Lightfoot on sugarmegs.org

[Paul Farnham]

I've become aware of http://www.sugarmegs.org. There's a lot of Gord material there, some of which is VERY vintage and rare. One file in particular is 32 tracks of circa '64-'66 Warner Bros. demos. I'd never heard ANY of this stuff before. The site is friendly to non-techies(hell, I figured it out!). There is no registration required, and the material is downloadable.

[Rainbow Trout]

Thanks for the info, enjoying that site.:biggrin:

[RM]

Great find Paul !! It'll take a while to listen to all of the material, but I can't think of a more enjoyable task.

[Jesse Joe]

Thank's Paul Farnham, this is super vintage Lightfoot. :)


http://tela.sugarmegs.org/_asxtela/asxcards/GordonLightfoot1964-11_1966-05WB_Demos.html


gordonlightfoot1964-66demos.asx (http://tela.sugarmegs.org/_asxtela/gordonlightfoot1964-66demos.asx)

[Peter Bro10]

is it just me, or is it not possible to download the .asx files?
I just get streaming audio.

[Jesse Joe]

It's not just you Peter, that .asx file can only play the tracks. I simply put it there to listen to it. Sorry for this I should have put this on testforum. If you went to the site {Sugarmegs.org} you must have seen a total of 10 Lightfoot concerts, some you and I already have like Soundstage & Red Rocks.

Im hoping someone with better computer knowledge than me will make them available so we can download them.

Respectfully,

~Jesse Joe~

[Paul Farnham]

Hey guys! I figured the files were downloadable because the fella who told me about sugarmegs gave me a CD burn of the '64-'66 Warner Bros. demos that he had somehow captured from that site (with the tracks separated, no less). I'll shoot him an email and try to find out how he did that.

[Jesse Joe]

Many thank's Paul, :)

[Bill]

Isn't the internet neat? Stuff that would have been lost to the ages is able to be shared.

[Jesse Joe]

Neat indeed Bill... :)

[Paul Farnham]

A very clever fellow who wishes to remain anonymous has solved the mystery and unearthed the following link: http://tela.sugarmegs.org/darkstar/ It's a link to downloadable wma files. I've not tried it yet. Only 5 of the Lightfoot shows appear to be available, but one of them looks like the mid-60's WB demos. BTW I'm posting the link with the anonymous clever fellow's permission.

[Paul Farnham]

Ok guys! Tried that darkstar link and it DOES work. I successfully downloaded the '06 Massey show. Took half an hour on high speed cable. I don't recommend that particular show because it's clearly an audience recording and the band is barely audible at full speaker volume. I DO recommend snatching those WB demos though! It's the Dead Sea Scrolls of Lightheaddom!

[RM]

Ok guys! Tried that darkstar link and it DOES work. I successfully downloaded the '06 Massey show. Took half an hour on high speed cable. I don't recommend that particular show because it's clearly an audience recording and the band is barely audible at full speaker volume. I DO recommend snatching those WB demos though! It's the Dead Sea Scrolls of Lightheaddom!

Glad to hear it worked (I've never enjoyed being a guinea pig). However, the Massey Hall performance might be of interest to those here who were in attendance that night. They might be able to decipher their own clapping or whistling.

[T.G.]

Wow, what a site. Thanks so much for bringing it to our attention.

[Peter Bro10]

I DO recommend snatching those WB demos though! It's the Dead Sea Scrolls of Lightheaddom!

Amen brother Paul!!!!

Okay boys and girls, anyone want to chime in on how to convert a wma file to mp3? and while you're at it, what would be the best way to break these apart into seperate tracks? I can break apart wav files in Audacity pretty easy, then convert to mp3 with CDex... but what to do with a single massive wma???

BTW, I did do a sound/audio capture on the 68' Filmore West/Wolfgang's Vault offering. Selected to output wav and did the breakapart in Audacity... Worked out quite nicely!

[BILLW]

Thanks Paul, great stuff !

