frequently asked questions         We've just recently redesigned the RattleHead site, and most (if not all) of the FAQ was really out of date. We pretty much stripped out the junk, left the few relevant questions, and we'll add to this as we go along, okay? If you still need an answer to something not covered here, email us at support@rattlehead.com. What is an MP3? MP3 is a file format for storing audio data.  (Just like there are CD's, tapes, mini-discs, vinyl, and WAV files.)  The quality of an MP3 is somewhere between a cassette and a CD, depending on how well it was encoded.   I forgot how to login... Sometimes when trying to access certain functions on the RattleHead site, you will be prompted for a user/password. Enter the correct information, and you will be verified. Other times, you will need to be logged in already for an option to be available to you (such as library functions). If you simply need to login, Click on the OUTER RING of the RattleHead logo in the upper left on the page. If you click anywhere other than the outer ring, you will be taken to the home page.   I downloaded a song and it won't play in my mp3 player! All files have extensions. An mp3 extension is ".mp3". (example: mysong.mp3)   Try changing the extension from whatever it is now to ".mp3" with your rename file option. Many mp3's are sent without the mp3 extension. If it still doesn't play, it may be corrupted. (It happens.)   I am in a band and I'm from Rhode Island...what can RattleHead do for me? Excellent question.  Why not check out our services index? We organize shows, we do broadcasts of both live and recorded material. The first thing a band should do to introduce themselves is to add a contact to our blackbook.   You recorded my band recently, and I haven't seen the tracks online yet... what's up? We're simply overloaded! Every hour we record, requires approximately 2-3 hours of processing... then multiply that times hundreds of hours of recordings a year and you start to get the picture. Generally, we are running about 6-8 weeks behind in recordings. A good indication of its status is to simply look it up... if tracks from the show you want are posted online, its usually done. There are also ways to speed things up a bit... why not offer to edit it yourself? Such things are possible, as we work with many editors completely online. If you have a basic knowledge of audio editing and know how to set cue points, you're all set.   I'm having problems with a piece of software I downloaded from your software section. Sorry, not our department.  All the software listings we have are links to the authors' homepages.  In either case, for the best info and troubleshooting, you should contact the person who wrote it.  Like the lawyers say, "no warranties expressed or implied."   Do you guys buy vinyl? I don't even know why this question is here; all the people who think we buy vinyl call us, they don't look online. In fact they call, on average , 2-3 times a week. NO WE DO NOT BUY VINYL. WE DON'T KNOW ANYONE WHO DOES. WE DO NOT KNOW ANYONE WHO WOULD WANT TO OR WHY. In fact, if you've looked for our yellow pages listing recently and found it missing; that's why.   Can you guys find me a producer? This is the second most common phone call that we get, right after "do you buy vinyl?". It's usually asked by 12-14 year old kids who have seen too much American Idol and like to lipsync to Gwen Stefani and think that if they call a local record label and demand a producer, someone will come down and see them and know that they "have something special" and will get them studio time and a songwriter and a choreographer and a publicist and next thing they'll be like Chris Brown and be rich with a limo and babes and all kinds of bling. The problem with this idea is that its hopelessly naive, completely ignorant, and even dangerous in some ways because it encourages you to sit on your ass and wait for someone else to save you. The other problem is that the issue is so complex , it would take a long time to even explain "why" to someone who hasn't the first clue. A good analogy would be if you ran Coca-Cola, and you got a phone call from a kid running a lemonade stand in Cincinnati who demanded that you start to manufacture his lemonade... you wouldn't even know where to begin -- and "no" would only be the first step. We don't want to discourage you in pursuing a career in music, despite how this may sound, but if you call RattleHead looking for a producer we will tell you three things: 1) If you want to be a successful musician, do that first. Drivers are more likely to pick up a hitchiker who's already walking. 2) If you're looking for someone else to come and save you; it will never happen. Most of you have this fantasy about all these staff -- producers, engineers, studios, choreographers, publicists, songwriters, etc... all working hard to make your career a reality. But what you probably haven't asked yourself: If I need all those people to make my career, then is it really my career? And what happens if they all leave and I can't do it without them? 3) There are no short cuts. Despite what it may look like when you see people like Chris Brown that appear seemingly out of nowhere, you really don't want to be in their shoes. He's been bought and sold so many times to get where he is, that it's hardly his career anymore. And once they are through with him, you will never see him again. Look no further than VH1's "Behind the Music"... how many of them end well?