Answered Membership Positions (ASL, AST, Uploaders, etc)

[~SnowAngel~]

I've noticed that there is a very vague explanation of what these groups of people do. The rules simply define how you apply and nothing more. I'm interested in them, but I think it would be better to understand each of them first.

The first thing I'd like to know is the difference between an ASL and an Uploader. Here's one explanation I've received:

Spoiler

"Uploaders just upload pretty much whatever they want with whatever methods they choose. (eroges, animes, manga, etc.) No jobs or expectations except for simply following ASF rules.

ASL rips/retags music, and releases these rips onto our torrent, bot, and filehosts. Positions include romanizer, ripper, possible poster, etc. (also more of a slave position)."

Some specific questions I have for every position:

1. What are the things they can do?
2. What are the things they must do?
3. Under what conditions will they lose their status, other than breaking the general forum rules?
4. How often do they need to contribute? If they don't contribute for a long time, when will they lose their status?
5. With their status, what are their limitations?
6. What must you do to resign your status?
7. In what specific ways must you cooperate with members of the same status? (other than manners)

Other:
8. What can you not apply to become?
9. How many positions can you have?


thanks for answering~

 

[Checkmate]

Simpler version:

Uploader Group can make thread in the applied section, be it hentai game/stuff, or anime. Thread they make must comply to forum rules in the said section. You can be revoked if you have too many thread that don't comply to the rules, you don't post anything at all in a period of time.

ASL Group (Anime-Sharing Lossless members) can make thread in the music section, plus have access to a ripping queue. ASL member must rip music (download the image cd, convert into FLAC/MP3, tagging according to the information provided, and then, upload them to the forum/blog/torrent/distro) or do other assigned tasks (supplier, romanzier if you're have some Japanese skill, etc...) on a regular interval.

AST Group (Anime-Sharing Translations members) cannot do anything special but they have access to private channels to receive works, be it a translator (JP -> EN), translation checker (JP -> EN), editor (EN), graphic editor, beta tester / Quality control. AST members are expected to accomplished their assigned tasks by a set deadline.

Staff (mod, global mod, and higher position) have certain rights in their assigned section, they must show up in the forum and the staff channel almost everday for atleast 3 hours/day. Any absence more than 3 days must be asked for a leave. AWOL situation without justifiable reason will lead to suspension.

Global mod & Admin are truly no-life peoples - they are available 12-16 hours a day, 7 days a week. They are also expected to be available for atleast 1 hour/day during their absence/vacation/leave (you're expected to carry a laptop, a phone where we can contact in case of an emergency)

In all case, you must have common sense, some computer skill, willing to learn new stuff and follow rules/guidelines/commands.

Resignation can be submitted to the group executives or advisors with a justifiable reason or else you may not be accepted at for any position, if you re-apply.

You can apply to be 2 membergroup of a time if you really have no life (almost 24/7 NEET) but I don't recommend it at all.

Finally, you don't have any special benefit at all, may be a colored username of the group that you're in and some rights to do your assigned tasks but that's that. We don't do these for fame and glory nor #epeen

 

[~SnowAngel~]

How about adding to what you've applied for, or changing positions? Say I've applied to upload music, but then decide to upload manga. Or: I've been an ASL for a few months, but want to try AST. Would I need to go back to my application to bring that up, or make a new one?

Is there a place I can learn about more specific things for what an ASL and AST does?
Is there a way to occasionally the help people in these groups without being in the group? (ex: finding a random lossless album not uploaded yet; able to check work on weekends, etc.)

What are some examples of the AST deadlines and workloads?
On what occasions would an ASL upload something? (ex: music request, personal find/interest, assigned watch for release, etc.)

 

[Checkmate]

Say I've applied to upload music, but then decide to upload manga.

If you have applied to be an uploader, you can upload a wide variety of materials, including but not limited to manga, games, artbooks, etc... The only exception is anime series, which a special permission is required.

I've been an ASL for a few months, but want to try AST

If you have been already a staff for sometimes, no application is required since we knows your capabilities (and you know us better) so most likely, just mention it to a staff and they will make proper arrangements if you're capable of it.

