From: jamie@access.digex.com (James Treworgy)
Subject: Taping etiquette
Organization: Express Access Public Access UNIX, Greenbelt, Maryland USA
Date: Mon, 6 Apr 1992 15:01:08 GMT

Here is a little list I made a while ago with regard to taping etiquette.
These are a few things that I have learned over four or five years of tape
trading... if anyone has any other suggestions, please post them... maybe
something like this should be added to the FAQ file! Happy taping...

-- Jamie

Safety issues:

1. ALWAYS send tapes through first class mail.  It is worth the extra money
to be sure that the tapes arrive quickly and in good condition.  Packages
sent 3rd and 4th class can take weeks to arrive and often have been subjected
to a lot of abuse. Don't take chances.

2. Package tapes well! Padded envelopes are usually good enough, but a little
extra foam or bubble packaging doesn't hurt. If you are going to send a lot
of tapes in a brick, cover the entire outer surface of the brick with foam
rubber or heavy bubble wrap.  One hard hit on the corner of a package like
that will crush tape cases and possibly tapes (I have had an actual tape
come cracked, even through the tape case).

Some people don't believe in sending the tape cases because it costs more
than just sending the tapes... but I think the extra protection is worth
the extra $$$.  You gotta figure that it's only an extra ounce (about 20
cents per tape if under 8 ounces, and above that you are at the priority
mail rate where it's $2.90 up to 2 pounds anyway).

Etiquette issues:

3. Don't write on the tape insert. That way you have the chance to recycle
the tape if you don't like it. (But read 4 below...)  Write on the back of
the label sticker thing or even better include a computer printed label
or a separate piece of paper.

4. Don't send people used tapes. Always send them a fresh tape right out of
the box... it always seems cheezy when I get a tape which has obviously been
recycled from someone elses collection, god knows how old it is.  If I send
someone a new tape, I expect to get one back.  Likewise if someone sends
cash for a trade, there's no reason why they shouldn't get new tapes out of
it.

5. Peak tapes at LEAST at 0! It is very frustrating to get a tape
which is obviously very kind (or was) but it peaks around -10db,
thereby introducing lots of hiss.  Learn about your tape deck, and
peak your tapes at the maximum the deck and tape type can handle.
Most decks say in the instructions where you should peak tapes.  If
you have a 3 head deck you can just experiment and find out that way
(this is better than just doing what the instructions say because the
peak level meters can become miscalibrated).  For average type II
tapes and decks it is around +3 db, and for metal tapes around +6 db.
If you have a Dolby HX-Pro deck it will be around +5 db, and +8.  This
of course varies by tape & deck type.

If the tape you are copying is a good recording, just peak it at the same
levels it plays back at.  No possible error that way.  If it is a weak
recording, do the person you are trading with a favor and boost the levels
up.  You at least avoid introducing even more tape hiss in the copy and you
make it sound somewhat normal when they play it back.

6. If you are sending tapes first, keep your max points.  If you got tapes
from someone else, keep them if they kept them, send them if they sent them.
If someone sent you cash for tapes, send the max points.

7. Keep in touch with people you are trading with.  I am personally very bad 
at this one, but am trying to improve :-)  When you mail tapes to someone,
send them email. When you receive tapes from someone, send them email. If you
are expecting tapes and don't get them, send email after a couple weeks. I
know that I have forgotten people when involved in many trades.. it is
hard to keep organized and sometimes things get lost.


That's all I can think of... if anyone else has any suggestions please post
them, maybe I'll keep track of them and compile a big list of tape-trading
etiquette sometime!!


-- 
James A. Treworgy    "And it all would be so crystal clear, if it wasn't for
jamie@digex.com         the foam..."          (jamie@sun.astro.wesleyan.edu)