30 Trips Around The Sun Box & Digital USB

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September 4, 2015 - 10:38am

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"When we began discussing audio projects to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Grateful Dead back in 2012, we knew we wanted to do something completely unprecedented. We could think of nothing more exciting or ambitious than a career-spanning overview of the band's live legacy focused on what best tells the story: complete concerts. Our first criterion was the very best live music to represent any given year in the band’s history. We wanted to make sure that there were not only the tent-pole shows that fans have been demanding for decades but also ones that are slightly more under the radar, but equally excellent. For those who listen to the entire box straight through, chronologically, the narrative of the Grateful Dead's live legacy will be seen as second to none in the pantheon of music history." - David Lemieux

We are more than pleased to announce the Grateful Dead's most ambitious release ever: 30 TRIPS AROUND THE SUN. Available as both an 80-disc boxed set and a custom lightning-bolt USB drive, the collection includes 30 unreleased live shows, one for each year the band was together from 1966 to 1995, along with one track from their earliest recording sessions in 1965. Packed with over 73 hours of music, both the boxed set and the USB drive will be individually numbered limited editions.

The 80-disc boxed set is individually numbered and limited to 6,500 copies, a nod to the band’s formation in 1965. Along with the CDs, it also includes a gold-colored 7-inch vinyl single which bookends the band’s career. The A-side is “Caution (Do Not Stop On Tracks)” from the band’s earliest recording session in 1965 with the B-side of the last song the band ever performed together live, “Box Of Rain” recorded during their final encore at Soldier Field in Chicago on July 9, 1995.

The box also comes with a 288-page book that features an extensive, career-spanning essay written by Nick Meriwether, who oversees the Dead archives at the University of California, Santa Cruz, along with special remembrances of the band submitted by fans. Also included is a scroll that offers a visual representation of how the band’s live repertoire has evolved through the years.

The USB drive version* will be shaped like a gold lightning bolt with the Grateful Dead 50th anniversary logo engraved on the side. The drive includes all of the music from the collection in both FLAC (96/24) and MP3 formats and is an individually numbered limited edition of 1,000 copies. Digital version of the book also included on USB.

Shows will NOT be sold individually on CD. This release is sure to sell out quickly so pre-order your copy today and stick around as we will be revealing a mighty fine selection of music, art, and much, much more right here.

(Looking for a smaller 50th Anniversary commemorative keepsake? September 18th will see the release of a four-CD version of the collection titled 30 TRIPS AROUND THE SUN: THE DEFINITIVE LIVE STORY 1965-1995. More on that here.)

ROLLINGSTONE.COM SONG PREMIERE AND EXCLUSIVE DAVID LEMIEUX INTERVIEW
Head on over to Rollingstone.com for the very first listen of "Morning Dew" 9/18/87 Madison Square Garden, David Fricke's exclusive interview with archivist David Lemieux, and the reveal of 30 TRIPS AROUND THE SUN's '69 and '84 shows.

*Helpful hints for using your USB:

Running the 30 Trips Player / Reader program:
On Windows – Navigate to the USB drive and double click the PCStart.exe file to run.
On MacOS – Open the GD 30 Trips drive, and double click the MacStart to run.

Viewing the digital book:
You can either view it within the program that comes on the drive, or by opening the PDF directly.

To view the PDF, open the PDF folder on the drive and the USB_bk_spreads_08-31 file within. Selecting the option within your PDF reading application to view as a “single page” might be preferable to viewing as a continuous document.

Importing music into iTunes and other library programs:
When you import the songs from the USB into your library, the information used to identify the track will likely leave them sorted incorrectly. Please use the song list found here to re-number the songs for each show so that they playback in the correct order.
PDF
Text

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August 20, 2016 - 11:39am

#71

supe80

Joined:
August 5, 2012

Box Art Work

I hope someone hasn't asked this already. Does anyone know who did the artwork for the outside of the box?
August 16, 2016 - 12:41pm

#72

johnny361

Joined:
November 1, 2012

hi gang

I spent the day with Cobo 1976. I really like these fall 76 shows with Dicks #20 being a personal favorite since it's release many years ago. This Cobo show is really growing on me with each listen. 30 Trips has been a monster to get through but I love the task! There are still shows I haven't spent time with.. but I will!
August 8, 2016 - 7:16am

