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Thursday, August 8, 2013

Non-Music Technical Post

Hi again,

It has come to my attention that I should devote some small amount of time to the file types used on this blog. This really should have been in my introductory post, but was not. Ah well.

In any case, the files as downloaded are .RAR, which means you will need a program called winRAR to open them. You can obtain this program for free here: http://www.rarlab.com/download.htm

The .RAR files are a compressed format, which allows me to upload them as three links for an entire lossless-quality CD. Speaking of lossless quality, the tracks are uncompressed .WAV files. These have typically been downloaded as FLAC, converted to WAV, edited using the Audacity program, then output again as WAVs. This preserves the high quality of the audio. If there is significant demand for mp3 versions, I can facilitate mp3 links, though they probably will not be available simultaneous to the WAV format.

I find WAV to be the best option, as it eschews the challenges associated with FLAC by the average user (specific software needed to convert so that it can be listened to or loaded onto an audio device), but manages to retain the very high quality sound. These releases are not directed at the collectors, as they will almost certainly have these tracks without my edits (splicing, fades, etc.) in a "purer" version. Instead, these CDs are aimed at folks like myself who want a pleasant listening experience on a single volume that spans a particular series of sessions, concerts, tours, etc. And of those, there is much to come.

Hopefully that clears things up. If anyone has any other questions about technical issues, please feel free to post them below and I'll respond as time allows.

Thanks!

4 comments:

  1. I have added MP3 links to the original posts as of this morning. These are compressed in a zipped format, so you should not need winRAR to open. Enjoy!

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  2. Hi - love your work !!! When I download these songs, run them through a .rar expander and add them to my iTunes (Apple), I cant seem to add the artwork to the files - is that because of the files or because of my iTunes settings or ... ?

    Im not the most technical of Dylan obsessives ;)

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  3. I actually surprised myself by figuring out a (ham-fisted) work around to the problem.

    wav files dont allow you to add artwork, but if you duplicate one song from the album in the Apple Lossless format (iTunes/File/Create New Version)and then add the artwork to that file, then the artwork attaches itself to the whole album on iTunes.
    Apparently, the artwork is still not really added to the wav files, but it adds it to the album - which was what I wanted.

    I duplicate the last file on each album,so that it doesnt disrupt my listening.

    Sometimes I surprise myself !
    Hope that helps someone else.

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    Replies
    1. Wow, sorry I had not gotten 'round to this sooner, but you have fixed a problem I've had since beginning my work on these discs in 2010. I'd always wondered why my artwork refused to be applied to the files in iTunes, but had no way of even guessing that the problem centered on the .WAV limitations. Fascinating! I'll promote this up to a new technical post, it's such a fabulous work-around. Thanks!

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