jmsla

Hi kgallen, Thank you for your reply. It's good to know now that the digital (optical) output isn't getting ATRAC treatment. It also never occurred to even try putting the deck in 'record' without a disk inserted; it works exactly as you described. I am sending the analog signal from my turntable into the 520 and straight out to the optical input on my RH-1. This set-up is really just a matter of convenience because the turntable and the JE-520 are sitting next to each other. I'm sure there are better ways I can make digital copies, (sans mp3), of my LPs but, this is the line of least resistance for the moment. Thanks again for the info. and operation help; good news to me. Best, James

Greetings. I have a JE-520 deck that records using ATRAC 4.5. I want to use this deck simply as a pass-through device to convert an analog signal coming in to a digital out signal I know I can accomplish this by putting a disc in the deck then hitting record and pause which will activate the all the inputs and outputs. My question, however, is whether the digital signal out will be in ATRAC 4 or just a straight analog to digital conversion in that the deck is not actually recording. Any thoughts out there are appreciated. JMSLA (James)

Hi All, One of my LIP-4WM batteries has become swollen; bloated like a gum-stick blow-fish. Clearly it can no longer be used and is likely a danger to even keep as a paperweight. Does anyone have advice on what I can do, or avoid doing, to prevent this from happening to any more of my diminishing supply of LIP-4WM batteries? A few others are just beginning to show a tiny bit of swelling. None of these batteries are of the 'after-market' variety. And, does anyone know what happens inside the battery to cause this condition? Any advice and insights are greatly appreciated. Thank you, -ja

I'm still running XP with no problems at all and Sonic Sstage works like a dream; including Simple Burner which I use quite often. I simply refused to be frightened by Microsoft into giving up XP. I't's possibly one of their best operating systems; simple and robust. And I do continue to get monthly updates from Microsoft. Wouldn't it also be possible to have a stand alone computer; one not connected to the internet, that runs on XP to use Sonic Stage without any glitches? Of course 'Grace Note' and such would not be available but, a small incovienence.

Yes, it is true as AVITWeb says; there is an option in the 'transfer settings' to instruct SS to delete the converted files after transfer. However, i'ts still always a good practice to take a look in that default folder or follow that file path because, in my experience, the deletion doesn't always happen --- for reasons that remain a mystery to me. {I guess computer programs sometime ignore instructions and do want they want to do just to defy the humans.} Don't forget about clearing your Recycle Bin either, if you do have to perform a manual deletion. My two cents. Happy Transferring, -ja

Hi Roflol, I would like to buy your 600 as a backup if it's still available. I'll pay your asking price, which I think is very fair if not outright generous. I own a 600 which I've had for several years. Despite it's entery level status and plactic case, is a tough workhorse and can make excelent recordings. The higher end, metal case 900 models I have become plagued with operational problems. Please PM me. -James / jmsla

No problem. it's very good that the disc was new because sometimes remnants of prior recordings that were 'erased' and recorded over can pop up in spots like, for example, the silent space between the recover tracks. // When I reuse a disc for an important recording, I have a procedure to completely purge the disc of prior recordings so that it starts as essentially a new disc. I think the 'disc error' message you get occasionally is just an anomaly, especially since it mostly reads 'blank disc'. I think that simple 'blank disc' message is encouraging. And, I don't think it matters what brand of machine was used to record the disc - SP is SP as far as I know. It is curious how the disc got erased. Since this disc was so important, I can't imagine that your client put it in a player / recorder and mistakenly went through the menu to 'erase all tracks', or mistakenly formatted the disc. It might be helpful to ask the owner of the disc if he/she remembers how that happened. I hope it wasn't a situation where a malfunctioning machine somehow mangled or scrambled the TOC - if such a thing is possible. You would probably be getting more 'disc error' messages if that were the case. I'm just guessing here. You know where to find me if you want to get in contact. Good Luck, James

Greetings AudioArtist, If this is a straight forward matter of the tracks having been mistakenly erased, leaving what appears to be a blank disc, I have the necessary equipment to write a new TOC to the disc and would be glad to perform that procedure. Understand, however, that I am making no promises just now as there is a lot I don't know about this disc. For example: You mention ..."the issue of an erased TOC". Did you mean to say erased 'tracks' or literally and erased TOC; because I've never heard of a disc completing missing a TOC and I'm not sure this such a condition is possible. I ask because I want to be perfectly clear about what is wrong with this disc. Also: Can you find out exactly how the music on the disc came to be "erased"? // Was the disc new when it was originally recorded or was it a reused disc? // In what mode had the disc been recorded: SP, LP2 or LP4? // Is it a 74 minute disc or an 80 minute disc? // Is the disc damaged in any way, such as having a missing or malfunctioning shutter door or a warped case? // Does the internal disc spin smoothly inside the case? I have a MZ-G750 that I modified for TOC cloning and I have a MDS-J520 Deck. I typically use the portable because the procedure is much simpler with fewer steps. I'm in the States - you can PM me if you wish. Best, -ja

