16 Nov
2007
16 Nov
'07
12:43 p.m.
Ken Restivo wrote:
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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