A440

At the lower left of the disc is a little slider that opens or closes a hole--just like on a cassette. When it's open you can't write to the disc. So make sure it didn't come open. Cucnj, it seems wacky that you are getting "Device/Media not connected" when you can see the contents of the MD. Usually Sonic Stage throws that one at you because it's unable to detect the MD unit at all. Are all tracks failing? Or just certain ones? SonicStage has been known to choke on VBR mp3s--you may need to reconvert them to fixed bitrate mp3s. Using dbpoweramp (from Downloads) pick a fixed rate like 128 kbps or (better) 192. SonicStage also gets nutty ideas sometimes that material is copy protected. I've had this happen with one track on an album of mp3s--SonicStage decides that it's not allowed to transfer that track. Reconverting the track can help. Just out of curiosity, try Edit/Erase/Erase All on your blank disc and then try transferring again. Maybe SonicStage thinks the disc is improperly formatted.

ATRAC is a compression format, the way mp3 or wma or aac are compression formats. It's Sony's own compression format. You are using ATRAC if you are using SP, LP2 or LP4. LP4 should give you 320 minutes on an 80-minute disc, and LP2 should give you 160 minutes.

LP4 on an 80-minute disc is the maximum for your unit.

No, I was dreaming. I got a little too excited when SS 3.1 actually displayed the contents of an old MD. Sorry about that. Anyway, there's still WinNetMD for the NetMD units, which uses SonicStage to control the playback and records (out of the headphone jack) each track on the MD as a separate file.I guess Sony still can't figure out how to do that.

Yeah, you're right as usual Dex. It does warn if you try to send something back to My Library that isn't already there. Silly me to think that you were actually checking them out when SS is merely allowing you to copy them. I do most of my CD-to-MD through SimpleBurner, and erase them off the MD when I want to change albums. Most of my back-and-forth traffic is among the many Untitled tracks uploaded from MD, so they apparently are still sitting in My Library somewhere. The time-stamp on recent SonicStage versions helps a bit in finding them, but the older uploads await spring cleaning (and it's already summer).

Edited previous post. Of course, if a copy is sitting in My Library it doesn't matter what happens to the disc. You'd think that after 3 versions of SonicStage they might gray out that red arrow or put a warning. But not Sony....

Depends on the Hi-MD model you have and what kind of recording you plan to do. MZ-NH** models, the first generation Hi-MD, will record to SP, LP2 or LP4 through Line-in or Mic-In or with music transferred through SonicStage. MZ-RH models, the second-generation Hi-MD, will NOT record to the old MD modes directly, but you can transfer music to the disc in the old MD modes through SonicStage. Is your car MD player an SP-only unit or an MDLP unit?

The only way to upload is with SonicStage. And if it's not a Hi-MD, then you can't upload it at all.

How did you transfer them into the NH1? If you transferred them from another computer, then you can't. Digital Rights Management. You could record them digitally as you play back--in realtime--with the TotalRecorder method. Look at this thread, search for "Paranoid": http://forums.minidisc.org/index.php?showtopic=6330

Flexis, if you are using the Hi-MD for recording then you no longer need to record out of the headphone jack. If you have a PC (not a Mac) you can upload digitally, faster than realtime. Or you can record digitally in realtime by playing back through SonicStage and recording on your PC through TotalRecorder. If you're playing back (through a sound system or stereo) out of the headphone jack, you might have to crank it up a tiny bit more than if you were playing back through Line-Out. Headphone out will have your Sound (EQ) settings, which should stay set between uses. Line-Out would not have any EQ.

Unless you want to do all your transfers in real time, get Hi-MD in the MZ-NH or MZ-RH series. Any model except NH-600, NH-600D or DH10, which are for downloading music, not mic recording. The other models all have mic jacks. On NetMD, your best quality is SP, and you get 80 minutes per 80-minute disc. On Hi-MD, your second-best (but fine for interviews) quality is Hi-SP, and you get almost 2 1/2 hours per 80-minute disc. And you have to record analog out of the headphone jack. You will need outboard microphones, but you probably have them if you were using cassette recorders.

Step 3 of the FAQ is removing the registry entries, sorry not to be clear. Sony's own uninstall can leave things behind that can cause trouble, and doing this makes sure they're gone. 3. Start -> Run -> regedit. The 'Registry Editor' utility should appear on your screen. Delete the references to OpenMG located under 'HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Sony Corporation/Sonicstage' and 'HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/Software/Sony Corporation' by right-clicking on the entries.

