This remnant will be replaced soon. The FAQ is back, with a new design! Where should I get blank tapes? Note: You probably shouldn't. This page is very out of date. More than likely, you'll now get new live Phish recordings on CDR, over the Internet, or from the official Live Phish releases. What brand to get: Analog: Most folks prefer Maxell tapes (but see problems!). Also, most prefer XLII to XLIIS, not only because they're cheaper but also because the "S" refers to a protective coating intended to prolong tape life but which purportedly erodes quality faster. (Note: XLIIS tapes also come in a case which is more heat-resistant.) DAT: ?? CDR: Depends heavily on your burner, since burners are picky, but most brands should be playable on any other CD player or CDROM (provided the burning is done with software made for audio burning). Verbatim seems acceptable to most everyone, in trades and otherwise; TDK's are widely disliked. Where to get 'em: By an enormous margin, the favorite source on the net is Terrapin Tapes (1-800-677-8650; Visa/MC). Run by Ken, Terrapin is a homegrown, relatively low-key effort by a handful of heads who offer good deals on multiple tapes, as well as discount to netters. Their prices certainly beat store prices (where the best can be found at either KMart, Sam's, or Sam Goody's), but they're not the lowest mail order prices. Other common recommendations: Masterpiece A/V (with prices at 11/30/98 as low as 90 cents per XLII-90!) -- 888-462-7828 W.B. Hunt (1-800-278-8273; Visa/MC/Discover) Art Munson's Cassette House The Advantage Co. (1-800-94-2347; Visa/MC/Discover) Now Recording Systems (1-800-859-3579, prepackaged) What to pay for 'em: Expect to pay between $1.20 and $1.60 for Maxell XL-II 90 (the accepted standard for analog blanks; sometimes as low as $0.90 each) and, above that, about $.30 more for XL-II 100 (being phased out by Maxell), $.50 for XL-IIS 90, $.70 for XL-IIS 100, $1.35 for MX-S 90, and $1.60 for MX-S 100. Prepare to pay for 'em: Be wary of special tape deals. Some stores (e.g. a couple in NYC) sell "grey tapes" which are old stock tapes which may be aged or worn. Don't reuse 'em: It's impossible to "clear" a tape of past noise and leave no residue. Taping on a tape that already has (or had) something taped on it will render something (a) poor quality because the tape's been recorded on before, (b) annoying because the earlier material will "bleed through" behind the new material, and (c) less stable because the tape will begin aging much quicker and retain lower quality sound for a shorter lifespan. "Last night, we started listening to tapes, which we have to do now that the tour is over. That's something we never used to do. It's very interesting for us. I think we're probably going to learn a lot, and I think we're probably going to change a lot, in between now and the next tour. We're hearing things that are really good that we didn't know were really good, and we're hearing things that are really bad that we thought were really good."" -- Trey Anastasio, 12/10/94 interview with Steve Silberman" This page last updated June 01, 2009. All contents © 1992-2007 Ellis Godard. All rights reserved.