uploading masters for clients...

anyone got any faster methods of uploading masters?
just finished mixing an album and client wants to download the AIFs rather than have a DVD sent out... so i have to upload 24bit, 16bit versions of every track, plus instrumentals accapellas etc.. its taking forever, cant seem to find a good way of doing it - ftp is so slow (20kps), idisk is similar speed, dropbox is slower, sendspace and yousendit (free versions) are around 20kps... this is all from the 1m broadband connection at the studio...
anyone found a better way of doing this, cant face the thought of sitting here for another 8 hours watching it upload!!

Unless you spring for a high bandwidth account, you're probably stuck at those speeds for upload.  It usually takes me all day to upload a project for mastering, assuming my provider doesn't cut transmission part way through a file.  I seem to get about 44 kps on average here.  If you run speed tests, they will show something much higher, because it's only a brief test.  My transfers start at those rates, but go down 50% or more within seconds.  Many times a mailed DVD is still much faster. 

When looking into modems, I found that most do not have the ability to send as fast as they receive.  I had no luck even finding specs for sending rate in casual shopping.  It may not matter, as most providers cap the upload rate in the first place. 

MLM said:

just finished mixing an album and client wants to download the AIFs rather than have a DVD sent out...

Click to expand...

Their choice, although they might do well to heed Andrew Tanenbaum's observation.

MLM said:

from the 1m broadband connection at the studio...

Click to expand...

It's quite common to have a link set for faster download than upload speed. Are you sure that connection isn't 1024/256 (down/up)? Getting 20kBps upload speed no matter which method you use would be consistent with that.

JDB.
[and if that's the case, nothing short of a new DSL contract will increase your upload speed]

EDIT: Doug beat me to it.

thanks guys,
1024/256 (down/up) sounds likely then... internet connection is provided to every unit in our building via one network, maybe i can talk the guys downstairs to upload it for me (assuming they have a faster access speed and limit it before it gets to us)
otherwise i guess it'll have to be a DVD in the post - although the postal service is totally messed up atm in London with strikes etc...
damnit i cant believe 20kps is standard in 2009??!!
cheers again

there is always ednet using isdn... wait do people even go that route anymore. If time is an issue could always run them a dvd copy but thats if there local.  I have had masters sent via courier services before but that wasn't cheap. lucky for me the record label paid the bill.

EDNET/ISDN is NOT full-quality. It's pretty damn data-compressed. EDNET offers a bridge between several incompatible formats... So using EDNET bridge, you get to have TWO sets of nasty artifacts compounded one on top of the other, as well as double the cost, because you have to have TWO lines 'in series' with each other, and BOTH round-trip delay times added together.

You can have real-time or full-quality, You can't have both.

Everyone seems to have forgotten the first letter of ADSL, which is what "DSL" was correctly termed when it was first developed... Apparently the term 'Digital Subscriber Line' sounds a lot more friendly when it doesn't have that awkward "Asymmetrical" in front of it.

The word 'asymmetrical' means that upload and download speeds are NOT the same. Apparently things started selling better when people stopped asking 'what does ADSL stand for?' and started asking 'what does DSL stand for?'.

Keith

You may be able to get away with the following if your ISP doesn't do stateful pAcket inspection.

Setup an external FTP server to use one of the videoconferencing ports, like netmeeting, skype, etc...
These ports are commonly not throttled upstream.

So then setup an FTP client to connect to the nonstandard port and see if it's faster...

Oh,

your uncompressed aiff or wav files can safely be zipped prior to upload and decompressed by the client with no quality loss. Will reduce file size.

EDNET??  You mean Mr. EDNET.  Wellllll Wilburrrrr. . .

not for sending client masters, but at least they can check out your mix from the jacuzzi in their dacha before you start saddling the horse to deliver the DVD.
:wink:
Mike

well sir  I know with the Indian raids that the pony express doesn't always deliver.  However back in the day I successfully sent a mix via ednet for approval which I thought was the orginal intent of the post, client approval. Remember the dolby fax

A buddy just told me that he uses Skype for this. Dunno exactly how , but it is fast(er), and allows downloading whilst the file is still uploading, if you see what I mean . . .


  I use Yousendit. It is reliable at least. I have given up on iDIsk. it is a pile of crap for me. NEVER works from here.

strangeandbouncy said:

...Yousendit...iDIsk...

Click to expand...

Before you use these or any other file-storage/transfer sites for client data (or anything else that might be confidential or copyrighted) you may want to have your friendly neighborhood landshark go over their Terms of Service. You may find that the small print often has a few surprises.

Just sayin',

JD 'all your upload are belong to us' B.
[same goes for most IM networks, but privacy-related incidents with those are so widespread and go back so far it isn't funny anymore]

Log on any IRC server, start your own channel, let your client join. Then you can send it directly with full speed to him without having it stored anywhere. Obvious disadvantage is of course both of you have to be online at the same moment.


Volker

The other problem with IRC, skype, ichat and other live transfer methods is that if one party loses the connection, you have to start over. 

I use fios service with the service upgrade that gives me 20mbit down and 5 up.  Paired with a moderately fast ftp (dreamhost) I have found this to be an acceptable way to transfer files. It's not the simplest way and I find myself teaching ftp to people all the time, but it is the fastest I've found.  With smaller files I use either my iDisk (I know.. I agree it sucks...) or yousendit.

It goes without saying that smaller files transfer faster.  I usually will backup a project to DVD first, then "Delete Unused Audio" then compress and upload.

I've seen it posted by someone here, and I'll agree...

delete unused tracks/recordings.

Set up a private ftp server at your studio, on a separate pc, on a different port.

copy the files to the ftp server (or just put the DVD in the DVDROM), set up an account for the customer, and tell him/her that the server is switched on between 10pm and 10am.
that way, you don't burn precious bandwidth in peak hours.

In addition, tell him a DVD is in the post, and fedex him a dvd overnight.

/R

just wanted to say thanks for all the help - would've got back sooner but went on holiday for a week (it rained!). I ended up sending them a DVD in the end, but after all that now it seems they're coming over here for mastering instead! grrr..
anyway thanks once again for all the tips, much appreciated.