Thank you all for your insights. I don't exactly understand some, well most, of the technical aspects and jargon discussed but, I now am assured that my .wav files are not being fundamentally altered in some way. I also now understand why some players on my computer don't display the track titles of commercial CDs I have uploaded as .wav files. A player would need to be connected to some CD catalogue database because the .wav files don't include that information. // Another mystery sent packing. Thanks again for the illumination. Best, James A.

Ah-ha, so if I understand 'metadata' in this context; that step that SS displays as 'converting' is all the information about each track, such as name, date it was created, etc., being encoded. is that correct? Thank you. I was thinking that maybe I was failing to apply some Importing feature in a menu somewhere. -ja

Greetings All, I often import one or several .wav music files from my hard drive into the Sonic Stage library, and then transfer them to a Hi-MD disc using the 'Standard transfer mode' - transfer file "as is" (no conversion)', etc. (I use the version of SS 4.3 available from this forum on a computer with XP operating system. / flawless operation of SS by the way.) To continue, I have assumed that .wav and PCM are the same format or bit rate. However, I notice that during the transferring procedure, the files first go through a "converting" step before being transferred. This is indicated in the 'Status' area just to the right of the track name, all in the large transfer window. So, my question is; What is that conversion all about? / Are .wav and PCM different in some way? I seem to recall doing the same sometime in the misty past and just seeing 'transferring' indicated. I could be mistaken about that. Thanks in advance for any information / education on this subject. Best, James

Same question, ..... What do you mean by "an interesting price" ? Are you asking people to bid on this or do you have a price in mind? I'm in the Colonies (US). PM me or post publically. -ja

I second PunkRockAddicit's choice - with a bullet! I have both the Grado 60i and the 80i. The 80i model is $99.00 and the 60i model is $79.00. I personally don't hear much difference between the two. Don't let the relatively low price decive you. They are without question the best sounding headphones I've ever used. For one thing, they don't color the sound with emphasised highs or lows. You get a very transparent listening experience and somehow a 3 dimentional effect on certain recordings; as if you were in the studio or at the concert during the performance. There is no special circuitry built in for that effect; it's just how good they are. The design styling is definately not up-to-date, (who cares?), and they don't fold up but, I often carry a pair for on-the-go MiniDisc listening with no problems / they don't have huge cans and aren't heavy. Very comfortable to wear, and for a long time if so happens. I do have a pair of AKG K81DJ headphones that I use for subway travel listening because the closed back doesn't disturb other people and the ear cups are more isolating. They fold up to some extent and they sound pretty good, (w/ some low end emphasis), but not up to the sound quality of the Grado headphones. Just my two cents on the question and I acknowledge that which headphones sound great to any particular individual is very subjective. One piece of testing advice: don't listen to too many different headphones at one time. After about 10 minutes or so of listening to music your ears ability to hear certain frequencies accurately tends to deminish. Listen to a few, then take a break to let you ears recover. I know this symptom well from years of shopping for cymbals. -ja

Find MD jewel cases here: http://www.minidiscaccess.com/index.html

Yes! I believe I went through at least 4 of the 7 stages of loss and grieving before the link started working again. I was informed that the forum has moved to a new host. ??

Ha! How about a demand to Sony that they create and market a USB turntable that converts those "old school" vinyl recordings directly to any of the minidisc codecs; thus to satisfy all the minidisc users to whom they sold that format for 20 years. Does anyone know the total sales figure(s) for Sony Mini Disc units of all types from introduction to the recent discontinuation?

