What are they saying?

Here are some conversational and technical acronyms you'll see floating around etree.org, often in the MailingLists.

Band acronyms are located in BandAbbreviations. Also, see SourceAbbreviations to decode recording source information.

To add an item, please put it in alphabetical order, in [definition list style]. If you don't know an acronym's definition and it's not covered here, add the term and leave the definition blank for someone else to fill in later.

A/D

Analog to Digital converter. The piece of gear many tapers use to convert the analog signal from their microphones and/or pre-amp to digital 1's and 0's which are then recorded onto a DAT or laptop. Most (all?) DAT decks have a built-in A/D converter, but a standalone A/D can do a much better job using more sophisticated electronics. This helps improve the overall sound quality of the recording.

AUD

Audience recording. A recording made with microphones which are connected to an analog recording device. It captures the sounds of the audience as well as the band. Although the music isn't usually as crisp as SBD and DSBD recordings (below), some prefer its more "live" sound. AUD and DAUD (below) are often the only means available to tapers.

B&P

Blanks & Postage. A trader sends blank discs to someone with a return envelope and return postage. See [Beginners' B&P Instructions]. Exchanging money, even for stamps, is strictly forbidden. Most bands' taping/trading policies are explicit about this; breaking this rule could wreck the community.

BBD

Betty BoarD. Betty Cantor ran the Grateful Dead's soundboard for many years, ending in the late 70's. Considered by some to be among the finest live Dead recordings available. Some recordings she made are now in wide circulation.

BTP

Back To Paul (Languedoc), Phish's sound man. See FOB.

C or CASS

CASSette, a type of analog tape.

CM

Cassette Master. Recording was originally made onto an analog cassette tape (perhaps as opposed to reel-to-reel or DAT tape).

DAE

Digital Audio Etraction. The process of copying audio information from an audio CD to a hard drive. This differs in important ways from copying simple computer data files. A [DAE FAQ] explains in detail.

DAO

Disc at Once. The preferred option for burning live CDs. When a disc is burned DAO, there are no gaps between songs. The opposite is TAO.

DAT

Digital Audio Tape. A cassette about 2/3 the size of an analog cassette which records sound digitally. This acronym is also used to refer to DAT "decks" which record onto DAT tapes. DAT tapes and decks are currently the most common way of recording live shows. See also [Taper Geeks].

DAUD

Digital Audience recording. A recording made with microphones (and possibly a pre-amp, A/D converter etc.) which are connected to a digital recording device (e.g. DAT deck or laptop). It captures the sounds of the audience as well as the band. See also AUD and DSBD.

DAW

Digital Audio Workstation. A generic term. People who use this designation may want to keep their mastering details secret, for proprietary or other reasons.

DFC

Dead Front Center (Dead F-ing Center). The taper's rig was set up in line with center stage. Usually mentioned in conjunction with FOB or OTS.

DSBD

Digital SoundBoarD recording. A recording made directly from the sound board to a digital recording device (e.g. a DAT deck or a laptop). The opposite is AUD or DAUD.

EAC

Exact Audio Copy, a thorough program used for DAE under Windows. So many people now use this program for extraction that "EAC" is used as a verb, and sometimes almost interchangeably with DAE.

FLAC

File extension (.flac) for Free Lossless Audio Codec files (see the FLAC page for more info). Also used as shorthand to refer to FLAC filesets.

FOB

Front Of Board. An audience tape in which the microphones were positioned somewhere between the stage and the soundboard. (In contrast, official tapers' sections are usually behind the soundboard). Because the microphones are closer to the stage and house sound system, FOB tapes can often sound better than tapes made from the Official Tapers Section (OTS). See also BTP.

IANAL

I am not a lawyer. (aka: I have no idea what I'm talking about, but...). Always remember the value of free advice.

IMHO

In My Humble Opinion. aka: My two cents.

