Phish FAQ

     Section A: Net Questions
A1. PHISH.NET: what is it? how do I join? post? get out?
A1B: HOW LONG does it take for requests?
A2. PHISH.NET SHIRT: how can i get one? why would i want one?
A3. OLD DIGESTS: where can i get them?
A4. ARCHIVE: is there one? where? whats there? how do i add to
it?
A5. ARCHIVE: how do i get files from it?
A6. IRC: what is it?
A7. GATHERING: what is it? how do i plan one? should I?
A8. OTHER NETS: Where can I find other, related digests?
     Section B: Band Questions
B1. PHISH: who/what is that? can you give some background info?
B2. HENRIETTA: who is that? (and all other known nicknames)
B2B: THE DUDE OF LIFE: who is that?
B3. HARDCOPY: is there a newsletter, fanzine, etc?
B4. ORGANS: what can you tell me about Page's setup?
B5. GUITAR: what can you tell me about Trey's setup?
B6. TRAMPOLINES? VAN? when did the band give them away? to whom?
B7. TICKETS: how can I get ticket & venue information?
B8. MAIL ORDER: is it ever going to happen?
B9. VENUE INFO: Where can I find info about phish's venues?
B10. SUPPORT: who are the other staff/crew? what do they do?
B11. DUDE OF LIFE: Who/what is he?
B12. LOGO: what are all of those things?
     Section C: Music Questions:
C1. DISCOGRAPHY: where? what albums? new one? how many sold?
C1B: NEXT ALBUM: when? what's on it?
C2. ORDERING: how can I get the studio/produced material?
C3. HELPING F(ph)RIENDLY BOOK: what is it? should i buy it?
C3B. ABBREVIATIONS: what are some common ones for song titles?
C4. GAMEHENDGE: what is it? how do i get there?
C5. WHITE ALBUM: what is it?
C6. HORNS: who are they? when did/will they join phish?
C7. LANGUAGE: what's it? how was it born? what are the signals?
C8. JUNTA: how do you pronounce it?
C9. MIKE'S GROOVE: what is it? is it always that way?
C10. YOU ENJOY MYSELF: what the hell are they saying?
C11. HALL IN SOLACE: or whatever... what is the correct title?
C12. LLAMA: What are the lyrics to the chorus?
C13: ANTELOPE: what are the words right before the first
entrance?
C14: HARRY HOOD: what's this about? does it fit w Gamehenge?
C15: CURTAIN: whats that line?
C16: FLUFFHEAD: my door or New York?
C17: HEBREW SONGS
C18. OTHER BANDS: that phish.netters suggest? are there live
tapes?
     Section D: Tape Questions
D1. LIVE RECORDING: can i? what equipment do i need?
D2. TAPES: what REALLY high qual tapes are around? where?
D3. TAPE TREE: what is it? how does it work? should i do one?
D4. TAPELIST: what is it? what's in it? do i need one?
D4B: TRADE: What is a tape trade? how do i get into one?
D4C: BEGINNER tape trades, adopt a phreak, reverse grovels
     Section E: Dubbing hints, suggestions
E1. DUBBING: how should i set my deck levels?
E2: DUBBING: dual decks and azimuths!
E3. DOLBY? DBX? what are they? (3 posts; some debate)
E4: PATCHING IN etiquette (needs to be answered!!)
E5: DCC and DAT compared and considered
-------------------------------------------------

A-1:  PHISH/NET: what is it? how do I post, join, & get out?
    It is a forum for discussion, review, & updates concerning
the musical adventure Phish. (see question B1). It comes in
digest & newsgroup form, & has expanded to IRC (see question
#A6). 
    If you have access to Unix news (usually via internet),
simply post to rec.music.phish. If not, but have access to
e-mail, use these addresses:
  a)The service addresses, to which questions about the list
itself & requests to be added to or deleted from it should be
directed:
    Internet: phish-request@phish.edu
    BITNET:   Phish-RQ@Virginia (?)
    UUCP:     ...!uunet!virginia!phish-request (?)
  b) Send mail to the entire list via one of these:
    Internet: phish@phish.net
    BITNET:   Phish@Virginia    (?)
    UUCP:     ...!uunet!virginia!phish (?)
  c) The archive address, to which you should address requests
for the Helping Friendly Book, FAQ File, etc. (See list in answer
to questions A-4.)
- ------------
A-1B: How long does it take for archive requests? for digests?
How long does it take to recieve The FAQ, The Helping Phriendly
Book, Netter's list, etc... after you have put in a request to
have them E-mailed to you?
Depends on the time constraints of Sean and Shelly, our admins.
They try to get stuff turned around within 3-4 days.  Given the
volume of new pholk on the net, I'd give them a little slack.
Based on last spring semester/quarter, and anticipating yet
another rise in net populace, you can expect between 6 and 18
digests per week. Digests are mailed to a mass mailing list when
the content either exceeds a certain size, or a certain number of
posts (I think it's 24 or 25).  There can be a considerable
(upwards of 24 hrs) delay between the last message actually
posted to rec.music.phish and the arrival in your mailbox, due to
Internet mail routing and other technical limitations.
- ----------------------------------------------------------
A-2: PHISHNET T-SHIRT: how can i get one? why would i want one?
 
    The Phirst Ophishial PhishNet T-shirt has been around now
since Christmas, 1991. There are now two versions (1992, & 1993).
 They are available from Matt Laurence (mlaurenc@world.std.com).
These shirts have been officially christened & approved by the
band, & have been receiving rave reviews from Phishheads
everywhere. 
    From Matt: For those who may have missed it, the Official
1993 PhishNet T-shirt is on 100% cotton Haynes Beefy-Ts (though I
think I'll go back to FOLs next year) and come in L, XL, XXL. The
design on the front is a large, multi-colored psychedelic
swirling net with a cool fish wearing Ray-Bans floating in the
center. The words PHISH and NET are at the top and bottom
respectively in large ripply blue letters. On the back is the net
address with another graphic that is not so secret any longer,
but I won't tell! I like to think these are pretty high-quality
shirts, but since I don't like to go overboard in these posts,
I'll leave it to anyone who has one and likes it to post
testimonials. 
     Anyway, these shirts are $15 each, or $16 for XXL. If you
live outside the US, please enclose $2 extra for Shipping and
such. Send your bank check or money order (personal checks ok,
but if it bounces you'll get no shirt), with number desired,
sizes wanted, address, and email address to:
     Matt Laurence
     11 John Poulter Rd.
     Lexington, MA 02173
They won't last forever, and I want to get as many out as
possible....  So get psyched to join the ranks of the initiated &
get your PhishNet shirt as soon as possible!
    There was a second (and *final*) reprint of the 1992 shirt,
with a deadline for requests of Oct. 1. If Matt ain't got it, you
ain't gettin it. Sorry. But, so you'll recognize it at shows, it
depicts the same smilin' fish, much bigger, with colorful
children's wood-block type around him declaring the PhishNet.
  Why do you want one? So we can find you at shows! :-)  Besides,
it's a great shirt and proclaims to all a band they might not
have heard.
- ------------------------------------------------------
A-3:  OLD DIGESTS: where are they? how can i read them?
 
    Every digest ever distributed by fuggles is at the archive
site, in the directory /pub/phish/digests if you use ftp.  There
is also an index by date of all the digests, called
digests.index.  If you do not have access to ftp, send mail to
phish-archives & you'll be able to request files. (& see
questions A4 & A5)
- --------------------------------------------------------
A-4: ARCHIVE:  is there one? where? whats's there? how do I add
to it?
    YES. It contains everything you might want that pertains to
phish - text files full of info, graphics, sounds, information
about tape trees, & a copy of EVERY digest ever sent out from
fuggles.  Briefly, there are nine major text files: 
     a) Netter's List: of everyone on the Phish net.  To be
added, get the net-form, fill it out, & send it back to
phish-archives via mail or ftp.
     b) FAQ list: The file you're reading right now.
     c) Lyrics Database: A collection of all the lyrics, posted
to the net & taken from liner notes.
     d) Stories File: Many interesting phish- or net-related
stories that have been posted to the net.  Highlights include the
Ness Story, & tales from shows (eg Townsend 91).
     e) Interviews file: Transcripts of interviews with the band,
plus two reviews of PON from the Boston Phoenix.
     f) Helping Phriendly Book: A collection of setlists, song
titles, the discography, some play statistics, & admininstrative
info.
     g) Chords File: A collection net posts containing song
chords. Currently comes in two forms: Microsoft Word For Windows
2.0 document (for those of you with access to a PC Running Word
or a recent version of Word Perfect, or a Mac running Word) & a
Plain Text file.
     h) Tour Dates file: Contains current *verified* tour dates &
phone numbers for venues.
     i) Nettiquette File: Contains some basic pointers about how
people should conduct themselves on the net.  Very useful for
those new to email, networks etc.
     In addition, if you are using ftp, the (every one!) digests
are stored in unix-compressed format, so I have provided a Mac
program & an IBM program to uncompress these files.
     If you have anything to add to any of these files, send:
  Netter list info to: phish-archives@phish.net
  changes/addition to:  jeg5s@virginia.edu. (Ellis of Lemuria)
  Interviews & Stories to:  jflemma@mailbox.syr.edu (Jay Flemma)
  Lyrics to:   LYRIC@UPS.EDU  (for ROBINSON@ups.edu Colin
Robinson)
  Tour info to:   maggard@subpac.enet.dec.com (Jeff Maggard) 
  Venue information to: _____  (Joe D'Andrea)
  Chords to:   ericbe@microsoft.com  (Eric Berman)
  Newspaper clippings to:
    shell@gandalf.berkeley.edu (Shelly Culbertson)
  Nettiquette comments to:
    samuels@waldron.stanford.edu (Steve Samuels)
  Setlists to:novak3@violet.berkeley.edu (Mike Perrot)
- ------------------------------------------------------------
A-5: ARCHIVE: how do i get files from it?
There are currently three ways: Mail, ftp, & Gopher.
NOTE:CHANGES MADE MID-OCTOBER!!
OLD entry, with directional info, follows NEW entry.
No time to combine right now; just be alert.
From: phish-archives@phish.net
Date: Sat Oct 16 18:31:44 EDT 1993
********************THE ARCHIVE SITE HAS
MOVED**********************
Fringe.cis.brown.edu is no longer the phish archive site.  In
fact, fringe will no longer exist after Oct 18.  The new archive
site is archive.phish.net.  Read on for more info.
********************************************************************
        Well, after about a week of work Chuck Fee and I have
managed to get the archive site going again on Chuck's machine at
Penn State.
        Email to phish-archives will be answered by me.  Send
mail asking for files to phish-archives@phish.net. Do NOT use any
of the fuggles addresses for this net.
        There is an ftp server running on the archive site.  You
can ftp to archive.phish.net to check it out.
        There is also a gopher server running.  Gopher to
archive.phish.net should also work.  Note that you no longer need
to specify to connect to port 1070; gopher is running on the
standard port 70, so you can specify it if you want, but don't
need to.
        I have answered all mail to phish-archives that has
accumulated over the past week.  If you sent mail to
phish-archives and it wasn't answered, please resend it to
phish-archives@phish.net, and I'll try to resend your files.
OLD ENTRY::
 
  Mail: The text files mentioned in question A4 are available on
request; simply send mail to <phish-archives@phish.net> detailing
which files you want & Lee will send you those files via email.
If, for some reason, your mailer can't handle large files, each
of these files can be sent to you in sections of 500 lines each;
note that America Online and Compuserve impose such restrictions,
and some schools do as well.  If you need to get the
files in smaller chunks, just make sure that your request says
that you need the files to be sent piecemeal.  At the moment
there is no way of sending large amounts of digests via mail; if
you request a single back-digest Lee can send that to you, but
you must know the number.  This service should improve in the
future. 
    The other way is via anonymous ftp.  For those who already
know & understand ftp: the host is fringe.cis.brown.edu
(128.148.176.5); log in as anonymous, send your ID as password, &
cd to /pub/phish.  Enjoy! 
    For those of you who don't know, ftp is simply a protocol for
transferring files accross the internet - the file you ask for is
simply recreated (exact duplicate) on the hard drive (or floppy)
on your machine.  Ftp allows you to get multiple files, so that
if you really wanted to you could "get" a copy of every digest
from 1992.  I can't imagine wanting to do that...