Bill :)

[Paul Farnham]

You're quite welcome, everyone! Glad to finally have had the opportunity to be a contributor of information after having been a grateful recipient thereof for all this time!

[LadyA]

Thanks for the treasure trove. He's one of the few performers I've ever seen that sounded as good (if not better) in concert than his recordings. Some people you see in concert & they can't maintain the quality (?) that they come up with in the studio. But a true artist can do it live. And we all know Lightfoot's a true artist. Thanks again for the heads up on this site & the download info.

[johnfowles]

Amen brother Paul!!!!
Okay boys and girls, anyone want to chime in on how to convert a wma file to mp3? and while you're at it, what would be the best way to break these apart into seperate tracks? I can break apart wav files in Audacity pretty easy, then convert to mp3 with CDex... but what to do with a single massive wma???
OK I'll bite!!!
This is a measured response to Peter and Paul and (whatever happenned to) "Jacksonville" Mary??
I am reminded here of an old and very effective UK advertising campaign of years past (probably the early 70s) for
the then new to the UK Yellow Pages telephone directory system, with which I was familiar from my days in Canada
the slogan was "let your fingers do the walking"
Bringing that up to date it's "let your keyboard do the googling "
I started with a prosaic
"wma to mp3 conversion"
you will get an astounding nay overwhelming 4 million claimed results which would keep you busy for a few yonks
adding "freeware" to that search reduces these to a mere 2 million plus
of course for this exercise one also needs a splitter so search within those 2 million odd for "splitter"
Ah Ha a more manageable 1 million plus
of which the first looked just the ticket
WMA Converter Encoder Decoder Burner Player Editor Splitter Joiner ... (http://www.brothersoft.com/audio/wma.html)
wma to mp3 mac freeware · convert mov to wma · wma splitter ... Convert WMA to MP3; Extract audio from video files and encode them to MP3 or WMA
http://www.brothersoft.com/audio/wma.html
which lists a load of converters nearly all shareware
I did better at:-
http://www.onlyfreewares.com/Audio-Video/Audio-Converters/Free-WMA-to-MP3-Converter.php
where I was pleased to read:-
WMA to Mp3 Software (http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/iclk?sa=l&ai=BLx-GBR87R8j8Iojg9AH-iPGtDsvd3B2_9daoAsCNtwHAuAIQAhgCIJ2VmQIoAjgAUOr3uv X9_____wFgya7tirSk2A-gAZvdu_8DqgEKMzg4MjE3NDMyNLIBFXd3dy5vbmx5ZnJlZXdhc mVzLmNvbboBCjI1MHgyNTBfYXPIAQHaAVdodHRwOi8vd3d3Lm9 ubHlmcmVld2FyZXMuY29tL0F1ZGlvLVZpZGVvL0F1ZGlvLUNvb nZlcnRlcnMvRnJlZS1XTUEtdG8tTVAzLUNvbnZlcnRlci5waHD gAQLIAteYY6gDAcgDB-gD8QPoA07oA-AB6AMg9QMEAAAA&num=2&adurl=http://www.nch.com.au/switch/index.html&client=ca-pub-3574787538747201&nm=12&nh=1&jca=6626&nb=1)
Download free software to convert wma to mp3 files without fuss.
at of all things a down under website:-
http://www.nch.com.au/switch/index.html
which proclaims
"Switch Audio File Conversion Software
Convert and encode a range of audio file formats"
and furthermore
"Switch audio file conversion software is a sound file format converter for Windows or Mac. It can convert audio files from many different file formats into mp3, wav or wma files including wav to mp3, mp3 to wav, wma to mp3 and much more (see the supported formats list below)."
complete with a splendid graphic
http://www.nch.com.au/switch/images/garrard.jpg
further down it even says
"Related Software
Switch audio file converter is just one component of the NCH Swift Sound suite of audio software for business. If you have not done so already, please see NCH Swift Sound Software page (http://www.corfid.com/software/index.html) to download many other audio related programs. Many of these are also free."
http://www.nch.com.au/switch/images/related_old.jpg
I liked the look of "slice" and sure enough under Utilities I read
Slice (audio file splitter) (http://www.corfid.com/splitter/index.html) leading to
http://www.nch.com.au/splitter/index.html
http://www.nch.com.au/splitter/images/bs.jpg
and even a self descriptive screenshot
http://www.nch.com.au/splitter/screenshots/main.gif
and all for nowt
I trust that answers your question Peter and hopefully teaches you to be a bit more adventurous
In fact having obtained the full and continuous 1:20:52 wma of the simply splendid Red Rocks 1975
I think that burning it direct to a CD as a single track would be a satisfactory solution
anothe google for "burn cd from wma nero"
led me to
http://www.free-codecs.com/download/Nero_WMA_Plugin.htm
"To install Nero WMA Plugin, just download and execute the file. ... Plugin Pack: features a number of plugins to allow Nero Burning Rom to burn a variety of ...."
which looks promising as I already have several flavo(u)rs of Nero
of course it is always nice to be able to go straight to a particular song in such a concert recording
so I also googled for
continuous recording inserting markers" (http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=continuous+recording+inserting+markers&btnG=Search")
and found another host of interesting and relevant results that I have yet to sift through
Stone Me always another project to follow up on!!
I must stop now as I also want to respond to the other "Wolfgang" thread
"Sir" John Fowles Bt

