star
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Posts posted by star
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What I like about the ICD-SXnn0 line:
1. Drag and drop everything
2. Support for MP3 both direct recording as well as transfer in (the latter on almost any bitrate)
3. PCM (of course)
4. Their new LPEC codec which is (in its highest quality) 128kbps, the one thing missing from HiMD. How many times did you do the calculation and think: I wish I had 128kbps HiMD, would be perfect?
5. Size and connectivity (line/mic/USB).
I don't care about not being able to change out a microSD card. The minuscule weight compensates for that. The buttons and screen are WAY better than I have any right to expect.
That's the way it should be with all of this media
I wish it was that way with Minidisc
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Speaking of storage, I know that I have quite a few blank MDs (74s/80s) that are still in their wrappers that are not Hi-MDs that I should get rid of. I don't know the amount at this time.
I also have about three of these Hi-MDs (used) that I probably would like to see gone - since I really only need two (which is the limit I will only allow myself to hang on). I don't remember what caused me to buy these other MDs. I think at the time, I was out on the road recording shows without access to my PC during my travels.
In any regard, if there is someone here that wants them, let me know. I know they could be put to better use other places rather than to be thrown back in storage and forgotten about for some more years to come.
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Back to topic: how well and how often do you backup your storage unit ?
geez, i never did that before.
I only own one. I think paying 96 bucks a month for one storage unit is plenty enough.
If I was rich and no debt, I would have two for the sake of it!
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You know, star, all of us minidisc lovers have already been told that our toys are obsolete. We know how popular iPods are, and how much music fits on one, thanks. And most of us can use a computer, too.
We all know where our format stands in relation to the state of the art. We don't care. MD gives us something we don't get from a list on a screen; do you not understand that, or does it bother you somehow?
Here's what I do: I download most of my music these days, 'cause it's what I can afford. When rushed, I listen to songs using Foobar. I archive them to CD-R, and move them onto my network attached storage for good measure. Then, I RECORD THEM REAL-TIME to MINIDISC, using a carefully chosen ATRAC codec. Sometimes I choose a certain color MINIDISC because it'll look good with the COVER I'M GOING TO DESIGN and stick on my MINIDISC. When I want to hear music, even though I have three computers (which all have screens and mouses and mousepads and decent soundcards and optical drives and network cards to get to my server), even though I have three computers, I RIFLE THROUGH MY MINIDISCS and play one of those. Why? BECAUSE I LIKE TOO! I really, really do.
To do all this recording, btw, I need more blanks.
I don't know what your point is. Are you just trying to be a jerk? Your reply about the wizards dad and philippeb's mom was really callous.
Excuse me sir/ma'am, but I did not sit here and write things meant to insult other people.
Before I start explaining a bit, saying WE and US in a post when it really means YOU isn't really proper. I hope you realize that you don't speak for everybody. I don't speak for eveybody either - I speak for MYSELF only.
Just because I disagree with the Minidisc community on it's usage today, it doesn't give you a green light to railroad me based on the premise that you love it to death. I never once said in any of my posts that I hate MD and wish all users would die with it - MD was at one time a nice alternative to digital media (for portable use and recording). Times have changed and you just have to accept that. If I did hate MD so much like you claim, then why do I still own two models? I could easily ebay/craigslist them off whenever I want - because I know there is someone out there much like you would jump at the chance at buying one of them. I have a use for them - in fact, I just sent one away to New England today to get a tape properly transferred to digital PCM audio.
Clearly, I am only trying to provide opinions with my own personal experience as why I am not doing MD anymore. None of my posts have ever once said only idiots use MD. If I felt that way, I wouldn't bother posting here.
With that said, you're post is nothing but insulting to me. Congratulations, if that's what you were trying to achieve.
And if you think I was joking about the disabled woman who went to college (who happened to be disabled and housebound due to her IRON LUNG), perhaps you should read this:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,359304,00.html
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At $230 for the 8GB model and $120 for the 2GB model I hardly regard this as placing "trust" in Sony, rather the opposite. I figure all their *previous* investment in audio probably means that this one they got right. So far, so good.
I would like to see people succeed in their investments with their products. This product looks relatively new - I hope you have a lot of success with it.
Unfortunately, after my time with Minidisc and DAT - I had it with getting a Sony product in the audio department. The other competitors released their "hard drive" recorders more rapidly than Sony - and from what I've seen, they have had better success.
I admit, I was skeptical on buying an Edirol at first, but I've used it for 2 years now with hardly any problem.
I've seen people on here who embrace Minidisc like it's their family member who have no plans to upgrade to something else. Nothing wrong with that - I just see things differently as an owner of so many audio products over the course of 20+ years.
Also, if I felt my Hi-MD was useless, I would have gotten rid of it long ago. I just recently found a good use for it after it sat in storage for over a year. On the other hand, I also still have DAT tapes - and I'm dreading the fact I have to go buy a used PCM-M1 DAT machine to transfer these tapes. It's going to cost a bit - I've looked up the price. I don't like the idea already.