 
>From Lee:
    Ftp can be done from ANY networked computer.  I am only
familiar with Mac & Unix (& maybe a little DOS), so the only
programs I can suggest are "ftp" for Unix & "Fetch" for the Mac.
If you have a networked mac & you don't have Fetch or something
like it, ask around; someone at your site should have a copy.
IBMs, VAXen, CRAYs, even Apple IIe's are examples of other
computers that can use ftp if they're plugged into a network.
     The explanation of ftp here is based on Unix, because that's
where ftp started & it's the simplest way to describe things.
First, you need to connect to the archive site.  The archive site
is really a machine called fringe.cis.brown.edu, so when you
connect to it on a Unix machine, simply type >ftp
fringe.cis.brown.edu 
It will tell you when you have connected & it will ask you for a
name.  You should enter the name "anonymous".  It will then ask
for a password; simply enter your userid or your name.  You will
then be presented with an ftp prompt.  On a Mac running Fetch,
all of this information is entered beforehand in the appropriate
fields, and Fetch uses the information you have provided to go
through the same steps when you click "Open connection".  Next
you want to change directories into the Phish subdirectory. If
you are on a Unix machine, you are doubtless aware of the cd
command & the ls command; you can use them in the same way in
ftp.  cd lets you change directories, ls gives you a listing of
the contents of the directory.  On a mac, you need not worry
about these commands; fetch does it for you.  Fetch displays
directories as folders,
files as pieces of paper; to change into a directory simply
double-click on it & fetch will present you with a listing of
what's in that directory.  get to the phish subdirectory by first
changing into the "pub" directory, then the "phish" directory.
Take a look into any of the folders that you see in the phish
directory.  In unix you can move back a folder level by typing
"cd ..", in Fetch you can simply hold down the mouse-button on
the directory name above the fetch window & see a listing of
previous directories.  To get a file in unix, type "get <filename
on fringe> <filename on your machine>" The filename on your
machine can be a complete path, for example get
/pub/phish/digests/digests.001-024/digest-10.Z ~/phish/dig-1.Z
is perfectly valid if you have a subdirectory called phish.  On
the Mac this is much easier, simply click on folders until you
get to the file you want, & double-click it.  You may have to
manually choose binary or text data; the server isn't perfect
yet!
    That's about all you need to know to use ftp.  If you have
any questions, complaints, concerns, etc, please let me (Lee)
know by mailing <phish-archives@phish.net> If you want to have
something put on the FTP server, send mail to phish-archives &
we'll figure out how to do it.
     The third way is via a protocol that's very similar to ftp
called "Gopher".  Fringe is currently running the most recent
version of the UMN Gopher server program.  To connect to it, you
need what's known as a Gopher "Client", or a program that
connects to gopher servers.  On the Mac the most popular one is
called TurboGopher; you can ftp it from the computer_help
directory with Fetch.  On Unix you can use Xmosiac, XGopher,
Gopher, etc.  On some systems Gopher is called CWIS, because
Gopher was originally intended as a Campus Wide Information
Server, & is still used primarily for that purpose.      The
advantage to Gopher is that you don't need to store the files
from the archive on your computer, & if you're reading digests,
you don't need to uncompress them; Gopher does it for you.  If
you are trying to look at one of the graphics but don't have any
lasting need to keep it, simply use Gopher & double-click on the
graphic.  If your machine has a program on it that can view GIFs
(TurboGopher defaults to Giffer, I think), it will get the GIF
for you & then run Giffer to display it. Most Unix gopher clients
default to XV, though you can use SDSC's "display" just as
easily.  Gopher is simply an easy way to browse through
information that's available via the internet.  Most people who
use the phish archive will be more inclined to read a file or
look at a graphic one time and then not bother with it again; for
this purpose gopher is ideal.
    The Gopher server is currently "experimental" meaning that
the sysadmin on fringe hasn't had time to install it permanently.
For now, you can access it by gophering to fringe.cis.brown.edu,
port 1070.  Please send any feedback to phish-archives@phish.net
    You can get a gopher client for most machines by anonymous
ftp to boombox.micro.umn.edu, in /pub/gopher.  You want to get a
"client" program, or a program that allows you to attach to a
gopher server, rather than get a server program.  If you use
Xwindows, you should ftp a copy of Xmosaic from
ftp.ncsa.uiuc.edu,under /mosaic/xmosaic. 
- ---------------------------------------------------------
A-6: IRC: what is it? how do i "run" it?
Short version: Internet Relay Chat (close). It is realtime
discussion with other people, everywhere, on distinct "channels".
You will need a unix/internet account.  At the prompt (usually
"$"?), type "help irc" to see if your system has it. You may need
to type either "log on irc" or just "irc" to get in; check with
your sys op or consult/acc office.  Once in, you need a backslash
before any command; anything else will be sent to your channel.
Once on, these commands (wth backslash shown) will be useful:
  /join #phish     put you on the phish channel
  /nick smitty     changes your nickname (id) to smitty
  /part #phish     takes you off the phish channel
  /me runs....     sends "****Action: Smitty runs..."
  /who #phish      tells you everyone on the channel
  /whois smitty    tells you who smitty is
  /whowas smitty   tells you who smitty was, if he was on
                     while you were, but has left
  /msg smitty      sends a private message to smitty
  /list            lists all channels (THERE ARE BUNCHES!)
                     & the list CANNOT be slowed down AFAIK
  /query smitty    establishes a link of realtime talk w/o
                     having to use msg & his name repeatedly
  /set novice off  allows you to be on more than one channel
  /signoff gets you out
  /help            lists all commands
  /help leapfrog   gives help on any command (in this case,
                     leapfrog, which isnt one :-]) if there
                     is help available -- be sure to cross-
                     reference if confused!!
     Operator explanation (DIMP!): As the local UVA guru told me,
"give people a great toy & they shit on it!"  There are a number
of hasslers, buttheads, & knackers that have surfaced quickly &
numerously.  Some of them put in bugs, some fill or freeze
screens, etc.  There are also what are called "netsplits", which
occur when the connection along the internet web disconnects.  To
avoid the knacker crew, to survive netsplits happily, you need to
maintain an operator.  This person has special POWERS which are
mighty & invulnerable; in part it _is_ such POWERS which allow
the knackers to put wisdom in the hands of avarice & greed.  But
we are strong, for we once were Lizards, & we have heard the
words of the great, the knowledgeable Iculus, through the
storytellings of the magical Saint Ernesto the Fabulous,
orchestrator of the great saga itself.  With these POWERS, you
can kick off knackers, change the topic (i like to put something
with DUCK in it.. :-]), make the channel invite only (if the
knackers are persistent), & give other people the POWERS (ie make
the ops, too).  Use these commands...
  "/mode #phish +o smitty" to make nick smitty an op
  "/mode #phish +i" to make the channel invite only
  "/invite smitty" to invite smitty
  "/topic MIDNIGHT MADNESS, EVERY SUNDAY! BRING A DUCK" to make
the topic MIDNIGHT MADNESS, EVERY SUNDAY! BRING A DUCK
  BTW, the topic appears 1) when someone uses the list command to
see all the channels 2) on the screen with ******TOPIC if front
of it when anyone joins the channel.
- -------------------------------------------------------
A-7: GATHERING: what is it? how di i plan one? should i?
A gathering, in this context, is a meeting, partying, and
celebrating of netters who most otherwise have contact only on
the net, or occassionally at shows.  It usually is at a
restaurant near a show, before a show, but there's no good reason
that there could be a gathering without a show.  For instance,
there are 20 phish.netters in my town (and there apparently are),
most of whom have never met; sounds like a good reason to party!
DO volunteer to set one up if you live in the area &/or have a
good way to make decisions & arrangements, & think you might be
able to handle a few phone calls & about half an hour. DO try to
find the ideal place: cheap with decent food & a good beer
selection, that allows under 18 in, & is within walking distance
of the venue.  DO take comments from others & post corrections
asap. DON'T suggest multiple places close to (within two weeks
of?) the show.  DON'T pick a 21 & over only place.  DO give
directions on the net, maybe with a map, & DO note parking if not
within walking distance of venue (remebering pre-show slacker
energy level). DO call ahead & get a big table, if you think it
is necessary, would help gatherers, or would be a nice thing to
do for the poor & otherwise unexpecting wait staff.  DO plan it
for the first night in a town, rather than the second or third.
DO make it early, eg 6-7 for an 8 show?  DON'T sit at separate
tables, ending up in the same travel cliches you came in &
totally losing the point of the gathering.  DO go to gatherings
that are planned! :-)
- -------------------------------------------------
A-8. OTHER NETS: Where can I find out about other, related
digests?
There are hundreds of other digestified music groups; you can
find a list on rec.music.misc, I believe. That list may be
accessible by mail; that address will be here (in the FAQ file)
as soon as available.  There are, as well, digests that might be
interesting to phish fans, but Im not going to make any
judgements or waste any space in this file predicting what those
interests might be. The following list is admittedly selective,
but includes bands with which you might be familiar having talked
to phish phans.
>From Andy (address missing):
HORDE:   Horde@world.std.com
SpinDocs:  Spins@world.std.com    NOTE CHANGE!
Allmans:  Allmans@world.std.com   <- I hope that's right!!! (s or
no s)
God St. Wine:  finewine@world.std.com
REMEMBER!  If u want to be added or deleted to or from any of
these net lists PLEASE add "-request" just before the @ symbol.
The above addresses are the ones you post to in order to have
EVERYONE on the
respective net see what you have written.
- -------------------------------------------------
end rec.music.phish part 2 (of 5): section b: net questions
editor: ellis of lemuria: jeg5s@virginia.edu
keep smiling, gliding, and riding that train!
***** PHISH.NET FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS 
*********** SECTION B: BAND QUESTIONS 
TOPICS: phish, henrietta, hardcopy, organs, guitar, trampolines,
van, tickets, mail order, support/staff
- -----------------------------------------------------------
B-1:  PHISH: who? what? can you give me some background info?
 
    Generally: The Phish Stories & Interviews files from
Phish-Archives have tons of history in them.  But, briefly... The
band has four members: Trey Anastasio (lead guitar & vocals;
drums during Henrietta solos), Mike Gordon (bass & vocals), Page
McConnell (keys, organ, piano, vocals), & Jon Fishman (drums,
vocals, vacuum, washboard, & trombone; see question #27).  The
band has been around since October 1983, having met in college in
Vermont.  Their syle is eclectic:
jazz-fusion-funk-blues-classical-rock-etc.  Live performances are
known for quick song shifts, extended jams, beatiful solos,
fabulous orchestration, eye-popping improvisation, & suprises &
fun galore for all.
    Short history: 
    Trey attended the very first National Guitar Summer Workshop
at the New School in New Middlebury, CT. He then went to UVM,
where he immediately starting hanging up signs looking for folks
with whom to play. He had been playing with Mike and Jon, who
also were playing with another band (name?) that was
harder-edged. In interviews, Jon has said that he liked playing
with that other band better, but thought that Trey had a better
idea of long-term plans and expression, etc. Jon told Mike that
he was going to stick with Trey; Mike did, as well.
    Before Page came along, Jeff Holdsworth was another guitarist
in the band. (See 12-1-84 Nectar's.)  Jeff found God, decided
that the the band was playing the devil's music, and went his own
way.
    Page joined sometime in 1985, probably in May, after seeing
the rest of the band play at Springfest at UVM and showing
persistent interest.  Shelly is "pretty sure that May of 85 (UVM
Last Day Party, Redstone Campus) is Page's first show" and that
"Jeff's on that tape, too."
    There have been irregular additions of horn players
(individually and as a trio) as well as the Dude of Life, Sophie
Dillof, and relatives of the band.(See other Qs, HPB, and Stories
File.)
- ----------------------------------------------------------
B-2:  HENRIETTA: who is that? (and all other known nicknames)
Henrietta is just one of many names for Jon Fishman, the drummer.
