sfbp

That's weird. I assumed the headphones were plugged into the output of the radio, not the output of the MD. In which case there's no such loop?

try here http://www.minidisc-canada.com/shopdisplay...t=Blank+Hi%2DMD

Interesting! So there is some intelligence in the MD unit apart from just supplying power. Looks like the NH700 might be a special case, but of course when my NF610 arrives I will probably switch everything around just for fun, unless you think I might damage something.

I think pxEngine is something from Roxio. Probably taking over SS's ability to interact with the CD driver. You might have to deinstall CD Creator. My experience is that Nero, OTOH, co-exists quite nicely with SS. Stephen

I am about to take possession of a Sony MD with a radio remote. I have a couple of questions: 1. Will that radio work in anything except the model it was designed for? Including *other* radio-included models and also the plain ones? 2. The manuals repeatedly state that you cannot record from the tuner. Is it not possible to take a 3.5 mm cable from the tuner to the line input (assuming that there is one)? I realise that might be a silly way to do it, but I am (just) curious..... Stephen

*That* I would be interested in doing. Someone will doubtless correct me, but I think that when the RH1 makes an LP2 or LP4 disk, the files are copyable to the PC (though only from RH1). That's what made me think they had encrypted it. Jumping to conclusions, again...... Tell me where to read about TOC cloning. There's another situation I think it's going to be useful, maybe time to learn how Cheers Stephen

Even the RH1 cannot upload "real NetMD" data files because when they got downloaded to the MD they were encrypted. Normal SP and MDLP data (recorded by mic or using MDLP deck), no problem. The remaining NetMD devices are not able to send data TO the USB port. The code simply isn't there in the firmware. I think it is safe to say that no NetMD-only device has ever sent data to SS except to allow the regaining of transfer authorization. Right, guys? Hi-MD players, that's a different issue. I wonder if the pre-RH1 machines can be tricked into sending (unencrypted) LP2 and LP4?

Naw, I was just being grouchy! Inability to take compliments. Ever watch "House M.D"? Think of me as a bit like Hugh Lawrie, though I am shorter and stouter than he is. Stephen

Peter, if you only want to record pre-recorded CD's to MD and play in your car, you are totally provided for by Sony's hardware and software. After all, in the car, how much quality can the ear actually hear? I suggest you compare aurally the result of playing CD x1 into the optical output of your MD (if you have such) with CD via USB. Problem - most of the NetMD's especially the cheaper ones, don't have optical input. I've looked at the waveforms, and there really doesn't seem to be a lot of evidence one way or the other. But to me (and others, it appears) my ears tell me that the steps I outlined are the way to avoid losing any quality when uploading from MD and back to MD. That's probably Sony's intention - to allow slightly downlevel copies always, but to make it hard to make perfect bit-wise copies. That's probably why you see people all excited about the ability to copy "raw" MD on the dual minidisc deck. But I think any high-speed copy is going to be iffy. Just my opinion.

I think that I finally worked it out when someone said that USB->SP is a "fake" LP2 + padding: 1. You don't get something for nothing. Fast uploads/downloads = sacrifice of quality 2. Sony didn't want to make it easy for us to author high-quality stuff 3. The Dolby codecs cannot be used on the computer, Sony never got a license to do that. So here are the reliable options (sequence): a. Record from analog using Sony's great electronics in any of their decks. (A->D probably better than any sound card). A new option suggested here I haven't explored (yet) is to go straight to computer from the optical out without actually making an MD. b. Transfer from a deck at x1 for editing/noise removal on the computer, capturing on the optical sound card input. c. Make a CD of the wave files after processing. d. Record the CD back to SP via x1 optical link (this is relatively easy because the track marks get made for you). One real problem in all this is that you have to keep throwing away any title information. I have gotten into the habit (after the x1 upload) of putting the SP disk listing in the transfer screen of SonicStage, and as I extract each track from the properly processed waveform, I can cut and paste the name from the existing minidisc listing when I save the wave file. TOC cloning or something equivalent would be nice, but the contents may have changed a bit (deletion of clunks and run-in/out) so this is good enough. As you say, it's tedious, but it works. Hi-MD (256K) is OK, but SP is about 99.99% as good as a CD.

"You should learn not to make personal remarks" Alice said with some severity. "It's very rude" http://www.alice-in-wonderland.net/books/1chpt7.html But he is the most boring person, I thought. Maybe it's time to replace the image with some stock drawing, like everyone else. Cheers

Please could someone explain to me exactly what is being taken offline and how this affects my library of music held in SonicStage? 1. Is there encryption which will magically fail to authenticate once I am offline or the server is not there? 2. If I have no "downloaded" tracks (I don't), will I lose any access at all? 3. Is it necessary to export from a working SS before they close the server? (most of my files are WAV anyway so not protected) 4. Exactly what will fail? I guess I can play with SS not connected to the internet, heheh. Thanks

We can. it just happens only at 1x by playing on a MD with digital output.

the NH600 (as opposed to the NH600D) does also have optical/line input. This means that all you need for microphone is a some kind of mic preamp, which is not necessarily absurd. Beware, it seems there is one being sold every few days on Ebay where the guy shows 2 different pictures. The ad claims 600 but in fact some pictures show 600D. I messaged him, no response, end of my dealings with that enterprise.

