tiggerlou

thanks! I knew I'd seen a mention of that somewhere, and I really did try to find it. I just thought I'd seen it on the forum discussions.

Understood. What I want to know is, when I format it as a Hi-MD blank then can it hold as much data as a Hi-MD blank?

Hello! Yesterday I believe I read something on this forum that said that I could reformat old style, non Hi-MD discs so they can hold 1GB --essentially becoming Hi-MD discs. Or was I dreaming? I have been trying really hard searching by every term I could think of to find that post, but I can't track it down. So what's the story? If I use non-Hi-MD discs on a Hi-MD machine, how much can they hold? Louise

Hello! I'm just about to get a MZ-M200, and realizing that it really does deserve a good mic to go with it. But until I started Googling about it...ohhh... roughly an hour ago, I knew nothing whatsoever about microphones. So I really need some advice. I will be recording mostly solo a capella female vocals, with a very wide range of pitch, timbres and styles, so it needs to pick up subtlety and details. It also needs to be less than $200, preferably much less. There are so very many mics out there, and I need help sorting them out. Also, wondering if any regular studio mic would work with the MZ-M200. Would I need adaptors or anything like that to hook it up? thanks much!

Thank you so much! I really appreciate your taking the time to answer this. It does sound like the MZ-M200 is the way to go. I'm glad. The main reason I've been Googling so much these days about minidisc, is that I don't want to invest in it just for emotional reasons --glorifying the underdog. This is a serious enough purchase that it deserves rational, clear thinking about genuine quality. But now that I know it makes sense --hey, I can let myself get *excited* about it, too I have another question: with Sony dropping the minidisc format, what happens with repairs, warrantees, etc? Where do I go if I have problems with my recorder? Do I go to independent repair people? How do I find reputable shops? Or would Sony still do repairs? Actually, I'm not sure I'd want to trust Sony with that --because of what happened when I called them recently. This story probably won't surprise anyone. When I first looked up the Sony website to get specs on the recorder, I found nothing, nada, zippedy doo dah. I was shocked (didn't know yet that they are discontinuing ATRAC), so I called the tech support line for portable audio. Seemed like a good place to go for answers -- --you'd think. The guy said, "Huh? What are you talking about, again? ...uhhh.... MICRO-discs? I have no idea. Lemme ask somebody else here" Absolutely nobody at that tech support line, and I spoke with bunches of people at Sony, none of them had ever HEARD of minidisc. I eventually spoke with someone at Sony in Canada, and they said, "Sure you bet! We love 'em here" Pretty sobering............. thanks again Tiggerlou

Yes, I've seen that in a lot of posts, but --forgive me but I did say I'm a real newbie to recording --what does that mean in actual sound? What does that mean to a musician? I've got a lot of years under my belt as a really low-tech performer. Most it has been a capella. I just walk out onto a bare floor, look 'em in the eyes, and deliver the tunes --and that's as low tech as you can get. I DO know the sound of a room, however, probably better than a lot of folks who perform with all the tech bells and whistles. I can walk into a room and say, "Okay, this place is reeeeally live. So Medieval music would sound really sweet in here, but I'd have to be careful with the lyrics because they'd get muddy with all the natural reverb --and cut that Charlie Parker tune from the program. That will turn into complete mush in this room." So I've got a good ear. But little to no tech experience. So, once again --what do you mean when you say "good sound" or "as good as CD" in recording? Does it sound closer to what an audience member hears? Does less of the signal get cut off / bled dry / dulled down / or otherwise mucked up by the technology involved? What does better sound MEAN to a musician?

Oh, I forgot to ask. If I convert sound files from ATRAC to some other format, like mp3 or wav, do I then lose the quality I would have had in the ATRAC version? In other words, if I record something on my new (still hypothetical) MZ-M200, then burn it onto CD, or whatever other format so a non-minidisc person can listen to it --do I lose that better sound? Or did I still do better recording it on the minidisc to begin with, compared with recording it onto some other kind of recorder? That's actually something that might make or break any decision to purchase the MD recorder. If I'm the only one who will hear the better sound, all on my lonesome listening to my record collection, then it's really not worth it to me. It has to be viable as a professional tool. So, if I convert a recording to another format, would the better quality of minidisc recording be passed on to non-minidisc listeners? thanks!

Greetings! I am a musician and composer with very little expertise in tech matters, but I'm learning fast. I've had an MZ-R-30 for many years, and I've been very happy with it. I'm thinking of upgrading to the MZ-M200 / RH1, to transfer my many minidisc recordings onto my hard drive, also for live recording. Here's my question, and it's a real newbie question, but I have to ask: What does "better sound" really mean, when you talk about the difference between other formats and minidisc? Everybody raves about it, and I can't argue with their enthusiasm, but I'd like to know what exactly you're talking about. Does it mean that when I record a live performance or rehearsal, that the sound will be more faithful to the original? Warmer? Cleaner? Golly, I don't even know what I mean by the words I just used --that's how much of a newbie I am with recording. In the past I've gone to a studio for any recording that I care about. But if I can remove that expense, I'll do much more of it. I know, I know, I have a LOT to learn about recording in general. One step at a time --which brings me back to my original question. So, can someone give me a quick rundown on what that means? "Better Sound 101", please? BTW, I'm really enjoying reading this forum --SO much great information here, guys! thanks much, Tiggerlou

So what is the expected shelf life of minidiscs, compared with CD-r's? That's my main question.

Some years ago I transferred much of my old cassette recordings to minidisc. I have been reshuffling my storage arrangements and I've considered dubbing to CD-R instead. But I've been reading some things online about how CD-R's sometimes only last a couple of years. These are irreplaceable recordings, including some studio recording masters. What should I use for maximum longevity. Also are minidiscs susceptible to sunlight or heat?