Others include John the Fishman (1984), Tubbs, the hardest man in
show business, Zero man, Henrietta Tubman, Tubman, Sultan of
Swat, Missing Link, Central Scrutinizer, Showboat Gertrude, Moses
Brown, Moses Heaps, Moses Dewitt, the man with the high hat,
Marco Esquandolis, second best trombone player in vermont & parts
of new hampshire, Eye Ball man; the Yo Yo Ma of vacuum cleaners;
Captain Caveman (and Trey is Shaggy); Vinnie Barbarito (2/23/90);
the fourth member of the Giant Country Horns and Phish's
multi-instrumentalist (both 7/21/91?); Hankrietta, the shortest
man in rock and roll (3/19/91); the Piper (5/1/92); Little John,
Friar Tubbs, & Henrietta Fieldberg (3/9/93). Information on any
others, & dates on any of these, would be _most_ appreciated.
Tubbs has performed solo or lead on the following tunes: Love You
(aka Honey Love), Terrapin (both written by the Crazy Diamond
himself, Sid Barret), Lengthwise (on Rift), Crackling Rosie (Neil
Diamond cover), Big Black Furry Creatures From Mars (rollicking
hard core original), Touch Me (Doors cover), the infamous Prison
Joke (don't ask me; go find the tape!), Kung (a poem/chant he
wrote years ago), If I Only Had a Brain (from the Wizard of Oz),
Faht (a fishman original, on Picture of Nectar), Minute by
Minute, Purple Rain (yes, the Prince song; start in summer 93),
the Great Gig in the Sky (Pink Floyd cover; start spring 93?),
and, of course, band intros.  He arrives from behind the drums to
either Hold Your Head Up (Argent, early 70s) or Cold As Ice
(Foreigner??)
- ------------------------------------------
B-2B: THE DUDE OF LIFE? who is that?
Steve Pollack. Shows up randomly (as far as we can tell) in odd
attire for silly songs. See, for example, in rubber mask throwing
rubber chickens and pushing a lawn mower singing Diamond Girl on
12-31-92.
- -------------------------------------------------------
B-3: HARDCOPY: is there a newsletter, faznine, etc?
There is a newsletter put out from the bands office. You can get
on the mailing list by writing (NEW ADDRESS as of 4-28-93) c/o
Dionysian Productions, 1632 Mass Ave, Lexington, MA 02173.
There have been sporadic reports, not all supportive, of a
"fanzine" called Phish Traders.  As of this writing, there is no
endorsement by the band.  An address will nonetheless be added
here if one surfaces. No other info is available, nor has been
since at least April 1993.
- -----------------------------------------------------------
B-4: ORGANS: what can you tell me about Page's setup?
 
The speaker with the front inside spinner is a Leslie speaker
(with built-in tube amplifier), an integral part of the organ
sound.  The tweeter & woofer spin in opposite directionse(speed
is controlled by the organist) creating a vibrato effect.  Even
with today's digital technology, it's difficult to create just
the right organ sound w/o the Leslie speaker.  At a concert, the
sound from the speaker is picked up by anywhere from 1-4
microphones & sent through the PA system. 
     Also, in the rear-center of the stage is a speaker in a
wooden cabinet w/ a mike just a bit in front of it & aimed at it.
That cabinet is part of Trey's electric guitar system.  Placing a
mic right in front of a speaker seems counter-intuitive.  After
all, we could just take the signal directly & cut down on the
distortion caused by the speaker & mic.  But consider the speaker
actually part of the musical instrument, & it starts to make more
sense.  The speaker's coloring of the sound is part of the
overall sound the guitarist is trying to achieve.  The _whole_
instrument is the combination of the guitar, amp, & speaker.
     Some guitarists, & most bassists do choose to send their
signals directly to the PA instead of through the mic.  The
speaker's coloring is favored for lead guitar but is often
undesirable for other guitar & bass.
From: Jonathan Dennis Kirshbaum <jonnyk@cs.uoregon.edu>
     2 things about leslie cabinets.  1st, I believe that the
source of the neat sound is the doppler effect, the same
phenomena that makes ambulance sirens lower in pitch as they
drive away. The vibrato is cause by the speakers sound going a
small distance farther away & closer as the leslie rotates.
     2nd, the speaker(s) inside the cabinet do not actually
rotate. The inside of the leslie that I saw had a woofer lying on
the bottom of the cabinet, face up, & fixed.  Above it was a
simple structure that deflected the sound 90 degrees, kind of an
elbow arrangement.  It was this that actually spun.
     
Page recently got a *really nice sounding* Hammond (check summer
92), & later (February 93) a grand piano.  He had said he wouldnt
play "Loving Cup" til he had one. Sure enough, check the tapes
for Feb 93.
- ------------------------------------------------------------
B-5: GUITAR: what can you tell me about Trey's setup?
>From a post by R. Stern <stern@col.hp.com>
     Trey's guitar was built by Paul Languedoc, the soundman for
the band (see July 91 newsletter for a phish profile on Paul).
Paul also built Mike's bass. [A 2nd was stolen :-((, summer 92?
Will be OBVIOUS if found! see note at end of this answer]  Trey
uses a Mesa/Boogie MkIII head pre-amp, (with Russian tubes:
"Sovtek 5881" -- shelley). Here's the best I can remember off the
top of my head.  Some could be off by +-1.
     Pre Volume: 10 !!       Lead Drive: 2.5
     Treble: 5               Lead Master: 6
     Mid: 4.5                Master: 3
     Bass: 4.5               Presence: 2 (on back of the amp)
     Reverb: 0  (he uses the Microverb)
  There is an Alesis Microverb (not II) sitting on top of his
amp.  He uses a Large 2 or Large 3 setting. He doesn't vary it at
all...reaches for it quite often & just touches the knobs without
changing the settings :-).
     His pedalboard has a volume pedal, a cheapo Ross(?)
compresser, 2 Ibanez tube screamers, & the lead/rhythm switchbox
for the Mesa (maybe more...).
     The Tube Screamers are the new version Tube Screamer
Classic.  Both have the volume turned all the way up, which
really confused me at first.  He doesn't seem to get much of
volume boost when switching them on, & mine gives a huge boost if
I set the volume all the way up.  What I think happens is this:
since his Mesa Pre-Volume is at 10, the input is already
overdriven.  So when he switches in the Tube Screamers, they
can't drive any more volume out of the pre-amp, & simply give
more overdrive.  That's my best guess anyway :-).
     One of the keys to his cool tone is the way he uses the Tube
Screamers & the Mesa lead mode.  He has the Mesa eq switched to
only work for lead mode, & he sets the eq in an upside down V
(lots of mid boost, lots of high cut).  One Tube Screamer is set
for a very light crunch, & the other is set for full screaming
overdrive.  Trey will often start with a light crunch, then turn
that off & turn on the full overdriver.  Then he'll turn back on
the crunch (so he has both Tube Screamers on!).  Then he'll kick
in the Mesa to lead mode for a final push over the edge :-) !! By
mixing & matching any combination of the 3 distortions, he gets
an incredible variety of tones.  Add in the unique feedback
properties of his semi-hollowbody guitar, & wow ... Yes, he does
sound quite amazing!!
     I highly recommend getting a spot against the stage (at a
show with a low stage) where you can see his pedalboard, & check
out how he switches between the Tube Screamers & Mesa lead mode
etc. (it's also a good spot for trying to see some licks/chords
that he uses)
 
   but note... A letter from Paul Languedoc to Tony J. Went:
Tony,
   Thanks for your interest.  There is no big mystery about the
construction of Trey's guitar (except the secret "Sonic
Enhancer").  It is _not_ a semi-hollow body, but a true hollow
body, built the same way those big arch-top jazz guitars were
built, but, of course, much smaller.  No one builds guitars that
way because they tend to feed back at any volume to speak of, but
Trey likes that because he can hold any note he wants to (with
careful muting of the other strings) where most electric guitars
would only feed back certain notes, & at a much higher volume
level.
  Incidentally, the woods used are European Curly maple for the
top, domestic curly maple for the neck, Ebony for the fretboard,
tailpiece, etc., & Padauk for the body & sides.  Yes, Padauk is a
rain-forest wood, & I don't buy it anymore.
Discussion on the net has surfaced asking what kind of pickups
are on Paul's guitar and what gauge strings Trey plays. Any help
(or even educated guesses) would be appreciated.
>From Shelly: The stolen bass is a 5-string bass with an inlay of
an asian-style dragon in mother of pearl on the headstock.  It
also has Paul Languedoc's name inlaid into it.  It looks like the
Languedoc bass that Mike is still using.
- -------------------------------------------------------
B-6: TRAMPOLINES? VANS? when did the band give them away? to
whom?
The van keys were tossed to an audience & caught by Toast (Eric)
who picked up the pink slip backstage & sold the van a week later
to a used-car dealer for about $1000.  Rumor/legend has it that a
significant "relic of some sort" had been embedded in the van by
someone related to the band; hmmmm... maybe it'll end up in the
Smithsonian or something. Only Iculus knows for sure.
Trampolines have been used for many years by Trey and Mike, for
some combinaton of reasons from among at least the following
suggested OTN: timing of difficult sections, timing during crazy
jams, fun, exercise, jovial entertainment, so they can see pholks
in the back, so pholks in the back can see them, to dry out their
hair... okay, the last three weren't on the net, but are
plausible.  The 'tramps' have been used in at least the
following: Mike's Song (right before I Am Hyrdogen), YEM,
Antelope(?), Runaway Jim (?), Wilson (?). The first appearance
was NOT 5/6/90 during Mike's Song  (though it is uncertain "when
YEM stopped being the only tramp song") but at the Woodbury Ski &
Racket Club, Woodbury, CT, 4/29/90 during YEM; they were left on
stage afterwards and revisited for Walk Away.
There have been multiple mini-trampoline giveaways, apparently as
they loosen & wear out & are replaced.  Piou Qwerty (?) got one
4-5-93 (the night they introduced the pink & blue ones) after
helping "break down the band's gear."
Ian Harbilas got one 12/7/91.  He saw the show with a school trip
group from Brewster Academy, which included one girl who
seriously thought they were going to the aquarium & was somewhat
dissappointed.  After some unfortunate pulling & tugging, during
which the tramp lost some brown cloth border & all but four legs,
rock paper scissors (see border on the front of the 92 NYE shirt)
was played in three rounds.
- -------------------------------------------------------
B-7: TICKETS: how can I get ticket & venue information?
option a) Hotline: 617-862-7820 (new as of 4-28-93);
             includes new 3-line answering system
option b) newsletter (see question #10)
option c) watch the net
option d) archives (see questions #5 & 6)
- -------------------------------------------------------
B-8: MAIL ORDER: is it ever going to happen?
Tapers' tickets for the New Years 93 shows will be mail order. If
it runs smoothly, mail order may (presumably) be used for full
shows.
- -------------------------------------------------------
B-9. VENUE INFO: Where can I find info about venues?
   Qs: Can I get directions to the venues Phish plays at?  Any
highway tolls I should know about?  If I need lodging, is there
someplace I can stay nearby?  Does the venue have a parking fee?
Are there picnic areas?  What's the surrounding area like,
anyway?  (...Have I asked enough questions?)
   A:  Answers to these and other mind-benders lie in the all-new
Venue File, currently being compiled and prepared by Joe
D'Andrea. If you have any questions, suggestions or contributions
regarding this project, please don't hesitate to write Joe at
<76336.1715@compuserve.com>.
- -------------------------------------------------------
B-10: SUPPORT: who are the staff/crew? what do they do?
Lemuria is still looking for help on this, but...
  Paul Languedoc is the Soundman and the builder of Mike's bass
and Trey's guitar.
  Brad Sands is the "Balloon Tech" and the Guitar Technician, and
was the Mockingbird 12-31-92.
  Pete Schall runs monitors.
  Andrew ("Andy") Fishback is the Tour Manager at shows. Wears a
hip pack at all time. He was the merchandise man after Claw Me
Down (eg summer '90 until Brad was hired.) It has been suggested
that you ask for "Mr. Fishback, the band's Tour Manager" if
security hassles you for taping at a show where you suspect
taping is not specifically prohibited (eg, it is with Santana) or
if you are hassled bringing in taping equipment.  NOTE: For New
Years 93 shows, you'll have to have a taping ticket to bring in
taping equipment!!!
  Chris Kuroda is Lighting Designer.
  Larry _the_ Lobster is Chris' new lighting technician.
  Bob Neumann provides sound support from Snow Sound, who provide
Phish's sound system.
