What does "Pre-FM" mean??

I'm guessing (might be wrong) that it's a recording of a show intended
for FM Radio Broadcast....but that the recording is not the FM broadcast itself
but a recording of the feed. Am I way off? ;-)


IORR............but I like it!

Not way off.

I have understood that Pre-FM is the CD or tape itself that the radios station will be broadcasting. Most people then have tape (or CDR) rolling to capture that broadcast which is of course of lesser quality then the original CD or tape the station is rolling back at the studio.

I once hounded and hounded a San Diego radio station for a copy of The Police live in Pacific Beach. They had broadcast it while I was at work and I REALLY wanted to hear it. They finally relented and gave me a copy from their reel to reel masters on Cr02 tape. THAT is a PreFM recording of the show that was broadcast to the masses. No compression, no static, no DJs, no lossiness. Just pure reel to reel goodness recording directly from the sound system that night.

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Munichhilton
Just pure reel to reel goodness recording directly from the sound system that night.

usually there is a level of mixing done in the studio, but no overdubs.

as i understand it: pre-fm refers to a recording of a show from a deck patched into the same source that was going out to the FM stations.
so it is a bootleg, but the sound clarity is of soundboard quality.

the main reason to call something "Pre-FM" is to distinguish it from a recording that was taken off of an FM broadcast. Example: the San Diego B2B show was broadcast on FM radio, and of course, bootlegged. Then, a new, better source surfaced that was recorded direct SB, the source that was used to broadcast. To make it clear that the source was not recorded off the broadcast, they call it "Pre-FM."

Quote
blakeeik
the main reason to call something "Pre-FM" is to distinguish it from a recording that was taken off of an FM broadcast. Example: the San Diego B2B show was broadcast on FM radio, and of course, bootlegged. Then, a new, better source surfaced that was recorded direct SB, the source that was used to broadcast. To make it clear that the source was not recorded off the broadcast, they call it "Pre-FM."

Then Munichhilton's answer is correct. Sounds to me like there may be a few different scenarios that could qualify a recording as Pre-FM.