Monitoring our IRC channel is the best, and after all, most communication are done via our public (or private) IRC channels. See the forum footer for our IRC channel.

Is there a way to occasionally the help people in these groups without being in the group? (ex: finding a random lossless album not uploaded yet; able to check work on weekends, etc.)

Yes, you can, however, even so we don't have enough personnel to tag/release it. Unless it's something hot or special (which, we also would be trying our best to acquire them), it is highly likely to be backlogged for ages.

What are some examples of the AST deadlines?

As for an editor, we are generally expect you to finish your work of a route in four weeks, roughly ~25000 words I'd say, or about 900 words edit everyday ~ 4 pages.

ASL members are required to do atleast 3 full albums workload per month (non-single CD), Senior ASL members are expected to do some verification for newer one (who are not familiar with the ASL tagging rules, packaging and distro procedure)

 

[~SnowAngel~]

What are some exceptions for a given task? (ex: Finals in college, tests all one week, vacations, not willing to edit explicit content, etc.)

Who decides what the AST team works on?
Would there be multiple projects to pick from?
Are there suggestions/votes allowed for what the team will translate?
Is the workload of one translator the same as one editor? (25,000 words translated)
Is it possible to be a translator and editor, with half the workload from each?

How would I be given instruction for either group? (threads, tutors, videos, etc.)
Will there be a practice task given (that all new people go through), or will it be completely hands-on experience?

 

[Checkmate]

What are some exceptions for a given task? (ex: Finals in college, tests all one week, vacations, not willing to edit explicit content, etc.)

Case-by-case basis. If you are not comfortable with explicit content in general well it's better not involved since... let's just say it's full of them under the operation. You can opt for not translating/edit ero scene but that's that. Staff chat are usually involved with ... stuff...

Who decides what the AST team works on?

The group executive(s)

Would there be multiple projects to pick from?

Nope

Are there suggestions/votes allowed for what the team will translate?

Normally no because we don't do a lot of translation works for now.

Is the workload of one translator the same as one editor? (25,000 words translated)

Translator are given atleast 2x more time than editor, it depends on their workload, usually one route.

Is it possible to be a translator and editor, with half the workload from each?

I don't think so since you cannot translate and edit at the same time, I don't think anyone can

How would I be given instruction for either group? (threads, tutors, videos, etc.)

For ASL yes, for AST, it's dead easy, no tutorial given.

Will there be a practice task given (that all new people go through), or will it be completely hands-on experience?

For sure, you will be given a trial duration for both AST and ASL
That includes testing if you can do the assigned tasks

 

[~SnowAngel~]

I'd like to know more about the difference of an Uploader focusing on music vs ASL.
Can uploaders stick to uploading one format?
If the uploader finds flac or an image, how would it be passed to an ASL?
What are some things not acceptable for uploaders? (passwords, torrent links, links found elsewhere, unofficial ost, etc.)

If an ASL is providing plenty of music, how much of it should it be in flac? (ex: if I upload 5 mp3 albums per week, but rarely find/look for flac)
Is there a guide for tagging, ripping, compression, DL hosts, etc. for uploaders and ASL?

Are there any specific websites, authors, etc. that an uploader/ASL should watch for new content to release? (in other words, watch until it comes out so they can upload it).

Are there certain legal-related things an uploader should avoid? (can't upload X artist, from X company, too much music from X, etc.)

Is there a maximum or minimum an uploader or ASL should upload per day/week?

How often should music requests be answered?

*forgot to add

If there is a non-uploader member who posts a link to a request, what should be done in this situation? (we can't have every uploader try to make a thread for that link, but there should be one still?)

Do members get a warning in advance if they haven't uploaded something for some time?

 

[Checkmate]

I'd like to know more about the difference of an Uploader focusing on music vs ASL.

ASL member must release music according to its standard, tagging, packaging, release distro. (an ASL member must post on forum, post on its release blog, upload to the distro servers/bots)

ASL members make uses of its facilities, Distro IRC Bots, Ripping/Distro Servers, Storage Servers to make it possible. ASL member may be granted with several resources such as premium accounts from various site, or access to private communities.