  Amy Skelton (as in Amy's Farm) is the Production Manager & is
"doing the merchandise more often than Brad."-Rich Fromm
  Shelly Culbertson goes to many shows & has been a tremendous
help with, on, in, as, & for the net and, we take it, with and
for the band, as an employee of Dionysian Productions, the band's
management agency. She assists John Paluska, the band's
manager,and maintains the archives. You may see her at the
merchandise table or, more likely, somewhere near the stage.
  John Paluska is the manager (Dionysian Productions:
617-862-8850).
  Jay Fialkov is the band's lawyer?
  Elektra does the printing, marketing, & sales of releases. (do
they count?!? you bet they do!)
Also, Shelly notes, "Please note that people grow and change, so
don't be surprised if you see old faces in new positions or vice
versa."
(sorry, all: you deserve MUCH more credit than simple ID can
give!!! and, hey, netters: dont forget to thank them at shows!)
- -------------------------------------------------------
B-11. DUDE OF LIFE: Who is he?
The Dude of Life's real name is Steve. There was a false rumor
that his name is Steve Volato. The Dude appears on stage
irregularly and infrequently. For instance: 12-31-92 in a rubber
mask pushing a lawnmower doing Diamond Girl (Seals & Crofts
cover).
- --------------------------------------------------------
B-12. LOGO: What are all those things?
The dot on the front, just above what appears to be a mouth,
might very well be a nose, except that fish don't have noses.
Could also be the actual mouth or an eye, hairlip, tumor, intake
valve/jet, decoration, or missing dot from the 'i'.  Also, is the
top of the 'h' really a fin? And is there really something
hidden/written in the tail?  Any and all possible answers to
these questions are being sought.
- --------------------------------------------------------
**********  SECTION C: MUSIC QUESTIONS
TOPICS: discography and sales, helping friendly book, gamehendge,
horns, language, junta, mike's groove, you enjoy myself, hall in
solace, other bands
- -----------------------------------------------------------
C-1: DISCOGRAPHY? is there one? where? what's on it?
There is something akin to a discography in the HFB, available
from the archive site.(see questions 5, 6, & 13)
Short version (in order; no dates yet..sorry)
 TMSIY: Trey's senior thesis; unreleased (see Q14!!)
 The White Album: unofficial but circulated collection
 Junta: 1st official release (tape only); independantly produced
*Lawn Boy: 2nd official release (tape & disc); Absolute A-Go-Go
        rereleased on disc by Elektra(*)
*Picture of Nectar: 1st Elektra release (disc & digalog)
*Junta: double disc re-release w bonus tracks; Elektra (ditto)
*Rift: newest Elektra release; conceptual project (ditto)
The next album is due out about March 15, 1994. There are at
least nine new songs which have not been played live. The man who
plays Riker on Star Trek: The New Generation will play trombone
on the first song,"Julius". Other songs rumored to be included
are: Axilla, Life Buoy, Sample in a Jar, Runaway Jim, and Suzy
Greenberg. EoL doesn't believe that last two for a second, but
supposes that the first three are possible.
(*) Shelley said (9/21/93, 10:16:05) that, when Elektra
remastered Lawn Boy, there was an error in the process such that
"the track Lawn Boy is significantly slower than it should be on
their release."
As of 8/8/93:
Junta = 64,529 copies
Lawn Boy = 59,692 copies 
A Picture of Nectar = 123,398 copies 
Rift = 102,375 copies
Random note:  Listen for the Andate section of Rhapsodyin Blue
during Bathtub Gin on LawnBoy.
- --------------------------------------------------------------
C1B: NEXT ALBUM? when? whats on it?
The next album is expected next spring. The band was in LA in
September and October for studio time. Rumored to be included on
the album are "Life Boy" and "Sample in a Jar" as good bets,
"Sleeping Monkey" not likely, and "Axcilla" a long shot.
- --------------------------------------------------------------
C-2: ORDERING: how can I order the studio/produced material?
Of those still in print (marked by an asterisk in C1, above),
some can presumably be ordered directly from the band and its
management. (See address in B3) (more complete info will follow
in a later update.)
Two of the selections are available from Columbia House and were
listed in the January 1993 _Music Source_ as follows (in part):
Lawn Boy: 1990 reissue from free-jamming retro-rockers. The Oh
Kee Pa Ceremony, My Sweet One, Bathtub Gin; Reba; title cut;
more. 439075
A Picture of Nectar: Take rock and jazz. Add calypso, reggae, and
barbeshop. Stir. Chalk Dust Torture; Guelah Papyrus; The Mango
Song; etc. 436824
- --------------------------------------------------------------
C-3: HELPING F(ph)RIENDLY BOOK: what is it? should i buy it?
     The title "Helping Friendly Book" is from the Gamehendge
tale (see question C4); it's a book filled with everything the
Lizards needed to know to live their lives in peace & harmony.  A
few folks on the net put together a compilation of setlists &
other info about the band & borrowed the title of this all
encompasing book, calling the compilation the "Helping Phriendly
Book".  According the strict phishlosophy, all of the know &
unknow knowledge in the relevant universe would include the
Lyrics, FAQ, Chords, etc. Thus HPB, not HFB. Plus, it's fun &
youthful, which is the whole point, right?
     Its most up-to-date version is available on request from
Phish-Archives, or by FTP.  As is quite obvious, the book is far
from complete. Shelly Culbertson <shell@gandalf.berkeley.edu> is
the person in charge of keeping the Book up-to-date.  Currently
she has updated the HPB from 1984 to 1987.  If you have setlists
that are NOT in the HPB from this time period, please email them
to Shelly & she'll see that they get in the book.  If you have
later setlists, please hold off on sending them to Shelly; she
already has a TON of updates, & it's quite possible that the one
you're going to send has already been added to the HPB.
     Updates will generally be few & far between; Shelly is
trying to check the information in the HPB against tapes of the
shows, so it's taking her a long time to update each section.
     Lee organized a Database Project of volunteers in the spring
on 1993, in part for a complete basis for revision & update of
the HPB based on posts to the net, by analyzing & indexing EVERY
old digetst.. yep... that means every post that's ever happened
is being re-read, & the net's HPB may someday be a bit more like
the Lizards' HPB.  NOTE, May 10.1993:  The band is now planning
on putting out their own version of the HPB (or will it be HFB?).
 There has been some concern of overlap, and concern for
end-of-the-semester work, so the Database Project has been put on
hold.
but, should I buy it?
    No, never. There's no reason to. This is a unique, creative,
laborious compilation put together through many hours and
contributions by hundreds of net pholk. There have been scattered
reports of unnamed individuals selling this compilation,
reportedly for profit, on tours during the spring and summer of
1993. If you buy it from them, you are allowing them to profit
off of others' work. You can get a copy for free via email or
ftp, and there are a handful of under-appreciated individuals who
have printed and duplicated copies to distribute (for free or
printing costs ONLY) at shows.
    Besides, the HPB/HFB on the archive site isnt totally
complete. Additions are made frequently, and there are many shows
not on the list at all. There are descrepancies and corrections
to be made. Anyone who claims to have a definite compilation of
every phish set list is most likely lying, given that not even
the band's support crew (inc. esp. Shelly Culbertson) has been
able to assemble a definite list of shows, much less setlists.
Its wrong, its cheap and its dishonest if not rude. Please, find
it for free!!
- --------------------------------------------------------
C-3B: ABBREVIATIONS: what are some (more or less) common ones?
  songs (use them at your own will and risk):
BBFCFM: Big Black (or is it Fat) Furry Creature From Mars
BBJ: Big Ball Jam or Beach Ball Jam or Big Beach Jam
BRTR: Bouncing Round the Room
FEFY: Fast Enough For You
HYHU: Hold Your Head Up
MSO: My Sweet One
RLA or Antelope: Run Like an Antelope
SITM: Silent in the Morning
SOAM or just Split: Split Open & Melt
TMWSIY: The Man Who Stepped Into Yesterday
YEM: You Enjoy Myself
Almost every title can easily be done in one word. Except for
TMWSIY, abbreviations may only lead to later confusion, whereas
one-wording will be pretty darn clear, or at least real darn
close. (eg Creature, Hood, Ice, Antelope....)
      Also, some general net abbreviations:
BTW: by the way
FYI: for your information
IMHO: in my humble/honest opinion
IMNSHO: in my no so humble/honest opinion
IIWY: if i were you
BTGOI: by the grace of Iculus
ITNOI: in the name of Iculus
OTN: on the net
OTR: on the road
PB&J: peanut butter & jelly
PB&J&B: peanut butter & jelly & bananas
- --------------------------------------------------------
C-4: GAMEHENDGE: what is it? how do i get there?
 
     When people refer to Gamehendge, they are usually refering
to Trey's senior thesis project from Goddard College.  The
project is entitled, "The Man Who Stepped Into Yesterday"
(TMWISY) & is basically the story of Colonel Forbin & his
adventures in the land of Gamhenge, home of the Lizards.
Narration occurs between almost every pair of songs, with back
ground music which is now called TMWSIY, usually played into &
out of Avenu Malkenu (note spelling!! and see C17)  Narration
sometimes occurs live (if you're lucky!), usually between Col
Forbin's Ascent & Famous Mockingbird; the variations are amazing
& should not be summed or listed here... go, seek, listen, &
live...
     The original project includes:  Wilson prelude, Lizards,
Tela, Wilson, AC/DC Bag, Colonel Forbin's Ascent, Famous
Mockingbird, Sloth, & Possum.  A few other were written
afterwards: Divided Sky, Llama, & McGrupp all have Gamhenge
references in them.   There really are no good copies of the
original project in existence, though many copies can be found
which are mediocre & somewhat entertaining to hear all the way
through. Significant portions of the saga have been played live
thrice: once at Nectar's Bar in Vt on 3/12/88, & once in Olympia,
Washington on 10/13/91, & at Sacramento 3/22/93.
  The lyrics to all the songs & narration in the original
project, as well as the other songs mentioned here, can be found
in the Phish Lyrics file, available at Phish Archives.
   The revolution is reportedly destined to fail by its own
successes, so enjoy it all while you can! :-)
    To note, in the Court in King of Prussia, PA, there is a
leather shop called Wilson's which, Shelly said, has "great
business cards."
- -----------------------------------------------------------
C-5: WHITE ALBUM: what is it?
The white album (aka Phish, aka demo) is a collection of Phish
material which was done either in studio or on four track in a
dorm room, reportedly as a demo/sample tape. It was never
officially released, and copies around and not amazing, though
entertaining. The "White Album" includes...
- -----------------------------------------------------------
C-6: HORNS: who are they? when did they play with Phish?
There was a horn section -- the Giant Country Horns, named after
a brand of bread in New Hampshire -- which toured with Phish
during summer of 91 for a string of about 20 shows, mostly (if
not all) during July.  They included: Dave "the truth" Grippo on
sax, Russel "rem man" Remington on sax, & Carl "Gears" Gearhart
on trumpet.  Carl & Russel, & perhaps dave, have also played at
these shows; Carl at 3-24-92 Floodzone, Richmond, VA. [Info on
others needed desparately.]  Songs particularly known for being
played with the band include Gumbo (original, rarely played
since), Frankenstein (great cover), & Suzy (original, frequently
played without horns).  The three of them wore tuxedos, for
instance, at 3-25-92 Trax.  [Did they _always_ wear tuxedos?
There has been discussion on the net off and on since the horn
tour asking when or if there will/could/should be another horn
tour. No response from the band has surfaced. Your best bet is
the occassional appearance of ONE of the horns, though who knows
when we might be surprised.....
- ------------------------------------------------------------
C-7: LANGUAGE: what is it? how was it born? what are the signals?
The "language" grew out of a system of signals among band members
to covertly say such helpful things as "stop playing this song"
or "look at that person" or "this is what we'll play next" or...
trey says there were about 20 of them.  If you listen to old
tapes, you may be able to pick up on some common riffs, themes,
and teases.  It isnt certain which, if any, were/are actually
intra-band signals, but some possibilities include the Popeye
theme, the Peanuts them, and various spirals.
From: Rich Fromm 06-May-1993 <fromm@rock.enet.dec.com>
     the reason that only a small subset of the signals were
announced is that most of them are cues for the band, not for the
audience; just listen to tapes carefully and you'll be able to
pick some out; a few that i can think of offhand...there's one
where they all go into an oom-pah-pah waltz beat for a few
measures...there's one where the music just kind of collapses in
a downward spiral and sort of falls apart...i think there's one
where the music goes to half-time (or is it double time?)...and
there's one where they all laugh...these are kind of hard to
explain over the net....[ed: elipses in original]
     Now, a shorter list is used to communicate to the audience &
bring surprise to the faces of newcomers.  Trey clarified on
3-12-92 (?) that Page or Mike could be speaking the language too.
