Hello fellow Connells fans,
 
ok, so we've started talking again. That's good but it won't make the tapes
distribute themselves.
 
I've got a few thoughts and suggestions, good or bad? I don't know, you'll have
to judge yourselves.
 
* Some of you out there have been doing this before. Therefore, I'd like that
someone who's been handling a tape tree before comes up with some suggestions
or alternatives of how to run the whole thing. Ok, anybody could come up with
an idea of how to run a tree. But if someone out there has done it before, why
change a winning concept? Experience and practical knowledge are too often
being underestimated.
 
(For example Art, if you've got time, please give us some hints. It's too bad
someone tried to give you a false reputation as a bad trader. It's a shame as
well as boring that it made you loose your interest in tape trees. However,
it's fully understandable. Still, all of us being here know you're the most
decent man on the list!) :)
 
* Living in Sweden it's not very practical for me being a big branch for the
American area, that's quite obvious. However, there are some other Europeans on
the list and if they show interest for having a copy I'd be more than glad
to help and be the "European branch". I'm unemployed at the moment so I've got
no money but lots of time and I'd gladly spend it on making tapes for other
fans of the Connells. Could time be better spent?
 
    So, anyone who's going to provide with the original tape, put me on the
branch list.
 
* Before we settle which tape we're going to distribute we need lots of
alternatives. I know Kevin's got a good copy of a real audio show, but why be
satisfied with just one, although hot, candidate? Didn't Mike come up with a
good idea of a best-of-tape? Also, I've got a suggestion myself as well: Why
not a compilation of all the covers they've made?
 
    There must be lots of great recordings out there. If you've got 'em let the
"seeds/roots/whatever you call it" know. Anyone who's got a treasure at home?
Let us know!
 
* The tape being used really do make a difference!
 
    A good recording can be f*ck*ed up if it's going to be copied several times
(read: generations) onto "bad tapes". In Sweden everything's quite
expensive and a chrome tape costs about 2-3 US dollars. I know it's expensive
but it's worth it. (If the original recording is bad the chrome tape won't make
it better. But in this case I hope we're not going to make a tree with a bad
recording...)
 
    Therefore I suggest that we from the start use chrome tapes all the way
from the root to the final leaf. I personally use Maxell's chrome tapes.
(UDII, XLII or XLII-S. Btw, how much is a good tape in US?)
 
    Also, when making a tape from a CD source I often use Dolby-S as well as
calibrate the recording device for each single tape and the sound quality of
the tape turns out to be not far from the original, I guess most people
wouldn't hear a difference. However, when copying live show tapes the
background noise is often to distinct/too loud and using any kind of nr/dolby
only makes it worse.
 
* The roots/branches ought to have no worse than 1st/2nd generations. Leaves
should be able to receive no worse than 3rd generation tapes. (I don't know
which is most practical. Old timers, do I have too high demands on this one? Of
course it depends on how big the tree's going to be and how fast all the
branches are...)
 
Summa summarum:
 
* Contributers with shows, let us know who you are!
 
* The "first step-recorder"/roots/whatever, you have to speak up! (The case
isn't always that a show contributer wants to/has time to make copies of the
shows. Do we want to lose good shows just because someone hasn't got time? No,
if we put pressure on the people who have good shows and force them to make the
first copies as well, we're going to lose lots of alternatives of shows to
choose from.
 
* I don't think there's a good idea for the so called leaves to start posting
lots of "count me in-e-mails". That's what happened before X-mas and we know
what happened, nothing. Let's get everything settled first and when the
structure of the branches is finished the roots post info in the meeting.
 
At this point the leaves contact their respective/most suitable branch and
sign up as interested in receiving a tape. And from there things start to get
going... (I have also posted some mails yelling "count me in!!!", but it's
quite useless when nothing's set up. We already know that everyone's dying for
some new tapes...)
 
Finally, all of the above are just my humble opinions and perhaps most of it
sounds like bullsh*t to many of you. But, at least I think we now have got
some issues to discuss. I hope these discussions will lead us closer to a well
grown tape tree than these count-me-in-postings do.
 
Please forgive a poor wiking's bad English.
 
Yours sincerely,
 
.jbn.
 
"Hey now, keep yourself in town, won't you?"
And "daylight keep yourself in sight, won't you?"
 
Joakim Nilén
Floragatan 22
S-524 32 HERRLJUNGA
SWEDEN
 
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Nickname on IRC (mostly EU- or EFnet): abstruse