Click here for a printer friendly version of this page
oarsa.org Trading FAQ Originally Compiled By: Tom Pacyk and Mike Sarnovsky

QUICK JUMP: GENERAL | B&P | TRADING | DOWNLOADING | SHN | FLAC

GENERAL

How much can I pay for a show?
You should never pay money for a show. The band endorses an open trading policy where no one is allowed to make a profit off of these recordings. You can trade or download every recorded show for free.

Is (insert date) show out yet?
We work hard to keep the recording information on oarsa.org as up to date as possible. Chances are if you don't see the recording information posted on the site, then you are not going to find that recording anywhere. Information for each show's recordings is found directly below the setlist. Click here for a complete listing of all known recordings.

What do AUD, SBD, MIX, and Matrix mean?
  • AUD: Audience recording involving microphones.
  • SBD: Soundboard recording through the patchbox.
  • Mix: An AUD and SBD source that were mixed together after the show.
  • Matrix: An AUD and SBD source recorded at the same time during the show.

How can I get a show?
There are a few different ways to go about this. You can download the show, trade with someone else, or get a B&P from a generous individual. These are all described below.

B&P

What's a B&P?
B&P stands for blanks and postage and is a method used to obtain live concert recordings. Click here for our full B&P instructions. You must follow these when obtaining a B&P through oarsa.org.

TRADING

How does trading recordings work?
Before high speed internet connections, trading was the most popular way to obtain show recordings. Even though it is not as popular as before, there are still many people who actively participate in trades. Basically you burn a show that you have and send it to another person, while they burn a show that they have and send it to you.

How do I get involved in a trade?
If you are interested in obtaining a particular show, you can view a list of oarsa.org users who have the show by clicking the "Who Has" link when viewing the setlist. If you then click on a user's name you will view their profile, which will list their trading status in the top right. If they are open for trades you can use the information in their profile to contact them and setup a trade.

DOWNLOADING

Where can I download these recordings?
Many of the recordings that are available have been uploaded to the Live Music Archive (aka archive.org). This is the best place to download O.A.R. recordings.

What shows are available for download?
When viewing the setlist for a show, the recording information for that show is directly below the setlist. If there is a check mark in the table, you can click that check mark to be taken to the archive.org download page for that source. You can also go here to view all of the shows on archive.org.

SHN FILES

What are SHN files?
SHN (Shorten) files are compressed WAV files. Shorten uses a lossless compression method, which preserves all of the quality so you get the best possible source of music.

How do I convert SHN to WAV?
This will depend upon the operating system of your computer. Download the appropriate software at http://www.etree.org/software.html. The rest of this FAQ assumes you are using Windows, although similar methods do exist.

Where can I obtain more information about SHN files?
http://wiki.etree.org/index.php?page=Shorten

FLAC FILES

What are FLAC files?
FLAC is another form of compressed WAV files. Again, this is a lossless compression method, so all quality is preserved.

How do I convert FLAC to WAV?
This will depend upon the operating system of your computer. Download the appropriate software at http://flac.sourceforge.net/download.html.

Where can I obtain more information about FLAC files?
http://wiki.etree.org/index.php?page=FLAC