 None will be understood until you see them, but to remind those
who are familiar, there are: All Fall Down (four descending
notes; everyone falls to floor until Fishman's ta-tat), Simpsons
("DOH!", in reponse to the simpsons's intro riff), Turn Around
("to every thing turn turn turn" played softly; all face rear of
venue & cheer as if the band was there!), & Random Note (sing
"ahhhhh" at any pitch, level, etc; signal obscure.. listen to a
tape for it).
Also, at 12-31-92 (broadcast & rebroadcast on Boston's WBCN 104.1
FM) a flyer was distributed upon entrance with the following
intro & additional signals (with some typo corrections)
     "...we've been blessed with the opportunity to play with
people's minds.  We've come up with a bunch of new `language'
signals designed to confuse & confound the average radio
listener. These signals will be written on signs & held up by
Trey at various times throughout the night. This list explains
each signal:
     #1) MASS HYSTERIA  If Trey holds up a sign that says "Mass
Hysteria" it means you should scream hysterically. Imagine
turning on your radio & hearing six thousand people screaming in
terror... sort of a War of the Worlds thing.
     #2) FOOT STOMP Instead of cheering or clapping, you would
stomp your feet. (Again... imagein this times six thousand)
     #3) YAY/BOO When trey holds up this sign & then points up
you would "yay" & when he points down you would "boo".
Alternating quickly between these two would be pretty surreal.
     #4) EGGPLANT This would mean that Trey would raise his arm &
when he drops it, you would scream "Eggplant!"
     #5) ONE CLAP When Trey holds up this sign, do nothing until
he first raises his arm, then drops it, at which point you would
clap _once_ loudly. That way we can do something like introduce
Paul & the whole crowd will clap once in unison. (Very strange to
the listener.)
     #6) LIP-FLOP You would flop your lips with your finger while
humming (x 6000 people.)
     #7) SNAP Everyone would snap their fingers to no particular
rhythm... sort of a white noist snapping thing.
     #8) WHISTLE This means whistle a random note.
     That's it.. we dont know if or when we'll use these, but its
good to be armed with some ammunition. Also, thanks for a great
year & we're glad you can be here to start off a new one.  Trey,
Mike, Page, & Tubbs
     P.S. There are several trash cans in the lobby labeled
"RECYCLE" on them; please seek them out & place these papers in
there when the show is over."
     Well.. they tried, but Lemuria's paper survived! Of course,
I won't tell which signals they did; you'll have to seek out the
tapes & listen for them! :-)
- --------------------------------------------------------
C-8: JUNTA: how do you pronounce it?
 
>From Shelly Culbertson <shell@gandalf.berkeley.EDU>:
I asked Page about this when I interviewed him in Arcata; he told
me that it is pronounced "junta", not "hunta", because it is a
friend's nickname & doesn't have anything to do with South
American governments.  (Ed: That is, JUN as in JUNe, TA as is
pasTA.)
- --------------------------------------------------------------
C-9: MIKE'S GROOVE: what is it? is it always that way?
 
Old answer:  Mike's groove is a shortened title for a combination
of three songs:  Mike's Song -> I Am Hydrogen -> Weekapaug
Groove. According to Phish's manager, these songs will never be
played independently.  Most tapers still label the three
seperately....
New answer: ...& for good reason! There are many examples since
that assurance when either something was missing, something else
was added, or something was played independantly.  Check out the
12-31-92 with Auld Ang Syne (?) instead of IAH, or the 30 min
Mike's Song on 2-20-93, or the Mike's Man Who Stepped Into Alvenu
Groove stretch.
Mike wrote Mike's Song. Weekapaug Groove is named, in some manner
(depending on which rumor you hold to) for Weekapaugh, Rhode
Island, a coastal resort town.
- -------------------------------------------------------------
C-10: YOU ENJOY MYSELF: what the hell are they saying?
Condensed info from Richard Stern <rstern@col.hp.com>, Lee
Silverman, newsletters, & 18 months of net discussions:
It seems that the original line was: "Wash your feet, they drive
me to frenzy"  (Pronounced Fuh-wren-zhee).  But this has been
changed in recent years. Page & Trey (March 92, Colorado)
wouldn't fess up, but admitted that it was in two different
languages.  Trey had spent some time as a wandering minstrel in
Europe (living in a car, thus stinky feet), & the syllables
evolved slowly, hinting at this revalation:    "Wash-a-you feets
& drive me to Firenze".  Trey later told John Greene that it was
"Uffitzi" & not "you feets." Uffitzi is a part of Florence
(Firenze) near the Ponte Vecchia most known for the Uffitzi
Gallery, & named after the wealthy & powerful Uffitzi family.
So, we have:  "Wash-a-Uffitzi & drive me to Firenze"  Though
there has been some inconsistency, this was later corrected to
"Wash Uffitzi drive me to Firenze" which has the (usually)
correct number of syllables & sounds correct if you really
enunciate.  Sometimes it sounds more like the original "wash your
feet....."  To add still more confusion, Trey told Lee that
Uffitzi is a square in Firenze.
    In response to fan mail, Mike has taken a liking in
newsletters to offering possible variations. The first ("water
you team, in a bee-hive, i'm a sent you") was clearly used for at
least the first half of February 1993.  In newsletters of that
month, Mike clarified this by saying it means "yes, I'll play,
but no I won't raise", & also listed these:
"washer/dryer/freezer/fencing", "wanton in a key, i live, & me
for horse rent", "wont you please-e-curve me from valensi",
"wash, you face, and drive me to Valencia", & "washington fences,
please, says me".
    Other suggestions on the net include "once you fix it, drive
me to Firenza", referring to an automotive mishap on the rumored
trip.
    Clearly, only the band members know for sure what they're
saying, & there might even be some variation & uncertainty among
them.
added 4/30/93: From: ANDREW AGER <89197@LAWRENCE.EDU>
     Basically, the Uffizi (correct spelling) is an art museum.
It is a U-shaped building with two wings, & a piazza in between
the wings.  There was no actual Uffizi family, but the Uffizi was
the site of the government offices of the Medici family during
the sixteenth & seventeenth centuries.  The family itself lived
in the Palazzo Pitti across the Arno River.  There exists an
above-ground tunnel that leads from the Uffizi to the Palazzo
Pitti, stretching over the east side of the Ponte Vecchio (also
correct spelling). How do I know all this?  1) I lived there for
four months in late 1991, & 2) I'm a history major who
specializes in Renaissance Italy & Florentine history.
The Uffizi Gallery was bombed in the Spring of 1993 (date
someone, please), reportedly by mafia. A Phish newsletter which
followed the bombing extended condolences and grief.
- ---------------------------------------------
C-11: HALL IN SOLACE: or whatever. what's the "correct" title?
 
John Friedman, former keeper of the Helping Phriendly Book,
answers: "Well, this has been an open question for sometime now.
Trey has been cited to have said that it is "Hall In Solace."  I
spoke with some bluegrass aphishanadoes about this, & they sort
of giggled when I mentioned "Hall In Solace."  "Oh, you mean
'Paul & Silas,'" they said.  In fact, you can find "Paul & Silas"
on "The Earl Scruggs Revue."  Shelly asked Trey about "Hall In
Solace," & he said that he had been going by a recording only.
In summary, Phish has been singing "Hall In Solace," but the real
tune is "Paul & Silas."  Trey has since been made aware of the
error, & now sings the tune correctly.
Note from Lemuria: Trey has since clearly introduced it has "Hall
in Solace", & apparently does not consider this "error" important
enough to correct; or, quite possibly, he likes to tease.
Multiple titles are given on various blugrass albums, including
"All Night Long" & "Who Shall Deliver Me."
- ----------------------------------------------
C-12. LLAMA: What is the chorus to Llama?
There seems to be some consensus that the words are "Leave it on
press, depress, depress. Llama taboot taboot." but it could be
"leapin' on" or even "living off grass with a craze to graze",
and it has also been suggested (perhaps not seriously) that its
"leaving off fred's best threads". To note, it could be "taboot"
or "to boot" or "t'boot".
- -----------------------------------------------------------
C-13: ANTELOPE: What are the first words, that Trey mumbles just
before the song takes off?
from jesmond@aol.com (9/25/93, 12:14:33): "Rye, Rye, Rocco, Marco
Esquandolas. Been you to have any spike, man?"
Marco Esquandolas reportedly used to refer to Marc Dowbert, the
percussionist with the band (ie with Trey?) before Jon, and may
now (or may at some time) have referred to Jon as well.
For the last part, you may also hear (or, the line may also be)
"If you need any spice/spike, I have a little." Trey reportedly
used to say "spleef" and may alternate between spice or spike.
One observer suggested that this variation is some language
trigger to the other members about how the song is going to go.
- -----------------------------------------------------------
C-14: HARRY HOOD: what's this about? connected to Gamehenge?
This is supposedly about a milk company, which does indeed exist
in Vermont. Many of the lines in the song are traceable to this
company, one of whose billboards reportedly stood across the
street from a former home of at least some of the band's members.
The lights on the sign ended at some point during the night.
(Line early in song as energy builds: "Harry, Harry. Where do you
go when the lights go out?") The company slogan is in the song.
(last lines of song: "You can feel good about Hood.") Mr. Miner
is either the milk delivery person, someone in a Harry Hood
advertisement, or a former resident of this same house to whom
MUCH (we're talking ALOT) of mail continued to come while the
band lived there. (lines just before most beautiful thing the
band plays: "Thank you, Mr. Miner.")
An alternate explanation of "Where do you go when the lights go
out?" is that this line refers to the milk container in the
refridgerator.
Another explanation of Mr. Miner/Minor has been that all chords
following the "Thank you"'s are minor chords.
- -----------------------------------------------------------
C-15:  CURTAIN: Whats that line?
The words are clear; the puncuation is not.
"Please, me, have no regrets" (self-directed affirmation) or
"Please me; have no regrets" (demand for servitude) or
"Please, me have no regrets." (assurance to another)
- -----------------------------------------------------------
C-16:  FLUFFHEAD: to my door, or new york?
Page seems to sing "Fluff came to New York" and Trey sings "Fluff
came to my door" resulting in the confusing sound "Fluff came to
my dork." (?)
- -----------------------------------------------------------
C-16: ALL THINGS RECONSIDERD: is that an NPR song?
All Things Reconsidered does sound like a reworking of All Things
Considered (an NPR show) but it is not certain whether it was
written that way or whether it was a remarkable coincidence. It
was played for the first time on Mountain Stage, another NPR
show.
- -----------------------------------------------------------
C-17: HEBREW SONGS:
To note, Reba means fish in Russian.
Anyway, yes. Phish plays some songs in Hebrew. Avenu Malkenu
(spelling correction, please?) means "Our father, our king" and
is sung esp. on Yom Kippur; it asks for God's forgiveness.  The
mysterious line is "Sh'ma Yisrael Adonoi Elohaynu Adonoi Echod"
(last word gutteral "ch"). The have also done... uh.. help...
OK. this answer needs some fixing.
- -----------------------------------------------------------
C-18: OTHER BANDS: phish.net suggestions? live tapes?
     In alphabetical order. An asterisk indicates that a tree has
taken place (so that live tapes are around somewhere).  Info in
parentheses indicates general home-base, plus any available info
on touring extent, contact, etc. More info is always appreciated.
     *Aquarium Rescue Unit, *Authority (NY?; East Coast), *Blues
Traveler (NY; nationally), *Dave Mathews Band (VA; East Coast;
spreading), *God Street Wine, *Hypnotic Clambake, Indecision
(VA), Jambay (CA), Ominous Seapods, *Shockra (NY/NE; national?),
*Spin Doctors (?; nationally), Ween (suggested by phish),
*Widespread Panic (South#), *yeP!, *Zero (CA)
# page played the keys on a tune on their first album, "Space
Wrangler."
     Also, Phishman has co-produced an interesting tape called
"Lost Paradox" featuring J Willis Pratt, "Fish's good friend
Willis with whom he remains in close contact."(-Shelly, 8/19/93
10:35:22)   "Zerg-man" is featured on drums and screams (plus
Timberhole Rogers, Russel Flanagan, Dan Archer, and Aaron Hersy.)