#73

KYTrips

Joined:
August 25, 2012

1975

So... this is another show that's a bit tough to grade. It's relatively short for a Dead show (I think it was just one long set), and I'm guessing that they were part of a bill that included other bands at this free show in Golden Gate Park. Also, it's one of only 4 shows that they played in 1975, so I'm guess they were a bit rusty, though you wouldn't think so from the performance itself. It starts off with a really sold Help > Slipknot that sounds a bit strange without the third jewel of Franklin's Tower, but that comes later in the show. Then there's a long break as the band attempt to summons a doctor from the crowd because a woman is apparently having a baby somewhere near/behind the stage. This alone makes the show memorable. They then move into a really, really good Music Never Stopped, followed by They Love Each Other. Beat It On Down the Line is above-average, in my opinion and it's followed by a good Franklin's Tower. Big River is straightforward, and the first disc ends with a routine It Must Have Been the Roses. The second disc starts off with an above-average Truckin' followed by a good jam and Drums. That heads into an excellent Stronger Than Dirt/Milkin' the Turkey which eventually leads into 10+ minute Not Fade Away which is light on lyrics and strong on jamming. The show ends with Going Down the Road Feeling Bad and a very energetic One More Saturday Night. The highlight of this show for me is the Music Never Stopped, but there really are no off numbers in the entire show. It's a consistently good show from start to finish. Overall Grade: B
July 23, 2016 - 8:55am

#74

unkle sam

Joined:
October 3, 2008

1990 1994

Just returned from a long road trip and listened to these two shows in their entirety during this trip. 1994 was the first listen. Show starts off with a nice Help>Slip>Franklins that is nice, Jerry in good form and everyone contributing their parts, not the best, but not bad. Then Walkin blues, not my favorite and Bobby's slide work is ok at best, then Atlhea, a good tune done well by Jer. Me and My Uncle, Big River and Just like Tom Thumb's Blues, no real Jerry in MAMU, BR just ok and JLTTB's has Phil taking lead vocals, enough said. An ok So Many Roads and Jerry sounds tired, voice a bit shaky and "old Jerry" sounding. Promised Land is good, with Bobby in fine voice, which ends the first set. Second set starts off with Scarlet>Fire, scarlet is ok but the Fire is grate, with Jerry getting his voice to perform about as good as it can get for these days. Way to go Home is next and I always liked this song, Vince in fine form throughout with Jerry adding some fine lead lines. Then into Saint of Circumstances, no Lost Sailor which I miss and wish they would not have dropped from the list, it's the better of the two tunes. A nice Terrapin with Jerry hitting all the notes and lyrics into a short but very trippy drums into an excellent space with Jerry showing us all that he can still blow heads away. Everytime there is "The last time" after a drums>space you know it was a great drums>space, like you know this could be the last time you ever hear that wonderful sound again. A good but short Stella with Jerry sounding tired in both voice and playing into a good OMSN. The encore is Liberty, a great tune that Jerry flubs the lyric on, but comes back and repeats it right. Thought the sound was ok, but a little boomy All in all a good show but....C+. 1990, good first set with a great Jack-a roe black throated wind ramble on rose and bird song, Jerry in fine voice and playing with bruce on the piano making it all sound nice. The second set here is very good, Chinacat, rider and saint all done well, very deliberate and a bit on the slower side, which is nice. At Crazy fingers and this is where it starts to get real good, the ending jam in Crazy Fingers has a bit of the x factor and was very nice then into Playing>drums>space>playing reprise, just awesome all of it, I highly recommend it. The stella is very nice into throwing stones into a great NFA with crowd chant into a fine one more Saturday nite. All in all a good show from France. The sound was ok, but had a bit of an echo in spots, not sure if it was the audience singing along or an echo, but was a bit distracting in places, a bit boomy in parts also, but all in all, not bad....a solid B. I haven't had time to get to all of them, but these two I took along just to give them a good listen, was not disappointed. For the 90's, both shows were ok, but not the same band we all fell in love with in the 60's and 70's.
July 19, 2016 - 2:12pm

