Info & Articles - QA Standards
The VH Trade Quality Assurance Trading Standards
by Skyscraper and Scott Roberts.
The following standards have been created to ensure in the proliferation of only quality, error-free, and gap-free CD-Rs within the trading community. Everyone is urged to adhere by these standards so that all traders and collectors can enjoy the best-sounding music possible.
Do not trade material sourced from MP3's.
MP3 is a great format to send or download over the internet, but isn't very good for CD-R trading purposes because of it's inferior sound quality. If any of your recordings are MP3-sourced, please let all traders know about it in advance and NEVER trade copies of them unless they have prior knowledge of you doing so!
Do not trade material with gaps, pops, or burn errors.
Never send CD-Rs that contain imperfect copies of boots. Do not make a trade if your discs have clicks/gaps/pops/digi-noise/errors (even "microscopic" ones that last for a few milliseconds) between the tracks. If the source (your own boot) you're recording from contains any such gaps or burn errors, hold off on trading the boot until you receive a better copy of it from someone else.
If you ever receive less-than-perfect discs from someone else, politely request that they replace them with better-sounding discs. And whatever you do, NEVER trade or give away copies of the inferior discs.
Always copy discs using DAO mode.
No matter what, always burn copies of discs at DAO (Disc-At-Once), NO EXCEPTIONS. Copying boots using TAO (Track-At-Once) will only produce gaps or pops between songs.
Use EAC (Exact Audio Copy) when burning discs.
We strongly recommend use of Exact Audio Copy when ripping audio data to ensure the quality of copies. Use EAC - it's free software!!
Use the ISO 9660 standard when burning discs.
Burning with ISO 9660 standard ensures the compatibility with maximum number of CD-players - home stereo, in car, portable players. Again, use Disc-At-Once method for all live recordings.
Use name-brand CD-R blanks.
You don't have to be that picky about the media brands, but please avoid use of no-name discs. I don't care that you can get 50 blanks at Costco for $2. Save the generic discs for your own personal use; send quality ones when you're trading with others.
Listen to everything before you send it.
Before mailing anyone a copy of a boot please test it in normal CD player. Pay close attention to any possible gaps or pops between songs, and any clicks, errors or noise during the songs. Sure, it may be more time-consuming, but it will ensure that everyone will get perfect copies.
Never write on the discs.
Unless you get prior approval from a particular trader, never write on the top (unrecorded) of the CD-Rs or DVDs with a magic marker, pen, etc.. Use a different means to label each disc, such as removable post-it notes (be sure to put the note or label on the sleeve, not the disc itself).
Use acceptable packaging for mailing discs.
It may be common practice to ship discs without the jewel cases, but when sending either recorded or blank CD-Rs use high-quality, protective plastic or paper sleeves. NEVER ship discs "loose", wrapped only in paper towels, newspaper, etc. Be sure to use care in packaging to ensure the media arrives intact, unmarred and unscratched.
Read and follow the other trader's trade rules.
Many traders either post their trade rules online or send them directly to you via e-mail. Show common courtesy and respect by following each rule to a "T".
Communicate openly and thoroughly with the other trader.
Before trading, thoroughly discuss any special concessions or conditions that need to be met. If any requests are made concerning shipping, recording, sound quality, media brands, labeling, artwork, or any other topic, openly air them before the trades are initiated.
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