Yes, it's the (in)famous Radio Shack Headphone Volume Control. Track marking is just timing--push it and it's on the MD. You can get rid of track marks afterward by playing the track, Pause-ing it and going back (|<<) to where it will display MARK 001 (or whatever number); pushing the Track button deletes the mark and you can try again. The Mic-In jack provides power to the mics and preamplification. If you are using a battery box (power) and preamp, then you don't need either one, so they go through Line-In, which expects a more powerful signal than a mic alone. Mic--Preamp--Line-in. No attenuator necessary. Look at levels while you're recording, but unless you're recording in a superloud club standing right next to the bass speakers, or you're out on an airstrip recording jet engines, you should be OK.

OK, greenmachine, I made a makeshift stand and did a simple test walking around the mic while talking. It was clear from the front and part of the sides and grew more muffled as I moved toward the back. Since I was only 18-20 inches from the mic I didn't expect silence, but there is a recognizable difference. So it does seem to be directional facing front. I happen to have another mic in exactly the same enclosure: the "Stereo Lapel Microphone for Minidisc" sold for about $10 on ebay, and actually pretty good for the price. It's supposed to be omni; I did the same test with it, and front and back were the same. Truth in advertising--what'll they think of next ?

Affirmative on the RM-MC40ELK.

The attenuator is only for live loud music, don't use it. Connect the cable from Ear Jack to Line In, hit Rec/Pause, go through Rec/Set Menu to Rec Volume/ Manual Volume, start the cassette and look at the level indicator. You want it to peak below the right-hand dash. You can do that with volume out on the cassette or Rec Volume on the MD, your choice. When you have a good level, rewind, un-Pause, start the cassette and record.

Models before Hi-MD do not upload. http://forums.minidisc.org/index.php?showtopic=7070

If you want to stay digital, use Dex's SonicStage/TotalRecorder method. Get TotalRecorder (it's $11.95 and totally worth it) from http://www.highcriteria.com. Hook up the MD via USB, start Total Recorder and play back through SonicStooge. You'll get a better recording than headphone out. Worrisome about the trashed recordings. I do a lot of editing on the discs myself. With the next one, maybe someone could try this experiment in letting it rewrite the TOC more than once. Do the editing/recombining you need, let it save them, and then do another negligible edit somewhere and let it save that. Maybe it will think your previous edit was the original version. I'll try this myself when I get the chance.

Kate-- I most often use an attenuator into mic-in, so I can't help you with specific settings. Maybe some of the battery-box users here can. But if you want to play it safe, you can probably use your old levels on your new MD. In my experience, the levels are pretty constant between models. When I switched from the MZ-N707 to the MZ-NHF800, I initially left it on High Sensitivity for the mic (since the MZ-707 didn't have a Low Sens sitting) and used the other levels I had come up with. It worked, though I have since switched the mic to Low Sensitivity (since High adds noise) and jacked up the manual volume. (I don't know if Mic Sensitivity affects Line-In at all, by the way.) You could likely get away with using whatever settings you were using with your previous MD, and then experimenting later if this is an important concert. Another thing you could try is using your home stereo and making some notes. Obviously it won't be as loud as a rock club, but you can still do a comparison. Set your regular levels on the battery box and see how high the level is on the display. Then do some tests: change the sensitivity, vary the manual volume, etc., and see what comes out looking (on the display) and sounding (on the recording) like what you were getting before. I would suggest that you not use bass roll-off since you're going through line-in. Bass rolloff can prevent the mic preamp from overloading, but you're not going through the preamp, so your MD can probably handle the bass. Set it at 16 Hz to get rid of subsonic rumbles, but let the rest through. Unless you're in one of the more horrible arenas or clubs and the bass just overwhelms everything, the full response of the bass will really fill out the music--and if it is too much, you can always lower it on playback .