If you're just a regular uploader, you can upload anything you want under any standard you like, but you won't have access to the ASL's infrastructure nor its resources. You can only post on the forum btw.

Can uploaders stick to uploading one format?

ASL members must follow ASL policies and guidelines.

Regular uploaders can make their own standards, or having non at all, as long as the post satisfy our minimum requirements.

If an ASL is providing plenty of music, how much of it should it be in flac? (ex: if I upload 5 mp3 albums per week, but rarely find/look for flac)

As of now, we only do EAC rips (no lossy). However, you don't have to find the sources yourself. All ASL member have access to a ripping queue, a repository of EAC sources, of which, you can choose a particular release to do your assigned task on, be it ripping, tagging, releasing etc...

Are there any specific websites, authors, etc. that an uploader/ASL should watch for new content to release? (in other words, watch until it comes out so they can upload it).

Not necessary, other than the ASL's private section - of which, new rips are posted for release - which you will have to choose to work on.

Are there certain legal-related things an uploader should avoid? (can't upload X artist, from X company, too much music from X, etc.)

There are a couple of banned release: Anything related to Naruto, Bleach, and One Piece. And anything that wasn't originated from a Japanese studio or publisher. (We don't do western music, nor AS would allow such materials)

Is there a maximum or minimum an uploader or ASL should upload per day/week?

3 albums per month

How often should music requests be answered?

If we can fulfill it, the hunter take care of this job. Hunters are persons who acquire EAC rips and post it to the ripping queue.

If there is a non-uploader member who posts a link to a request, what should be done in this situation? (we can't have every uploader try to make a thread for that link, but there should be one still?)

Do members get a warning in advance if they haven't uploaded something for some time?

We usually ignore it if the person did it in good will, it is technically against the rules however. With that said - we ignored.

Yes

 

[~SnowAngel~]

What about uploading doujin music? Sometimes that music is based on a Japanese release, but it's possible that the releaser himself is not related to Japanese. The majority I'd look for would be on this database: http://vgmdb.net/ which they only keep anime/Japanese related music information.

 

[Checkmate]

What about uploading doujin music? Sometimes that music is based on a Japanese release, but it's possible that the releaser himself is not related to Japanese

It's on a case by case basis... can't give a definitive answer on vague details

 

[Ignis]

Generally, if the copyright does not belong to a non-Japanese entity, it should be okay. If it's a Japanese song sung by a Japanese singer with Japanese words but licensed by a US publisher, then it's not allowed. However, as Checkmate said, a more concrete example might be necessary.

Also, vgmdb does have non-Japanese music and artists recorded in their database. Him, him, and possibly many others.

 

[corocoro]

There are a couple of banned release: Anything related to Naruto, Bleach, and One Piece. And anything that wasn't originated from a Japanese studio or publisher. (We don't do western music, nor AS would allow such materials)

3 albums per month

To add and specify:
We also don't allow prereleases (albums posted before their street date) and the 3 albums is the minimum number, not the maximum.

Generally, if the copyright does not belong to a non-Japanese entity, it should be okay. If it's a Japanese song sung by a Japanese singer with Japanese words but licensed by a US publisher, then it's not allowed. However, as Checkmate said, a more concrete example might be necessary.

Also, vgmdb does have non-Japanese music and artists recorded in their database. Him, him, and possibly many others.

Unless it directly relates to a franchise, is part of a collection, etc.
Case-to-case basis is the only way to go here.

 

[~SnowAngel~]

ASL:
Do members post music only from ripped EAC files? (or can they post already converted music they find if it fits the standards?)
Can they post music that is not a given task? (there weren't any EAC files, requests, etc. completely their decision.)
How long does it generally take to fully work with one album? (ripped, uploaded, etc.)
Is there any task rotations, or special positions? (different people find EAC, rip and tag, upload, etc.)

Uploader:
Is any of their content passed to ASL or the IRC?
Can they help ASL members? (how?)

 

[Ignis]

ASL:
Do members post music only from ripped EAC files? (or can they post already converted music they find if it fits the standards?)