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I tend to disagree, because I do not trust computer storage at all . How well and how often do you backup your computer data ?
I do trust legacy MD. I archive all my precious (unique) recordings on two identical MD copies that I keep in different buildings.
Lets see - I've back up a lot of my private recorded audio music to an external hard drive on a very regular basis. I use it VERY often.
I have NO media left on these MD cds. I transferred these long ago and put them to the external HD.
In fact, when I wanted to find one of these things the other day, I had to dig through my storage unit. It's been that long since I've last thought about using MDs.
You'll be happy to know that my computer has yet to experience a meltdown and my hard drive has yet to break.
Or maybe you can call that unfortunate - since I don't plan on buying more MD blanks to support the machine further.
My mother, who is 80, also uses and loves minidiscs (and cassette tapes).
I'm assuming with all you've said about her, she still likes 8-track as well
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You could even argue that the whole concept of minidisc is to move away from the computer. You are meant to appreciate your collection on removable discs which can be stored safely and enjoyed later. It's quite a different experience instead of using a mouse, keyboard and screen all of the time.
Actually, this is not quite true. Minidisc came out around 1992 - which was before people widely started using their computer for audio file purposes (such as mp3 or FLAC, which neither were widely used and/or developed yet). No one at the time could predict that PCs would be used for this type of media - or even things like the IPOD have yet to be developed. I recall at the time back in 1992, you had to buy a soundblaster card to play back audio - which was an extra 100 or so dollars. In today's world (2010), we don't need to buy a soundblaster card - everything is there ready to be used. We now have things like the IPOD. People know this and they are embracing the newer technology.
So tell me this - how many people do you know are lining up to go buy themselves minidisc players today vs the amount of people who are buying IPODs? Show me the sale numbers.
Also:
How many people are buying CDs today compared to ten years ago? The population got bigger in the world, so one may argue that CD media should be skyrocketing. That is not the case. Go find the sale numbers - they are there.
I think you're argument is baseless and completely misleading.
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Well, for some, MiniDisc is their only way to enjoy music without asking for help.
My dad who is slightly disabled can't handle CD's, and a computer is way too complicated. Grabbing a disc without worrying of letting it drop, leaving fingermarks or scratching it, inserting it into the MD Hi-MD deck, hit play, all that is plain and simple, and manageable to him.
The library of MiniDiscs is very well in expansion, and obtaining discs at a good price from a reliable source is of interest for him.
MiniDisc is more than just a recording device for able tapers, don't forget that.
Well, a computer isn't complicated if you spent the proper time to learn how to use it.
If your dad is tech savy enough to know how to use a Minidisc player and all of it's basic functions, then he should know how to turn a computer on, use a few applications, and then turn it off.
I don't mean to sound like I'm not sympathetic to someone's disability. I realize there could be limitations. I think disabled people are capable of doing miraculous things that no one dreamed would be possible. I recall one story with a woman who was in an iron lung who was going to college and graduated with the aid of a computer.
The problem is not that computers are hard to learn - it is simply that people are ignorant to make a transition.
For an example - many years ago I use to burn all of my audio to audio CDs. Then I realized that the audio CDs were prone to scratching and possible damage from rot. So I realized this was a problem, and I tried to find a decent compromise to have it in physical media - so I converted them to files on DVDs. Then I was introduced to hard drive storage media - and while I hesitated about it, I bought a hard drive and copied all the DVD files onto it. Sure, they might be a better product in the future - but I will be ready when that better product comes. I don't want to be stuck with something that may not be the best suitable way to store my collection of audio.
And if you think putting my audio to Minidisc is the better answer, I think you're very wrong. I am doing what I can to move past it.
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Well, I recently acquired the Sony ICD-SX950. With built-in microphones, or your favourite pair of stealth mikes, you can get 12 hours PCM in a package weighing 2 Ounces.
This has been reviewed in another thread, and yes, it is possible there is slight bass roll off, but this is easily compensated for if you are doing a real "pro" recording. The voices generally sound BETTER than on MD, different codec makes them clearer.
What I failed to talk about was the fact that I did own about four DAT machines - all of which were Sony models, all of which broke.
They cost around 700 a piece. Do the math... I spent a lot of money on Sony products.
Since they have pretty much ended their support for Minidisc (while they still added in their unnecessary garbage in SonicStage that prevents certain transfers), I really have had enough with Sony.
For all I know, they can focus their attention on PlayStation 4,5,6...etc. They have brilliantly manipulated the trust of the consumer and they've given us crap as a result.
I have had enough. No more money will go to Sony in the foreseeable future.
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Most of it is only available to the Japanese market.
So it's going to die in Japan where it all started?
Brilliant move, Sony.
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I think this format is a dying breed and if so, that's fine with me. We should let it RIP
With the fact that Sony is now getting involved in the hard drive recorders, I think it spells an inevitable end to MiniDisc. Sony probably could have developed a bigger and better Minidisc - but why bother? Even though other companies manufactured Minidisc products before, they don't want to spend their money on something that has had disappointing sales. This is probably one of the reasons why you have not seen a Sharp, Panasonic Hi-MD player/recorder when Hi-MD came out in 2004. Simply put, I don't recall seeing a store where they offered a whole bunch of minidisc products over the years. I've seen far and few. When I decided to get into the Hi-Md, I bought it off the internet - not in a store. That may show you how much confidence some stores have with the MiniDisc format.
