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FAQ: rec.audio.*
Networking 2/99 (part 11 of 13)
18.0 Network Protocol
18.1 What are the audio newsgroups?
Which group should I post to?
It is important to post to the right group.
There are a few reasons for that. First, you want to be read by people who
are knowledgable and/or interested in your topic. Second, you want to
avoid the ire of people who don't have your perspective or won't tolerate
your ignorance. The audio newsgroups are frequented by a wide group of
people, including some outspoken experts who know their stuff and some
serious purists who won't consider lower levels as acceptable.
That said, here's the list of newsgroups
and an explanation of their content:
rec.audio:
The original newsgroup, which is being phased out.
rec.audio.car:
This newsgroup supports discussion on different brands and models of car
stereo, and also is an open forum for talk about car stereo installation,
speaker selection, custom crossovers, and the special noise problems which
occur in cars.
rec.audio.high-end:
This newsgroup caters to audiophiles and serious music lovers who are
interested in discussing the subtle differences between expensive
equipment, the nuances of selecting the best cables, the love and lore of
LPs, and other details of audio that are inaudible to the untrained ear.
Currently, rec.audio.high-end is the only group which is available by
e-mail. To get this group sent to you, contact: audio-request@lerc.nasa.gov
This is also the only group which is moderated. This group has
specific, enforced posting guidelines. There is no cross posting allowed
to r.a.h-e. Please read the frequently posted info on posting before
posting to r.a.h-e.
rec.audio.high-end also has a FAQ. Please obtain and read the
rec.audio.high-end FAQ before posting.
rec.audio.marketplace:
Here's the place for selling and buying equipment. This is also a good
place to discuss dealers, pricing, product sources, and models with
specific features.
rec.audio.misc:
If you don't think it fits well in any other newsgroup, post it here.
rec.audio.opinion:
Everyone has opinions. Share yours here. Not sure which is better? Ask
here. Think you hear a difference? Say it here.
rec.audio.pro:
This newsgroup is dedicated to professional audio. It includes discussion
on record production, studios, studio equipment, DJ equipment, recording
concerts, sound reinforcement, mastering, mixing, special effects, and
other topics which might apply to audio professionals. If you are a home
audio buff but like tape recording, you can find good advice here.
rec.audio.tech:
Discussion here is about audio theory, home made audio equipment,
specifications, and other technicalities.
rec.audio.tubes:
This is a group discussing tube circuits, tube equipment, and the
characteristics of vacuum tubes in general (UK translation: Valves).
alt.home-theater-misc:
Discussions of home theater, including surround sound processing,
speakers, large screen video, and media.
If the appropriate group is not
available on your server, post to rec.audio.misc.
18.2 What network mailing lists are out
there which aren't on usenet?
There is an informal group of people
interested in using DAT recorders to record "Grateful Dead"
concerts. These people call themselves "Dat-Heads" and have a
daily E-Mailing List. This is also a great resource for DAT information.
They maintain an excellent DAT FAQ with detailed information on DAT
machines and tapes. The FAQ is a bit obsolete, but still great. To
subscribe to the list, or get a copy of their faq, send a message to:
DAT-Heads-Request@fedney.near.net
Include one of the following as the body of
the message:
SUBSCRIBE
SEND FAQ
There is also a general turntable chat
mailing list. To subscribe to this list, send a message to:
analogue-addicts-request@maths.ex.ac.uk
asking to join the mailing list.
There is the bass mailing list, devoted
primarily to low frequency reproduction, although there is also much
discussion of general speaker building issues. To suscribe, send subscribe
bass <address> to
listproc@mcfeeley.cc.utexas.edu
There are two mailing lists devoted to
mini-disc related issues. To subscribe to the MD-L list, send mail to:
listserver@nstn.ca
with the following request in the body of
the message: subscribe MD-L Your Name To subscribe to the minidisc-users
list, send mail to:
minidisc-users-request@steffi.dircon.co.uk
with the word ``subscribe'' as the body of
the message.
There is a general interest audio mailing
list sponsered by "Sound Practices" magazine. To subscribe, mail
to:
sound-request@tpoint.net
with the word ``subscribe'' as the body of
the message.
There is a technical audio mailing list (hifitech)
for end users (not studio or professional). To subscribe, mail to
MAJORDOMO@LISTS.OULU.FI
As your message, type: subscribe hifitech
The SOUND list has discussion about kits,
DIY speakers, etc. To subscribe, mail to
LISTSERV@ACM.ORG
As your message, type: SUBSCRIBE SOUND
firstname lastname
RADIO-L is an electronic dicussion forum
for Digital Audio Broadcasting. To subscribe, mail to
LISTSERV@TC.UMN.EDU
As your message, type: SUBSCRIBE RADIO-L
firstname lastname RADIO-L archives are available at http://magi.com/~moted/dr
DASP-L is a forum for discussion of digital
acoustic signal processing. To subscibe, mail to
DASP-L-request@CESNET.CZ
18.3 Should I post a question about
"XXXXXXX"?
If it isn't addressed in the FAQ and it
isn't a question for one individual, do it! However, try to post to the
right group (see above).
18.4 How can I suggest a change to the
FAQ?
Send an E-Mail message to neidorff@ti.com
and explain your suggestion or correction in detail.
18.5 Where is the FAQ for rec.audio.*
archived?
