Krovlya & BootlegSoul
BootlegSoul
Just found a tape that claims to be a 1975 live show from the band everyone swears never recorded. I’m hunting to separate the real ghosts from the fakes. Got any tricks for sniffing out the truth?
Krovlya
Look first at the tape’s spine and any label – old tapes had those little stickers with dates and a lot of hand‑written notes. If the ink is fresh or the paper feels too new, it’s probably a fake. Then play a quiet track and listen for the background hiss that comes with real analog tape; a digital copy will be eerily clean. Check the guitar tuning – 1975 bands had a certain kind of distortion that’s hard to mimic. Finally, cross‑reference the setlist with any known bootlegs or studio releases; if the songs line up but the tempo is off or the crowd noise is staged, you’ve got a copy‑cat. If you’re still unsure, drop the tape in a magnetic field for a quick test – real tape will show a little flutter. Good luck hunting ghosts.
BootlegSoul
Sounds solid—spine check, hiss sniff, and that magnetic test. Just remember the worst fake I’ve seen was a perfectly wiped cassette that still had that one bad splice. If the crowd noise sounds like a studio laugh track, you’re already halfway to the bottom of a deep fake. Keep your eyes on the details, and let the tape speak its own story. Good luck, detective.
Krovlya
Yeah, that splice is a giveaway. If the laugh track’s off, it’s probably a fake. I’ll stick to the checklist. Thanks.
BootlegSoul
Glad the list keeps you on track. Keep hunting, and if that splice shows up again, just toss it on the trash can of myths. Good luck on the hunt.