#75

KYTrips

Joined:
August 25, 2012

1974

I will go out on a limb here and officially declare the 1974 show as the first "miss" of this embarrassment of riches known as 30 Trips Around the Sun. First of all, there are a few sound-related issues that I had to overcome. The overall sound "quality" is very good, but I definitely thought that Jerry's guitar was too low in the mix (who does that... puts Jerry's guitar low in the mix?!!!?) and then there is the issue with the vocals for the first 2 songs of the second set ("Loose Lucy" and "Big River") which are missing. I mean... they're there, but they're apparently not being picked up by the mic intended to pick them up or they didn't make it to the recorder... Whatever's going on, they're not to be heard in these recordings, unless you lean into the speaker and hear them buried somewhere off in the distance. In any event, it annoys me, and I think it spoils what would have otherwise been a pretty decent "Loose Lucy" (one of my faves). In addition, this show contains a between sets "Seastones." Not my favorite in any case. So... this show was fighting an uphill battle for me. The show kinda begins with the boys being a bit sloppy. The "Uncle John's Band" opener is nice, but uneven. "Jack Straw", "Friend of the Devil" and "Black-Throated Wind" are all unremarkable. The standalone "Scarlet Begonias" is a notch up from the previous songs, but that tune was still really finding its legs in the Dead's repertoire in '74. The next 5 tunes are again, unremarkable. The first CD ends with a nice "To Lay Me Down." I have to admit, I'm partial to this song. I've always loved it and thought it was underrated as a Dead song. The first set ends with a 23+ minute Playing In the Band which is good, but again, nothing special for this era. Then we are faced with "Seastones" and the aural problems mentioned previously to start the second set. A good "Peggy O" and an unremarkable "Me and My Uncle" round out Disc 2. The meat of this show (and presumably, the reason it was included in 30 TATS) is in Disc 3. Things finally take off with a wonderful "Eyes of the World" and the rest of the show is pretty darn good. Highlights for me included the Truckin' > Drums > Caution Jam sequence, which is pretty hot. The "Drums" is particularly interesting in that in addition to Billy on drums, Phil is also participatory in the part of the show. "Ship of Fools" is really nice and smooth and the "Johnny B. Goode" to close the set is also pretty smokin'. "U.S. Blues" is a good encore and a nice way to round out the evening. I'll be brutally honest... I don't think this show would have ever merited release on it's own, so it was, in my opinion, thrown into this box set. I certainly hope it's not the best there is remaining in the vault from 1974. However, I'd be less than honest if I didn't acknowledge that the third disc of the show is pretty darn good. But it certainly was my least favorite show thus far in the box. Grade: C+
July 18, 2016 - 7:59am

#76

KYTrips

Joined:
August 25, 2012

1973

It took me a little while longer to get to this review than I would have liked... Life's been busy with vacation and then I was in trial for a week (I'm an attorney... don't throw rocks), so my listening has been sporadic for the past few weeks. At any rate, let me start off by saying that this show is a total GEM!! Although I don't think it's the best of the box, so far, I do think it might be my favorite so far. It starts off again with a "Big Railroad Blues" which to me is a sign of good things to come (see my review from 1972). The next few songs (Jack Straw, Sugaree, Mexicali Blues) are all good, but nothing special. After all, it's just the first set. But then, this show morphs into a classic. "Here Comes Sunshine" is one of those songs that I absolutely love, and that I feel the band didn't play often enough. Accordingly, it was, in my opinion, a treat when it did show up in a setlist. Well... this one may be the best HCS EVER! It's so melodic and the playing so smooth, with a killer jam in the middle of it. It ebbs and flows nicely and you know from this point going forward that "tonight" is going to be "one of those nights." The other part about this show that is a bit different is that the first set is EPIC in length. It's actually longer than the second set, and the goodies start showing up much earlier than in a typical Dead show. I'm not going to go song-by-song, but the remaining highlights of the first set for me are: an appearance of "The Race Is On"; a very nice "Brown-Eyed Women"; "Tennessee Jed" and a late-first set China>Rider. The first set closes out (more than mid-way through Disc 2) with a hot "Around and Around."As good as the first set is, the second set is even better (although I still think the overall highlight of the show is still the "Here Comes Sunshine" in the first set). Due to timing issues, the second set actually starts on Disc 3, with the final three (3) songs on the set appearing at the end of Disc 2. I definitely recommend listening in the order in which the show was played. And let me tell you, Disc 3 is awesome!!! It is basically a non-stop, continuous 70+ minute jam which begins with an excellent "Truckin'" which then morphs into an unbelievable, three-part "The Other One" sandwich, which has "Big River" and "Eyes of the World" for the filling. It is hypnotic the way the boys weave in and out of "The Other One" throughout this portion of the show, never losing stride and hitting on all cylinders. Finally... the last portion of "The Other One" leads into a great "Wharf Rat", and they finally silence their instruments for a few fleeting moments. The show closes with three (3) stand-alones... "Me and My Uncle" (which seems strange to hear this late in a show), "Going Down the Road Feeling Bad" and "One More Saturday Night". They're all good, but it's almost impossible to top that which just went down in the first 70+ minutes of this set. I definitely see myself coming back to this show over and over in the future. Show grade: "A- to A", depending upon my mood. Again... I don't think it's the best show, so far, but I do think it's my favorite!
May 24, 2016 - 11:10am

