etree.org | Seeding Etree.org

Seeding Etree.org FAQ

Etree.org flows with music donated from the community. While we encourage people to upload their gems, we have to stress that quality is VERY important to all those involved.

Before you seed etree.org, please ask your self these questions:

1. Is this the best possible source?

Grateful Dead:http://www.resourcesfortapers.com/circulation/index.html
Phish SBD: http://www.freedumb.net/sbd/sbdlist.html

2. Do you have an info file (even if the setlist is unknown)?

A file describing the show should be made and placed in the top directory. It should be named following the basic naming scheme, but with '.txt' extension. It should contain source information, and a track listing, if available. For example:

Filename: ph00-04-20_info.txt

Phish

4/20/00
Nectar's, Burlington, VT

Source: Neumann u89 (hypercardoid setting)> Apogee AD1000 > Tascam DA-P1 > Awia HHB/pro
Conversion: Awia HHB/pro > Datport > Soundforge 4.0xp > CDWav > SHN
Taped by Mike GoodMics, Seeded by Darrien Trustmysources

Disc 1:
01. Sneaking Salley > (06:45)
02. Drowned (12:23)
...

Disc 2:
01. My Sweet One > (05:33)
02. Big Ball Jam > (03:23)
...

3. Do you have full source info in the info file?

It is very importaint to gather everything you can about the seeds recording info. While it does not matter to everyone, it is very crucial if you ever wish to trade the show in the future. Please provide as much source info as you can. Please understand that with so many people taping the larger bands (Phish, WideSpread Panic, String Cheese Incident, etc) there will be known sources out there, and we would prefer to host them over other unknown recordings.

4. Did you name the tracks according to the etree.org naming convention?

In the interest of consistency (and sanity), the files distributed via etree should follow a predefined structure. The following sections are the 'official' file naming scheme for etree.org.

PLEASE use this naming and structure scheme when creating and/or distributing etree.org files.

Basic Naming Scheme

Every etree.org file and directory should have a name which starts like this:

bbyy-mm-dd
^^^^ ^^ ^^
|||| || \\___ Day (with leading zero)
|||| ||
|||| \\______ Month (with leading zero)
||||
||\\_________ Year (screw Y2K!!!)
||
\\___________ Band (e.g. ph = Phish)

Directory Naming

a) Top Directory

The top directory for a show should be named following the Basic Naming Scheme, but with a .shnf extension appended:

ph00-04-20.shnf

Inside the top directory should be the info file for this show. (see info files)

b) Secondary Directories

Each disc for a show should be named as in the above format, except the disc number appended and the .shnf extension isn't necessary:

ph00-04-20d1

Each disc should be in its own directory.

Inside the each secondary directory should be the md5sum check for each disc (see md5sum).

Bringing It All Together - File & Directory Hierarchy, File Types

Below is an example of what the directory & file hierarchy should look like:

ph00-04-20.shnf <-------- Top Directory
    ph00-04-20.txt <------ Show info
    ph00-04-20d1 <-------- Secondary Directory disc 1
    ph00-04-20d1.md5 <--- md5sum check disc 1
    ph00-04-20d1t01.shn \
    ph00-04-20d1t02.shn \ __ disc one
    ph00-04-20d1t03.shn / .shn´s
    ph00-04-20d1t04.shn /
ph00-04-20d2 <-------- Secondary Directory disc 2
     ph00-04-20d2.md5 <--- md5sum check disc 2
     ph00-04-20d2t01.shn \
     ph00-04-20d2t02.shn \ __ disc two
     ph00-04-20d2t03.shn / .shn´s
     ph00-04-20d2t04.shn /

Note the 0 in the track number. While this may not seem important, it is extremely so. Without the 01,02,03...10 would come before 2 in the ANSI character set, messing up track orders when the files are burned.

5. Can you upload this in a reasonable amount of time?

It is not fair to ask siteops to hold space on their server for you to upload your seed, only to half finish the job. Make sure you can upload quickly, or at minimum, consistantly when you offer your seed. If you do run into real world issues (there is life outsite etree.org), please email the siteop and explain. Also make sure you have enough upload bandwidth to get your show up. If you are on a modem, or want to mail shn discs to a siteop to host, that is encouraged as well.

6. Have you TESTED your DAE?

Extract a track into a WAV file several times

Create md5 checksums of the files

If the signatures all match your DAE is perfect

7. Have you listened to the show for errors?

Mistakes happen, even if you think you were paying attention. Make sure you listen to the show for errors before uploading.

8. Did you make track breaks at sector boundaries?

Each .wav file should be an exact multiple of the CD audio sector size, which is 2352 bytes (588 samples). There should be no gaps between tracks and tracks should not be padded with zeros, otherwise an audible click will probably result. A track should start with the very next sample after where the previous track stopped.

To make this process very easy, we highly recommend CD-WAV. CD-WAV is a great program to use because it automatically cuts the audio file at the closest sector boundary. It's quick, painless, and guarantees no annoying track-break pops.

9. Did you generate a .md5 file?

Windows

MacOS

Linux

10. Has the show been seeded already? If it has, is this an upgraded source?
/shncirc.html
Make sure you take a look at these pages to not double up efforts.

11. If there are flaws in the show, are there flawless sources avaialable?
Do a little research into the linage of the show, contact who you got the show from, and make sure the the flaws on your copy, are on every copy in that line. If not, you could use a new copy as well!

12. Is it the best possible source?
Grateful Dead: http://www.resourcesfortapers.com/circulation/index.html
Phish SBD: http://www.freedumb.net/sbd/sbdlist.html

13. I've got everything ready, where do I send this show?

If you can answer these questions, then you are ready to seed etree.org. Email the show information, including info file, to seed@etree.org. Please make the subject:

SEED: Bandname, Date
Someone will get back to you within one week if they are interested in your offer. Consistently doing a good job will not go unnoticed, and often results in gaining priority access to servers.

Remember that etree.org strives for the highest quality sources for its seeds. Potentially thousands of people will end up listening to, trading and treeing the recording you are about to upload. This is not a warez scene. Quality is more important than speed. Strive for the best, even if you have to wait to hear that PHAT set another week or two. Seeding etree is making a commitment to spreading a good quality recording, that will make the thousands of people that will hear THAT source happy. Make sure you take responsibility for the seed you provide, and correct any seeding errors that may happen.

Seed-Faq updated 6-21-00 by the Etree.org Server Team. Please email any changes, or comments to them.