sfbp

I don't disagree with anything you say, A440. You're the expert. However I have had good luck with AGC, sensitivity low and music setting. Even for a full orchestra - eg Dream of Gerontius

Is it possible you have been shipped a dud, by accident? Doesn't sound like the mics I know and love. My other questions related to what you did to the sound afterwards. What was the original recording format? Try PCM before you get too exercised, and if you weren't doing Hi-SP before try that next.

I looked at the waveform - it cuts absolutely dead at 16,000 Hz. This doesn't bode well for the sound quality, IMHO. One thing (and I realise this may not be even remotely possible in any sort of contemporary music concert, folk, rock etc etc) is to see what the silence looks like. If it's noticeable (eg some wretched fan - machine not human, of course - in the background), I subtract it out. Perhaps you could enlighten us as to the exact series of steps used **after** the recording was made. I don't understand the reference to Audacity, since I was presuming you did digital upload from the RH1, and then did something to the wave file later, with Audition or Nero Wave Editor or..... I wonder about that attenuator, seems the AGC (Low Sens, Music setting) always did the job for me, maybe try that next time and just the SP mics.

The first piano piece is by Chopin, I think waltz op. posthumous in E minor Second one is sounds a lot like Beethoven, (remember the moonlight sonata?) but he never wrote a sonata in A minor, so I am guessing it is from the same era. Perhaps Clementi, or Burgmuller, or some piece by Beethoven that I don't know of yet. Will advise if I figure out more. Maybe a Bagatelle in A minor?

What I mean is that I noticed all sorts of artifacts when I took a real live commercial purchased CD and made a MD at x4 using LP2. Specifically I noticed the speech of the narrator (it was a children's disk with music) went all hissy. But the result of this and other copied disks sounded lifeless and dull (just playing back on that MD right away). As soon as I coded LP2 using 'puter, or x1 on the D400, no problemo. I note that at least one of the earlier combo decks is documented as NOT doing x4 at all for LP modes. Could it be that Sony realised that the h/w they had didn't quite cut the mustard? Cheers

All portable players made after a certain date have "Type-S" playback which enhances the sound of LP2 and LP4. A few (but only a very few) decks have it too. It doesn't affect SP. To get SP onto your portable: a. use opti-in (forget about line-in, IMO, though it might work just fine) b. get a deck. Both of these are real-time recording solutions. The MXD-D3 would get you x4 though I am not 100% certain you lose nothing on transcoding from CD. I know for sure that the x4 transcoding from CD to LP2 doesn't work properly, at least on my MXD-D400.

There's nothing special or different about mics for Hi or Lo MD. Sound is sound, and microphone ***outputs*** live by their specifications ie how many millivolts do they deliver to the recorder. The reason there's a special microphone input on 50%+ of MD recorders is that microphones deliver much lower signal levels than a radio, or tape deck. I can offer this: if you buy the ECM-DS70P it comes with an extender lead of about 5 feet. This means its easy to put on your lapel, or pinned to a curtain, or wherever he wants to capture a complete soundstage from. The other thing I have done quite successfully is to put the whole MD plus ECM-DS70P (fake or not!) in my shirt or jacket pocket (trying to avoid using the b-word). However, this may be quite poor once he is part of what is being recorded, and better for a passive (ie silent) recordist. It has a hinge which allows you to arrange the twin mics hanging over the edge of the pocket, pointing forwards. It does sound as if the ones you looked at so far are mono. This might give a problem since the input is stereo, not sure whether you get noise, silence, or a duplicate of the signal on the other channel. Once again, others may know better than I do. Watch out you don't buy something with a 1/4" jack, you need 1/8" aka 3.5mm.

That's slightly more than 2x as loud. One observation I would offer is this. The benefit of recording in PCM is as follows: it's not the end of the world if you record a relatively low level, because there are lots of bits of resolution to allow you to amplify (using whatever software) the parts that are inappropriately soft, and mute, quieten or even delete loud applause before normalizing what's left. Whereas if you record in one of the less-bitty formats now there is a danger you've thrown something away. I personally don't even worry about adjusting the mic myself during recording - every time I do it, I end up cursing because now it's harder work still. I don't right now recall what recorder you have, but the RH1's AGC on low sensitivity seems to work just fine for me. YMMV, of course. My previous remarks (previous post, that is) refer to the BMC-2, so they may not apply to your BMC-3's.

