Leland

It seems that some MP3 formats will convert to the Sonicstage database but will then have trouble transferring. I resample my MP3's to 192 using cooledit pro before importing them and I have eliminated this problem. 256 is probably OK too, but I am pretty sure 320 is a no go and any variable bitrate is also a problem. Try that.

Of course there is. You have to use the Open MG Backup tool that comes with Open MG Jukebox. It will make a backup of the music database files. This can then be restored on a new PC. The only proviso is that you have to be connected to the internet during the restore process (perhaps also the backup process, I can't remember, but definitely during the restore) so it can perform some kind of validation. I don't know what it does during this step, but I know it does not require you to have your product registered. The other consideration is the backup media. Depending on the size of your database, you might have an issue regarding what you backup on to. You could backup onto the existing hard disk if there is enough space then put the old disc in the new PC as a slave from which to restore the database. You can backup to any other media as well, such as CD-R or DVD-RW etc. Also note, the check out count is backed up also, so if you check in all your music before you back up, you can restore your checkout count at some point in the future, but checking everything in and back out again is pretty tedious. I have done this on several occasions and can vouch for it. Also, kurisu is mistaken, you can restore the backup to any number of PC's. I have had a database on as many as 3 PC's at one time and typically have a copy on my desktop as well as my laptop. These computers are often networked and there is no conflict.

Many people like the noise cancelling phones, but I dont. They manipulate the sound too much and give you a kind of processed sound. I use Etymotic earphones which provide physical isolation rather than noise cancelling. There are several types of phones like these at various prices. The ER-4S models I use are considered expensive, but provide outstanding fidelity. Still, some don't like these either because of the tight fit in the ear canal. For more info, check out www.headphone.com.

I recommend Grado SR60's. For the price, the blow away any koss or sony phones. Also, check here for expert advice: http://www.headphone.com

Saw the MZ-N920 on sale in Tokyo today. It ships with Sonicstage 2.0, so that means SS 2.0 (Japanese at least) is shipping already. I wonder if it includes the "no check out restriction" feature mentioned with HiMD? Price was about 32,000 yen.

Oops, sorry, I missed the all the initials before the 900! Or perhaps I can pretend that Greg edited his post after I replied :wink:

I have a vaio, but as it did not come with SS 2.0, if I install 2.0 on it, I might lose the CD copy capability... I too hope it generalizes that benefit to all. It might, for competitive reasons. Also, with the unlimited checkout capability of SS 2.0 (they now call it "take out" rather than "check out") the software might be much more reliable as it no longer needs to keep track of the count.

I agree with you cantanker. The beauty is taking the disks around and plugging them into things that make music. I just hope there will eventually be a HiMD car player.

Considering the extremely hi fidelity of Hi-SP (256kbps), I wonder why you would want to do this. I can see wanting to have a PCM recording of a live event or an original source from line in to make a "master" copy, but why would you want to transfer from Sonicstage using netmd in PCM? It would be a pretty slow transfer, which might be one reason for not doing it, and it is low density recording. I guess you could use the HiMD as a PC drive and copy the file...

I recently encountered a CD that Sonicstage wouldn't enter into the musicbank database because of copy protection. I made a copy of it to a virtual CD using NERO imagedrive. Before burning the image, I could deselect the copyright protection for each track (it shows up as a squiggly icon in the list, just click it) and the image loaded into Sonicstage perfectly. CDDB even recognized it and gave it track titles. Then I just deleted the image. Done.

I still have discs I bought in Dec 1992. These are the original 60 minute ones with the printing upside down, which was quickly changed so it made better sense to read it when holding the disc with the arrow side up! They work fine. I have never had one wear out.

The many units are now a liability, as I have only sold a few and handed down a few others so now they are lying all over the house. There is one or two not listed. This causes some 'splaining to be done when I have to buy a new one, as will be the case with HiMD when it arrives. I have a similar problem with digital cameras. For headphones I usually use my Etymotic ER-4S phones, as MD is used mostly when I travel on planes or trains. I also have Grado SR-80's for use at home and various different earbuds from Sony. Have tried Koss porta pro also. I recommend Grado 60's and Ety's.