 No reviews have surfaced on the net, but this editor (Lemuria)
highly recommends some of the drumming and poetry on side b; call
it eclectic funk-rap remniscent of Sid Barrett?  Whatever...  The
tape has been available at the merchandise table/area of shows
since February 1993.
- --------------------------------------------------------
end rec.music.phish part 4 (of 6): section c: music questions
editor: ellis of lemuria: jeg5s@virginia.edu
keep smiling, gliding, and riding that train!
*******   PHISH.NET FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS 
**********   SECTION D: TAPE QUESTIONS 
TOPICS: recording, finding tapes, tape trees, tapelists,
abbreviations, dubbing, dolby & dbx.
- -----------------------------------------------------------
D-1:  LIVE RECORDING: can i? what equipment do i need?
In most cases, yes; an earlier contract, at least, reportedly
stipulated that they wouldn't play where they couldn't be aud
taped.  Then again, they have since then, but... exceptions are
the rule here. :-)  DATs are reportedly not allowed at HORDE
shows.
To learn about equipment, check out these mail reflectors; both
have a FAQ, & dat-heads has a price/quality list.
  tape-heads@fuggles.acc.virginia.edu
     send "please add me" message to tape-heads-request...
  dat-heads@fuggles.acc.virginia.edu
     send "please add me" message to dat-heads-request...
- ------------------------------------------------------------
D-2: TAPES: what REALLY high qual tapes are around? where?
     The following shows were recorded to DAT from a seperate
recording board at the shows.  They are some of the highest
quality Phish tapes in existence:  4/22/90, 10/30/90, 10/31/90,
11/2/90, 11/3/90, 11/4/90, 3/13/91, 3/15/91, 3/16/91, 3/17/91,
3/22/91, 3/23/91, 4/5/92.  Except for the recent 4/5 tape, they
have all been fairly widely circulated. They were done on a large
recording console (not EQ) & mixed completely seperately from the
board mix.  Rumor has it the recording was done in a truck
outside the venue.  The engineer used 2 audience mics to mix in
crowd/hall ambience (on most of them).
     As of Spring 1991, the number & frequency of requests to
patch in had very much expanded. The size of venues & crowds also
picked up, as did the amount of equipment.  So, patches were
disallowed.  Reportedly related, the contract with Elektra
stipulated that they would have access to the best quality (sound
*&* playing?) recordings of shows, for possible live release.
(YEA! We can only hope. :-)  Paul (the sound professor) got a
Panasonic SV-3700 (DAT) Fall 1992 and has used it to record
soundboards since; an analog deck was used for some uncertain
length of time before that, so that a fairly comprehensive (?)
"vault" exists, though not for public consumption.
     An exception or twelve to every rule when you're on the
Phish.net.  The following 1992 soundboard tapes have been lightly
circulated, under certain conditions, on rare occassions, & by
**extreme** generosity of all involved.  Asterisks have been
trees: 3/19/92, 3/20/92, 3/25/92, 4/16/92*, 4/17/92, 4/18/92,
4/19/92 I, 4/21/92, 4/29/92 II, 5/16/92, 7/25/92* (with Santana),
11/23/92, 12/31/92* (FM broadcast on Boston WBCN), *2-20-93.
Where can you get them?
    option a) a tree (see question D3)
    option b) a trade (see D# & D4)
- ------------------------------------------------------
D-3: TAPE TREE: what is it? how does it work? should i do one?
Note: send tree-pholk list info to Gregg at
STU_GJCARRIE@VAX1.ACS.JMU.EDU
>From Lee Silverman  <ST101137@brownvm.brown.edu>:  A Tape Tree is
a way of distributing a popular tape to a large number of people.
 By using a tape tree, rather than having one person make 75
copies of a tape, everyone gets their tapes faster & there's much
less work involved for the owner of the tapes.
  The basic Premise is this:  I have a tape that everyone wants.
So I post to the net, saying that I'm running a tree.  In that
post I include a form for people to fill out & send back to me.
(most  of the info on these forms gets used, so always fill out
the whole thing) After about a week of waiting, I compile all the
replies into a "tree," where I arrange to make copies for 5 or so
people. Each of those 5 people is given a list of 5 other people
whom they are to make tapes for.  Each of them makes copies for 5
people, & so on depending on how big the tree is.
  Usually the people who are higher up in trees are the people
with the best taping equipment, so the tapes lose less of their
sound quality.  If you are on a tree you have one or two
responsibilities:  The first is to get the tapes (this applies to
everyone).  You do this by either sending blanks to, or trading
with, the person above you.  (Whether you send blanks or trade
generally has little to do with your placement within the tree).
The second responsibility you *may* have will be to copy the
tapes for a certain number of other people.  They may either
trade with you or just send blanks.  At that point your role in
the tree has been fulfilled.
   If you want specific info on how to set up a tree, write Lee
<Pandion@Brown.edu> for some suggestions.
    NOTE:: Many trees in mid-1993 have been lost into the
cyberspace abyss. Generally, this really, really sucks! PLEASE
post an entire tree structure when it gets set; DONT expect
connections to get setup privately; get em going from all sides
ASAP!!
     Other things to consider:  1) Like it or not, there are some
slackers on the net; expect that there may some problems, and
that no tree will run perfectly smoothly, then be ready to patch
lost branches to parents with a small burden.  2) Try to make
your tree run well anyway, to preserve netiquette and tape
quality, not to mention trust and credibility of and on the net
process. Lee and Ellis are willing to give suggestions, at least,
if not administrative help.  3) Running a tree does involve some
time, not only to create the tree -- which itself could invovle
assimilation and organization of a hundred or more names and
addresses, and being sure that those addresses and the tree links
get hooked to the right people -- but to make tapes for the
branches, settle any problems that arise, deal with orphaned
leaves, etc.  Remember, there is a difference between the person
administrating, the person rooting, and the person seeding the
tree. 4) The tree administrator is not the only person with
responsibilities; as Lee said, everyone on the tree is
responsible for his sections, and may at some point be asked to
help out with stragglers, orphans, and late comers; there is no
pressure, but there will be requests.  5) If you have a great
tape(s) but not the experience, time, understanding, or interets
to run a tree, you could ROOT your tapes to someone who IS ready
to run the tree.  Just post a note to the net (mail to
phish@phish.net) with the subject "Need Adm for <date> tree".
- ----------------------------------------------------------
D-4: TAPELIST: what is it? what's in it? do i need one?
     A tapelist gives relevant info about boots you have.
     A tapelist is useful for two reasons: to let you keep up
with what you have (which assumes that you have more than a
handful of boots) & to make it easier to let others see what you
have (which assumes that you might one day be interested in
trading for other tapes.)  That is, even if you dont think one of
these items is useful to have on your list, you ought to at least
be able to give the relevant info on any particular tape.
     There is no consensus on form, order, or meaning (esp
generation determination); Ellis tried very hard to find one.
BTW, number gens how you want & be prepared to explain your
standarization; there is no *right* answer.  But, important info
for each tape might include any or all of the following:
band/performer [mostly phish, of course:)], date, set(s), venue,
location of venue, source (FM broadcast, audience, soundboard,
monitor feed, suzy-Q, studio, board remix), generation (you
define!), whether the original was digital, whether your copy is
on metal, whether your copy has been dolby-ized, some form of
grading (try A, B, C; + or - for hiss & noise; try to be strict,
it'll come to you), & any other comments (eg first Harpua, only
show with Sofie Diloff, etc).
    A note on subjectivity: There is a difference between tape
quality and performance quality. You may want two systems, both
numbered, both lettered, one letters and the other suffixes
(+,-,=,*,etc) or whatever works for you. Just be sure that you
know what it is and that you can decipher it for anyone who asks.
- -----------------------------------------------------
D-4B: What is a trade?
You dub a tape & pay for postage; someone else does the same.
(or, you might just send blanks; see D4 and D4C). The two of you
discuss quality, length, choices, whatever you want beforehand, &
mail to each other.  This is the way that most tapes get spread
out across the globe, though most tapes made are probably the
dubs off of trades.  One netter who currently has 160hrs, for
instance, got 140 of those hours by net trade.
> From: Pat Loughery <patlo@microsoft.com> Sep 23 21:09:37 EDT
1993
    answers inserted by Ellis of Lemuria
> What's the best way to go about setting up trades with other
> net.phish heads?
    talk to them on email or meet them at shows. you can grovel
or respond to discussion of tapes (but see below), but you can
also just talk with folks about their favorite songs and versions
and shows, on email or irc or the phone or in lots at shows, and
eventually you'll run into the knowledge of someone's having
something you want. thats much better than just copying
everything you can get your hands on.
> I've arranged a half-dozen or so trades mostly by responding to
> posted grovels, but how do the "old-timers" in this group to
about it?
    many people have known each other for months or even years
through the net and just get in contact every now and then to
trade lists again. keep track of with whom you trade and check in
with them again in 4, 6, or 8 months. Youll be surprised!
> Do you just pick out somebody at random and send them mail
> soliciting a trade?  That seems almost rude, but how do you
> run into more experienced folks with big tapelists other than
> through pure chance?  Picking up specific shows seems as easy
> as waiting for somebody to mention that they have it, or
> posting a specific request, but what if I just want more live
> Phish in general?
    You can just send a request for that show if you want, but if
it's old, very recent, rare, or good quality... actually, with
just about any tape given the current size of the net, there are
bound to be many others doing the same thing.  If every mention
of a tape gets mail responses of 30 requests for that tape, the
net is going to see a HUGE loss of discussions of tapes people
have. That is, if netiquette cant keep up with growth of the net,
the net is going to experience some qualitative losses.
    If you do it, make an offer in your first mailing, rather
than a general "can I have it" question. Send your list with a
few suggestions at the top; dont just suggest something, cause if
the person has it, he may ignore your request. Dont expect an
answer immediately, and BY ALL MEANS dont hound for an answer;
even that takes time. It may not happen the same day or week; may
take two weeks, but after that you should try again or forget it.
    If you're looking for folks with big lists, try checking the
archive (see A-4 and A-5) for the collection of lists. Also,
watch for beginners' tape offers (see below)
- ------------------------------------------------
D-4C: How can a beginner get tapes?
Sometimes, it seems hard to get something from nothing, but
you've got a few things going for you. First of all, the
generosity of folks on the net.  Watch the net for periodic
"beginner tape offers" and "reverse tape grovels." Details
relevant to each are usually explained with the posting. It might
involve trading, but will probable just require you to send money
or blanks and postage. There's also the possibility to be a leaf
on a tree even if you dont have tapes; in fact, that's a great
place to be on a tree!
And, hey! If you have many tapes (over 50? 100!? 200!?!) post a
message and offer this service to the first five, ten, or fifteen
folks that respond. Have them send you blanks and tape some of
your best for them! You'll be glad you did!
If you want to be "adopted", ie paired up with someone who
already has some tapes and is willing to dub for anyone that
wants to send blanks, put your name on the adopt-a-phreak list by
maiing BJ at bdavella@student.princeton.edu
- -------------------------------------------------------
end rec.music.phish part 5 (of 6): section d: tape questions
editor: ellis of lemuria: jeg5s@virginia.edu
keep smiling, gliding, and riding that train!
*******   PHISH.NET FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS 
**********   SECTION D: TAPE QUESTIONS 
TOPICS: levels, dual decks, cleaning, azimuth, and dolby
- -------------------------------------------------------
In general netiquette trading terms, the following seem
standards, or at least safe bases for order: Mail cassette cases
unless you've agreed otherwise. Don't use dolby unless you've
agreed otherwise (since it cant be undone). Write on the back of
the cassette labels slip unless you've mentioned or asked about
writing on the J-cards. Knock out tabs after recording.  And
REUSE YOUR MAILING ENVELOPES!! Them suckers take up landfill
space like... well... something voluminous!
- -------------------------------------------------------
E-1: DUBBING: how should I set my deck levels when copying tapes?
