Unsure of what to do with all these files? Read on...

All the audio files in Filtered Thru Dust Speakers are "mp3"s which are simply a type of sound file. Mp3s are especially useful to Internet users as they can offer extremely good sound quality for a very small file size. That means that you won't have to wait too long while they download. Consider that a "wav" file of a CD quality tune will be around 60 megabytes, while an equally good sounding mp3 will only be around 4 or 5 megabytes. You know a file is an mp3 if the filename ends with ".mp3".

In order to play them you need an mp3 player. If you are using either Windows 95 or Windows 98 then I recommend that you use Winamp. This is one of the most popular players with a lot of really useful features, and is also very easy to use. You can even play all kinds of other sound files with it as well as mp3s, and make up your own playlists. Best of all, you can download it for free now at www.winamp.com.

If you use a Mac then you can use iTunes which has been recommended ato me as being particularly easy to use. Download it from www.apple.com/itunes/ and install it in the usual way.

If you have any problems with any of the mp3s at The Radar Station then do drop me a line and I will try to help you sort it out. If you want more information about mp3s then head straight for www.mp3.com where you will find an astonishing and accessible amount of useful information. You will also be able to find numerous encoders there if you are wanting to make your own mp3s.

There is also a lot of useful stuff at www.winamp.com besides just the player, so have a good rummage there as well.

I hope you enjoy the tunes in Filtered Thru Dust Speakers. If you have any good quality mp3s of rare and unreleased Beefheart tunes, please do send them along so I can feature them here. If you are aware of any official release which features any of the tunes contained in Filtered Thru Dust Speakers then please let me know so I can remove the offending mp3. Filtered... isn't here to cheat anybody. Cheers.

All the videos, the radio show and any audio interviews at the Radar Station are in the RealAudio format. To play RealAudio files you need the RealPlayer which can be downloaded from www.real.com for free. You will have to keep a sharp look out for the link for the free player, as opposed to the RealPlayer Plus which you have to pay for, as it is fairly well hidden, but it is there.

The benefit of RealAudio is that you can get reasonably good quality sound files to stream, in other words, you don't have to wait for the file to download before you can listen to it, it starts to play almost as soon as you click on the link. All the Real Audio files at the Radar Station stream, however the video files have to be downloaded completely before they can be viewed as they are so much bigger.

If you have problems with any of the Real Audio or Video files, then you may be using an out of date RealPlayer. All the RealAudio at the Radar Station uses the RealNetworks new G2 technology which offers a massive improvemnet in sound quality. You need a current player in order to hear or view these files.