Check the equipment browser in the minidisc.org site. The 900 is an older unit, the first with MDLP. The N10 should be considered replaced by the NH10 when it comes out in April.

My experience is the same. The gumsticks have never given me the life I expected compared to the manufacturers claims, whereas the AA does. The AA units seem to last forever.

From pictures, it appears the MZ-NH900 will use Ni MH gumstick batteries. I think the PC-HiMD download speed will be essentially the same as the current crop which max out at 64 x. The 100 x real time spec is no doubt for the low bitrate atrac3plus which would be that fast on the N10 today if it were compatible. Still, it's pretty fast. Not a problem in my book.

In the event that the upload goes directly into Sonicstage and is thereby transcoded into ATRAC 3, here is one way out. IF you have a Sony brand PC, you can copy songs in your Sonicstage database to CD-R or CD-RW, thereby converting them to .WAV format for use in other applications. This capability is disabled for Sonicstage used on non-Sony computers. It also provides assurance that you can top up your checkout count, as you could make a CD-RW and delete then add back the track you've checked out too many times.

I buy the ES, but not for sound quality. The shell is made of really nice plastic. Best of all, the white surface is slightly rough so you can quickly lable the discs with a pencil, then erase it when you reuse the discs. Pencil compatibility is the key reason I use the ES discs.

The best strategy is to migrate everything to SonicStage or other PC medium then use NetMD to replace old MD "playlists" onto new 1 gig or reformatted MD's.

Check out this program: Website: http://christian.klukas.bei.t-online.de/fi...md/winNetMD.htm There is a Sticky in this forum about it for info also. You can get the tracklist from any MD copied onto the clipboard from which you can then paste it into whatever you want to print.

Majestic is right. The only reason for the behavior you describe is to have "quick mode" on, which is not worth it. The N10 is definitely not a lemon. It is a cool unit with a very small form factor for the capability it has.

I installed it successfully on two machines, one running XP Pro the other running XP Home. The Home one is a Sony PC with SS as one of the native aps. Both showed greatly improved speed of operation after the update. I have a 20 GB database of music in SS, so it was pretty sluggish before. Now it is much better. I would try reinstalling the original version and then repeat the upgrade.

The one issue you will have is backup and restore functions. If you want to use the backup and restore programs, you MUST be connected to the internet. I don't know what it checks, but it checks something. Many do not use this function anyway.

The options I am referring to are in the settings for importing the music in the first stage, not part of the backup program, just to be clear.

Either I missed that or didn't see it in your original post. Frankly, it seems strange to me. I have never had a backup that was any more the actual size of my OMG files. Literally 1:1. My OMG database is about 18.6 gigabytes. When I back it up, it takes about the same amount. Perhaps there is a setting you have that makes a difference. Do you only convert to Atrac3, or do you ask to save the original format also. I think there is some kind of setting like this. I only convert to OMG and do not save the original file formats. These original files might be kept in original locations, not in the same folder as the OMG "packages" but they might be retrieved and backed up when you do a backup. Anyway, again, my backups are the same size and no more than my OMG database files. I agree with you, if my backup cost me 3x nearly 20 Gigs, I would not be happy. It does not.

I don't know why you all find this backup app such a problem, but you do need to use it if you are reinstalling your system. If you have a second HDD you will not reformat, then just back up to that. Afterwards, you can delete the packages, then restore them later from the backup. If you don't have enough HDD space, then you either have a really small drive or tons of music. In either case, get a bigger drive. They are really cheap now, useful for lots of things, and great peace of mind for OMG backups. Regarding checking everything in before you back up: this is optional. The checkin count is saved and restored with the backup. Ideally, a backup that contains a full checkin count is optimum, but if you still have your discs, you can still check them in after the restoration of the backup.