[LAU] LAU collaboration coordination?

[Frank Pirrone]

Ken Restivo wrote:
> -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
>
>   
> Your description was kind of verbose, and had a lot of steps, so it looked complicated to me, which is why I was asking for something simple.
>
> Re-reading it now, it sounds like just a shared FTP site or WIKI, perhaps, with a bunch of ogg files in it (isolated tracks and mixes), which certainly is simple. The only "process" it would need, would be a convention on file naming, which you suggested too.
>
> Quixits work pretty much like that too: you download the "mix pack" with the samples, make your track out of those, and then upload it back into that shared FTP site directory. That sure is simple.
>
> The ccmixter/cchost approach might be a bit more user-friendly, but, then again, we're linux users, so who needs user friendly? Making sense out of directory trees full of and script files is what we do every day.
>
> So are you suggesting a directory tree on a shared FTP site then, something like:
>
> 	song_or_project_name/
> 		tracks/
> 		loops/
> 		samples/
> 		mixes/
>
> Or just do that with file naming instead of subdirectories?
>
> Then people can download what they want, make mixes, record new tracks, add loops or samples, etc, as they like, and then just upload whatever they did? 
>
> Finally, are you able to host this somewhere?
>
> - -ken
>   
Ken and the Band!

Verbose?  Oh, that was my brother The Evil Frank.  Yeah, he's got a 
problem in that regard.  I felt that even what you list above with 
loops, samples, and mixes is an over-complication requiring both more 
software support and more administration.  I'll, er...The Good Frank 
will make this short:

    * Everything is posted, downloaded and uploaded as compressed tracks
    * Each track would be a few megabytes in size so bandwidth, as well
      as storage should be no problem
    * There aren't that many "band" members so bandwidth should be no
      problem
    * Let's say I lay down a concept in Audacity, save the project,
      export the base track as Ogg-Vorbis.
    * Folks grab the track, import it into Audacity, add their
      contribution, uploading just their compressed track
    * Each track aligns to the base track, whether loops or samples or
      MIDI source and is an .ogg
    * If someone wants to submit a "replacement" track "improving" on an
      existing one, go for it
    * Anyone at any time can take what's already done, and "fork" it to
      their heart's desire
    * When a call goes out "FINI" the "main branch" of the work is done
      and the tune is ready for mastering
    * Folks "chosen" as "winning" tracks will upload the full-fidelity
      version of their track
    * Mastering will be done as decided by the group - again, perhaps by
      several folks
    * Each mix-masterer will upload a compressed stereo file for the
      group to review
    * If something significant is going to be done with the finished
      tune (it turned out great) the "winning" mix will be uploaded full
      fidelity.


The only reason I addressed the process to the extent of my several 
other postings was as an attempt to short-circuit days of single issues 
being addressed.  I figured I'd lay it all out for critique and 
improvement, and for the missing parts to be completed by folks with 
other expertise.

There are a few "decisions" still required by the group:  Who ups the 
base track (Ken, Charles)?  How many base tracks before we exclaim, 
"That's it" and how much of a consensus is acceptable? 

Other related issues:  "Losers" will still have the completed tune in 
any form they wish - both with their "losing" track and with the 
"winning" track.  Mix-masterers can also treasure their final versions 
even if the group favors a different one.  If this first tune kills, we 
can go for a complete "work" or "album" and post it for sale as an 
international collaborative virtual band project - ought to be some real 
interest.

Please excuse the obnoxious use of quotation marks to indicate terms 
with shades of meaning or usage.

What say?

The Good Frank