Actually you should be able to get a HiMD machine that is for download (no mike) for around $100, brand new, from several sources. I don't think it's right to post that information here but you can easily look on ebay and also on the web. I know, I just ordered one. Also any portable from before NetMD should have an optical input which you can hook to the optical output of a CD player or a sound card. The MZ-R90 or R91 for example. This will allow you to get "highest quality standard" without a computer, quite nicely. The better HiMD models all have an optical input as well as USB.

No wonder I never noticed. My goal is nearly always making CD's from uploaded sound, and I have used SB only once, to see if it worked. I think you are saying that there exists still a 2-step process to get from CD to MD at these bitrates....? 4.x (I used 4.0 or 4.2 for a short while before jumping to 4.3) seemed more reliable than 3.x so I was one of the happy campers. Interesting the part about padding - seems to confirm that NetMD was a big push to make MD cheap without caring about the details too much, since most of the formats are still better than MP3, and probably Sony was trying to play catchup with IPod. I am still fascinated to know what the real cause of the SP mess is - so many people have speculated (including moi) and the latest one about Dolby codecs seems very possible too.

Avrin, I think maybe you omitted (at least I couldn't see) the link to the downloadable full version of SS4.3 that Laidler was asking about (this is to your own post, of course). I just grabbed that as I find it is indeed annoying to have to download an application in little pieces from their server (and maybe it won't be there one day). http://forums.minidisc.org/index.php?s=&am...st&p=117697 Interesting, it never occurred to me the whole SP upload fiasco was a Dolby problem. Best is still to use digi-out from a deck, neither Sony nor Dolby can interfere with your musical enjoyment by preventing that. For once, I think Microsoft are the heroes here from pushing the unvarnished .WAV format as "Windows PCM".

I recall this with the MZ-RH1 until I got used to it. IIRC I learned quite quickly that charging only ever works if the MD is first "off". But if you are already an RH1 owner this makes no sense. What happens if you plug in to the wall having first removed the battery? It should work fine. If it doesn't, something else is wrong (duh, like one of those J****h doctor jokes). Funnily enough I had my old laptop start to play up about 10 days ago. The battery says its fully charged but kicks out after 10 minutes. If I disable all power management it runs for at least another half hour before actually running out of juice. Something about circuitry that measures and remembers the state of the Li battery?

There you go. The recorder added the track marks all on its lonesome. Depending on which recorder you have you might want to disable the automatic track marking. It might be "timed" (see below) or it might be that you turned on "sync rec" which is a switch on some units (eg on the back of my MZ-R91). I had the opposite problem. No simple way to find something specific in a 2 hour recording, and I needed to turn ON the automatic track marks. On the RH-1 it's quite simple under Menu->Record Settings->Time Mark. (the Sync Rec is also there under Record Settings). If you have an RH-1 I would be happy to explain further, if this doesn't give enough information. Joining them up would be easier on a deck, if you had that option. Good luck!

Sounds more like a USB issue to me. I've never seen it, but I can easily contemplate that temporary loss of connx by SS might decide that a single file was in fact multiple uploads. Just one single file visible in the Sonic Stage transfer screen, huh? (Multiple files in a single folder don't exactly count). These sound like they are SP recordings. SP transfer is very slow, unless you downgrade the transfer to 256kbps. Even then it doesn't work too well with newer machines, something funny about USB timing. This was reported elsewhere (sorry don't have it to hand) and I reproduced the same thing, 5-year old machine uploads SP->256K way faster than 2 year old machine. Are you also sure you don't have hub problems? (connection via a USB hub is not recommended for SonicStage at all)

huh? I just checked and there it is, in 4.3, 105 kbps, as one of the options for Hi-MD transfer. Was it removed in 4.2 and put back again? Thanks for the tip, never even considered that bitrate.

What on earth is wrong with 4.3? I am running it on two different machines, one XP Pro, one 2000 Server, and it always behaves exactly as advertised. I mean, if there's some feature that they took out I am always intrigued by looking at other versions, but I never saw anything outright objectionable. In fact IIRC it was better than the 3.4 which came with my RH-1. It works with every device I have tried. Is it possible that if it works for Vista, the problems are to do with security and the lame security model of XP Home? In that case, maybe the statement needs qualification..... Cheers Stephen

I am an absolute beginner too at the mic end of things, but I would offer 2 observations: 1. From way back (30 years) I recall problems with microphones with a setup like you describe simply picking up crap when on an extension cable of any kind. Back when the only Sony device I ever had used was a Tape Recorder. 2. It seems to me that if the poor little RH1 has enough power to drive something on a short (or "no") extension, that putting the same thing via a long cable AND a switch box is a horse of a different colour. (ha! the spell chkr refused to accept my spelling of that last wurd) Never having possessed on it seems like you need some sort of pre-amp. Some of the experts here could probably point you in the right direction. Phono input has always had a very similar problem.... microvolts of signal and necessity to blow that into an amp which is set up for millivolts, right? I am sure this is only the broadest possible picture. Please feel free to correct me where I fell off my soapbox through ignorance. Stephen

Suggest we take this discussion offline. I sent you a PM but maybe you didn't notice S I'm not the one reporting that fact. But I think it comes down to Sony Music leaning on its Electronics Division (and for that matter any one they sign an agreement to market/manufacture equipment like onkyo, sharp or kenwood) . The consensus seems to be "how on earth did the RH1 ever make it out the door?"

You bet!