#77

KYTrips

Joined:
August 25, 2012

Ahhh.... 1972

If ever there was a more stellar year in GD history, I'm not sure what it would be (okay, okay... I realize this topic is up for debate, but I cast my lot with 1972). That being said, I had really high expectations for this show, as I do almost all '72 shows. This one didn't disappoint. However, I do think that this show will suffer a fate of being underplayed by many Heads, as it's so close in proximity to the DP 11 show from the Stanley Theater in Jersey City that took place 3 nights after this gem. I do think the Stanley Theater show is better, but this one is pretty great too. My only knock on this show... I think the sound is a bit spotty. There's one period in the show where the tape hiss is very audible and a bit distracting until you realize you're just gonna have to deal with it. The show opens with one of my personal faves... "Big Railroad Blues". You know a show is gonna be good when they open with this one. Everything in this show is filled with energy. Hell... I even liked "Mexicali Blues" which to me is usually a snoozer. "Loser" and "Black-Throated Wind" both deliver, while the band takes a bit of a breather in a subpar "Cumberland Blues" in my opinion. "Sugaree" is great (as per usual), and is followed by a consistent run of "El Paso", "Tennesse Jed" and BIODTL. In my opinion, this show REALLY gets rolling when they break into "Bird Song" later in the 1st Set. I've heard much better versions of "Big River", but the first set closes with an awesome "Brown-Eyed Women" and a MONSTER "Playing In the Band." Not bad... and that was just the 1st Set!!!The 2nd Set kills! The boys keep raising the pot (no pun intended) with each subsequent song, starting with "Greatest Story Ever Told" and continuing through "Bertha", "Promised Land", a beautiful "Fried of the Devil" and "Jack Straw". Things fall off a bit when they play "Tomorrow is Forever", a short-lived song in the Dead repertoire for good reason in my opinion. Then they ease back into things with MAMU before they head into "Dark Star" which is sandwiched around a nice little drum solo by Billy. Out of "Dark Star"?... Why yes, I do believe I will take a China Cat>Rider. And it's a good one. The show closes with the Bobby one-two.... "Sugar Magnolia" and "One More Saturday Night". All in all, a great show. Grade: A-
May 23, 2016 - 6:56am

#78

Cousins Of The…

Joined:
September 10, 2009

1971??

I have not gone through the 2nd set of 1971...and yes, I listed 1985 twice, my mistake.
May 23, 2016 - 2:58am

#79

One Man

Joined:
May 17, 2011

1971?

I don't see 1971 on your list. And is something listed twice?
May 16, 2016 - 12:19pm

#80

Cousins Of The…

Joined:
September 10, 2009

1984!

I'm usually partial to the 60's and 70s, however this show is tremendous! short but impeccable first set, from beginning to end; second set is quite adventurous, with a long UJB, a standalone Playin' reprise and a killer Morning Dew. My favorite 80's Trip so far. Revising my rankings... 1970 1967 1973 1975 1974 1972 1976 1968 1984 1969 1977 1983 1991 1979 1980 1981 1982 1978 1990 1993 1992 1966 1985 1986 1994 1985 1995 1987 1989 1988

John Perry Barlow

John Perry Barlow

Forums

Dead Store Products

"When we began discussing audio projects to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Grateful Dead back in 2012, we knew we wanted to do something completely unprecedented. We could think of nothing more exciting or ambitious than a career-spanning overview of the band's live legacy focused on what best tells the story: complete concerts. Our first criterion was the very best live music to represent any given year in the band’s history. We wanted to make sure that there were not only the tent-pole shows that fans have been demanding for decades but also ones that are slightly more under the radar, but equally excellent. For those who listen to the entire box straight through, chronologically, the narrative of the Grateful Dead's live legacy will be seen as second to none in the pantheon of music history." - David Lemieux

We are more than pleased to announce the Grateful Dead's most ambitious release ever: 30 TRIPS AROUND THE SUN. Available as both an 80-disc boxed set and a custom lightning-bolt USB drive, the collection includes 30 unreleased live shows, one for each year the band was together from 1966 to 1995, along with one track from their earliest recording sessions in 1965. Packed with over 73 hours of music, both the boxed set and the USB drive will be individually numbered limited editions.

The 80-disc boxed set is individually numbered and limited to 6,500 copies, a nod to the band’s formation in 1965. Along with the CDs, it also includes a gold-colored 7-inch vinyl single which bookends the band’s career. The A-side is “Caution (Do Not Stop On Tracks)” from the band’s earliest recording session in 1965 with the B-side of the last song the band ever performed together live, “Box Of Rain” recorded during their final encore at Soldier Field in Chicago on July 9, 1995.

The box also comes with a 288-page book that features an extensive, career-spanning essay written by Nick Meriwether, who oversees the Dead archives at the University of California, Santa Cruz, along with special remembrances of the band submitted by fans. Also included is a scroll that offers a visual representation of how the band’s live repertoire has evolved through the years.

The USB drive version* will be shaped like a gold lightning bolt with the Grateful Dead 50th anniversary logo engraved on the side. The drive includes all of the music from the collection in both FLAC (96/24) and MP3 formats and is an individually numbered limited edition of 1,000 copies. Digital version of the book also included on USB.