For ASL, we make sure to transcode every release ourselves to ensure it meets our standards. We do not simply retag and repost our releases. Therefore, the most reliable format we prefer as source content is raw EAC. Ripped releases randomly found somewhere may not meet our standards, e.g. FLAC transcoded with libflac level 8, 320kbps CBR MP3, etc.

Can they post music that is not a given task? (there weren't any EAC files, requests, etc. completely their decision.)

Of course. Tasks given to members usually only include the more common items, like anime OPs/EDs and monthly eroge OSTs. Some of our members buy and rip their own stuff that otherwise might not be tasked at all to anyone. As long as the items they wish to release under ASL are in accordance with our standards and convention, they're free to choose and rip stuff as they like outside of the regular tasks.

How long does it generally take to fully work with one album? (ripped, uploaded, etc.)

It depends; experience certainly does help. Ripping a single may only take 15 minutes or less if all the metadata has been properly romanised... or even over an hour if you have OCD (recommended). A full album with an average of 15 tracks may take 30 minutes to an hour, or probably two if you're not yet used to it. Uploading greatly depends on the member's own internet speed; however, they only need to upload the release once and our distro server will propagate it and do the rest.

Is there any task rotations, or special positions? (different people find EAC, rip and tag, upload, etc.)

Nope, unless you specialise in something. If you can romanise metadata and/or have reliable sources we can always count on, we will probably prefer your efforts to be centred on that speciality of yours and make ripping your second priority. Otherwise, regular members usually pick what task has been available (i.e. something someone else has found the EAC for) and do the ripping + tagging part. Distro is mostly handled by the senior members.

Uploader:
Is any of their content passed to ASL or the IRC?

Not in particular, nor do we require uploaders to supply ASL in any way. If an uploader wants to offer content that ASL want to rip but can't find on their own, they're welcome to do so. However, if they offer content to ASL intent on requesting ASL to rip said content, ASL may or may not take and/or backlog the request unless it's in accordance with ASL's own interest.

Can they help ASL members? (how?)

They can, by doing the above - giving ASL content they want to rip but can't find on their own. However, once again, in no way are they required to do so. While ASL wouldn't turn down such a generous offer, they're usually pretty self-sufficient.

 

[~SnowAngel~]

Does it matter what format the EAC is, so long as it's from a lossless source? (ex: tta, wav, etc.)

 

[Ignis]

Does it matter what format the EAC is, so long as it's from a lossless source? (ex: tta, wav, etc.)

As long as it's proper lossless and can be transcoded properly, we make do with whatever format we have. The only exception to this might be ALAC.

 

[corocoro]

ALAC is not proper in any way or form.

 

[~SnowAngel~]

I think I'll add a little about my experience for people that may are considering asl~ I hope this is helpful :P
First of all, doing ASL stuff takes plenty of learning if you don't know how to do something already. It takes a few hours to understand the process, practice, etc. Once all of the confusion is out of the way, much of the work is a piece of cake~
For my first album, which I found myself, I probably had to remake it 10 times or so to finally get it right. I would either forget to do something, misunderstand what I needed to do, or make a hilarious mistake~ but in the end, it gives an accomplishing feeling :D
If you're wondering why you should join, it's a matter of self-benefit. I mean.. it's not like you get free candy or wtv. You have to think of why doing this kind of work would benefit you. For me, it's to always have the "I have to get something done" in my mind. It keeps me productive in a way that I can enjoy~ and it'll teach me to manage my time (which I'm horrible at btw lol).
The biggest reason is to add the extra stretch for me during school. If I do things to prepare myself for harder classes, that alone can benefit me. Another reason: you'll see Japanese frequently, and have the opportunity to stay motivated to learn~ Even if you can't read Japanese, there's people here who can.
Umm I think the biggest stretch is to have patience and willingness to try again several times~ You'll also have fun talking with the Staff, they're like a family :P

I'm going to stress: this is not a very busy job. It does take time to get on your feet, but you can stick to the bare minimum if you need to sometimes~ (though it's recommended to help more lol)