MeFi Swap

February 27, 2003 10:44 PM

The latest in the series of MeFiSwaps is now open for sign-up. Don't be afraid that no-one will like your choices, give it a go and open your mind to the possibility that you may hear something you have never heard of before (or a combination of favourites you may not have thought of). Come one, come all, sign up now!
posted by dg to MetaFilter-Related at 10:44 PM (46 comments total)

Apologies in advance for whoever gets stuck with:

A: paying postage to Australia;
B: receiving my lame attempt at a CD mix.

Hearty thanks and salutations to Dreama for organising the whole thing.
posted by dg at 10:53 PM on February 27, 2003

My mix was made a few days back. I was ill, I had a fever, so it's odd, but I like it enough to send it out. I'll try and make it up by making it a two disc thing.
posted by riffola at 10:55 PM on February 27, 2003

Come one, come all, sign up now!

Actually, how about: "Sign up if you think you'll actually make and send a mix. Otherwise, please don't."
posted by sad_otter at 8:36 AM on February 28, 2003

kicking ass and taking names.
posted by HilaryRosen at 1:37 PM EST on February 28


uh oh!
posted by quonsar at 10:39 AM on February 28, 2003

Gosh, why are there 5 comments on the thread, but only 4 counted? Could someone be a naughty little Q? Or is it a Final Programme kind of a deal where Ms. Rosen and Quonsar have melded into one big creature-thing?

I signed up. Everyone likes jug bands, right?
posted by PinkStainlessTail at 10:51 AM on February 28, 2003

[CREATURE THING! CREATURE THING! HELP ME! HELP ME! I'VE BEEN ASSIMILAUGHGHGHGHGHGHG!]
posted by quonsar at 10:54 AM on February 28, 2003

How do I do this without a CD burner? I'd enjoy it, otherwise.
posted by Shane at 11:09 AM on February 28, 2003

Cassette tape mixes are welcome.
posted by PinkStainlessTail at 11:11 AM on February 28, 2003

Sign up if you think you'll actually make and send a mix. Otherwise, please don't.

I did make the mix. I even burned five copies of it. I even printed out five copies of the playlist, and assembled the jewel cases.

I did these things.
posted by rocketman at 11:23 AM on February 28, 2003

Everyone likes jug bands, right?

Boy Howdy, do I ever! And I'll bet you'd like a comp of singing Christian ventriloquist acts in exchange, wouldn't you?
posted by MrBaliHai at 11:58 AM on February 28, 2003

Last time, five out two back ...
posted by feelinglistless at 11:58 AM on February 28, 2003

all-ukulele mix okay with y'all?
posted by jessamyn at 12:00 PM on February 28, 2003

i hear ya listless--for me 5 out, 3 back (but the three were great!)

I'm in again, and I think it'll be all tv star songs this time..."Don't Give Up On Us Baby" anyone?
posted by amberglow at 1:30 PM on February 28, 2003

Curious: what sort of music goes on these things? I have pretty weird taste in music, or so I'm told.
posted by Yelling At Nothing at 4:03 PM on February 28, 2003

Y.A.N., I tortured people with this last swap. Nobody liked it. This time, it's getting uglier: only all-girl cello bands, mash-up, and "guitar orchestras." Suffer. (Five out and three back for me last time too, amber. Kind of like when I used to work in a daycare center and I sent the kids to the park...)
posted by RJ Reynolds at 4:28 PM on February 28, 2003

I wish there was a minidisc option.
posted by rotifer at 4:58 PM on February 28, 2003

rotifer, I'd suggested a MD option for round 1, but then there were not many who could only send their mixes as MD and didn't mind accepting CD in return.
posted by riffola at 5:06 PM on February 28, 2003

I begged Santa for a burner just so I could participate. Santa duly delivered , now I can't sleep for worry that I will be unable to make like Santa.
Seriously.. should I try and stick to more obscure stuff that I come across, or just put anything that gets me on that day, even though people are likely to have the stuff anyway, or some of it?
It's a worry.
New stuff, old stuff, what. Genre specific???
Heaven help us all.
posted by Fat Buddha at 6:02 PM on February 28, 2003

Okay, I'm in.

FB, I'm thinking we put in what we like, and we're both in trouble if we wind up swapmats ;)
posted by Yelling At Nothing at 6:43 PM on February 28, 2003

If we end up swap mates, we can send each other a blank cd and avoid the angst, misery and soul searching.
Seven days a week... it's too long.
posted by Fat Buddha at 6:52 PM on February 28, 2003

Oops feelinglistless, I still owe you a tracklist, my bad :)

Will send out the tracklists with the songs this time ;)
posted by Mossy at 7:44 PM on February 28, 2003

I've been going to do this but I can't get my copy of the "Greatest Hits of the Mime Five" to work in my CD. I think it's some copy protection thing.
posted by mss at 7:47 PM on February 28, 2003

Mine will be mostly bossanova and death metal, with a little cough-syrup rapping Houston style, for flavor.
posted by vraxoin at 7:51 PM on February 28, 2003

I hope everyone likes Shonen Knife...
posted by SweetJesus at 9:12 PM on February 28, 2003

Five out, four excellent mixes in. Swapset 32 rocks! Booyeah!