Well, the display windows are fine, even with the contrast turned all the way down. So it's likely some mechanical problem as you suggest. Should I PM Jim Hoggrath or does that require an invitation? I haven't done this before but, I would like to have these nice NH900 units working properly if possible. thanks

Sorry for the tardy reply - Hurricane Sandy sent us a little off course here in the Apple. (note: above I meant to say '...downloading or ripping CDs to MD using Simple Burner') A further question then: Could such a power problem go on and off at times? Sometimes one or the other of these NH900 units seems to behave as expected, including the finicky function button problem. Then, suddenly it's misbehaving again. I know I have read here that fixing a power problem takes special equipment and expertise. Can I be advised approximately the cost of repairing two units? thanks p.s. Condolences for the loss of HMS Bounty and one crew member in the storm. Sad events.

-Considering whether to explore repairing or not - I have two NH900s, both of which have started failing in the same way that 'sbeuh' describes above during playback of 74 and 80 minute discs recorded in SP or LP2. Skips and gaps are becoming much too common. They worked fine when I first got them. I'm wondering if it's worth having these two units repaired? I liked them as playback units and for downloading or burning CDs to using Simple Burner. I'd rather use these units for such functions than my RH1s. But, I have also found them to be finicky machines (especially regarding the two buttons on the face labeled 'CANCEL / CHG' which also has the Pause (||) function and the smaller button labeled 'NAVI /MENU'. (I have a third NH900 that is beyond repair I think, which could be used for spare parts but, it did lot of skipping and blanking out during playback as well.) Were these just poorly designed or built machines, despite the nice metal case? Or did I just manage to get three bad ones? To repair or not to repair is the question.

The same thing occurs on occasion with one or another of my MZ-RH1 units. With mine, It's as if a contact switch or some such fails to engage upon closing the lid. The following two procedures have worked for me. You can check the two screws located on the bottom at the front edge and the two located on the back side to see if any might be a bit loose. As a caution, I recommend leaving alone any that are not loose. Another possible solution is to insert a disc and shut the lid as you normally would, then very gently apply some pressure with your finger tips to the lid in the area along the rear edge. With power being supplied, that might cause it to wake up. First, however, you should wait to see what the expert at repair has to say.

Thanks. Sometimes I think my ears trick me and I believe I hear a slight difference, so I was seeking other's experience and knowledge. -ja By the way, what is the proper and universally understood term for the 80 and 74 minute discs that preceded the Hi-MD discs?

By "ATRAC disc" I am intending to refer to: A pre Hi-MD disc, .....legacy disc, ..... 80 or 74 minute disc that would be otherwise be used in a minidisc recorder that is not Hi-MD. Such discs can be used in a Hi-MD recorder and will record in the Hi-MD formats as you know. Sorry if I used the incorrect term for the dicsc that are not the 1 gig Hi-MD.

Hello all, I've searched but, can not find exactly the answer I'm seeking. Has anyone tested or noticed any difference in recording quality between PCM on a Hi-MD disc and PCM on an ATRAC disc? Assume all input possibilities: optical line in, analog line in and microphone input. Or to state the question another way: Is there any inherent difference between a Hi-MD disc and an ATRAC disc that results in better PCM playback quality of one over the other? Thank you in advance of your experience and answers. Cheers, JMSLA -Jim

A440, Is the line-in jack a lower sensitivity input than the Mic. input set at low sensitivity? In my test they seemed the same but, possibly I just don't recall having to setting the recording level a bit high using line-in. Conversely, could a very low level line signal be input through the mic input set to high sensitivity? -ja

Hi Nathan, My mics. are Audio Technica X/Y one point stereo, models AT822 and AT8022. They both use AA battery power but, the 8022 also can use phantom power and has larger diaphragms than the 822. They are both considered to be 'high sensitivity' microphones and designed for broadcast and professional recording. The high pass / low roll- off switch on both have one setting when switched on. The roll-off on the AT822 is 150 HZ 6 dB/octave and on the AT8022 it's 80 Hz 12 dB/octave. On both mics., a flat response when switched in the off position. I really only need the roll-off feature when recording in my rehearsal studio. It's a compact room, (10.5 x 11 feet), so the mics, are always very close to a sound source, maybe five feet or six feet at most. Sometimes the bass drum on my drum kit gets boomy as does the bass through the PA speakers. The roll off on both mics. work perfectly in that situation. When I'm recording in clubs I do get as close to the band as possible for best stereo separation. I'm usually recording jazz groups which are loud and amplified but, not ear splitting. The only problem I have with bass is that sometimes I don't get enough! Are you recording really loud bands with heavy deep amplified bass? And what is your microphone? If you can set the high pass / low roll-off closer to the settings on my mics, try that. Test it out by playing something boomy and loud on your home sound system and record with your mic. -jim