Kool FM Midlands archive
Share your recordings
It's good to see that you want to contribute to the Kool FM Archive. First of all, there are just a few things to get right:
1) We ONLY accept Kool FM Midlands archives so if you recorded it in London then that's the wrong Kool! Kool London are still going so it wouldn't be appropriate to archive their shows, that's up to them to do.
2) Good quality recordings please. We know that most recordings will have a bit of a crackle here and there which is ok, but please only submit recordings that are listenable. The minimum bitrate accepted is about 40kbps Mono (no need for stereo recordings as Kool were always in mono).
3) Put as much info as possible in the MP3 file name including the DJs and the full date where possible. A good format would be:
DJ Name - Date.mp3
If you don't know the exact date then don't guess, just put the year or something.
Got a load of tapes?
If you don't have your recordings on MP3 then follow these instructions to rip them from your tapes (if you don't already know). If you have them on MP3 already then go to the Upload bit ..
First of all, you need a cable to connect your tape/CD deck up to your PC if you don't already have one. In most cases, you will need an "RCA Phono to 3.5mm Stereo" lead, like this one (new window). Connect the lead from your tape deck or hi-fi output to the line input of your PC.
You will need some recording software such as Audacity (new window) (follow instructions on website for installation, you will need the LAME encoder as well which is linked from there). I've only tested Audacity quickly to write this but it seems very simple to use - just ensure that Line In is selected in the top right corner.
You are now ready to record from the tape, simply play it and hit record in Audacity (or whatever you are using) and the level meters should start moving. When the tape reaches the end then stop the recording and export the file as an MP3 (File > Export as MP3). If you get an error then the chances are that it will want you to locate LAME (lame_enc.dll) which you should have downloaded with Audacity.
Once you have the file saved, it's time to upload
Upload your MP3
An upload form will be added soon, but until then, we recommend using a file sharing website like http://rapidshare.com (new window).
We are in no way connected with Kool FM or any other radio station, this is simply a place where listeners of the legandary station can come and share recordings.