From: ALEK GRABINSKI <AGRABINSKI@sc9.intel.com> 1993May3
     If you are going to do ONE thing right, you will set the
record levels properly!  This means PEAKS at the appropriate
level (for Type II tapes, between 0 & +3 dB; for metal, around +6
dB).  The rest of the music will follow (ie, generally the sound
runs between -4 & 0 dB & peaks a little above 0 dB on a properly
recorded Type II tape).  Tape quality has improved over the past
five years to the point where a tape will be able to handle a
little more than +3, but don't make this a rule. When setting
levels, find a 'loud' part of a 'loud' song & use that to
determine peaks.  By a 'loud' part I don't necessarily mean
something like the beginning chords of BBFCFM as much as I do a
portion of the song where everyone is playing fully - heavy bass,
low drums, power chords on guitar & keys.  The finale to Bowie is
good, or the chorus to Possum.
     Keep the levels consistent throughout both sides of the
tape.  Don't try to remaster your tapes by changing levels on the
fly.
     Break out the tabs when you're done with each side. This
lets you know that you've finished that side, & it prevents the
recipient from accidentally erasing the tape you made them.  IT'S
A LOT EASIER TO UNINTENTIONALLY ERASE A TAPE THAN IT IS TO
INTENTIONALLY UNERASE IT!!! ...these few tips should help make
the world safer for good-sounding music. Alek
Edwin <1993May4> says there are no rules:
     I've seen the subject of setting levels come up a couple of
times. From my experience as an owner of several different decks
& as an erstwhile studio engineer I've learned that for analog
cassette decks there are no rules. Sony D5's have to be hit very
hard so that the peak light is almost always on, while my
portable Marantz PMD 250 is sensitive to the point that +2
saturated. I run the JVC decks at Wellspring Sound at between +8
& +10 with no distortion. Unless I record at +7 on my Nak it
sounds quiet on other machines. Newer tapes can certainly handle
a lot more level. The bottom line is that every responsible taper
needs to take the tape of his/her choice & record at successively
hotter levels until audible distortion occurs, then back off 2db
& note the level. This level will be different for different tape
types. And don't forget to clean with Intraclean & Demagnitize
with a Handi-Mag on a regular basis. 
     ...Finally...a good cheap mic with nice highs, stereo image
but a little bass shy is the Audio Technica ATR 25 Stereo Mic. It
sounds very good & is only about $75.
From: Lee Silverman <Lee_Silverman@Brown.edu> 1993Aug4
        Setting levels is a somewhat complex issue, and basically
depends on your tape decks and the kind of tape that you are
using.  First note that if you have a dubbing deck, it probably
doesn't matter how you set the record levels when the deck is set
to dubbing mode.  Dubbing decks are designed to make exact copies
of tapes, hence the "record level" knob is usually disabled in
dubbing mode.  To test this, try dubbing a sample tape.  Let it
record for thirty seconds, then turn the record level knob to
zero, wait 15 seconds, and then set the record levels to 10 (or
11, if you have it B-) ) for 15 seconds.  Stop the tape, go back,
and listen to the copy.  If the levels change, then you need to
worry about setting them correctly.  If they don't, you should
probably read this anyway, but remember that there's nothing that
you can do about the levels on the copy.
        As Edwin pointed out, many tape decks display tape levels
differently.  A tape in my Sony deck shows peaks at 0 to +2 db,
while on my JVC the same peaks register at +4 to +6 db. So there
is often no good way to say "set the levels so that the peaks are
at x db" and have it work for everyone.  However,
almost all single-well decks have dolby and hence should have a
dolby "double-D" [)(] symbol somewere on the record levels meter
(some decks, like the JVC, have some other indicator that takes
the place of the double-D).  I'm not positive, but I think Dolby
Labs requires some indicator on decks with dolby. In any case,
the location of this point on the levels meter can be used as a
reference zero db value.  On my Sony deck, as with many other
brands, the double-D coincides with zero on the record level
meter.  On my JVC, it's at +4, which explains why the peaks on
the JVC register about 4 Db higher than on the Sony.
        The reason for this is that the Db values shown on the
meter actually indicate the signal strength *relative* to a
certain reference value that can differ between tape decks.
That's why Db on the meter are written as +5 or -10; they
indicate that the signal is that much louder or quieter than the
reference value.  When the Dolby double-D coincides with zero on
the meter, it means that the company that made the tape deck has
adopted Dolby Labs' reference value.
        So why is setting the levels on your tape deck so
important?  Just to demonstrate to yourself what can happen if
the levels are set incorrectly, turn your record level knob to 10
and record a loud song, so that the peaks are way above what they
should be. (Peaks at +8 or +10 should suffice.)  Then listen to
the tape (at lower volume) and you'll probably cringe.  The
broken, distored, almost grinding sound that you hear is
distinctive of saturation, and it is the result of putting too
much "energy" on the tape (speaking loosely).  A magnetic tape
can only handle a signal below certain strength, and above that
strength saturation occurs.  Further, the amount of "energy" that
a tape can handle depends on the type of tape. Certain high-grade
metal tapes such as the Maxell Vertex can handle higher signal
strength than an average metal tape, which can handle more than a
Chrome Oxide (CrO2) tape, which can handle more than a Normal
(Iron Oxide - Fe2O3?) tape.  This complicates matters for people
with dubbing decks who want to record from a metal tape to a CrO2
tape.  If the peaks on the metal tape are +6 relative to the
dolby standard, for example, and you use a dubbing deck to record
to a CrO2 tape, the deck will try to record those peaks at +6 on
the CrO2 tape and it will probably saturate.  There is nothing
you can do to alleviate this problem, because the dubbing deck
won't allow you to reduce the levels.  The best advice for people
with dubbing decks is to always dub from metal to metal, and CrO2
to CrO2 or Metal, or Normal to all three.  Don't try to go
down-grade the tape, or the copy may be saturated.
        Now set the record level knob to about 1 or 2, and record
the same piece again, and see what happens.  When you play it
back, you'll notice that the hiss on the tape is very loud
compared to the music.  That's because all analog tape decks, no
matter how good, add hiss at between -50 db and -40 db to a tape,
every time you record.  If you record a signal that is at the
reference volume (0 db) and the tape deck adds -50 db of hiss to
it, the signal is 10^5 (100,000) times as loud as the hiss.
However, if you record the signal at -20 db, and the hiss goes on
at -50 db, the signal is only 10^3 (1000) times as loud as the
signal.  The hiss has effectively become 100 times louder,
because the signal is that much quieter.  The ratio of the level
of the signal to the level of the hiss is called the Signal to
Noise ratio, and is usually abreviated S/N.
        When setting the levels on your tape deck, the idea is to
get the signal as loud as possible to reduce the amount hiss
relative to the signal, but not to saturate the tape.  A
complicating factor is that lower frequency sound (bass) has more
"energy" than high frequency sound (cymbals, guitar solos, etc),
and so is likely to saturate the tape at a lower volume. Even
further, a tape starts to lose its high-frequency response as it
gets near the saturation level.  The ideal response of a tape is
20 Hz to 20,000 Hz; near the saturation point it can be as low as
20 Hz to 10,000 Hz (see the response curves that come with some
tapes and/or tape decks for details).  This means that you miss
the high end when the music is loud, which is just when you want
to hear it.
        After all that information, I actually have very little
advice to give about how to set record levels, and it comes only
in the form of the guidelines that I use myself.  First, find the
dolby double-D on your deck's record level meter; I'll call that
level zero, so we're all working with the same standard.  For a
Normal (type I) tape, never exceed zero; set the levels so that
the peaks barely reach it, if at all.  For a CrO2 tape (type II),
it is safe to let the peaks go a little (+2 db) above zero and
you won't get any saturation, but I usually set the peaks so that
they hit at about zero, to get
better high-end response.  On a metal tape (type IV), you can let
the peaks go substantially above zero.  I set mine to go to +4;
some will say +6 is OK too; this number often depends on the
brand of metal tape you use.  I prefer to keep them a little
lower than the max to take advantage of metal tapes' improved
high-end response, but other people simply hate hiss, and think
that adding hiss degrades a tape more than losing a little
high-end, which the hiss might mask anyway, so they'll record the
tape louder.  It's up to you.  Experiment a little to get a feel
for what works with different brands of tape; TDK tapes will
differ from Maxell tapes, which will differ from Sony tapes,
which will differ from other tapes.  Finally, note that on the
JVC, the reference zero value changes for different types of
tapes (metal, CrO2, etc).  While this is a good idea for a number
of reasons that I won't explain, it screws up previous discussion
at the end of this section.  Hence, when I talk about a reference
zero level for a deck where the reference changes, use the
reference for CrO2 tapes.
         As a parting note, I must second Alek's statement that
setting the levels correctly when recording a tape is one of the
most important things you can do when making a copy for someone.
I have many tapes where the sound quality is *EXCELLENT* until
the band starts playing loudly, and then it sounds like grunge,
because someone above me set their levels too high.  Likewise, I
have many tapes with an enormous amount of hiss, because someone
above me set the levels too low and a person down the line from
them had to set the levels extra high in order to hear the music
at all.  The bottom line is this: if you screw up a tape for
someone, you screw it up for everyone that that person might want
to give the tape to, and everyone that they might want to give
the tape to.  We all share this music, and it's our
responsibility to take a little extra time to do things right,
rather than to be lazy and screw our friends.
        Set the record levels for the high gear of your soul;
you've got to tape like an antelope - Out of control!  -Lee 
- ------------------------------------------------------
D-2: DUBBING: dual decks, cleaning, and azimuths
In PD#375, Tilden White <tilden@mickey.eng.gulfaero.com> asks:
|I realize that high speed dubbing is no good, but I've always
thought that in order to make a copy of a tape, you need to use a
dual deck.  What's a good or the best way to dub a tape (that is
if dubbing = make a copy.)?
Alek Grabinski <Alek_Grabinski@ccm.hf.intel.com> answers:
Subject: How to dub
Date: Wed Oct 06 18:06:37 EDT 1993
The best way to make an analog dub is to take two high-quality
cassette decks (at least one of which is a 3-head deck), and run
the Tape Out from the source deck directly into the Rec In of the
record deck.  This eliminates noise added by other components
(like the amp/receiver).  Then set the bias for the record tape,
set the levels, record about a minute of the tape while you are
listening to the recording (NOT the master, hence the need for a
3-head deck), listening for distortion, make fine adjustments to
levels, bias, and balance, stop the tapes, queue the master to 5
seconds before where you WISH it had started (no point in dubbing
90-second lead-ins), and start recording.  Clean the heads of
both decks every 10 hours, demagnetize every 20. Repeat ad
nauseum.
This assumes that you have two cassette decks, which is not
necessarily a good assumption for a lot of people.
Jeff Maggard <maggard@subpac.enet.dec.com> responds:
Subject: Re: How to dub -- AZIMUTH ADJUSTMENT!
Date: Thu Oct 07 17:56:52 EDT 1993
What Alek didn't mention were two things that a serious taper
should  consider:  
1) less important, but still necessary:  get the deck 'tuned' up
every 100-300 hours or every year.  How does one get a deck
tuned?  Will any audio store do this?  Take it to someone you
trust to do a good job.  Most audiophile-type hi-fi stores will
do a better job than some cheez-o-matic garage-operations, IMO
...but your mileage will vary.  Things to have them do at
minimum:  1) calibrate the meters on playback and record 2)
calibrate the transport speed(s) 3) calibrate the bias to the
tapes you use most often 4) clean and demagnetize 5) set the
head-azimuth to 'zero' 6) check  the performance of the analog
sections -- capacitors can get leaky after a couple years!  This
will cost approximately $50-$100, depending on the brand of deck,
how cash-starved the recession-struck hi-fi shop is, and how much
work your deck needs... ;-)
2) Probably the single most important "trick" to making good
tapes is to make sure the azimuth on the playback head matches
the azimuth on the playback tape, especially if someone else's
deck recorded that tape.  There is a small azimuth adjustment
screw on one side of the head that adjusts the angle of the head
w/r/t the tape (that angle-relationship is called the
head-azimuth, in case you didn't figure that out yet ;-).  A very
few expensive decks like the Nak CR-7A can adjust azimuth via a
manual knob or automatically on the fly... ...and don't confuse
this feature with the 'playback trim' feature on some NAD
equipment (eg 6300), because that 'trim' knob is just a fancy EQ
curve control, which IMtechnicalO is a cheap shortcut that
doesn't solve the real problem!  Decks like the CR-7A can cost
more than $1000 new, so consider moving to DAT if you can afford
to be that lazy ;-)
Mis-adjusted azimuth can do a number of things including:  1)
give you poor frequency response and/or muffled sound if you use
Dolby NR.  2) cause the music to be out of phase, which can kill
the stereo image 3) decrease the overall S/N ratio...