ISO

In Search Of. Usually used when groveling for a show (e.g. ISO ph1999-12-31). Please remember it's condsidered profoundly bad form to post an ISO for a show less than a couple of weeks old, and/or without first looking on [db.etree.org]. You are encouraged to include a WOB tax (below) if you post an ISO to an etree.org mailing list..

Matrix

A mix of a SBD and AUD onto one tape. Usually done 'live', but can also be done post-show. Requires a means of combining the two input streams (i.e a mixing board). Matrix's are popular (though somewhat rare) because they offer the pure sound of a SBD with the warmth and crowd noise of an AUD.

MD

MiniDisc, a lossy recording method.

MD5

File extension (.md5) for a text file containing checksums for Shorten files. Also used as shorthand to refer to either the overall .md5 file or to an individual checksum string for a Shorten file. See [SHN & MD5 FAQ] for more info.

MP3

File extension (.mp3) for a compressed music type not distributed through etree.org, because it is lossy.

Nak

Shorthand for Nakamichi brand equipment. In context, may refer to microphones, analog cassette deck, etc.

ORTF

Organisation de Radio et Television Francaise, This is a way in which the mics are angled at 110 degrees apart, 170mm apart, as opposed to pointed at the stacks. This is used at a very small distance from the stage, and usually only in clubs.

OTS

Official Tapers Section. The area in a venue where taping is officially sanctioned. Usually located immediately behind the sound board. See also FOB.

PLS

File extension (.pls) for Playlist files used with media players?.

RR or R2R

Reel to Reel, a type of analog tape.

SBD

SoundBoarD. An analog recording made from the soundboard. The opposite is AUD or DAUD.

SBE

Sector Boundary Error. Used to indicate that a particular .wav file is not a round multiple of the CD sector size (1/75th of a second = 588 samples = 2,352 bytes). Burning tracks with SBEs results in a CD that has a click between tracks when it is played (loud or soft depending on CD player).

SCMS

Serial Copy Management System, is a method used to prevent unlimited cloning of DATs. Originally put in place through the insistence of the RIAA as a anti-piracy measure. It effectively killed the use of DAT's at the consumer level. 00=unlimited copies, 11=1 more copy, 10=no more copies. Most tapes are 00 SCMS; since there are virtually zero commercial DATs out there.

SHN

File extension (.shn) for Shorten files. Also used as shorthand to refer to Shorten filesets. See [SHN & MD5 FAQ] for more info.

SKT

File extension (.skt) for seek table files, sometimes distributed along with non-seeking Shorten files. Seeking applies only to playing Shorten files directly with certain software and is not related to compression, decompression or transfer. See [Seeking FAQ] for more info.

Source

A show's lineage, including the type of mics used, the recording device, and every medium & format conversion since. Detailed ource information is useful for ensuring the quality of a show. A good guide on how to read the source info for a show can be found here: http://www.moelinks.com/random/source/

SSIA

Subject Says It All

TAO

Track at Once. An option for burning CDs. When burning TAO there will be a 2 second gap between all songs, causing a break in the music and interrupting the flow of a live recording. This method should almost never be used when trading live music with others.

TTA

True Tap Audio format. See the TTA codec page for more info.

TXT

File extension (.txt) for a plain text file. Sometimes used as shorthand to refer to the "info file" that accompanies lossless filesets.

WOB

Waste of Bandwidth. An off-topic or otherwise objectionable post that takes up the "bandwidth" of people's time, patience and attention. People who are compelled to post these anyway are strongly encouraged to offer a WOB Tax.

WOB (Tax)

Waste of Bandwidth (Tax). An extra offer tacked onto mailing list messages. It may be a freebie, login, or b&p. It's a way to give back- a gracious "excuse me"- for your posting an ISO, an offtopic message, or for your stepping outside the boundaries of the rules of the list. Keep in mind that the WOB is REALLY just a way to keep legal lossless compressed music flowing, and that we're all into trading for that main reason! Add the WOB to the bottom of your post.

YMMV

Your Mileage May Vary. A standard disclaimer to note that the particular topic under discussion may not hold true for all people.

See also: SourceAbbreviations, BandAbbreviations