This FAQ is available by ftp from rtfm.mit.edu
in /pub/usenet/news.answers/AudioFAQ
To get the entire FAQ from this archive,
you need to get all 13 of the following files:
part1
part2
part3
part4
part5
part6
part7
part8
part9
part10
part11
part12
part13
The FAQ is also available on the world-wide
web at these sites:
http://www.faqs.org/faqs/AudioFAQ/part1/index.html
http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/hypertext/faq/usenet/AudioFAQ/
http://www.unik.no/~robert/hifi/faq/
http://www.lib.ox.ac.uk/internet/news/faq/rec.audio.tech.html
http://www.cs.ruu.nl/wais/html/na-faq/AudioFAQ-part1.html
http://www.ucsalf.ac.uk/cgibin/faq?AudioFAQ/part1
18.6 What does FAQ stand for?
FAQ stands for "Frequently Asked
Questions". It is assumed that a FAQ also contains FGA or
"Frequently Given Answers". The rec.audio.* newsgroups have few
FGAs due to the personalities involved and the subjective nature of audio.
For that reason, this document is called a FAQ.
18.7 Why did I get a bitter reply when I
posted a simple opinion?
Some feel that rec.audio.* is populated by
people with very strong opinions. The whole audio industry is filled with
opinionated people.
However, for the most part, these people
like voicing their opinions and reading others. What may have sounded like
a severe rebuttal may have instead been an outlet for the other person's
frustrations or a challenge to you to "play the `rec.audio'
game" and back up your words with some spirit.
Be sure to stay light when reading
rec.audio. Otherwise, you are likely to take yourself and everyone else
too seriously.
18.8 Can I post a "FOR SALE"
notice on rec.audio?
The newsgroup rec.audio.marketplace
is specifically for these postings. Do not post For Sale to any other
rec.audio.* group, except perhaps rec.audio.high-end.
Only post to rec.audio.high-end if the item is of interest to the high-end
crowd. rec.audio.high-end is moderated, so if the post is deemed
inappropriate by the moderator, it will not post.
All For Sale posts need to have a real name
and a real phone number. It is also very valuable to include your
location, so that people can determine if shipping will be cheap or
impractical.
Usenet is not for commercial purposes, so
if you are associated with a store or other retail operation, this is the
wrong place for your advertisement. If you have some used personal gear or
something you bought and don't need, feel free to post.
If you see an advertisement for a store
that has a great deal, AND people had been asking about where to buy that
item cheap, you might want to tell the readers on rec.audio.marketplace
about it. However, avoid commercializing. Something like:
Pete's Audio has JVC PS992 for $435,
which is 40% less than anywhere else; If interested 202-555-1212.
should be fine. Avoid posting their entire
price list, or using too many superlatives. If commercialism leaks into
Usenet, it could materially hurt us all.
When posting something for sale, have a
concise but complete subject line. Come to think of it, this is good
advice for any post. Some use abbreviations like WTB (the poster Wants To
Buy) or WTS (the poster Wants To Sell). Here are some examples of good
subject lines:
Subject: WTB 100W Receiver any condition
Subject: 4Sale Power Amp PS 352 $500 San Francisco area
Subject: 4Sale Stereophile Back Issues 4/88 to 6/92
Think about who you are willing to sell to
before you post. If it is fragile or heavy, you may not want to ship it,
so you may restrict to people who are close enough to pick it up. Use the
Distribution: header to restrict your posting area. If you will only sell
to people in Texas, don't distribute it to Australia. Check with your
system administrator if you aren't familiar with the options you have for
Distribution. Different sites have different restriction codes available.
Distribution headers don't always restrict distribution, so it is still a
good idea to include the target area in the Subject.
Anyone buying or selling needs to
understand that Usenet contains no mechanism to protect the buyer's money
or the seller's property.
There is a frequently posted message
"A Guide to Buying and Selling on Usenet" which talks of other
issues on the subject. This is posted to news.answers
as well as other newsgroups. It is also available by ftp from "rtfm.mit.edu"
in "/pub/usenet/news.answers/radio"
as file "swap-guide".
18.9 Can I cross-post? Should I
cross-post?
Cross posting means sending the
message/posting to more than one newsgroup. This is more efficient than
posting the same message twice, as it stores less space on disks, takes
less time to transmit, etc. If you need to address the message to more
than one newsgroup, put all newsgroups in the Newsgroup: line.
However, there is rarely a reason to
cross-post to many of the rec.audio.x newsgroups. If you have a repair
question, it belongs in rec.audio.tech
and no where else. If you are selling a tuner, post to rec.audio.marketplace.
Want opinions on the right cable? Post to rec.audio.opinion.
Not sure? Post to rec.audio.misc.
18.10 Are there any sites containing
audio files available for ftp?
Yes. Try ftp.uu.net
directory "usenet/rec.audio.high-end".
18.11 Are there any audio-specific
World-Wide Web sites?
Zillions of them. Here are some places to
start: Robert's page pointing to many Audio pages
http://www.unik.no/~robert/hifi/hifi.html
Dan and Steve's Audio-Related page
http://www.qnx.com/~danh/info.html
rec.audio.* FAQ with Search Engine
http://hydra.unik.no/%7Erobert/hifi/faq/
BMG and Columbia CD Music Club Unofficial
Lists and FAQ
http://www.eskimo.com/~bloo/cdfaq/toppage.htm/
Ambisonic Surround Sound FAQ
http://www.omg.unb.ca/~mleese/
Tube related stuff
http://www.interport.net/~blackie
Speaker Repair FAQ
http://www.paranoia.com/~filipg/HTML/FAQ/BODY/F_Speaker.html
William Nau's Mail Order Equipment FAQ
http://www.ssesco.com/nau/mailorder.htm
Audio Web
http://www.audioweb.com/
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