A440

This is very elegant theoretically, gents. There's no reason to use an attenuator when the source is unlikely to overload the preamp, as in a quiet recording, where you'd also hear the distortion. But practically speaking, when you want to record an amplified concert with any significant bass whatsoever, and carry a minimum of gear--just the MD, the mics and the attenuator--then as Reactive said, it does solve the problem in most cases. I use it all the time, and you can hear how good it sounds in my Gallery album. I don't love the Radio Shack attenuator. It's a cheap flimsy gizmo that makes noise when you turn the volume knob and breaks down after some use. (The volume knob is useful, however, for people with older NetMD recorders, like the MZN707 or MZR900, that don't have volume adjustment on the fly.) I wish someone would manufacture a sturdier, non-adjustable version. But until then: it works.

DirectX is 9.0c. I think it was installed with SS. 3.0. MDAC is 2.71.9030.0 Jet is 4.0.5218 I see that I could update them by a few decimal points, but I'm reluctant to mess with a stable system. Ad-aware, newly updated, found another couple of IE cookies, probably from the TrendMicro scan since I use Firefox and it erases cookies on exit. You have another spyware program worth trying? Ah, but what about that persistent aura of mystery?

How inconvenient will it be to switch discs during the show? Will there be a gap in the program? You'll need about 30 seconds to save the recording before you can switch discs. (Of course, if there's an intermission you can switch then). If it's possible to use PCM, then use it. If it's not, don't worry. If, for instance, you do need to stay stealthy, or there's no convenient gap, Hi-SP is more than acceptable. I use it a lot.

I'm not doing the basic dumb things, Kurisu. All the tracks were from the same concert recorded in Hi-SP on a Sony Neige 74-minute disc. No playback problems on the disc, including the affected track. Incidentally, it wasn't the longest track--only 6:57, when 8-minute tracks uploaded fine. My usual background programs were running, which haven't been any trouble before. I deliberately did the upload while I wasn't using the computer for anything else. The only new background app is Peer Guardian, which blocks hostile IP addresses in P2P. Since no P2P apps were running, I don't see how this could affect SonicStage. If SS had been trying to do some sneaky internet connection, my firewall would have told me long ago. Obviously I can try it without Peer Guardian, but it seems pretty far-fetched. Version 3.0 of a program shouldn't be such a prima donna. The computer--Sony VAIO 1.6 GB, 512 MB RAM, Win XP Pro Service Pack 1--has two USB ports. My Extigy soundcard is plugged into one, as it has been forever. I had just done a Spybot spyware scan, which showed only a stray Doubleclick cookie, and a TrendMicro Housecall virus scan today shows no problems. Incidentally, I just had another SS 3.0 crash today. This time it stopped uploading halfway through track 11 of a 55-track recording (1GB Hi-MD disc, Hi-SP), timestamped the track, and offered a log entry of a whole lot of meaningless (to me) numbers. If you want a copy of the raw stack dumps from Dr. Watson, Kurisu, I can send them to you in a PM. The MD is running on battery power, but it's a new battery fresh out of the pack, registering a fully charged. I've done this before too, with no incidents.

My guess is that Realplayer is trying to transfer MP3s, and your MD doesn't play MP3s, only ATRAC files. You might as well stick with SonicStage. At the moment, it looks like you're currently using some ancient version of OMG Jukebox, a software disaster. Take a look at this: http://forums.minidisc.org/index.php?showtopic=8071 and manually delete the directories and registry keys as it suggests if they are in your computer. Then install SonicStage 3.0 or 3.1 . See if that fixes things, if not post again.

All Hi-MD recorders (anything except the NH-600D) will record in PCM, that's CD quality--about 90 minutes per 1GB Hi-MD disc. All of them also upload to a Windows PC (not Mac or Linux) via the annoying but fairly reliable SonicStage software. Older recorders (NetMD or basic MD) do not upload. The difference between Hi-MD models is in looks and features--do you want a light-up display (the MZ-RH10), pitch control, etc. Look in the Browser on the homepage. But as long as you have a Line-in input (also in the browser) you'll be able to record your DJ sets and upload them to the computer. Here's the how-to on recording from your mixer: http://forums.minidisc.org/index.php?showtopic=7989 And tangentially, if all you want to do is make digital recordings of your DJ sets, you could also go directly into your laptop if you have hard-drive space. Get a recording program like Audacity ( http://audacity.sourceforge.net ) and, if need be, an outboard line-in connector like the Griffin iMic, get the right connector from your mixer output to the line-in, and your laptop can be your recorder.

I'm having trouble downloading the sample, but your report sounds very encouraging. The Maplins attentuator may well have different resistance from the Radio Shack version--it may be attenuating a little less-- so tinker with your settings next time around and see what you come up with. If you can, report back here so that UK users can follow your advice. Getting something listenable is the first step, so congratulations.

Definitely try that too. The further away you are, the more background noise you'll get and the more indistinct the drumming will be, but given your situation, I'd try every possible variation. Try Low Sens/low Manual Volume (watching the levels), try moving back (still watching the levels), or--one more variation--try getting VERY close and running the mic through line-in while watching the level, and see if you get enough level that way. If they're really slamming you might.

Have you done a complete uninstall of 2.x following the FAQ? http://forums.minidisc.org/index.php?showtopic=8071 Sony's automatic uninstall is sloppy. Clear out the directories and registry entries as instructed and then try installing 3.0 again. Don't connect the MD until you're done with the installation.