Sure, Sony will not announce the end of MiniDisc right now, but I think it will happen soon. Remember, it took them years before they decided to end support for the DAT machines - and those things didn't really sell well either when they were new. I believe support for DAT was ended in the end of 2005 officially.
I know a lot of people still love the vintage stuff such as analog tape and they prefer it. However, I like to see technology move ahead, not backwards.
I think everyone needs to brace themselves for the end of Minidisc. I hope a lot of you have figured out better ways to store digital information rather than to rely on the MiniDisc media. IMO, there are better ways than Minidisc - especially in today's world. I am not anti-Minidisc, by any means. As I said in a previous post, I still own two Hi-MD units - one of which is going to be used in the next few weeks for a tape transfer, since I am willing to send that unit and not my beloved Edirol (I can't live without it).
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Here's a question I would like to ask
Why would you need more blank media?
I don't think it would be sufficient to buy so much blank media, when you have sonicstage and the ability to transfer things digitally.
If you know what you are doing, you don't have to have ten blank discs, or ever five. two or three maybe reasonable - i don't recommend having anymore of these discs.
If I were you, I would have my files set on my computer, and pick out the ones that I would like to transfer back to MD. If you keep a good track record of what you transfer to the media from your computer (or from the media into your computer), then you shouldn't need so many discs.
I understand the world maybe coming to an end in 2012, but I don't think buying more of the media is going to help anybody - especially with the convenience of computer transferring.
More or less, its your money, not mine.
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Hi,
Yes, I am a taper. I will not reveal what I've taped, but I have been doing it for nearly 13 years. I've seen Tool in concert - and I'll only say that much and nothing further.
You've brought up an interesting subject... so excuse me from drifting away from your objective of finding things on this forum.
From experience, I would never tape a show again with a MD unit. Why? This is because the capacity of the disc only holds 1GB - 90 mins of PCM audio. Since I archive, I prefer PCM audio (or WAV as we all know it). MP3 / ATRAC are not sufficient enough for archiving to retain high audio quality. When you sit down to tape a show, you have to swap out the MD and record onto a whole new one. Unfortunately, this is the sacrifice of using MD units at PCM mode. Because of that, I had to use TWO MZ-RH10s , one to record and one to put on standby.
I did not like doing this at all, because it was a lot of legwork to set these machines up to do stealth taping. The final straw that broke the camel's back was when I was at a concert that lasted over three hours. Think about it - yes, 90+90 = 180 = 3 hrs, but when you record shows, you usually have to start it up a few mins before the actual show time. This turned out to be a total disaster for me, and I decided that the Minidisc was not sufficent for my needs. I went ahead and bought the Edirol R-09HR.
I love the R-09HR a lot. Maybe I'll be buried with one.
While this unit is a bit far from perfect design-wise, it is one of the best recording devices I've ever used. There's no need to worry about "how much time do I have left to record." Additionally, this is straight WAV files unlike the MDs dreadful SonicStage software. Yes, I don't like the fact it's slightly bigger than the minidisc in, but the Edirol does the job better for live taping. I have read the reviews on here by people slamming the Edirol. It's come to my attention that many of them who talk about it don't own one. I have used DAT machines, MDs machines, and a yamaha pocketrak (which I highly don't recommend). In my opinion, as an avid recorder for the past 13 years, Edirol is the best out of all of these.
I have also ran into technical issues with the RH10 on one occasion. It all happened when I recorded a live concert, came to my computer, and I started to upload the show through SonicStage. Around 92% or so during the upload, SonicStage would have a problem and couldn't go further. So I tried it several times and I still got the same problem. Turns out that the MD audio had a flaw on that particular part of the disc - it played no audio, but if you skip through that little part, it played the rest of it. There was no way to correct it so this recording was no good to me.
The only thing good I find about the MD unit now is that I am putting a package together for a friend so he can record an audio tape in PCM so it can be archived properly. I don't want to send my Edirol, but since I have two spare RH10s, I will send him one to do the job. Because the problem I mentioned above happened during a live concert, I don't believe the same problem will appear. It only happened once.
I hope by telling you this, you can understand the fundamentals involved in recording a concert with one of these Minidiscs. Since I have owned a lot of these audio devices, I'll be happy to assist anybody who is looking for suggestions or opinions on what they should buy. There are some strengths on the Hi-MD - but compared to the Edirol, I get better results with Edirol.
RH-10 Distortion
in Minidisc
Posted
I own the same recorder, but I never ran into the problem you've described at the higher volumes. I also record many things in the manual level setting as I hate using the auto one.
there is a service manual for this model online. you can read it here:
http://www.minidisc.org/manuals/sony/service/MZ_RH10_sm.pdf
Note sure if you've seen it before. If not, I guess it's worth a shot.