Wally Taylor

I bought an Analog to Digital Convertor and Toslink to Mini Plug optical cord. I have the complete MZ-N707 package somewhere with everything still inside, including the software disc, but can't find it. So, I've been recording direct from my new CD Player to MD using a high quality 1/8" to 1/8" cable, and now I've recorded one disc using the Convertor and Optic Cable. I'm sure it's the CD, because the Optic recording is of a live Jerry Garcia recording, but the Analog recording of the new Megadeth recording blows away the Optic recording of a live disc. I'm going to record the same Megadeth album using Optical Cable to get a fair comparison. At least I found out that the record function on my newer MZ-N707 is completely dead, Analog and Digital. I'm going to send it to Great Britmain to be repaired.

I was wondering. Last night I tried recording with the microphone, and still get the Blank Disc message. I have tried both analog feeds. Is it possible for myOptical input to work using an ADC and optical cable? Meaning, can power be cut off to the magnetic head, and not the optical laser? I've been recording a lot of music today using my old broken MZ-N707. For analog input from my CD Player they sound amazing. my old one was bought in around 2002 or 2003. I'm wondering if the flexible leads on the original, first issue of the MZ-N707 had higher quality ribbon supplies, because the one that doesn't work was a later one?

Thank You for the help. I took my microphone out last night, and I'm sure that I have the rotten recording ribbon. I'm glad that I hung on to the one that broke. Have any of You guys repaired the ribbon? I sent feelers out to Sony parts to see if any nos ribbons exist. I may send it to be repaired. It's probably cheaper to buy a revamped rack model for my stereo system. I just got a fancy new turntable and a pile of new vinyl, so I may as well have it wired up. I'll look for a good laptop with a quality CD-Rom or DVD. If I get my own she won't flip out. How hard is it to download the Sonic software? Do I have to type in a bunch of stuff? I'm old, and kind of handicapped beyond my broken back. I have no computer skills, but if it'd something easy to follow I could probably handle it. How do I know if she has 32 or 64 bit Win 7 running? Thanks Again! I never will give up on ND.

I haven't recorded a mini disc since my wife upgraded her laptop. To be honest, I didn't know that You could record without the Sony software. Yesterday I went to WalMart and Radio Shack, and came home with a Digital to Analog Convertor (DUH!), an optic cable with Toslink and two mini plug convertors, and a fresh 1/8" to red and white RCA's. Today I took them all back, and came home with a shielded 1/8" to 1/8" mini plugs, and a thick, shielded 1/8" to r&w RCA's to use when the Analog to Digital Convertor and custom Toslink to mini plug optical cable That I need to order arrived. So, I was reading about Analog recording from Portable CD to MD. I have two MZ-N707's. The first one that I bought, which hit the floor HARD about ten years ago. The damage was such that i could hear the left channel when I messed with the remote cord where it plugs into the MD recorder, and that was it. I bought a NOS sealed MZ-N707 on eBay for $120, and I was rolling again, until Windows 7 showed up. I had found that I could still record with the broken MZ, both with my stereo condenser Mike and using NetMD Burner. At his was handy because I could still take my old one to concerts without exposing my nice cherry new one to drops and just the wear and tear from recording my CD's on the burner. Again, all was well until her old computer crashed and she "upgraded" to Win 7. So, in the last few days, I realized that I could burn high quality MD's using a convertor and optical cable from my new Portable CD player. So, after I returned all of the wrong stuff yesterday, I came home today with my shielded 1/8" to 1/8". I tried a regular 1/8" jumper first, and only the left channel was recording on my OLD MZ, so I got out my good MZ, and the same thing, left channel only. So I took my new cable, and my newer MZ, and no matter WHAT settings I used, I would come up with a BLANK DISK message. So after an hour of screwing around with settings on my NEW MZ, and getting nowhere, I broke out my trusty CRASHED MZ, put in a great Grateful Dead CD, put the new cable on, and let her rip. And....SUCCESS! I recorded the entire CD, by just connecting it, hitting record, and doing nothing but marking the end of the songs. I didn't touch a thing. My 14 year old, beat up MZ came through for me, and the sound is unbelievable. For $9.50 I'm back in the game. Now I just have to decide which of my 700+ CD's are worthy of the slow SP process, but I'm really happy about being able to put some new music on every blank MD that I have laying around. I can't remember who made the thread that inspired me to try analog CD to MD transfers, but if it was You, I owe You! I have always used MD to save wear and tear on my CD's and my (now extremely expensive) NOS CD player.. It seems that I am back in the game. While I'm waiting for my Analog to Digital Convertor, my custom optical cable, and the blank MD's that I'm looking for, I have a means of burning some fresh music onto my MD's. I'm sure that You know the great feeling of getting Your beloved MD player-recorder back in action. And to think all that it took was $9.50 to hook myself up with the ability to make surprisingly great sounding Mini Discs using just one analog cable. I can't try the new software, and probably never will, because I intend to find a refurbished laptop,with Windows Vista or XP. I can't download the new Sonic software onto her new laptop, because if anything even remotely FEELS like I screwed up something on her computer, my name is mud. I wouldn't even TOUCH her computer for years until I got the Sony CD-ROM software downloaded. It was really clean, and the install was simple, and the software worked FLAWLESSLY. So she had no complaints. I never even surfed the web until about 2003, because everywhere that a I went was examined by her private detective personality. I was only interested in guitars, coins, and Corvettes. So, it feels great to have some fresh tunes on a disc, and they will all be reburned by next week, and hopefully I can find some blank MD's to get working on a new MD library. And THANK YOU to all of You for posting all of the information that You share. I am not the guy who will give up on MD. I'm 59 this Thursday, and I will be an MD guy until I'm dead and gone. MD is Sony's best work ever, and it's a shame that they tried to put us all out to pasture. Well, it ain't gonna' happen here, EVER! Here's my MD and CD stuff. The Blue MZ is the MD that refuses to die. The new SHOCKWAVE is my birthday present. Best one EVER!