[Peter Bro10]

Thanks Sir John! I tried out the NCH Swift programs... seem to do quite well. Only have time to do a couple of tracks tonight, but so far so good.

[Jesse Joe]

Is there any way to get this one on CD. A very young Gordon Lightfoot {Solo} singing, and playing his guitar, on 13 tracks. This is so enjoyable listening to. Can't seem to be able to burn it on a CD, to add it to my collection.

John or anyone who can help here ??? :)

gordonlightfoot1965.asx (http://tela.sugarmegs.org/_asxtela/gordonlightfoot1965.asx)

[Paul Farnham]

Hey Jesse Joe: Well, I checked and that particular file does not appear to be available for download directly from the site. However, if you really want to get this done, I suggest you check out the thread re: Wolfgang's Vault. RM's son generously posted a tutorial re: among other things, a freeware program http://www.mp3mymp3.com With that software, you can record anything you can stream. In their words: "If you can hear it, you can record it". Once recorded, the file can be saved as either mp3 or wav. Then you can burn it as a single long track. If you want to separate the tracks, see Sir John's tutorial above. Good Luck!

[Jesse Joe]

Ok Paul Farnham,

Thank you very much for the reply, it is appreciated. Will check on that. :)

[catrinka]

I am late getting into this thread, but may have some suggestions to help people wanting to download/capture streaming media, convert files to different formats, split them up and burn them to CD/DVD.

1. Capture streaming media from browser

If you use Firefox (which I highly recommend!) there are some extensions which will allow you to download a variety of streaming media. I use "DownloadHelper" and find it suits my needs, but there are other extensions available which you might find more to your liking.

If you use M$ Internet Explorer, there is "Flash and Media Capture" plugin (shareware $24.95).

2. Downloaded Files

Depending on the format, the downloaded file can be manipulated to put on CD/DVD using a variety of programs and methods. Most require some kind of conversion from the default format to a "burnable" file type. What you use depends on your operating system and the depth of your pockets!

3. Recommended Sites

There are two information sites for burning CDs or DVDs which might answer the questions that have come up. If you ever have a question about CD/DVD burning, these sites are a good place to start

CD-Recording FAQ
http://www.cdrfaq.org/

DVD FAQ
http://www.dvddemystified.com/dvdfaq.html

4. Free Software

As John so elaborately stated, there are a large number of sites dedicated to software which can split, copy, convert, etc. I have found two sites which have become my first stop when I'm looking for a new freeware program (of almost any kind).