Odd. I had excellent results with the SP2. Your report makes me think I should go and check. Certainly the SP2 beat the ECM-DS70P, but that may be because I bought a "cheap" one of those, and it could be fake. One thing that springs to mind is the cabling. As you say, maybe something is being picked up. I recall this from many years ago with an extension cable for a microphone for my Tandberg tape recorder. Fine without the extra long lead. I bet there are lots of microphone guys here who are in a much better position to comment.

Not sure about this: as MDane says, I usually walk across to my deck and stick 'em in that. Assuming it is this silly "TrProtect" thing (you might first try deleting one track at a time), then there is always the Initialize option (well hidden) under Controls->Device/Media->Initialize. Also you might find a format option instead of erase. Acccording to the 610 manual there is only "D: Ers" so if that's what is failing I may be out of ideas.

There's no optical OUT on any portable (that you can easily lay hands on), suggest you invest in a deck which probably is pretty cheap. Check the equipment browser here to see which have optical out. I scanned quickly and found half a dozen on Ebay UK. Now you can record on the 610 (I have one, and you can listen to the radio if you are lucky - mine the radio has been bust from day 1), and "sneakernet" the disk from there to your deck, and play from deck into puter. Sound like hard work? The alternative is Audacity + a lineout to linein cable. Not HiFi, but maybe you don't actually care. In which case ignore my previous paragraph. BTW if you are using OPTICAL in, it simply doesn't matter HOW cheap the soundcard is. That's the magic. If you use (analogue) line in on a cheap card, you get what you pay for, possibly interference of all sorts and a cheap A to D converter. I wish I had been a stranger on THAT shore.... memories of childhood.

Sigh. You cannot use the USB to upload anything with this model. You can play back through the headphone out and capture it in real time, but it's an analog signal) which may be fine for your interviews). Most inmates in the asylum here end up buying multiple units Aside from what I've said above: 1. Any HiMD unit will allow upload of HiMD recordings to Sonic Stage 2. Any Deck that has optical out (check the equipment browser) will allow you to play optically into your computer (you need a sound card with optical in but that's not such a big deal with a desktop - hard with a laptop but still possible). 3. The RH1 ($$$) will allow you to upload the recordings you already made in the legacy modes, as well. It won't recover downloads made onto NetMD, but that's life. Hope this helps.

Everyone agrees here 100% with your observations EXCEPT the part about not buying HiMD. a. you can play any MDLP and SP disks you made in the HiMD, so no loss there - in fact the compression of LP2 gets 4 hours 50 mins on the exact same "standard" disk using HiMD, so you are twice as well off if length counts. b. for live recordings you are "stuck" in the MD format (no way to get to CD or something saveable) unless you buy a deck or the RH1. The latter obviously allows you upload (there's a trick which you need if you use the same Sonic Stage for it and other NetMD machines), the former doesn't use USB, and works with your SP disks. However any HiMD allows you to send HiMD recordings to the computer. c. you don't have to buy HiMD disks, though once you build up a stock they should do you for a while. I am not sure what the MZ-1 S2 is - maybe my ignorance. As I said very early on, welcome to the nuthouse!!!!! Glad you liked the PSYC.... I saw several for under $30 yesterday, maybe it was just a lull, so you could get a backup. But now you see what everyone here is raving about.

Just to add: (and I sent you a PM too) ALL HiMD units can upload recordings made by Mic or Line in, as long as they are made in HiMD format. So not essential to get RH1 unless you want to get into "legacy" (ie SP) recorded formats which are used by older models and all decks (essentially).

