you did the best you could.  i have several examples of this.  i taped a megadeth show in 2009 where i only got about an hour out of the 1.5 hour show.  really disappointing and frustrating at the time but i was the only taper so it would be a shame for the show to not circulate just because i didnt want to share an incomplete.  kylieshotpants has a really good suggestion in cases like this to just take the youtube audio and patch it.  sure it sucks to have lossy mixed in but at least then you have a "complete" source.  many shows are up in their entirety on youtube that are "stealth only."

another example is openers, especially for stealth jobs.  ive taped many artists that i didnt go to see but were opening and happen to not be recorded much.  i believe taping and circulating these sources is very valuable and underrated because of the rarity factor.  again, if its the only source and an artist that doesn't get taped its best(IMO) to just go ahead and post.

moving on to a non-stealth standpoint, have multiple rigs will help out with this problem.  in particular, it is good to run 2 rigs at a festival or other open taping situation where you may have battery or memory limits with your equipment.  even if you are the only taper, when you have 2 recordings it is "OK" if one has a small gap or cut because you can always patch it later easily.  having that said, running 2 rigs makes me a little more negligent in terms of making 1 "perfect" recording.  hope this is good advice.

[dactylus]

moving on to a non-stealth standpoint, have multiple rigs will help out with this problem.  in particular, it is good to run 2 rigs at a festival or other open taping situation where you may have battery or memory limits with your equipment.  even if you are the only taper, when you have 2 recordings it is "OK" if one has a small gap or cut because you can always patch it later easily.  having that said, running 2 rigs makes me a little more negligent in terms of making 1 "perfect" recording.  hope this is good advice.

^
Agreed - I just had the situation occur where I was running two rigs and I lost two minutes of the recording on one of the rigs due to a sd memory card error.  The 2nd rig saved my bacon... 

[halleyscomet8]

mmmm........bacon!!!

[MSTaper]

I'm pretty sure I was the only taper at Portugal. The Man's set at the Hangout Festival. I have no idea how, but the recorders shut off and I didn't get the last two songs. It was running when I took it out of my pocket after the set, so I must have hit the stop button. I've since realized I should have used the hold button, but I stealth so little it never occurred to me. The other five recordings I made were complete.

I put it on Archive.org even though the band will eventually release the show. I could patch, but they release shows in mp3 format.

MSTaper

[doodee]

The worst recording is the one that's never made. Most fans love anything they can get from their favorite bands, complete or not.

[jamroom]

The worst recording is the one that's never made. Most fans love anything they can get from their favorite bands, complete or not.

Too right!

I have a number of incomplete recordings, but some are stellar performances. It would be a real waste not to share them on that basis.

[Seth01]

Yup, I'm pretty much going to have to go with everyone else here...release what you got...it's better than nothing.

[MSTaper]

My son taped Buffalo Springfield at Bonnaroo and accidentally hit the stop button while trying to protect the gear from rain, but started back pretty quickly. Only missed a minute or so from one track, so I pieced it together and uploaded the show with a note about the affected track. It's been downloaded several hundred times on etree (before it was pulled) and now on The Traders' Den. It's the only source until someone adds theirs. Did the same with a Grace Potter set from Bonnaroo 2011 where the taper had trouble getting into Centeroo with his gear    but only missed about a minute of the first track. I faded in and added a note. Again. It's the only one until someone else uploads another. I don't see a problem with it unless a particular site doesn't want anything but perfect recordings, at least as far as having all tracks intact. I don't like to do it, but I will if not to too much is lost. I doubt I'd upload say a first set of a Panic show unless it was absolutely the only source, which is highly unlikely! 

MStaper

[stevetoney]

I know this is beating a dead horse because everyone has supported putting out the incomplete recording, but one additional point to add to that is that alot of the early Dick's Picks were only portions of a Dead show.  If the concept is good enough for commercial release of Dicks Picks, nobody should object for other bands either.

[TNJazz]

Not that I ever really circulate anything I record anyway, but what's the big deal?  If your goal is to put your music recordings out there, then put whatever you have out there.  We have lots of incomplete stuff but if we ever did put it out I wouldn't bother mixing it with youtube video or lossy audio - what's the point really?  Storage is so cheap there's no real reason to blend up good sources with crap sources just for the sake of having a "complete" show.  In cases like that I have two subfolders in my directory - one for my audio and one for whatever else I decide I need to have to "complete" the show.

Just my .02 for whatever it's worth (not much)