1. What are the instructions for downloading songs?

2. Why are there no direct download links like the old site?

3. I am unable to download the files, instead they are playing automatically. How can I fix this?

4. What audio players do you recommend?

5. What browsers work best for your site?

6. How do I play the songs continuously without stopping and having to manually click on the next song?

7. How do I digitize old tapes? i.e Converting them to MP3

8. What can I do with the audio files on this website?

9. Can I get a higher quality audio file for my presentation? i.e Festival occasions such as Swami's Birthday, Easwaramma Day?

10. What are your sources?
    

    
    

What are the instructions for downloading songs?

Once you decide to download a file, please follow this procedure and you will be able to download successfully.

• First, click on the download arrow and you will see a small popup window appear briefly. Your computer will either ask you whether you want to save or open the file.

• Click 'Save' and select the location on your computer where you would the file to be stored. Press OK.

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Why are there no direct download links like the old site?

The SBN is dynamically coded to reduce unecessary strain and bandwidth on the server. If we include DIRECT download links as we have in the past, many people abuse this facility and start downloading masses of files all at once, which puts enormous strain on the server. We have to pay to host this site, and when extra and unecessary bandwidth is consumed, costs mount up. Hence we have introduced a login system and database to have more control of downloads. Please note: All files on the SBN are downloadable. If they are not being downloaded then your audio player's is not correctly configured to allow downloading. Please see below question for help.

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I am unable to download the files, instead they are playing automatically. How can I fix this?

This is simply to do with your audio player's configuration. Most players like to interfere in the download process and some even like to stream them, instead of downloading. We know its very annoying, so we have provided some instructions for the main audio players out there.

RealPlayer:

We don't understand why so many people like RealPlayer, since we find it very bulky, slow and extremely limited. We would recommend that you uninstall it and use a better player, in addition to RealAlternative that will play .rm .ram files. For those that still insist using it, or for users that have paid for RealPlayer Plus, then please upgrade to the latest version (RealPlayer 10) here and follow the instructions below.

Windows Media Player:

QuickTime:

If you are would like to play .mov and other QuickTime formats, but don't want to install the bulky QuickTime package, then we highly recommend QuickTime Alternative which supports Mozilla/Firefox and Opera. Follow steps below to stop automatic playing.

If none of the above work, try this:

While the song is playing, in your player's menu bar, click on File. Then, click on 'Save As' or 'Save'. Select a location on  your computer & click OK. The song should be saved there!

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What audio players do you recommend?

Please use a good player to play the songs that you download. Recommended freeware players are: Windows Media Player, Winamp 5, Foobar2000, or Quintessential Player. If you are running Linux/Unix you can use XMMS. If you are running Macintosh, please use iTunes.

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How do I play the songs continuously without stopping and having to manually click on the next song?

You can create a playlist using your audio player. You can edit that playlist to have whatever songs you need in whichever order. That will play it continuously without stopping and without you clicking on every song. Most players have a repeat/loop and shuffle buttons to enable continuous playback. If you have any questions regarding this please email us.

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Cassette Tapes to MP3/WMA

If you want the songs on an old cassette tape to be converted into MP3/WMA format and then uploaded to the website, we are happy to provide this service. Please email us and we will gladly convert.

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Going Beyond

We think that you shouldn't be limited to listening to bhajans, songs etc on your computer. There are now many CD Players that support MP3 & WMA, so burning your content straight onto CD is now becoming increasingly popular. This is standard is known as an 'MP3 CD' which can hold upto 700MBs of bhajans. That's by the way, in most cases over 10 times the amount of that a regular Audio CD can hold. The software, we recommend to make MP3 CDs is called Nero. You can also transfer these songs to any portable device such as an iPod or a Palm Pilot.

If you want to playback our content on a 'regular' CD Player, then an Audio CD has to be created. To do this the MP3/WMA files need to be converted, which is actually a very simple process. We recommend dbpowerAMP.

To Make Audio CDs using dbpowerAMP: http://dbpoweramp.com/cdwriter.htm
To Make MP3 CDs using Nero: http://www.ahead.de

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Obtaining Higher Quality

Surely. If you would like to request a higher quality audio file for a special reason, please email us with the reason and the file name.

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Sources

Our primary sources include Radio Sai, SSSBPT, OSSSBI, Kingdom of Sai and many devotees around the world who have shared with us audio from their personal collection. We are very thankful for everyone who let us use their material.

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