Agree. There are THREE of these beasts on Ebay one closing in 2 hours, all under $50. Just search ebay for "mxd-d3"

I think it's fair value. However: 1. None of this equipment has LP modes. (Maybe this is fine for you since you don't have lots of LP stashed). However one of the things I have come to appreciate is one disk (whatever data rate) that holds 140+ minutes of music. The reason is simple - I can fit a whole opera, concert, or large scale work (I listen to classical) in a portable player and go off wherever without extra disks in pocket. Using HiMD I can put 8 hours at 256K on one disk. 2. The deck itself is not as flexible as the purpose built decks. They had to take a lot of functionality (in terms of knobs/buttons) in order to do the CD thing. So some is left to the remote (only) and some is just not there. I cannot give specifics as I don't own this deck, but I do have that line's last incarnation, the MDX-D400, and it is awkward to do editing compared to my JE630 (for example the latter has a PC keyboard connector, the combo decks do not). You might do just as well with a CD player/changer that has optical out. They won't do the x4 CD->MD thing, so that feature (included in the MDX-D3) is really valuable. 3. You will get lots of MD with many deals, and even brand new ones especially if you look around Ebay, are not too expensive. So the included MD's isn't that big of a deal (to me - I just read bobt's comment). 4. The deck doesn't have optical out. If you are serious about vinyl and cleaning up the sound, this won't get the data out to your PC for you - only via analog. The analog is probably fine but you then are relying on the analog side of your PC's sound card. PC's are built for cheapness, not audio quality. The MZ-R37 has IIRC a good reputation as a durable unit. Owners might comment on this for you. Hope this helps Stephen

I wouldn't do it with a HiMD unit anyway. Maybe get a deck? If you have time. Aaaah, you did this to a HiMD recording. Not as much hope there because the system does clever things to encrypt the final files on disk. I am amazed SMS is still alive and kicking. I also don't really understand what happens to SonicStage on 31st December with the complete demise of Connect - I wish someone would tell me.

I was waiting until someone else independently confirmed this without prompting from moi. I found out quite by happenstance (I don't say "accident") that my R-91 has one incredibly useful function - charging NiMH gumstick batteries. Yes, I love the feel and look and sound of the R91, but it does only play std disks, of course. It was after charging in this little beastie that more than one of my batteries magically revived. Yes, one of them did expand but not so much I couldnt get it out... and after that worked perfectly. Hope y'all find this useful. I understand R-90 and R-91 are internally the same model (the service manual is jointly for the two).

I would be inclined to read up on TOC cloning. Check out user Raintheory, his sig has all the links. Only works with some units, you might end up purchasing one that's known to do TOC cloning. The basic idea is to create a TOC that corresponds to a disk full, writing it over the dead disk and uploading resultant file for editing on the computer. I haven't done it (yet) but it seems a reasonable possibility for you.

yes but I sure suffered withdrawal symptoms whilst it was off the last 24 hours. Thanks for bringing us all back Stephen

Try - Mozart Clarinet Concerto in A, K.622 - Beethoven Piano Concerto #5 in Eb ("Emperor") - Dvorak String Quartet Op.96 in F ("American") - Richard Strauss "Til EulenSpiegel" - Bach Brandenburg Concerto #5 in D And just for good measure something choral: - Mozart Requiem Mass in D minor K.626 since choral music really is important too.