[disclaimer:  The following suggestions may be errant, even
though they're not intended to be.  I can't be responsible for
what you do to your tape deck(s), ...whether my information is
good or not... ...so don't do anything that might damage your
deck!]
Anyway, if you pop in a commercially recorded tape (one of the
newer-higher-quality ones), and turn the azimuth-adjust-screw (a
small spring-loaded screw on the side of the head assembly), you
can hear big-time changes in the high-frequency response of the
sound.  In general, most commercially recorded tapes will be
recorded with something close to 'proper' azimuth... ...but to do
the job properly, have a properly-trained technician at a hi-fi
do it for you.
When the azimuth is set properly, both tape-hiss and
high-frequency response will increase together, so you don't
necessarily hear any DRASTIC improvements in the S/N, but if
you're using Dolby B/C NR, it can make the difference between a
clear playback and a VERY MUFFLED playback.  That difference is
quite obvious, and is the sole cause of dolby-induced
generational signal degradation in my experience. 
With _ANY_ tape recorded on someone elses deck, there will ALWAYS
be a finite amount of azimuth adjustment necessary for optimal
playback on your deck -- no 2 decks can be 'perfectly' aligned --
and it's better to play back the tape with the same azimuth that
it was recorded with, whether it's 'properly adjusted for zero
azimuth' or not.
If you deliberately (or not deliberately) mis-align the azimuth
and record a tape, that signal on the tape will be recorded with
that particular azimuth, and in order to maximize the sound
quality on playback, you need to have the azimuth the same as it
was during recording.  
WARNING:
    *** USE A PLASTIC SCREWDRIVER WHEN PERFORMING THE FOLLOWING
ADJUSTMENTS!!!!!  
    *** NEVER GET ANYTHING METAL OR MAGNETIC NEAR THE HEAD(S) OF
YOUR TAPEDECK!!!!
    *** Electrostatic discharge can damage the delicate circuits
in and around your tape deck.  Make sure you are properly
grounded to the deck before dorking with it.  If you don't
understand what this means, then you shouldn't be dorkin' with it
in the first place!
You can do this experiment with your dubbing deck:
    1) Clean both transports and de-mag both heads.
    2) Set the azimuth on your record head to any arbitrary angle
and record from a CD onto a tape.  You can also use FM radio
noise if you like listening to hiss.  You will probably have to
remove the door on the cassette deck in order to do this.  Most
decks allow this -- and don't blame me if yours doesn't and you
break your deck!
    3) Play back the tape (with the same head/well) and compare
it with the CD.  It _should_ sound the same... or at least be
pretty damn close!
    4) Now, deliberately mis-adjust the azimuth on the same head
and play back again and compare with the CD.  You should be able
to hear quite a difference.
    5) Now, playing back the same tape recorded in (2), turn the
azimuth adjust screw until you get the 'best' sound -- typically,
the high-frequencies will be the loudest, and most-similar to the
CD, as it was in (3).
    6) You've just passed "Azimuth 101" with flying colors! 8-)
    7) Azimuth 102 is basically the same adjustment, only made on
a tape that someone else has sent you and with your playback deck
instead of your record deck.
    8) Your goal is to get the 'best' sound out of that tape so
the folks you trade with will get a clone that is MOST-SIMILAR to
the quality of the tape that you received.
    9) If you can't set the azimuth on your record deck so that
the head is perfectly parallel to the tape, then you should set
the azimuth of your record deck to a 'standard.'  The low-budget
way to do this is to use a commercially-recorded tape.  I use
Junta for my deck......the cymbals in Divided Sky and David Bowie
make for easier calibration.
   10) So basically, what you will do is reset the azimuth on
your record deck to a standard such as a commercially available
tape like Junta  -- better yet, take it to a hi-fi shop and have
them set it PROPERLY; and to set the azimuth on your playback
deck to match that which was used to record the source tape.
There you have it.  My "10 Easy Steps to a Better Recording!"
courses on azimuth adjustment.  You'll get the best results if
you have a properly tuned and cleaned/demag'd deck, set bias,
levels, etc. and you adjust the azimuth on the playback deck to
match that on the tape you're playing back...  The only real way
to improve the sound beyond keeping your equipment clean,
in-tune, and aligned is to blow the big bux on DAT equipment. ;-)
ps - SUPPORT TERRAPIN TAPES!  800 677 8650.
- ------------------------------------------------------
D-3:  DOLBY? DBX? what are they? (3 posts; some debate)
>From ljs@cs.brown.edu  1993May7
        I don't have time for a really intricate response.  dbx,
as you know, is a less common feature in tape decks but can be
done on an outboard encoder/decoder.  Basically, dbx compresses a
"~22Khz" signal into something significantly less than that &
puts that on the tape, so that noise at the high end doesn't
affect the quality of the tape. For example, if you have a 16KHz
tone at -10Db, it records a 10Khz tone at some other volume (no,
these numbers are not accurate), probably less than -10Db.  When
you record this "compressed" signal on your tape deck, the deck
adds noise to it, but it adds a lot more noise above ~15Khz than
below, so frequencies recorded about 15Khz tend to be noisier.
But dbx mapped your 16Khz frequency down to 10Khz, so the tape
deck adds much less noise to that signal.  When dbx goes to
decode the signal, it takes the 10Khz signal that it recorded
before & creates a 16Khz signal, probably a little louder than
- -10db because of the noise added at 10Khz on your tape deck, but
not anything that you would notice without an oscilloscope.  The
advantage to this system is that you can buy a ~$200 dbx encoder
& a ~$200 tape deck & get MUCH better sound than you could from a
$400 tape deck.  The disadvantage is that you can't play the
tapes in your car, & it's tough to find people who trade/use dbx.
 S/N ratio: 90db (rumored).  (BTW, I'm guessing at most of this,
based on what little I know of dbx.  Can someone clarify/correct
me?)
        Dolby B/C boost the high end of your signal before they
put the signal onto the tape, & cut it as it comes off, so that
the net result is that noise added to the already increased high
end is cut. For example, let's say you have a 16Khz tone at
- -10db.  You record it with no dolby, & your machine adds -40db of
noise.  When you play it back, you have a -10db tone with -40db
hiss in the background.  If you record it Dolby B, the -10Khz
tone is boosted up to 0Db.  The tape deck adds -40 db of noise,
as before.  But on playback, Dolby B cuts the signals, so your
tone goes back to being its original -10db but the noise is cut
to -50Db instead of being -40Db, & -50 Db is 10 times quieter
than -40db.  No guarantees that that description is exactly
correct, but the ideas are correct.  The effective S/N ratio is
about 50Db for dolby B, 60Db for Dolby C.  Many tape deck
manufacturers say that the ratios are 60 & 70 or something like
that, but for real music I don't buy it, & particularly if you're
copying a tape that's several generations old.
        Both dolby B & Dolby C are dynamic; they add & cut based
on the existing signal stength & frequency, & never push a signal
past 0db, to avoid saturation distortion.  Dolby S also does
essentially the same thing with the entire frequency spectrum.
        Dolby B is pretty insensitive to tape-deck parameters, so
you can use it between decks.  If you have *really* good ears you
may hear some pumping that'll be a little disconcerting.  Dolby C
is MUCH more sensitive to tape deck parameters such as head
alignment, bias adjustment, signal pickup, etc, etc, so that you
can definetly tell when a dolby C tape is played on a tape deck
that it wasn't recorded on.  Hence, use dolby C for your own
tapes only, & dolby B for trading.
        You can record a tape in dolby B & C & play it back
without dolby, & often it sounds fine, or maybe a little hissy or
tinny.  That's because the signal itself hasn't really been
changed, but the volume.  Thus, you can play a dolby tape in your
car stereo. With dbx, the tape sounds like your tape deck's motor
is having a major fit; you can't listen to a dbx tape without
decoding it.  That's the reason why dbx never became very
popular.
        Hope that's a reasonable summary of the differences. I
know more about dolby than about dbx, so somebody please correct
me or expand on what I've said if you think I'm wrong or unclear.
Lee
From: Edwin Hurwitz <76420.1676@compuserve.com> 1993May8
Lee Silverman...has some things confused. Both (dolby & dbx) are
compression formats that deal with decibels (db) not kilohertz
(khz). dbx is full bandwidth compression & results in a peculiar
sound when unencoded & dolby B & C are partial bandwidth , that
is, the high end which is why it sounds like the treble is
cranked. If you don't have dolby B on playback you can just
reduce the treble control. Of course there is a large contingent
of pholks who like it with dolby encoded but left out on playback
for that extra crispness. If you have more questions, you know
where to find me.......Edwin
From: Bill Press <press@lip.wustl.edu> 1993May8
| Both are compression formats that deal with decibels (db)
| not kilohertz (khz).
Although I did miss Lee's description, the above statement is not
quite right (with all due respect, which is alot ;). Decibels
refer to the magnitude (volume) of the signal, & kilohertz refers
to the frequency. The two are not mutually exclusive. In fact,
one can't describe a particular signal without including both
measures. Dolby takes a certain range of frequencies (coincident
with hiss noise) & boosts their intensity (decibels) before
writing them to tape. This constitutes the encoded signal. Note
that there is no compression involved here... the signal that's
coincident with noise is being boosted, that's all. As the noise
is relatively high frequency, playing back a dolby encoded tape
with out decoding gives you a boosted treble. Decoding is merely
lowering the intensity of the appropriate frequencies of the
signal. Dbx, on the other hand, is a data compression scheme. It
reorganizes the signal so that none of it is coincident with the
tape hiss. The signal is then restored upon playback, while the
hiss is left unplayed. Loosely speaking, Bill
- --------------------------------------------------------------
E-4: PATCHING IN etiquette (not answered yet)
We need input from tapers (to jeg5s@virginia.edu) to construct an
answer to this.  I realize that there are enormous demands, and
far too little thanks, laid at the feet of tapers, but I also
realize that many of them, at one time or another, have only been
able to patch in. So... what's ok?
From: Pat Loughery <patlo@microsoft.com>
Date: Thu Sep 23 21:09:37 EDT 1993
I'm considering the purchase of a DAT deck to tape at Phish and
other shows, now that I've realized how fun it is to have live
music around the house.  What's the etiquette involved in
patching into somebody else's deck who has a better setup than
you?  Or into a soundboard?  Is it considered appropriate only to
patch into somebody that you know, or can you just go up to a
random taper or soundboard guy and ask him/her if you can patch
into his stuff?
- --------------------------------------------------------------
E-5: DCC and DAT, compared and considered
From: jxr1092@ritvax.isc.rit.edu (Jens Rodenberg)
Subject: Re: New DAT Format Question
Date: Mon Oct 11 14:49:11 EDT 1993
SBGOND@BNLDAG.AGS.BNL.GOV (JOHN-SONDERICKER) writes:
>       Hey has anybody used or bought the new digital tape
> format type decks?  [some text deleted...]  Does this deck
> sound as good as a DAT?
I think it may be time for a new FAQ entry... :-)
Both DCC (Digital Compact Cassette by Philips) and MD (Mini Disc
by Sony)  use a lossy compression method.  Not all of the
original signal will be retained when making copies onto DCC or
MD.  Whether or not it is audibly noticeable may depend on many
things, such as the compression and decompression algorithms, the
audio equipment, or the listener.  The music is also likely to
deteriorate as it goes through multiple generations.  For a
digital format, I believe that this is totally unacceptable.
Quality of good music should not be sacrificed when not
necessary.  At the moment, DAT is the only format (besides PCM
which is somewhat obsolete now) that allows accurate digital
reproduction at a reasonable price, and I recommend DAT over DCC
or MD.  The prices of DAT decks and tapes are generally
comparable or cheaper than DCC or MD, and either (or both) DCC or
MD will probably die out soon.  As Philips has recently said in a
DCC ad: "Your music will never be the same!"  I couldn't have
said that better myself!  Go DAT!!! 
>Are DAT decks soon to be a thing of the past?
Soon?  No- DAT is entrenched in the professional and high-end
consumer market.  Eventually?  Yes- once mass storage technology
drastically improves.  That should take a while though, so don't
put off buying a DAT deck waiting for that...         Jens
- --------------------------------------------------------------
