1. I already have some MUSIC BACK-PACKS on tape. Aren't these the same things?

2. Since I've bought MUSIC BACK-PACK tapes before, shouldn't I get some kind of a discount when buying these CDs?

3. Where's the track called "xxxx" from the old tape version located on CD?

4. I can't afford the whole library, maybe just a few discs. Which ones would be good to start with?

5. Will CD-Rs play in my CD or DVD player?

6. I have some GEODESIUM albums, and I see some of the same tracks here. What's the deal with that?

7. Why can't I just use Holst's "The Planets" as usual?

1. I already have some MUSIC BACK-PACKS on tape. Aren't these the same things?

Not exactly. For one thing, we've added nearly two hours of music not previously available in the old MUSIC BACK-PACK LIBRARY, and created some "alternate" mixes as well.

We've also remastered every selection, a process that involved digitizing the original analog tracks; digitally modeling and removing the last vestiges of tape hiss and noise; adjusting the pitch so every track is "in tune" with the others across the entire library; normalizing the volume levels, and so on. We think the music sounds a lot cleaner, and in some cases, a lot better than before.

The old tape volumes held about 40 minutes each. CDs have almost double that capacity. Each disc holds just under 74 minutes worth of music. When viewed as a collection, we found we could index the tracks in a more logical manner, to place together stylistically consistent tracks from across the gamut of the tape volumes.

Finally, we know you'll find CDs a lot easier to search through, when compared to shuttling through tape reels or rewinding cassettes!

2. Since I've bought MUSIC BACK-PACK tapes before, shouldn't I get some kind of a discount when buying these CDs?

When you bought CD versions of vinyl LPs you already owned, did you ask for a discount from those big record labels?

Our music's now digitally remastered, each CD has not just a "bonus track" or two, but another half hour's worth of additional music, they're more convenient to use, take up less shelf space, they're more durable than analog tape. Increased value and efficiency -- and yet you want some special deal, more for less?

Well, to show you what nice people we are, and to acknowledge your past support, we're offering a special one-time discount to all customers who have ever bought MUSIC BACK-PACK tape volumes at any time since their introduction in 1978.

Here's the deal: When you place your first order for CDs from the Library, we'll apply a $10 credit for every tape volume we've ever sold to you. Got 4 tape volumes? We'll take $40 off the bill. Own 10 tapes? Save $100. Own 'em all? That's worth $160 off the price the first time you place your order.

Now that's a better deal than those big record labels gave you, isn't it?

3. Where's the track called "xxxx" from the old tape version located on CD?

Check out this Tape/CD Cross-reference chart. It's also included with the Library's index book.

4. I can't afford the whole library, maybe just a few discs. Which ones would be good to start with?

The MUSIC BACK-PACK LIBRARY is compiled in roughly chronological order. Discs 1-3 are from the 1970s; 4-6 from the early '80s; the rest are of more recent vintage. We like to think we improve with age, so if you're just starting out, we suggest starting in the middle, say with Disc 7, then work your way up and down from there. Discs 10 and 11 have a "Native American" or "Southwest" flavor.

We've given each Disc and track a name, and a short description that we feel fits the music. However, a title like "Asteroid Belt" doesn't mean that it can be used only when discussing asteroids. This particular piece makes for "scary" sounds, when played in total darkness on Halloween! How we envision using any piece may be quite different from what you might imagine.

People's ideas of what they like in music is so subjective, it's risky to make generalizations. Here's one example: synth pioneer Wendy Carlos did "Switched-On Bach" on analog gear in the late '60s, and redid it digitally as "Switched-on Bach 2000" twenty-five years later. There's a flamboyant exuberance to the original tracks, a very direct, "in-your-face" feel to the music, and a lot of "fun" is apparent in the work. The remake is more mature, refined and polished -- richer in textures and subtlety. Which is "better"? Neither -- they're both good, but they're different. Each has its own unique qualities.