The theory seems to be (others will add, amend or even delete!) along the lines of: a. Sony is answerable to its music division and dollars gained selling MD might be lost in CD sales b. Sony once had a trillion dollar (maybe I exaggerate) lawsuit that went all the way to the Supreme Court of USA - they don't want another. It was about VCR's (they were the pioneer) and copying and the "fair use" doctrine. c. There are indications of putting just enough features in to sell recorders but crippling it just enough to prevent "abuse" (whatever that might be, and according to whoever). I wouldn't use LP4 for anything except speech, personally. But your ears will be your guide. If you're seeking to cram stuff onto a single disk, you gotta go HiMD. You can get almost 5 hours of LP2 in Atrac3+ instead of 2 hrs 40, on the same 80-minute std disk. They DID license the technology and at least within Japan it was widely used. I'm not sure if there were other factors preventing its spread so widely elsewhere. Certainly it was never licensed to a co. outside Japan and that may have been the killing factor. Probably they don't trust their Asian neighbours very much, with some good reason. There were also some Dolby patents in the mix there - you will see that stamped on every unit ever made. Most devices only got optical out rather recently (I had a coax digital out with my first CD player in 1988 but then never again - I think that manufacturers realised that optical out was rather dangerous). Interestingly (to me anyway) the audio optical out on some ?current devices (eg Panasonic HDD-DVD recorder) has copy protection (SCMS) and on some (Toshiba) it does not. Go figure. Trusted computing is certainly the solution to malware. At the same time all the free copying of new music and new movies may come abruptly to a halt. However, consider this paradigm: if everyone pays a small amount for the software and entertainment content they use, instead of only a few paying lots (and then sharing it for free), perhaps affordable prices could be charged. As a software author I like the distribution aspect of such ideas. I'm absolutely sure that the main advantage of Blu-Ray and wall-size screens is not the increased definition, but the ability to sell people something encrypted that they cannot copy, as well as all the paraphernalia to play it with. Look how long regional encoding actually worked - not that long. However the new technology relies on encryption that is much closer to unbreakable. As far as vinyl, there are some options. I like to do analogue stereo to MD deck analogue in because I believe that the decks have superior A to D converters; and you need to watch the stress on the line in connectors on the portables like a hawk as it is a potential weak point. Also you can get a USB turntable at Costco these days, though I have no clue if the cartridge is any good, and that may be the determining factor. For archiving LP's, record them at the highest rate you can (although HiMD PCM is unnecessary) and save immediately as WAV files on Windows (there's an option in Sonic Stage to do this by default that should be turned ON), so you can edit them. They can be burned as CD's (or DVD's) for archiving and to MD's for listening, later - don't waste the uploading effort by saving only the compressed copy. Welcome to MDCF! - we'll have you up and running in short order, I feel certain. Stephen

I wasn't talking about buyer protection. The credit card number is far more use to crooks than the paypal address, I recently found my credit card number being used for transactions in Walmart in a US state that I have never ever set foot in. Of course it was cancelled (the card) etc etc etc, but increasingly paypal is a good thing because they don't get your identity, and you don't have to enter a bunch of details into all those different websites.

Depending on where you are, Ebay is almost certainly the best solution. Most of the time there are 300+ items listed under minidisc, and more if you go to other ebay sites, or widen your search (Ebay themselves have done some of this recently) to include more than your home country. Another possibility is craigslist, I have obtained two wonderful pieces for next to nothing - but maybe that's for when you know better what you're getting into. Amazon is certainly weird - I had all my CDs stolen from my car (ended up getting an MD changer as a result) and one of them was listed at $175 on Amazon ($20 new but not available). Go figure - maybe they figure insurance companies will pay or something. Using paypal these days is a lot safer than credit cards. (added) was just answering last night's post(s). I would try to get an NH700 which does everything. But at the moment there's only one in the UK. The N707 might be a good choice as it does have a microphone input. But only the HiMD units will do upload via USB. This includes the NH600 (no mic) NH700/NHF800, NH900 and the marvellous RH1 (the last unit available for retail purchase - you can get one for under $300). However if you don't need upload then almost anything will do, and will sound good. Start with the equipment browser http://minidisc.org/equipment_browser.html Good luck!

You may have paid too much for your DN430, I agree (I looked on Amazon and I saw one for $150). These were numerous on ebay as recently as September changing hands for $20. Having said that, there are lots of bargains, and most of the equipment I bought was 20% of the original price or less. The exception was my MZ-RH1. GuitarFxr here has made a kind of hobby of rescuing abandoned second hand units from stores in Tokyo, and checking them out and selling them on. He may well be able to help you. However depending on where you are located, there are all sorts of options as to the best deals, I'll try to help. There are almost no units "for sale by the retail distribution chain" - but you will often find a unit that's been hardly used for deep discounts. $50 is reasonable for a starter unit, many of the units you can get now for this price were $200 or more when sold originally.