Try this fix from Sony. Also, probably not the problem but: was the NH600D ever detected before? Can you plug something else into that USB port and make sure it's detected? ** If you are running Service Pack 2 please follow the instructions in Section 1, else go to Section 2. ** Section 1 --> Click on the [start] button and select [Run...]. In the dialog box, type explorer and click on [Ok]. --> Click on the [Tools] menu and select [Folder Options]. Click on the [View] tab. --> In the [Advanced settings:] section select the option to [show hidden files and folders]. Click on [Apply] [Ok]. --> Go to the folder [C:\Windows\Inf]. --> Right click on either [MDAC.INF] or [MSACINST.INF], whichever file is present, and then click on [install]. --> If you are prompted for your Microsoft Windows CD, insert the Windows CD into your CD drive, click on the [browse] button and go to [C:\Windows\ServicePackFiles\I386] folder on your hard disk and click on [Open]. Click on the [Ok] button. --> If at any time you are prompted for the Windows XP CD, click on the [browse] button and go to either the [C:\I386] or the [C:\Windows\I386] folder on your hard disk and click on [Open]. Click on the [Ok] button. --> Restart your computer. --> Re-try starting SonicStage. Section 2 --> Click on the [start] button and select [Run...]. In the dialog box type explorer and click on [Ok]. --> Click on the [Tools] menu and select [Folder Options]. Click on the [View] tab. --> In the [Advanced settings:] section select the option to [show hidden files and folders]. Click on [Apply] [Ok]. --> Go to the folder [C:\Windows\Inf]. --> Right click on either [MDAC.INF] or [MSACINST.INF], whichever file is present, and then click on [install]. --> If you are prompted for your Microsoft Windows CD, insert the Windows CD into your CD drive, click on the [browse] button and go to either the [C:\I386] or the [C:\Windows\I386] folder on your hard disk and click on [Open]. Click on the [Ok] button. --> If you are not prompted for your Windows CD, click on the [browse] button and go to either the [C:\I386] or the [C:\Windows\I386] folder on your hard disk and click on [Open]. Click on the [Ok] button. --> Restart your computer. --> Re-try starting SonicStage.

Just a guess, but: Were other USB connections plugged in to your computer, or were you running many other programs while uploading? SonicStage uses a lot of processing power and memory, and the static may have been a result of the computer trying to do too much. Try the download again while running as few processes as possible: disconnect from internet, turn off Antivirus and Firewall, unplug other USBs, etc. If you were connecting to SS via a USB hub, unplug the hub and go directly into the USB port. Very odd that it should only occur with solo piano. If you can do this experiment, please report back on results.

Though none of us has had all of them side by side to test, it's generally thought that the recording quality is the same in all the MDs. The difference in the more expensive units is in display, battery, remote, other features (line-out) and the amp for headphone playback (digital). You can hear recordings made on my NHF800 (same as NH700 except for FM radio remote) in the Gallery.

Do you think the SoundPros mic has the elements at 180 degrees? Would they be that inept? I have that mic, which came with my recorder, and while it doesn't have a lot of bass response and I don't use it much, it does seem to pick up what's in front of it, not 180 degrees.

The MZ-NH600D doesn't have any editing functions--it expects you to do all the editing on the PC before downloading. If SonicStage is too annoying for combining files, you could also use something like MediaJoin. http://www.softforall.com/mp3naudoi/Utilit...oin01110029.htm You'll still have to extract the files from the CDs, though. Try CDex http://cdexos.sourceforge.net/ Since it's spoken word, you may not need something as hi-fi as .wav files, so you could extract and convert them to mp3s to save hard-drive space, then join them.

To transfer your recordings to PC via USB, your only choices are Sony's Hi-MD's, introduced last year and in their second generation this year. All of them except the MZ-NH600D and the MZ-DH10 will record in stereo; those D models are basically for downloading music onto MD, like an iPod. The MZ-NH600 only has line-in recording, not mic-in recording. (Mic-In includes a preamp for microphone use; Line-In is a higher-powered signal.) Don't know what you mean by a "middle man." All MD users are saddled with SonicStage, Sony's glacially improving transfer software, and it is PC only, though some Mac users say they have made it work with VirtualPC. Sony won't provide the drag-and-drop functionality for audio files that would make all our recording lives so much simpler. All models are pretty much the same for recording, as far as anyone knows. Get what you can find at a good price. I'm happy with my MZ-NHF800 from last year (especially since I added a RM-MC40ELK lighted remote for recording in the dark) because I prefer AA-shaped batteries (easily replaced) to the rechargeable gumsticks in the other models. The MZ-NH700 is the same model minus FM radio, sold in different territories. Look at the Browser tab at the top of the minidisc.org home page and you can get an idea of the looks and features. The RH10 has a lighted display on the unit, which might be useful in some circumstances. To mail order, try www.jr.com , www.soundprofessionals.com , www.minidisco.com or your choice of electronics chain.