I was wondering if there are regulars here? I bought my first MD when they first came out. I had about 15 pre-recorded discs, and my ex-wife threw them away because She was jealous of them. She said that with the small player she thought I was trying to block her out without her knowing. I guess she was right. I actually took the garbage bag to the dump without knowing that my beloved discs were in there. At hey we're absolutely pristine, as I a) really believed that they would be rare someday, and I always talked immaculate care of my CD's. Every time that I buy a CD, if there's a "hype" sticker on the plastic wrap, I try to carefully peel them off and stick them inside the jewel case under the CD. I probably have 700+ CD's, and they're all perfect. As soon as I brought them home, I would handle the sticker part, and burn it to mini disc immediately. I only, have about 30 Mini disc blanks, and about half of them are recorded CD's. They were all recorded, but recently I was listening to them, and somehow they just erased due to my hitting a wrong button. I don't know how. Just today I bought a D to A convertor, a new 1/8 into red and white RCA connector line, and a Toslink digital cable with mini plug converters, so I'm all set to record my favorite CD's right from my brand new Panasonic SL-SW415 CD player that my wife bought me for my 59th birthday this Thursday. I am thrilled to get my old SHOCKWAVE back. The last one that Ibought was a '95 SL-SW405, and it lasted over 20 years without so much as a hiccup until my wife's cat knocked the basket that it was in off of the top of the refrigerator. My new one is all set for a fun day of recording tomorrow, I can't wait to see if they sound any better when burned through Optical cable one to one with my CD player. I previously did all of my MD burning using NetMD software, so until I figure out the new hardware, I'll be burning them from CD. It will take more time, but hopefully the sonic difference will be worth it. So, is there anybody out there? Wally

I just figured it out on YouTube.

I want to record directly from my portable CD Player to my MZ-N707. I know that I need a 1/8" to RCA Analog Red/White Cord, An Analog to digital converter, and an optical cord running to the line in on my MZ-N707. Zen at I don't know I'd exactly what cable I need to go from the digital or optical side of the convertor. I don't know what a Toslink I'd, of if that's what I even need. The kind in looks like a 3.5mm round input, but is that optical of a mini plug. Do they make an optical cord that's square on one end and 1/8" round (3.5mm) on the line in end? I just need to know what cord goes from the digital side of the convertor to the input on my MZ-N707. Thank ZYou for helping me.