Digitalsoundboard.net

Yes. We offer a secure shopping envrionment. All credit card transactions are verified . DigitalSoundboard employs 128-bit encryption in the data transfer of your information for transaction approval.

DigitalSoundboard.net does not fit on my screen. What gives?

DigitalSoundboard was designed for 1024 x 760 or better screen resolution. If your resolution is set for 800 x 600 Windows users can change screen resolution by going to Start>Settings>Control Panel>Display>Settings to make the change.

I am using my AOL browser and the downloads are not working

DigitalSoundboard downloads may not work with the AOL browser. You will need to conduct the download function in Internet Explorer, Netscape, Opera, Mozilla, or pretty much any other browser out there except AOL. It seems the AOL browser chokes on large file downloads like the ones offered here.

I walked away from my computer for a half hour and when I came back MySoundboard was empty. Where did my download links go?

DigitalSoundboard will time out idle sessions after thirty minutes. If you are away from the site for more than thirty minutes you will need to Login again.

What is FLAC?

FLAC stands for Free Lossless Audio Codec. Employing FLAC is similar to Zipping a file, but lossless, meaning that audio is compressed in FLAC without throwing away any information. This is similar to how Zip works, except with FLAC you will get much better compression because it is designed specifically for audio, and you can play back compressed FLAC files in your favorite player (or your car or home stereo, see links to the right for supported devices) just like you would an MP3 file.

FLAC, like Zipped files, does require a tool, or frontend to uncompress the files. You will need to download the FLAC frontend to work with this file type. See

FLAC is freely available and supported on most operating systems, including Windows, "Unix" (Linux, *BSD, Solaris, OS X, IRIX), BeOS, OS/2, and Amiga. There are build systems for autotools, MSVC, Watcom C, and Project Builder.

Click here for the FLAC Frontend

Why is Digital Soundboard using FLAC instead of Shorten or SHN?

When we say that FLAC is "Free" it means more than just that it is available at no cost. It means that the specification of the format is fully open to the public to be used for any purpose (the FLAC project reserves the right to set the FLAC specification and certify compliance), and that neither the FLAC format nor any of the implemented encoding/decoding methods are covered by any known patent. It also means that all the source code is available under open-source licenses. It is the first truly open and free lossless audio format.

We contacted the developers of Shorten (SHN) to inquire about license fees for commercial use, and they were not interested in talking to us. So...FLAC it is.

How do I download the show I purchased?

Each show is available for download by song. New users of the DigitalSoundboard service must register with us. Once registered, you will be able to login to the site with the username and password you provided us. From there, you select the artist and specific show(s) you want to purchase. After you have purchased a show, go to the MySoundboard page (link on top navigation bar) and click the DOWNLOAD button. Make sure you have enough free drive space to download the shows you have purchased. One entire show in MP3 is typically 160MB and one FLAC show is usually 900MB.

WINDOWS USERS:

1. DOWNLOAD: You may download songs individually clicking on the [Download] button to the right of the song title.
2. Select the "Save" option from the popup menu.
3. Select a folder to save the file into and click the SAVE button. Please make sure you have enough free drive space to save the entire show.
4. Repeat for each song.
5. The Download Manager will automatically start downloading the your files.
6. If you have any problems, please contact .

MAC USERS (OS X Only):

1. You may download songs individually clicking on the [Download] button to the right of the song title.
2. Select the "Save" option from the popup menu.
3. Choose a location on your hard drive to save the file and click Save. Please make sure you have enough free drive space for the entire show.
4. Repeat this process for each song.
5. If you have any problems, please contact customer service.

Please note: if you experience problems downloading particular tracks from a given show, you may return to download those tracks again. If you continue to have problems downloading some or all tracks from a particular show, please contact customer service rather than attempting repeated downloads. Every download attempt (whether successful or not) adds significantly to the operational costs of DigitalSoundboard.net, especially in the case of FLAC files.

How long do I have to complete my downloads?

72 hours

How do I burn FLAC files to CD?

WINDOWS USERS:
1. Make sure you have the proper FLAC software.
2. Decompress your downloaded FLAC files to WAV following the instructions for your FLAC software.
3. Open the expanded WAV files in your CD burning software and burn your CDs according to the instructions for your CD burning software.