SnapFiles
http://www.snapfiles.com/freeware/
(they also have a shareware side to the site which has more elaborate/functional programs)

NoNags
http://www.snapfiles.com/freeware/

Both sites provide information about the programs, links to the author's site and ratings.

One conversion program not on those sites is

Free WMA to MP3 Converter
http://www.wma-mp3.org/

While I have not tried it myself, it seems to be worth a look for those who do a lot of converting.

As a relative newbie in this area, I have no recommendations (other than Audacity) for most of these tasks. However, as Peter mentions, Audacity does not yet work with the .wma format. In the end, I think you'll have to use more than one program to get what you want!

(By the way, Audacity can record audio, too...like MP3myMP3!)

[Paul Farnham]

Thanks for your time and effort in providing all that info Cathy. Much appreciated! You tech-savvy folks are an IMMENSE asset to the rest of us here.

[Peter Bro10]

There are several issues on the proverbial grill here.....

On the tech side we have some offerings that are available to download, but they are huge wma files. while others can only be accessed ala streaming audio, and therefore we need to use something to record essentially what we are hearing (what the computer is hearing to be more exact). Then the issue of separating large, multi-track recordings into single, usable tracks.

I appreciate the input from John and Cathy, as they obviously have much knowledge and experience in this field. I appreciate they're taking their time to share with the rest of us how to go about these things.

On the music side; the botton line is I'd like to end up with clean compilations of records that are of good quailty sound, play in proper order, and can be used on burned CDs or MP3 players.

For example, I've enjoyed the 68' Filmore West show immensely on my drive to and from work this past week. That's what it's all about.... enjoying the music in our everyday lives!

Currently, I'm working on separating the individual tracks from the demos offering on Sugarmegs. 32 tracks to do.... it's a bunch, but well worth the effort.

Just remember, my friends, it's a journey and not a race!!!

[Jesse Joe]

Thanks for your time and effort in providing all that info Cathy. Much appreciated! You tech-savvy folks are an IMMENSE asset to the rest of us here.

I second that, thank's Cathy...:clap: :)

[Jesse Joe]

For example, I've enjoyed the 68' Filmore West show immensely on my drive to and from work this past week. That's what it's all about.... enjoying the music in our everyday lives!

Currently, I'm working on separating the individual tracks from the demos offering on Sugarmegs. 32 tracks to do.... it's a bunch, but well worth the effort.

Just remember, my friends, it's a journey and not a race!!!
__________________
Peter Bro 10


Very well said Pete, I agree, taking these wonderful CD's with me in my car makes it fun to drive again. It's like as if it was 1973 all over, when I first got my Driver's Licence. :)

[johnfowles]

Yes Yes Yes Peter
But for the man or woman who has everything playing mp3s on your car stereo is old hat
No doubt some of you have mastered the trick of getting a Gord mp3 to play when your cell/mobile phone rings:
I understand that Charlene has hers so aranged that broken dreams.mp3 plays whenever Gord phones her!!!
I was however delighted to read this link on my daily tech republic newsletter
Video: How to download MP3s to your car horn (http://video.techrepublic.com.com/2422-13792_11-175104.html)
Horntones FX-550 mp3 car horn
http://i.zdnet.com/flash/cnb_video.swf&OBT_fname=cnb_video.swf
Now you can customize your auto's alert
CNET's Brian Cooley shows off new tech at the 2007 SEMA show in Las Vegas: a way to download MP3s to your car horn. If you hate other people's booming car audio systems, Horntones might push you right over the edge

If you could achieve this which song would you choose to be played whenever you tooted.
No Gord did not write toot toot tootsie goodbye!!!!

[BILLW]

Another simple method, I like simple, for the shows available for download on darkstar or wherever. For iTunes users: you can simply choose from file "add file to library" and select the .wma file you downloaded. iTunes will then ask if you want to convert to aac format and add to your iTunes library. If you say yes it performs the task. Once in your iTunes library it can then be burned to disk if you want. But once in the library and synced to your iPod you're good to go. Of course it's one big track but what the hey ?

Bill :)