siveld wrote: ↑Sun Jan 21, 2024 5:09 am
Yes, there is an awful lot of stuff there by many artists, in FLAC format.
BUT just because it is FLAC does not mean it is lossless. A LOT of his stuff is just bloated re-encoded mp3 files.
Bigger, but not better.
So the advice is to sample something, test if it really is lossless, then keep it either way if you want to ... but don't share it elsewhere
if it is lossy-sourced.
I would download from his site only stuff you can't find anywhere else. I've been part of trading communities since 2001, possibly earlier. It's well known with experienced sharers to steer clear. I'll give 2 examples.
I recently downloaded a bunch of Beach Boys live shows from FileFactory. Late 60's, early 70's stuff. Not good recordings in the first place. All were way off pitch with major clipping throughout. I put them through Audacity and pitch corrected and fixed the clipping. I checked the notes on them and they all said "Remastered by PR". I don't know what his definition of remastering was, but pitch correction and clipping wasn't it.
Also, he didn't like to be told he was posting corrupt files.
"Hey, track 5 on this Springsteen show skips at 1:30"
"There is nothing wrong with the file. You downloaded it wrong".
"Well, I downloaded it 3 times. It unzips fine, but it has a skip at 1:30, so your file is bad. I grabbed a good one off of Demonoid and it has no skip".
"There is nothing wrong with my file. It zips and unzips just fine. You did something wrong".
Yea, there was just no talking to him with stuff like that. Now before people start pouncing on me, these are conversations that went on in trading communities since the early 2000's. I'm not saying anything new or different. And I laid low when this was first posted. But with the mention of the bloated MP3 files, which I wasn't aware of because I don't go to his site, I have to tell people. Keep your PR files separate, and always try to grab something closer to the source than his stuff.
He has some unique stuff on his site, but if you can get a title anywhere else knowing he wasn't part of the chain, I suggest you do.
Often from lossy and/or damaged files which he bloated to FLAC because that is what his paying members wanted (FLAC, not lossy).
Any who questioned the quality of his files were shot down in flames or banned.
As I have stated elsewhere, all of the Beach Boys and Bee Gees stuff I checked was lossy sourced. FLAC files yes, but lossy sourced.
Downloader beware! And do not share lossy-sourced files!
And in the end, the love you make is equal to the love you take.