MAC USERS (OS X Only):
1. Make sure you have the proper FLAC software.
2. First you must expand your downloaded FLAC files to WAV format (not AIFF).
3. Launch "MacFLAC." NOTE: If this is the first time that you have used Shorten for Macintosh, you MUST select the option to "Expand to WAV" and not AIFF.
4. Drag your FLAC files onto MacFLAC to expand to WAV.
5. You can now preview the files before burning them to CD. Double-click on any of the WAV file icons to play them in the Quicktime player, or drag the WAV files into the iTunes library to create a quick playlist for preview purposes.
6. Finally, to burn your CDs, import the WAV files into your CD burning software in the proper order and burn your CDs according to the instructions for your CD burning software using Disc At Once (DAO) to ensure that there are no 2 second gaps between the tracks.

How do I listen to FLAC files?

WINDOWS USERS:
1. Install Winamp and the FLACAmp plugin for Winamp.
2. Drag your FLAC files onto Winamp and enjoy!
3. Our new favorite is foobar2000 v0.7.4 - special. Go to http://www.foobar200.org and download the "Special" version which supports both FLAC and OGG among many other popular audio formats.

MAC USERS:
1. There is currently no FLAC player for MacOS. You will need to convert your FLAC files to WAV.

How do I change my username or password?

Please contact customer service with your current username and the new username you'd like to change to. Be sure to indicate if you would also like to change your password.

General

What are DigitalSoundboard downloads?

DigitalSoundboard downloads are soundboard or soundboard quality recordings, or studio recordings provided to us by our Artist partners. Live event recordings typically feature complete, relatively unedited, mastered shows from the Artists' recent performances and/or their extensive archives. The download distribution is a natural evolution for the serious collector and the new fan alike, offering an opportunity to listen not only to older shows, but to shows from a current tour very soon after they've happened, recorded directly from the soundboard.

What's included with the purchase?

After completing the purchase process you may download the entire show in the format you've chosen. The download links will appear on your 'MySoundboard' page. Individual tracks or sets are not available as separate purchases —you may only purchase shows or studio recordings in their entirety. For those who wish to burn the shows to CD, we have created printable PDF files for the CD labels, booklet and tray liner. You'll need to use the free Adobe Acrobat Reader 5.0 or later to print the files . The color files are printable on ink-jet and laser printers, and use NEATO templates, available from many online stores or directly from Neato.

What's the difference between MP3 and FLAC formats?

MP3 files are the standard format, and FLAC files are the premium format. With both MP3 and FLAC files you can continue to use your favorite audio applications and CD burning software. For a list of recommended software, look here. The standard MP3 files, encoded at 128 kbps (near-CD quality) are easy to download, easy to burn to CD, easy to transfer to portable players and sound great. However, MP3 files are compressed and therefore may not sound quite as good as the original source recording to a critical ear. MP3 files are versatile enough to use on both your computer and home stereo system. Many portable players that play digital music files can only play MP3 files. For fans who desire higher fidelity, we also offer a premium format. FLAC is a "lossless" compression which means that the source audio file is compressed, but without sacrificing any of the audio information contained in the master recording. An extracted FLAC file sounds identical to the original source (16 bit stereo / 44.1 kHz, ). The hi-fi FLAC files are much larger files and will take longer to download. These files are for audiophiles who want the best sound quality. FLAC files must be extracted (uncompressed) to WAV files to burn CDs or to listen to the files, although you may listen to FLAC files with a special plug-in for Winamp (PC). Be sure to check compatibility with your favorite software or portable player.

Why are FLAC files more expensive than MP3?

FLAC downloads are more expensive because they use a greater amount of available bandwidth. Simple economics. A show compressed in FLAC can be six or more times the size of a show in MP3.

What is the advantage of paid download over audience recordings?

The primary advantages of DigitalSoundboard downloads over audience recordings are: pristine soundboard quality, faster and more reliable downloading. In most cases, performances will be available for download within forty-eight to seventy-two hours. Each show is carefully indexed and comes with related cover art, tray inlays and CD labels. The files are served by a robust delivery network capable of serving hundreds of simultaneous downloads, ensuring the fastest and most reliable download experience for the user. We also offer customer service via email to help sort out any problems that may arise during the download process. DigitalSoundboard Downloads offers an alternative, convenient route to obtaining live recordings and is in no way intended to supplant or undermine our partner Artists' current taping policy.

How does DigitalSoundboard downloads affect your partner Artists' taping policy?

For the most part, each of the Artists' taping policies remain unchanged. If you are a taper, we recommend that you check with the band's website to review their current taping policies. Needless to say, if in the past you enjoyed board access at live shows, and the band is partnered with DigitalSoundboard, that policy has most likely changed.

I'm stuck with 1990's connectivity. Do I need a DSL or a cable modem?