Shows will NOT be sold individually on CD. This release is sure to sell out quickly so pre-order your copy today and stick around as we will be revealing a mighty fine selection of music, art, and much, much more right here.

(Looking for a smaller 50th Anniversary commemorative keepsake? September 18th will see the release of a four-CD version of the collection titled 30 TRIPS AROUND THE SUN: THE DEFINITIVE LIVE STORY 1965-1995. More on that here.)

ROLLINGSTONE.COM SONG PREMIERE AND EXCLUSIVE DAVID LEMIEUX INTERVIEW
Head on over to Rollingstone.com for the very first listen of "Morning Dew" 9/18/87 Madison Square Garden, David Fricke's exclusive interview with archivist David Lemieux, and the reveal of 30 TRIPS AROUND THE SUN's '69 and '84 shows.

*Helpful hints for using your USB:

Running the 30 Trips Player / Reader program:
On Windows – Navigate to the USB drive and double click the PCStart.exe file to run.
On MacOS – Open the GD 30 Trips drive, and double click the MacStart to run.

Viewing the digital book:
You can either view it within the program that comes on the drive, or by opening the PDF directly.

To view the PDF, open the PDF folder on the drive and the USB_bk_spreads_08-31 file within. Selecting the option within your PDF reading application to view as a “single page” might be preferable to viewing as a continuous document.

Importing music into iTunes and other library programs:
When you import the songs from the USB into your library, the information used to identify the track will likely leave them sorted incorrectly. Please use the song list found here to re-number the songs for each show so that they playback in the correct order.
PDF
Text

One more tech tip

thanks vguy, I just shot some of what I was drinking out my nose.

I've done that....

....hurts, don't it? Lol

Off topic,but...

Woot Woot! It's 10:57 here in the northern rockies & the first dusting of snow has arrived!Just a small amount on the buttes & hills that surround town but,it's a start. :)

Heh, heh...

....jrf said butte (sorry, couldn't help it)....

Rocks, snow, a small amount ....

Double entendre? I've seen buttes used for this purpose in the movies, but never tried it that way myself.

Why not make it a triple?....

....I'm feeling adventurous tonight....someone call a cab! ....right now, my cabs license plate reads FEEDBAK. Awesome '68 offering.

Why,yes

Yes I did!;)

Bruce and butte

Interesting takes here on Bruce's status. Wasn't he inducted into the R&R Hall of Fame as a member of the Grateful Dead? Not that "the Hall" is the last word on anything. But it seems to me he was as much a member of the group as Tom Hagen was a Corleone. And all this talk of "snow" and "rock" and possibly doing snow off a butte has me thinking '78 is up next.

Brucey

Actually, Bruce was the guy who got to induct them, introducing them at the ceremony.He wasnt inducted. I'm not sure if he's been inducted on his own, though. Now, Robert Hunter was inducted with them, the only lyricist to ever be inducted as a member of the band (not counting members of bands who also wrote lyrics for the band). Thats pretty cool.

Powder and rails....

....riding that train. Been down that road. Luckily, I took the correct fork in the road....back to that Berkeley disc. Loved the early Lovelight....keeper.

Revalation?

The Jerry solo on Candyman from the Cape Cod Trip really reminds me of Jerry's guitar work via JGB in '89 & 90. '91 too me thinks.Just a thought... starts at 3:32

Riding that train

The only thing that ever got its tentacles into me in a bad way. Threw it off long ago for good. Still dream about it sometimes though. I can taste it and smell it in my dreams, and even feel the numbness in my gums (from finishing off). Oh yeah, i have cigarette dreams too. They'll do.

Numb gums....

....funny that numbness would be something someone would pay for....bad bad stuff. Was fun for a bit, but will grab you by the balls.... Stay kind my friends....

flac files info

Thanks for the info, my friend will be happy for the help. I think it's only the PC version that is involved in the transfers so far. So, if ALAC is lossless then the circulating SHN/Flac collection could be transferred to this format for sharing to this ITunes using community? Seems like a lot of work for a single player, but if people do the work to transfer the existing files to ALAC, then maybe they could share their work and build a collection of ALAC versions of the shows for ITunes specific playback. One more question, is there an easy way to to get from FLAC to ALAC without the wav step?