I have been happily using SS 3.0 to upload recordings until today. I uploaded a two-hour concert cut into 44 tracks--some seconds long, some 8-13 minutes long. SonicStage just skipped over the longest one, a 13-minute song, but gave it a timestamp on the disc, which I assume means it would consider it uploaded. (Incidentally, there was no extra load or other unusual use of the computer--I had it running the Sonic Stage transfer unattended while I did some errands, not even a browser open.) It's the SonicStage/soundcard recorder method for me for that track, which luckily is still on the disc.

With the DH10 you're paying extra for the camera, not for improvements in recording.

You should try keeping your Manual Volume levels low enough so that the meter peaks between the two little dashes. And I hate to say it, but even there the mic pre-amp may have trouble with sudden bursts of sound. You need something to cushion it--either the attenuator (which greenmachine and I are just going to have to disagree about) or battery box--line-in, which would bypass the preamp. Understanding that you're far from electronics shops, this is an off-the-wall idea, but... You must have a pair of headphones with you. Headphones can work as very weak microphones. If you have time to try the experiment, why not try plugging the headphones into the mic jack with high sensitivity and probably a high manual volume level and getting close to the musicians. It might sound awful--but then again, it might not overload, either.

Why are you doing a realtime recording when you can upload directly with SonicStage? With that software, it seems you are recording through the soundcard input, so the sound card does affect what you record. You would be much better off using SonicStage 3 to upload your recordings and convert them to .wav files--an all-digital transfer with no quality loss going in. Here's a very detailed explanation, but basically you just need to install SonicStage, plug the USB connector into the computer and MD, open SonicStage and use the Transfer button. http://forums.minidisc.org/index.php?showtopic=6330 Then you can use a sound editing program like Audacity http://audacity.sourceforge.net/ to equalize the file (under Effects) and change bass, treble and everything in between.

Only Hi-MD players can export to PC. With your model, you can only record out of your headphone jack in real time. http://forums.minidisc.org/index.php?showtopic=7070

You seem to be joking, but I do think it's important that this forum NOT take any $$ from Sony. That way people will know that whatever praise or criticism we offer is genuine.

One advantage with MD, at least in the United States, is that nobody knows what they are. At a metal-detector show, I told security people it was my mp3 player--not strictly speaking a lie--and they waved me in. Inside a concert, everyone thinks it's a camera/pager/Blackberry/phone. Given how Sony is making them more and more plastic anyway, we may not have to worry about metal detectors in a generation or two. The real hurdle is hiding the mics. That's why I like little binaurals rather than bigger handhelds--you can slip them down your shirt, behind the buttons, where no one ever pats you down anyway.

It's here: http://forums.minidisc.org/index.php?showtopic=7070 A good free recording program is Audacity. http://audacity.sourceforge.net/ Audacity records its own format, .aup. When you're done recording, use the "Export as .wav" function to get .wav files, the highest fidelity. The tough part may be getting an input into your computer. If your soundcard has a Line-In, you're fine. If your soundcard only has a mic-in, you're going to have to do some tests with levels. If your soundcard has a cheap lousy staticky mic-in, as many laptops do, then you'll need an outboard line-in like the Griffin Imic or the M-Audio Transit.

Definitely get the Hi-MD. With Hi-LP you can pack a dozen albums onto an 80-minute disc and have it sound perfectly fine for mobile use. And with a Hi-MD blank you can carry 30 albums on a disc.

Unless you can get a supercheap NH600D--like under $100, they're sometimes on Ebay for $75--then get an iPod. But not an iPod shuffle--an iPod Mini, for much more storage and better controls. MD is best as a recorder, not a player, because iTunes is better software than SonicStage.

I love my Grado SR 125's immensely, but I would not call them by any means portable. Seems like he's looking for earbud-size or little portables. I second the Sennheiser PX100, better than Koss Portapros in my direct comparison.

Sony hardware tends to be chained to Sony software. You're unlikely to find plugins. Have you really, methodically gone through the FAQ and not only uninstalled the old version but deleted the various directories and registry keys before reinstalling SS 3.0 ? There have been many successful fixes with this. Have you reinstalled SP2? It may have database components that Sonic Stage uses. Have you also searched for ojbsir.exe (probably in your Program Files/Sony/Sonic Stage folder) and run that? It's supposed to authenticate the database. If none of those fixes works, then you should get in touch with Sony Support and be persistent. It's a new device, it's their software, push them to make it work. Don't let their first level of technical support, which is pretty moronic, try to brush you off--demand to be escalated to a technician. And if they have a different fix, it would be great to post it here.

If it's coming through, then that sounds very promising. I suggest leaving the volume all the way up on the attenuator and doing any volume adjustments with the MD control if need be--the little volume control could get staticky. But if your TV is coming through clearly then a loud show should also come through.

WMP is probably adding some kind of DRM flag. Start again with a different ripping program, like dbpoweramp ( www.dbpoweramp.com ) or foobar2000 . http://www.foobar2000.org/ You can also re-rip the files you have, but that will lower the sound quality.

Saw this on the Core-Sound site. As far as I can tell from the rather confusing description, you need mics, a digital adapter, a special CF card, a PDA and software. http://www.core-sound.com/HighResRecorderNews.html Looks like it would be fun to play with, though.

You could try www.soundman.de , a German (I think) binaural mic manufacturer. The website is pretty confusing, but they do have distributors in Europe.