It aint 1995 anymore. Get on the broadband bus already. You can download shows from DigitalSoundboard.net on a dial-up modem, but it may take potentially 12 hours or more for one show in standard MP3 format. On a cable modem or DSL, it typically takes between 15 minutes to a half-hour to download a show in MP3 format.

Can I download shows I've purchased from multiple computers?

Yes, you can download a show from a computer other than the one you originally purchased the show on. The same username and password will be required at Login. Then proceed to MySoundboard.

Can I make copies of the DigitalSoundboard Downloads?

We do not presently apply any Digital Right Management (DRM) to the recordings offered at DigitalSoundboard. Our Artist partners rely on your concern for your own good karma. You don't want to come back as a worm, do you? We strongly suggest not posting any offerings for shows purchased here on the net. We are one of you. We belong to the same lists you do. The eyes of the world are watching. Please don't disrespect.

Example - we saw recently that a person bought *extra* copies of a Moe. live show from another type service, and was looking to trade his *extras*. If we see this going on, we will attempt to find out the source (did I mention we are active traders), and ban that person(s) from purchasing at DigitalSoundboard.

Please only copy the files you download onto CDs or other devices for personal use. Copies are strictly for your own use and you may not make additional copies for other people. Making copies of DigitalSoundboard downloads for others violates our partner Artists taping policies as well as federal and state copyright law. Sounds really harsh, we know, but so is stealing food from our partners' babies mouths. Is that dramatic enough to get the point across.

Can I get a refund?

No. For more on this subject, please read our Terms of Use.

Technical

What are the recommended system specs for enjoying DigitalSoundboard downloads?

Please note: we do not recommend downloading FLAC files on a dial-up modem. If you are on a slow connection, please purchase MP3 files instead of FLAC.

Windows
Windows 98SE, 2000, ME, XP, or later
128 MB RAM
10 GB Hard Drive (a larger hard drive is optimal)
Pentium III 750MHz or faster (or equivalent)
Cable Modem or DSL
Internet Explorer 5.5 or later, Netscape or Mozilla

Mac OS
Mac OS X or later for FLAC
128 MB RAM
10GB Hard Drive (a larger hard drive is optimal)
Cable Modem or DSL
Internet Explorer 5.1 or later

Unix/Linux

You mostly likely know what hardware you need and have to make these downloads work. You are probably trying to hack this site as I write this ;-)

How do I manage the music I've purchased?

Simply click on "MySoundboard" at any time once you've logged in and you'll be taken to a page that lists all the shows you've ever purchased. There you will see what you have downloaded and what you still need to download.

How do I burn DigitalSoundboard Downloads to CD?

General Note:

To avoid those annoying 2-second gaps between tracks on audio CDs, make sure you use the Disc-At-Once (DAO) option in your CD burning software or set number of seconds between tracks to ZERO

MP3

If you have access to a CD player that can play MP3 files, all you need to do is create a data CD of the MP3 files in the proper show order and play it in your CD player. However, many CD players can't play MP3 files from a data CD. Therefore, you will need to burn an audio CD from the MP3 files. Most CD burning software allows you to burn MP3 files as audio discs directly. Older software may require you to convert the MP3 files to .wav files manually. Make sure to burn the audio CD with the 'No Pause between tracks' checked or Disc at Once (DAO) option turned on or set number of seconds between tracks to ZERO to avoid any two second gaps between tracks on your CDs. For PC users, DigitalSoundboard recommends Nero for your CD burning needs, though plenty of good alternatives are available.

FLAC

Using the appropriate FLAC frontend software for your operating system, uncompress each of the FLAC files into WAV files. The .wav files are what you will need to burn an audio CD that can be played on most CD players. Keep in mind that not all CD burning software can burn WAV files. Be sure to check compatibility with your software. After the WAV files are extracted, burn them using the Disc-At-Once (DAO) option in your favorite CD burning application. For PC users, DigitalSoundboard.net recommends Nero for your CD burning needs, though plenty of good alternatives are available.

Troubleshooting

I CAN'T FIND MY DOWNLOAD FILES!?!?

Make sure to remember where you saved your files each time you download. If you can't remember, you can search your hard drive for files with names like "skb042002" where "042002" is the date of the show you purchased.

The show I downloaded is incomplete. Can I download again?

Yes, you may download the CD archives for the shows you've purchased again if your download was incomplete. Go to MySoundboard, then you can resume a broken download by saving into the same folder each time.

If your question has not been answered here, please email us at support@DigitalSoundboard.net for additional help.