RED is an invite-only site. If you do not know any current members, however, you may receive an invite by passing a RED interview.

Spoiler: Preparing for the interview

You are responsible for knowing all of the information on this site.

In order to receive an invite to RED, you must pass our interview. Though every interview is different, the information you must learn in order to pass each interview is the same:

• Analog and Digital Music Sources - What's the difference between vinyl and CDs?
• Audio Formats - What are the different types of music formats, and which are allowed on RED?
• MP3 - Everything you need to know about LAME and LAME presets.
• Transcodes - How you can figure out if a transcode is good or bad?
• Torrenting - BitTorrent vocabulary, ratio, and more!
• Spectral Analysis - The best way to determine the bitrate of an unknown music file. (Pretty pictures!)
• CD Burning and CD Ripping - How to make the best possible CD rip.
• RED Rules - Break them and perish.

Luckily, everything you need to know is right on this site! Make sure you carefully read through all of the pages under the Knowledge menu before you even think of queuing in #RED-invites. Take notes if you wish, however, you may NOT use these notes while taking an interview.

Spoiler: Starting the interview

The Redacted.ch interview takes places on IRC. Internet Relay Chat (IRC) is a beefier version of chat clients you may be used to, like AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) or Yahoo! Messenger.

Suggested clients:

• mIRC (Windows)
• HexChat (Windows, Linux)
• Textual (Mac OS)

Once you have downloaded, installed, and set up your IRC client, read on!

Connecting to RED's IRC
YOU MAY ONLY INTERVIEW WHEN YOU ARE AT HOME AND DIRECTLY CONNECTED. Mobile data connections, proxies, VPNs, Remote Desktops (TeamViewer, VNC, RDP, etc), bouncers, shells, office lines, and other non-home connections (including using your friend's home connection) are not allowed. You may connect from your university dormitory.

IRC Server:
irc.scratch-network.net
Port:
6667 (+6697 for SSL)
After you have connected to RED's IRC network, type: "/join #RED-invites" (without the quotation marks) and follow the directions in the topic.

Speedtest
In order to join the queue, you will have to take a speedtest on your home connection (remember, you may ONLY interview on your HOME CONNECTION!).

If you live at college, please explain this to your interviewer.

1. Go to http://www.speedtest.net.
2. Verify the default server is geographically close to you. If not, use the "Change Server" link to select the closest one - even if it results in a higher ping or slightly slower speeds.
3. Click on "GO" (big yellow circle).
4. Wait for your test to finish.
5. Click on the "Share Link" button (small blue chain icon near the top right).
6. Copy the text from the IMAGE box.

Queuing
Back in #RED-invites, type: "!queue" (without the quotation marks) followed by your speedtest link. For example, !queue http://www.speedtest.net/result/12345678.png, or !queue http://www.speedtest.net/my-result/12345678, or !queue http://beta.speedtest.net/result/12345678

Then wait for an interviewer to interview you. Be aware that a standard, passing interview can take between 1h and 2h. Be sure to have that amount of time available before joining the queue!

But I've waited forever!
All of our interviewers are RED users who voluntarily interview, so you may have to wait a while before you are interviewed. Although it seems like a lot of interviewers are in the channel, many of them may be "idling" (they are in the channel but are unable to interview).

You are not required to focus all your attention to what is happening in the channel all the time. It is enough if you check your IRC client every ~20 minutes to see whether your interview has started or not. In the meantime, you can do something else.

Feel free to talk to others in #RED-invites about anything appropriate, but avoid interview topics and chatting while you are being interviewed.

More Questions?
Join #RED-interviewprep if you have initial or follow-up questions about the interview or the interview process.

Note: #RED-invites and #RED-interviewprep are the ONLY channels that you are allowed to join. Other channels are for RED users only.

Spoiler: After the interview

POSTING THE CONTENTS OF THIS INTERVIEW ANYWHERE OR SHOWING IT TO ANYONE WILL COST YOU YOUR ACCOUNT OR FUTURE INTERVIEWS!

You Passed!
Hooray! Nice job answering all of those questions. After you log in, make sure you re-read and follow the Golden Rules. It is helpful to download the RED Toolbox (which is freeleech) for programs that most of us use. Then get going! Post in the forums, upload your own CD rips, chat with us in IRC, download music...

You Failed!
That stinks. Don't worry, the interview is meant to be educational, which is why you have a total of three tries to pass the interview. Study up on this site and try again after 48 hours (2 days) have passed.

If you have failed three times, you may not interview again. However, you may still be invited by a friend!

It is time to try for the interview and post it on line. There is no honor among thieves.

 

Last edited: Jul 28, 2019

WTF indeed. That is the most pretentious bullshit I've ever seen, and I've been on the net since the mid 1990's. Keeping out idiots is one thing but that's a whole new level of l33tism. Who would even want to part of a cool kids club like that.

 

It really depends on what country you live in whether you do the above or not.

 

It just ain't worth it.

 

its whole new level of !d!ots and bad ppl out there....the ipad generation you kno..
-----------
audionews is a monster fo sho
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so you kno....send us an invite

 

I had been using samplestorrent before finding audioz. It's not very quick with new torrents though and while 99% worked perfectly, I actually had a computer crash right after installing one thing I grabbed there, so I have avoided it now.

Edit: Oops, sorry, necroed this thread.. meant to post in the active one someone recently started.

 

Thanks for sharing list of torrent sites.