Dear Madhudvisa Prabhu, Hare Krishna!
Please accept my humble obeisances.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
Very nice heartfelt letter (http://harekrsna.com/sun/editorials/02-10/editorials5736.htm), but what’s done is done. The big question now is, where do we go from here?
I agree with what you said, except for three things:
1. The Bhaktivedanta Tape Ministry was actually started as “ISKCON’S first cassette subscription service” at the Brooklyn temple on Henry Street in 1971. As far as I can remember, it was my original idea, dictated directly by Supersoul, and I’m the one who put the idea into action. In 1972, I moved the tape subscription service to ISKCON Los Angeles. Supersoul then dictated that I give it the name, the “Bhaktivedanta Tape Ministry,” and to restrict the subscription service to only lectures and conversations by Srila Prabhupada. I implemented this change in Los Angeles in early 1973. I also computerized the BTM subscription service accounting and cassette tape label printing at that time using ISKCON’s first computer, which was owned by ISKCON’s Spiritual Sky incense manufacturing business. Where did you get the idea that “Parama-Rupa Prabhu created the Bhaktivedanta Tape Ministry?”
2. I remember being very disappointed that you had transferred Srila Prabhupada’s tape library to Real Audio format instead to the MP3 format. It was clear to me at that time that MP3 was the way to go. Why didn’t you consult with me? At that time, I was available by email every day, just as I am now. This mistake demonstrates that you have a tendency to do things “on impulse” without properly researching the alternatives.
3. You said that the recordings that have not yet been released should be digitized and the files converted to the FLAC format. Why do it in 2 steps? Why not digitize them to the FLAC format in the first place? Why just the unreleased tapes? Why not ALL of the tapes?
In any case, the original analog tapes should be digitized directly to a high quality, lossless format in such a way the even an expert cannot tell the difference between the original recording and the copy when doing an “AB test” on the highest quality playback equipment.
If, for some reason, these original digitized files have to in an uncompressed lossless format such as WAV, then they should be converted to FLAC before they are distributed on the Internet, because FLAC files are much more compact.
It is very important that this be done, not only for the unreleased tapes, but for ALL of Srila Prabhupada’s tapes. There should be copies of the original FLAC files in the personal libraries of devotees all over the world so that they have the best possible chance of surviving for the next 10,000 years. Theorectically, digital copies are eternal, because each copy is identical to the original, but there must be many copies as widely distributed as possible.
As far as removing the background noise goes, all editing should be done in the lossless domain. The very last step should be to convert to the files MP3, which is not lossless. However, the noise reduced lossless versions should also be saved, because further noise reduction might be possible as we get better at it and as the technology improves. In any case, the most important thing is to preserve the original digitized copies at all cost. Like I’ve been saying over and over again for the past couple of years, this can be easily accomplished at very little cost by making them available as free downloads on the Internet.
Your servant,
Pratyatosa Dasa
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Dear Pratyatosa Prabhu
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!!
I agree 100% with everything you have said in this letter Prabhu. And I thank you very much for clearing up this history of the Bhaktivedanta Tape Ministry.
I did not know you at the time we made the first Prabhupada Real Audio set. It was early 90’s. Everything was very new. CD burners had just come out.
Prabhu the reason I did the first set in Real Audio was there was a realtime system available to record straight to Real Audio files but if I would have made the first set in MP3 I would have had to capture in wav files and convert the wav files into MP3 and those days we had very small hard drives and very slow computers.
I think this project took about 2 months to make the Real Audio set but making it on MP3 would have taken a lot longer. I was using 3 computers and working on it 18+ hours a day. Once Mahesh Prabhu understood the possibilities he was pushing me to get it out to the devotees as soon as possible!
It was a grand success Prabhu. The quality was quite nice, considering, and thousands of those Real Audio sets were distributed and it started a revolution of hearing from Srila Prabhupada…
I agree completely with the process you have outlined and in the future I will consult with you before doing anything digitally with the Prabhuapda vani.
I agree 100% that all the tapes should be released by the archives in the loss less flac format with the digital signitures mentioned by your brother published so we have a standard and guaranteed bona fide set of unprocessed digital copies of the original tapes…
Your point is well taken that in the future the noise reduction technology may be better so we need to keep the original unprocessed files as well as the processed files.
ALL GLORIES TO YOUR SERVICE PRABHU!
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Your servant
Madhudvisa dasa
www.KrishnaStore.com
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