@ziffle, jrf68, and ststephen71

There is another active thread on dead.net - no!!!! do not go looking for it, i implore of you kind participants, lest you take up thine holy meat cleaver and onst a bloody rampage wouldst thou embark upon - and i would like to commend jrf68 and ststephen71 for their wit and restraint, but most especially Ziffle who wrote out a most honest, reasoned, and patient response to the evidently deceased mascot of a flaky corn based breakfast sugar. Ziffle, i am humbled - nay, i stand slack jawed in awe, filled with fear and trembling - at the display of superhuman self control. Several times i thought of responding myself to this Anthony Of Another Thread, and each time i stopped myself knowing that i had not the strength to write thereupon without my head exploding, surely ending in Anthony's premature demise (although he does claim to have already made the journey of the Styx.) Hats off to ya!!!! :):)

@Kayakguy

Yes, exactly. I'm not sure of a tool to go straight from flac to alac. I'm going to look and will edit this post if i find something :) Edit: i just checked and dbPowerAmp will convert directly from flac to Apple Lossless. This program is not free. I think i paid $18 for it, but that was a while ago. They do have a fully functional 21 day trial download. The program comes with several built in formats and they supply downloadable codecs for other formats, but flac and Apple Lossless and several others are built-in, i think. I also have Trader's Little Helper, but this program does not seem to have an option to convert to Apple Lossless, although mybe they have a codec for it - i didnt check and its not built-in. Edit2: i just checked, and dbPowerAmp comes in versions for both Windows and Mac. It is $39 for a single license or $58 for 2-5 installs. The $18 i paid may have been rhe price to upgrade to a newer version, but that was years ago.

@KayakGuy again :)

Wait!!! I just checked, and foobar2000, which is free, will convert from Flac to Apple Lossless (alac), or Apple's lossy compressed format (aac), or Apple's version of wav (aiff), but you need to also download their Free Encoder Pack. However, there is no Mac version. To use this to get the files onto a Mac you must do the conversion in Windows, and then transfer the files to a Mac. All the converters I saw that will go from Flac to ALAC directly on the Mac are paid software, but perhaps someone can find a free one.

Flacing and Aflacking,,,sorry ALAC...

Why convert them at all, why not just leave them as a .wav file? The file size is not that much different, right? Wouldn't .wav be the best,,, it is non compressed, right?Will apple play a .wav file?

Flacing and Aflacking (loved that)

People convert to flac because they are about 50% the size of the original wav or aiff file, yet when played decompress bit for bit to the original wav or aiff for playback. "Wouldn't .wav be best,,, it is non compressed, right". It's not best, if by that you mean better than flac. That's the point of lossless compression. They are ultimately identical, with flac taking up half the space. That's the difference between "lossless" compression, which decompresses bit for bit identically to the original, vs "lossy" compression like mp3 and aac, which throw out information forever to get much smaller files, typically only 10-20% of the original size. When they decompress for playback, they are NOT identical to the original wav or aiff that made them. Apple will not play .wav, but it plays .aiff which is basically the same thing, just in an envelope recognized by apple software.

Flac etc.

wjonjd, mac will play WAV just fine. I keep my better quality files as WAV. XLD Lossless Decoder (Mac only) is free (although I donated $10 b/c I've been using it for years). It will perfectly transcode between all lossless formats and will also do sample rate conversions, etc. and is highly customizable. Written by some genius in Japan. Anyway, been great chatting with everyone, but now I'm out of here for a while, although no doubt I'll look in from time to time. Life rears it's ugly head, must focus on work etc.

Flac and Wav

If I have to convert, I usually leave it was .wav as well. I know its a big waste of disc space.. but...

RE: Flacing and Aflacking,,,sorry ALAC...

Wavs would be fine, except for the space thing, these particular flac files are backups that have already been created and already playable on non apple or Itunes systems. Just to be clear, the entire circulating 30 years of GD in Flac/shn is about 5 TB, it's over 10 TB in wav format, both are lossless, and it seems not easily playable in ITunes. To get from the already lossless flac or SHN files on the HDs to a listenable format requires conversion to an acceptable file type used by the individuals player. Why people use certain systems is personal choice, I'm just trying to find a way of taking what we have on HD and making it more user friendly to people that feel most comfortable in ITunes. My questions are to find a simple way to allow Itunes users to access the goodies that are in circulation, but not supported by the apple ecosystem. It seems like it is an option though time consuming, my idea is that if it's that much of a chore, maybe sharing ALAC files would be a way of avoiding duplication of efforts. I'm thinking of vines specifically made for ITunes users.

metadata question

Does anyone know if it is possible to export a metadata backup file using WMP 12? It doesn't look as though metadata is applied to the WAV files themselves, they only appear in the library in which they were updated. I don't want to lose the information. It took forever to update the info. manually.

@Ziffle - wav/aiff

thanks for the clarification. There was a time, long ago, when Mac did not directly support the wav format, and Apple had developed their own equivalent, aiff. But I see that Mac has support wav for a long time now, just as Windows supports aiff. "Though the AIFF file was designed for Macintosh computers, the format can be read by PCs as well, just as wave files can be read by Macintosh computers."

