Help Files

Click here if you are familiar with Internet Music formats.
Just give me the FAQ's

We really want you to enjoy our music. Sometimes things don't work out, so heres some answers to our most common questions and technical problems. If this doesn't help, please write back to us. We have designed the site so people can find songs they might be interested in, listen to them, and if they like them, download everything they need to use them in church, or for private worship.

Every page has 2 important links in the "header" section, below the title and author information.
These are "Listen" and "Download"
Listening Problems Download Problems

Listen

Audio on this site has grown with technology, and is in a mixture of formats. We have used Real Audio, initially at 16kbps, then G2 (20kbps). To listen, you require Real Player from http//www.real.com.

We are now using Windows Media format (WMA) to stream at 48kbps. You may not agree with our choice, but we have to choose. We have rejected Real Media (our original format) because of bad experiences with Real Player messing with peoples operating systems. At low bitrates, we believe that WMA sounds better than MP3. MP3 is still our preferred choice for near CD quality downloads.

When you click on a "listen" link, one of the following will happen:

  1. Windows Media Player will open.
  2. Your Real Player will open.
  3. You will be taken to the song page on Soundclick.com.
  4. Your computer will crash (assuming you're running Windoze :-) (only kidding)
If you have a slower system, my advice is to download likely songs and listen to the MIDI files, which have a clear melody, and a good representation of the style.

When you click on the "listen" link, you will see the "Download File" dialog box open momentarily, and if your system is set up properly, this will disappear and the appropriateplayer will open, and play the file. If it doesn't, or you get an error, you probably need an updated version.

Connection Problems If the Player opens, but you get an error, it is most likely a problem with the server who hosts my site, or with congested Internet traffic. We suggest you try again the next day, and if the problem persists, take 2 aspirin and e-mail us

Downloading

At each song page you can download what we call a "song package". This contains everything you need to use the song in church.

It will have a text file with lyrics and copyright details so you can make Overhead transparencies, slides, reprints or other "projection" media such as Powerpoint slides.

It will include a MIDI file, which can be used as a "stand-alone" arrangement of the song, to supplement your band, or just to give an idea of how it sounds. All our MIDI files are compatible with GM sound modules, synths and soundcards. You may need to adjust the starting volumes of each instrument to obtain a satisfactory balance.

It will have a sheet music file, usually a lead sheet (chords, lyrics and melody), although we do have some piano arrangements. These are in Adobe PDF format. You will need Acrobat Reader (FREE) version 3.0 or greater. If you don't have this, you can get it from http//www.adobe.com

To download a song package, you need to fill in the form on the song page you require. You will need to provide a valid e-mail address. When you press the DOWNLOAD button, after a few moments, a "download file" box will open. Be sure to select "Save this file to disk".

You will end up with a file called xxxx.exe or xxxx.zip (where xxxx is the song name). You will need to run this file to get the individual files we mentioned above. Just double click and follow the instructions. Note these are "executable files" so we suggest you scan them for viruses before running them, if your computer doesn't do so automatically. If you are a Mac user, remember an Apple a day keeps Linux away, and you download an exe, you'll know there's a problem. Please e-mail us and we'll convert the exe to a zip, and then you can get Stuffit.

If you use our music, we hope you will record there use on your churches CCLI return, that way we get about $1.20 back for each church that does it. Every little bit helps.

I hope this has helped, and as I said, please feel free to contact us if you need more help.

Thanks for visiting Inside Out.
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