Sequoia

While I am an audio engineer - I never got too into into the minidisc technology OTHER than that I have owned 2 recorders - the last one was the MZ-M200. I used it to record concerts and a few other random things. I love it - but I just broke it out to record a show at the last minute after about 3 years of not touching it - and I have some questions. I mainly need to refresh my memory of some of the details of what I can do with my audio, and catch up on just how dead this technology may be. Ill number my questions to make it easy. 1. I had bought a bunch of the 1GB discs when I bought this recorder so I could get the highest quality recordings at the longest running time on a disc. I dont remember how much I paid in 2009 for the blanks but it seems I can only find them for REALLY HIGH prices now if I find them at all. Am I missing something or are they just all discontinued and therefore prices of leftovers are sky high? 2. I have a ton of discs - some recorded at the Hi-MD quality this recorder allowed me to get. I need to refresh my memory of the best way to get those files at their highest quality into a realm I can edit, and manipulate. In other words I want to get this audio off the discs and into my Pro Tools system. If my memory is correct - the ONLY way to do that was through the software Sonic Stage right? I have version 4.3 on this old laptop and havent touched it in 3 years and only remember the software being troublesome at best and very archaiac compared to the apple audio production software I am used to dealing with. Again - my question is - what is the best way to get the audio off these discs at full quality and into a computer so I can manipulate the audio. Lets just start there - and in the meantime while Im waiting for your answers - I will refamiliarize myself with my unit and maybe (ugh) that software. Thanks a lot!! PS - I mentioned being an audio engineer not to brag or anything but just to say that while I am familiar with many things audio (concepts, formats, etc, I am fairly UNFAMILIAR with things specifically related to minidisc (including formats and data manipulation other than the basic purpose I got out of my recorders and I am even less familiar with the product info for instance regarding what happened to the 1GB discs that I cant seem to find for under about 20 per disc (usually higher). That was all.

Hello all. Brand new to this board... For years Ive been using a Sony MZ-R55 high end MD recorder to record live shows. I just got a new MZ-M200 and have a few questions and I need them answered in the next 2 days. I Dont mean to sound demanding but I mainly bought it for an event. Im trying to figure out some things though. Please answer any questions you may be able to. I numbered to make it easier: 1. The gum-stick battery. It says in the instructions that it gets 80% charged in an hour and then it takes 2 more hours for the remaining 20%. But the few times Ive charged it, it just seems to shut off in an hour and when I try it again, it comes on to charge but then says its charged and shuts off. So how do I get to charge the extra 20%. I bought an extra battery and they both do this. 2. I thought this unit would allow me to transfer my live recordings DIGITALLY off of the unit into a computer. Im a little confused though by the instructions and the software. It seems I can ONLY get digital transfer (as opposed to playing it out analog out) if I use the software? Is that correct? And the software gave an error during the transfer that wasnt explained. It started to Xfer it and then gave an error. I went online and got version 4 from the sony website along with some fix update and when I opened that software, it doesnt even seem to see my MD nor does it give an option to transfer from it. Is this the ONLY way I can get a digital transfer off of the MD. 3. Is it correct that all the other discs Ive recorded with the older recorder, I still CANNOT transfer them off of this newer recorder in a digital way? I was hoping I could. 4. The jog wheel type thing on this MZ-M200 seems flaky when I push it up. Do others have a problem with this jog thing. My older one didnt have this - just buttons. Ive had it days and it seems to be flaky already. down works great - but up works sometimes and sometimes not, which makes it impossible to FF through a track cause it just jumps to the next track. 5. What the heck is group record and do I want it on or off. I can find no explanation in the instructions of what it really is??? 6. FW version on this is 1.0....Is there an update I should get. I just bought this..... 7. Should I be getting a flash recorder in this day and age? Not too impressed with this unit and the 1G disks are EXPENSIVE. 8. I read on here a tip for recording faster by recording on the discs one big track before the event to record. So the disk gets formatted. So do I have to then do "erase all tracks"? after that? On my old player when I did that, it showed up as a blank disc again so how does that make it faster when I start on it again?? Thank you all in advance for any answers you may be able to give me!