Metadata - correction of what I just posted.

From Wikipedia:"As a derivative of RIFF, WAV files can be tagged with metadata in the INFO chunk. In addition, WAV files can embed any kind of metadata, including but not limited to Extensible Metadata Platform (XMP) data or ID3 tags[26] in extra chunks. Applications may not handle this extra information or may expect to see it in a particular place. Although the RIFF specification requires that applications ignore chunks they do not recognize, some applications are confused by additional chunks." There is a program called mp3tag (and I'm sure there are others) that allow you to copy some or all of the metadata from one file or group of files to another, and not just for mp3, but flac and others.

Metadata editor

It looks like mp3tag does not support wav. However IDTE-ID3 does. You can see and edit metadata tags for wav files using this software and it is a free download.

@wilfredtjones

I just realized that you were referring to backing up metadata that is not stored in the files, but in a wmp database. A program called "metadata backup" supposedly does this, but I haven't tested it. It can be found here: http://sourceforge.net/projects/metadatabackup/ Supposedly it has one limitation, which is that wmp lets you populate metadata fields with multiple entries. For instance, you can place both "Rock" and "Classical" into the Genre field in the very same file. Well, the current version of metadatabackup only backs up the first entry for each field, but the person who maintains this software states that he is working on an update to fix this. Edit: Here is a description of this software: "Metadata Backup, originally written by Dale Preston, is a tool for backing up and restoring all the information in the Windows Media Player library, including ratings, play counts, and custom fields." If you don't enter multiple choices into one tag, this won't affect you anyway.

Run Windows in a VM

@wjonjd Running Windows on a Mac is simple and can be done FREE. Get a free copy of Virtual Box (https://www.virtualbox.org). Install your copy of Windows in Virtual Box. Install foobar2000 in the VM of Windows. Make sure the CD/DVD player is connected correctly (USB). This should then allow the FLAC converter to run fine. (I haven't done this but I run other stuff in an OSX VM using Virtual Box)

@wjonjd

Thanks for that. I will check into it and report my findings. -update- I have been fooling with the program, and my initial response is positive. Although I have not been able to backup 95% of the album art, everything else has imported into my backup. Eternally grateful. Thanks, wjonjd MVP!!

Flac conversion for Mac

Try xACT to convert flacs on your Mac. It's free and the icon is a character from where the wild things are.

drsox and vm

Yeah, I use virtual machines quite a bit. They're not quite as quick as the real thing, but it does the job! You can run Mac OSX on a PC, or Windows on a Mac that way.

USB Status

Received the following uninformative response from customer support this morning: Hang tight! Your USB is still coming down the line! We're very sorry we don't have any further information for you at this time but we are working on it and we will get you an update as soon as we can. In the meantime, we hope you are enjoying your streams of the shows available on the order status page. When you do receive your USB, you will find an original Grateful Dead concert ticket and backstage pass included as a token of our appreciation for your unending patience. Many Thanks, The Dead.net Team Wow!!!! - a ticket and a backstage pass as a token of their appreciation.....well worth the wait.....

shn/flac on Mac

Here's how I do it, for anyone who cares. I use xACT on Mac (have to change security preferences to get it to open in El Capitan. I use an old MacBook for torrents). Toast will convert flac but not shn. Buy Toast discounted at OWC. Convert flac or shn to aiff, then put the aiff files into Toast (convert - audio files). I change all the track names so that the data files will be listed chronologically by the computer: GD 1977-05-08 T01 Minglewood, then T02, T03, etc. Then convert/export all the tracks for that show as a disc image (Sd2f file in Toast). I then use the Sd2f disc image to create AIFF, WAV, AAC, and FLAC files. I burn CD-R's from the AIFF files, import the AAC files into iTunes, save the FLAC files for my future in-dash FLAC player in my next car, and give the WAV files to a friend who uses PC. All backed up on multiple hard drives and DVD-R. Because of the chronological way of naming the tracks everything stays in order. I back up commercial release CD's by using iTunes to import as AIFF, then modify in the same way. I use a separate computer and iTunes than where the AAC collection is stored.

ranking indeed

after sailing a week on heaven`s ocean here`s my list1. 91 2. 71 3. 68 4. 92 5. 74 6. 75 heard all shows twice , really love the 91 set - oh what fun to close my eyes and pretend this is here and now on 74 - the missing vocals on two songs is how it is, pretty cool - so you are there eventually heading on to 81 and 82 tonight...

on converting...

i don`t at all, had a sh...load of b`legs of GD , Furthur and Ratdog once beforethat old computer broke down and all was lost ( that was in the days of vines and burning on the fly , anyone remebers ? )- since that day i do make copies of my CDs and store them for the future - that`s all.

email about USB status?