Hah, sorry. An MD option would be fun, even if it were just one swapset. The things are a little expensive, but at least you can erase it and record over it if you don't like the mix.
posted by zsazsa at 9:15 PM on February 28, 2003

SweetJesus, I hope I'm in your swapset. I was kind of into them 10 years ago and I'm wondering if they've changed much (my guess: not much).
posted by zsazsa at 9:17 PM on February 28, 2003

Zsazsa: I may or may not put any Shonen Knife in (I was joking a little), but I'm planning on putting in a few other Japanese bands...

Maybe some J-Pop?
posted by SweetJesus at 9:23 PM on February 28, 2003

5 mixes out, five excellent mixes back.
Thanks to elijah, holloway, Ms Snit, calico and atom71.
These questions are mostly addressed in the faq, fyi.
posted by asok at 1:32 AM on March 1, 2003

Lots of people from the UK sign up so I don't have to pay international shipping five times :-)

Have any UK folks here joined up on this yet?

I actually proposed a similar swap between some of my online friends in the UK, but they said it'd be piracy. Damn do-gooders. And, next week, MeFi-Swap with MP3 CDs. :-P
posted by wackybrit at 8:56 AM on March 1, 2003

J-Pop?

Oh dear lord how I wish I had a burner....
posted by chiheisen at 10:41 AM on March 1, 2003

5 out and 5 good discs back, some with amazing cover art.

And every disc had at least 1 artist that I was not familiar with and ended up buying a cd by them.

Also, I think this time around Dreama is relegating the naughty swappers who did not send out discs last time to a particular nasty Circle of Hell inhabited by SPAMMERS.
posted by Razzle Bathbone at 11:22 AM on March 1, 2003

RJ Reynolds, This time, it's getting uglier: only all-girl cello bands...

so you're including Rasputina songs too?
posted by signal at 3:20 PM on March 1, 2003

Suggestion for those who (potentially) have international shipping to pay: what about mp3 mixes? Those could get sent over email, or instant messanger.
posted by Yelling At Nothing at 10:43 PM on March 1, 2003

I might sound really stupid asking this...

But do I make 1 mix and send out 5 copies, or do I have to make 5 separate mixes instead?

And (oh wow! did I actually say this?) thank God I'm Canadian and that this is 100% legal for me, no matter what music I choose.
posted by shepd at 5:40 AM on March 2, 2003

shepd: make1 mix and create 5 copies of it...and as for the legality of it -- : p
posted by amberglow at 7:35 AM on March 2, 2003

I did these things.

Ah, but did you POST them as well? Coz you know, the mixes are no good if you just leave them sitting on the kitchen bench with a "post these" note on them, are they? The send part is just as important as the mix part, after all ;-)

Does anyone know where I can download a copy of "Achy Breaky heart" to use as the finale of my mix that will include both kinds of music, country and western?
posted by dg at 2:01 PM on March 2, 2003

Oh and Yelling At Nothing, part of the attraction (for me, at least) is the work that is often put into creating suitable packaging for the CD and sending them by e-mail would just not seem the same somehow. The swapsets are going to be arranged so that no-one will end up with 5 CDs going internationally and the postage should not break anyone.
posted by dg at 2:36 PM on March 2, 2003

>The swapsets are going to be arranged so that no-one will end up with 5 CDs going internationally

Seems to me part of the fun is spreading local music around the world. :-)

However, that being said, I haven 't checked international postage rates on CDs. I can't imagine it would cost more than $10 CDN ($7 US).

I can't even buy 5 CDs for that price ($50 CDN), never mind the fact that (hopefully!) some of the music on the discs will be the kind that I'd need to take a flight to buy.

>Oh and Yelling At Nothing, part of the attraction (for me, at least) is the work that is often put into creating suitable packaging for the CD and sending them by e-mail would just not seem the same somehow.

I'd think half the fun would be designing the cover art for the disc...
posted by shepd at 5:02 PM on March 2, 2003

shepd -- CD's fit in the letter-slot at the postie's, so it'll cost you about $1 and change CDN per CD.

My last swapset was 5 for 5! Go group 23!

I'm a big cover art geek too :^)
posted by krunk at 8:45 PM on March 2, 2003

I tortured people with this last swap. Nobody liked it.

Nobody liked PJ Harvey and Gillian Welch?! What does it take to satisfy you people?

Of course, I also like jug bands.
posted by hippugeek at 11:19 PM on March 2, 2003

I have a few midi files I'd like to dispose of - if anyone loves this sort of thing; I'd be glad to join. ;)
posted by MiguelCardoso at 11:55 PM on March 2, 2003

hmm count me in .

what do i do ?
posted by sgt.serenity at 10:08 AM on March 3, 2003

oh right, i think i've signed up for this already, barry.
posted by sgt.serenity at 10:15 AM on March 3, 2003

I am not a little sad that the MP3 CD option isn't included this time around; I was all ready to endure 5 CDRs of shitty
< 192k bitrates just for the hell of the fun of it, but alas, it is not to be.
I wonder if Dreama got little to no signups for MP3 CD requests because of this? I can tolerate someone else's incompatible taste in music much more than I can tolerate MP3s at 128 or 160. Perhaps others are similar?

Audio CDs it is!
posted by eustacescrubb at 5:31 PM on March 7, 2003

What is an acceptable bitrate?
posted by Yelling At Nothing at 1:39 AM on March 10, 2003

> 192k.

I myself use a VBR with a "floor" of 224k, but I can tolerate 192k CBRs.

Anything below that sends me into conniptions.
posted by eustacescrubb at 4:23 PM on March 17, 2003