@Brettinthebathtub said:

Really digging this blog! Tapers have been quintessential to making the live music experience so accessible. It's really cool to hear some of the tech talk about how you do what you do. For the rest of us, there's always that moment when you hit play and wonder, is this going to sound good, or will this moment in history go down in a blurry mess? There's also that moment of relief, about 30 seconds in, that you know that you will be able to listen to this again. It's a great moment. Thanks to all of you who not only go out show after show to bring the music to all of us, but strive to make it sound better. The whole scene would not be possible without you. Cheers!

This is why I became a taper. It’s how I got into lots of music that I love - free sharing of AUD tapes. Even if we take just Phish in a vacuum of other bands, my forays DEEP into the catalog and discovery of my favorite jams wouldn’t be possible without AUDs. It’s a rich and storied tradition whose mantle I am honored to pick up, and I find the hobby to be a lot of fun.

My goal in taping as well as this series is to let the music get out of the way of everyone’s enjoyment of a show. It is a painstaking effort from everyone involved - from the taper, to the person transferring (particularly in the days of DAT) and tagging, to the uploaders and catalog organizers - especially in today’s modern age of digital sharing - to my post work here. As a taper myself, I can say many of these hats have been simplified by technology, but that also means we are expected to wear more hats at once. But... the end product makes the labor worth every second. Every taper I know today feels this way, which is why we continue to do it.

I am curious to hear your - and everyone else’s - thoughts on the sound of the tapes so far in this series. I am always trying to improve my work, and I can’t do that without constructive feedback. I also do not claim to be definitive or correct, I simply hold opinions and want to subject them to discussion - that, to me, is fun. So please feel free to chime in once you’ve heard the tape.