Batyze: I got this exact email as well and I didn't inquire about my order. I haven't looked in some time so sorry if this has been discussed way back but it's obvious the CD set has shipped. Is everyone still waiting on the USB or is my order SNAFU? I thought it was shipping in October but hadn't received any word of any kind about it since the streaming was offered some time back.

song Salt Lake City

I used to have a tape of the dead doing this song. Back in the mid-eighties there was a tape circulating with two songs at the beginning that were listed as the soundcheck. One of those songs was Salt Lake City, (the other song may have been Big River). When I listened to the '95 selection, the memory of this tape came back pretty clearly. Health, all.

No Announcement

I was surprised to not get a DaP 2016 announcement this morning. Surely next week then.

USB Delay

Hi Huskerwing ..... you're not the only one. I got the same (useless) email. I replied that they should be upfront, and let us know what the problem is, and that they should provide a HQ download link, until the USB ships.One of the reasons I went for the USB, was to get High Def. sound, and a stream just ain't gonna do the trick .... I could listen to any of the countless free downloads if I wanted that. They've taken my $700 (£485) .... I believe I deserve better service.

XLD is better

I have XAct, but find XLD converts to ALAC easier.

USB?

I don't even have my box yet, nor an email confirming that it has shipped.Just an email confirming that I placed an order on 6-2-15. Order status says back ordered until 10-31-15.

1973

The movement of tracks on the 73 show is horrible and kinda pissed me off. Not losing sleep but jeez. "Tracks 6-8 are from the end of the show but are placed here due to CD time limitations"

1973

Such a hot show too.

Re: 1973 show order

When I uploaded them to my iTunes I put them in the correct order. They will fit on 3 discs correctly, but Rhino didn't want to break up the jam Rock on

RSD list announced

Disappointing, in general. No Dead or Jerry release. Just a 2 LP set from Circles Around the Sun, "Interludes for the Dead"

1973 show could have been a Dave's Picks

flip flopped with the show from Dave's 16.. Probably easier to sell the Spring show a la carte.. Since they have less offerings for that month. Both would have sold out in quick time, but I am sure it would have been sour grapes for som people that were wanting complete shows in order. Lump it into the box and few will notice,, haha Rhino pulling strings like usual. RSD - not sure what was the hold up. Busy year ? Last years offerings are still widely available ? Come on Almanac, bring good news ! Dead and Co tour starts soon,, should debut Almanac before tour starts

1973 should be 4

out of order to fit on discs. some of us listen to the cd's and dont care about uploading in correct order the point I made was there should be 4cds

I haven't listened to the '73

I haven't listened to the '73 show yet but from reading Dave's notes while ripping it sounds like they did this to keep a long run of songs together. With the time constraints of a CD I'm not sure how else they could have done this without adding another CD and having a couple short CDs. I am excited to rock that disc 3, it looks great! That being said, I'm glad they didn't break up the continuous run of songs and did it this way. My problem with this is I want to reorder them now that they're ripped to my computer but all my music is organized by album>disc # and I don't know how to change this one without my OCD going crazy.

30 trips

I've finally had a chance to listen to all of the second sets from the Box, as well as most of the first sets. I can't promise I didn't skip through a MAMU or Tennessee Jed.So...IMHO... 1973 has to be the best show from the box. Crazy good from HCS on, and the 2nd set jam sequence is absolutely superb. 1972 has the best Moment in the box with the Dark Star. The '79 Dancin' > Franklin's is a close second. 1967 is the most interesting show in the set, a Dead we've rarely heard and an intensity that is unmatched. I won't try to rank the shows in the set, but I will sort them into thirds. Top Third: 1967, 1969, 1970, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1977, 1979, 1987 Middle Third: 1968, 1971, 1978, 1981, 1983, 1984, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991 Bottom Third: 1966, 1976, 1980, 1982, 1985, 1986, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995 Most surprising show? Absolutely 10/21/83. What a phenomenal second set, and the sound is pleasantly decent. Most disappointing? 10/3/76. There were a lot of advance raves about this show, but I don't hear it. It plods, the sound isn't great, and except for moments in the Scarlet and Playing, I don't find much interesting. 7/31/82 was also disappointing, but more for the sound. I don't think there's a true stinker in the set, but I don't see myself listening to the '76 or '92 shows that much in the future.

@icecrmkd

Dude, I feel for you...and all the other fellas with no USB stick BUT there's hope...it may be on its way. Dead.net as an administrative entity is a clusterf**k.....CLASSIC example this morning I get an email from Dead.net telling me we're pleased to advise that my box has shipped and here is a DHL tracking number... WTF I got the box 16 days ago!!!!!! Ain't it crazy indeed....

product sku

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