It's the same with our music, too. In the '70s, digital hadn't been invented, synthesizers could at best produce two notes at a time, we didn't have 24-track recorders, MIDI, CDs or personal computers. The electronic music produced then was characteristic of the time; everything was a new sound, novel to the ears. Analog synthesizers produce the fat, direct, upfront signature sounds that make them as much in demand today as then. Modern digital gear produces cool, clean, refined sounds and textures. We use it all -- but only after it's been invented!

Since 1975, we've used a large array of electronic instruments in creating our music, including an Emulator II digital sampling keyboard, a Mellotron analog sampler, synthesizers and equipment from E-Mu Systems, Roland, Sequential Circuits, Oberheim, Rhodes, Yamaha, Alesis, ARP, Moog, EMS, and more. As the Disc numbers increase on the Library volumes, you can trace the development of both technology and our musical styles as they evolve. (See, evolution is not a theory, it's a fact!)

Your taste in music, how you intend to use it in your soundtrack -- these are all personal considerations. You get to decide which you like. We simply provide the variety from which to choose.

5. Will CD-Rs play in my CD or DVD player?

They should. To encode their ones and zeroes, CD-Rs use a dye layer which changes color when recorded. As a result, it's somewhat less reflective when compared to the silver "pits and flats" of commercially-pressed compact discs. This is not a problem for most CD players.

Newer CD/DVD "combo" players are designed to work with all media; we own several, and our CD-Rs play with no problems.

Some older DVD players are specifically fine-tuned for DVD media, which use a different method involving crystallizing the dye to encode the data. These players may not recognize CD-Rs as valid DVD media -- because they're not!

For best results, we recommend playing our CDs in a player designed to play CDs. What a concept!

6. I have some GEODESIUM albums, and I see some of the same tracks here. What's the deal with that?

This is perfectly normal and nothing to be worried about.

GEODESIUM albums are essentially commercial consumer items (we hope you sell them in your gift shop). They contain music that is "foreground" as well "background"; drums are often mixed more prominently, for example. But no commercial CDs -- including our GEODESIUM albums -- come with the synchronization rights needed to use the music in planetarium soundtracks.

The Usage License for the MUSIC BACK-PACK LIBRARY includes both performing and synchronization rights, so the way to ensure full compliance with the copyright laws is to use the tracks from the Library in your soundtracks, even though some may appear on our GEODESIUM albums too.

6a. You mean I need synchronization rights to use tracks from GEODESIUM albums in my soundtracks?

As a practical matter, we're the copyright owners, so we get to call the shots when it comes to authorizing public performances and granting sync rights.

Whenever planetarians ask for permission to use tracks from a GEODESIUM album in their soundtracks, we've operated with this informal policy:

The policy has worked well for us so far.

7. Why can't I just use Holst's "The Planets" as usual?

Selecting music for soundtrack production is a task often approached with trepidation. When talking about Mars, for example, you don't want the snare drums beating and the trumpets blaring "The Bringer of War" from Holst's The Planets (definitely NOT easy to talk over)! From an acoustic standpoint, it's more difficult to concentrate on a narrator's words when a 120-piece orchestra is sawing away at fortissimo; a strong theme and rhythm will conflict with any narration, no matter how low the loudness control is kept. And aesthetically speaking, that obviously terrestrial orchestra connotes EARTH, not MARS.

Of course, commercial albums aren't intended for soundtrack production purposes. They're FOREground music, designed to be listened to only. Aesthetics aside, there are critical legal issues involved. To play any piece of music in your planetarium, you need to secure the public performance rights and obtain a license from ASCAP or BMI, so you can simply play the music in public.

But, in addition and more importantly, you need to obtain the synchronization rights (from whomever) so you can legally edit the music, and synchronize visuals and narration to it. There's no getting around the copyright law. Here's a more detailed discussion.

Since we hold the copyrights on our own creations, we make it simple and easy for you to use MUSIC BACK-PACKS legally. Included in the purchase price of each volume is a license to use the music; we grant you in-house performance and synchronization rights. Within your facility, you are free to use as much of our music as you wish. It's all spelled out in plain English, in our "Copyright Statement and Usage License" which accompanies each product.