A440

The fabulous Aeriyn explains it here: http://forums.minidisc.org/index.php?showt...813entry47813

For club recordings, binaurals are best because they pick up like your ears and you'll be immersed in the sound. For indoor arenas, cardioids might be better to cut down on crowd noise--but outdoors like stadium gigs, cardioids are susceptible to wind noise. If you think your crowds are going to be noisy all around you, even at indoor club NIN gigs--which I doubt--then go for cardioids. But if I were you, I would get the best binaurals I could afford--maybe Core Sound or Reactive Sounds--and skip the bass roll-off. If the bass is eliminated from your original recording, there's no way to get it back. Instead, use the Radio Shack Headphone Volume Control as an attenuator, Low Sensitivity and Manual Volume at a conservative 15/30 and get every note. If the room is bass-y, you can filter it later with a program like Audacity. Even the bottom of the line, $29 Sound Professionals BMC-2's produce good results, as you can hear in the Yahoo Mail box livefrommd (password 1minidisc1) . Move up from there and you should get some seriously good recordings.

Since you've tested the discs, your problem is likely with the unit, like a record or playback head out of alignment, and that's probably a repair job for Sony. Have you tried your radio recording on another unit? That would tell you if you were still recording but playback was the problem. You should check your warranty--if it's as bad as the US warranty, then it's only a 90-day warranty for labor, in which case you're stuck. Perhaps you have one of those credit cards that doubles the warranty or UK warranties are different, though. Amazon is probably out of the picture and you'd have to deal with Sony. Try going to the support links buried quite deep in the Sony website and have a live chat with them and see what they offer.

Flac and Shn are compressed lossless codecs. They're not as small as .mp3, but they are smaller than .wav. http://flac.sourceforge.net/ http://research.umbc.edu/~hamilton/shnfaq.html

http://www.imaging-resource.com/ACCS/BATTS/BATTS.HTM He recommends Maha/Powerex and Energizer. I got the Energizer charger with 2500 mAh batteries from an Ebay seller, and they last a good long time. Just make sure you get the 2500s.

You have just discovered the absolute worst feature of SonicStage. At least, I hope it's the worst feature. It is built in and there's no way around it, part of Sony's bizarre notion of Digital Rights Management. The good news is that SonicStage has been reliable for uploading since 2.3 . The only workaround is to play back the MD through your computer, with Sonic Stage controlling it, and use a soundcard recorder like Total Recorder to capture it as it plays in realtime. More here in the FAQ: http://forums.minidisc.org/index.php?showtopic=6330

You'll have plenty of space on the 1GB disc at Hi-SP. Perhaps it should have been bass solos.

If you're at a loud concert, you will hate yourself in the morning if you use AGC. You don't have to adjust Manual Volume during the concert--you just have to set it low enough so that you won't overload. It's just nine more clicks and well worth it. To echo what Dex says, you need Low Sensitivity for anything amplified. High sensitivity boosts the gain on the preamplifier built into the MD, and the last thing you need for amplified sound is more amplification. Bass notes in particular overload the MD's preamp. Unfortunately, as Dex has discovered, the High Sensitivity/Low Sensitivity setting affects the signal AFTER it goes through the preamp. Even on low sensitivity, a bass drum thump can cause overload. Therefore, I once again tout my cheap and inelegant solution: the Radio Shack Headphone Volume Control pictured with my signature. It's a buffer between your mic and the preamp. First, set Low Sensitivity as your default setting. The MD will retain it, so you only have to do that once. Put in a fresh battery. Plug the mic into the RS jack and the RS plug into the red mic jack. Turn the RS volume control to max. Find some light and set Manual Volume on the MD (press Rec and Pause with the disc in, press Menu, go to REC SET and change Rec Volume to Manual), use the pointing stick (>) or the wheel to set the volume to 20/30 for loud and 15/30 for LOUD shows. (Standard or Loud AGC doesn't matter; you're not using AGC.) Un-Pause to start recording, slide Hold so it keeps recording, put the MD in your pocket and turn it off when the concert's over. Try it at home first. It's easier than it sounds, though not as easy as it could be if Sony let Manual Volume remain as a default setting.

If you only have the basic 128MB of memory in that computer, you're on the low side of the requirements but you should be able to squeak by. Do you have 200MB of free hard-drive space? Also, are you running from one USB port or a multiple USB hub? It's important to be running through a single USB port.

VBR is the problem, SonicStage doesn't like them. Try reconverting it at a fixed bitrate (the higher the better) with dbpoweramp (www.dbpoweramp.com) and then downloading it.

The digital amp only affects playback, not recording, which is apparently the same in all the Hi-MDs. If you are going to be uploading recordings to your computer and listening to them from computer or burned CD, then you don't need the digital amp; reviews on whether it improves the sound on MD playback or adds its own coloration have been mixed. The NH-900 (the current step up from the NHF-800) has some other features, like line-out and pitch control, that may be useful to you. Note that with the NHF-800 you can't record the radio to the MD, if that's what you had in mind. But I have one, and except for one true annoyance--you can't make Manual Volume the default setting for recording, but have to go through 9 clicks through menus each time you want to use it--I'm quite happy with it. That annoyance is common to all Hi-MDs at the moment. The RH series is not for sale yet, but is due next month. No one knows yet whether it has a default to Manual Volume. You might want to wait a month and see how the RH910 is received or pick up a NHF-800 when it becomes an older model and the price drops.

* So this was recorded with your omnis plugged into the mic in? Omni--RS Headphone VC--Mic-In * Did you max the md's recording volume and use the rs switch to control the levels watching the md's level meter? Or is that what AGC does? Watching the MD's level meters is impossible in the dark and that's probably just as well. It's better to set it conservatively than to keep fidgeting with it. Definitely don't max the MD's volume or you'll just get a horrible overload. I used to use the RS volume control to control input volume, but you get static each time you move it unless it's brand new. For the MZ-R900 set the mic to LOW sensitivity, turn the RS to its max and leave it there--it's still cutting the signal. Then use Rec/Pause with the disc in the MD and set it to Manual Volume, more below. I forget whether the MZ-R900 goes back automatically to AGC when you push Stop, but I suspect it does, so once you've set it to manual volume, put it on Pause until you record. Listen to "Tore Down" and you'll hear AGC trying to compensate for the bass and bass drum, kind of a whooshing sound. That's why manual volume is better if you have enough headroom. * What do you mean by 20/30? the rs = 20 the md = 30? That's on the MD itself. When you set Manual Volume it reads x/30 on the MD. It's best to just set it and forget it, and I've found 20/30, or 15/30 if it's really going to blast, works well with the RS and Low Sensitivity. Test it with your stereo at home. *How far from the stage were you? Different at each show. About halfway back at M ayer in a big room, about 15 feet from Ka iser Chiefs in a small room. It's not how close, it's how loud that matters. Just try to find a spot where the sound is balanced, which is probably not superclose to the stage, because the PA is pointed over your head. *I don't know the the line in impedance of my unit. Right now I have 2 - 1.0uf capacitors in it nad have no clue what the roll off frequency is? Search these forums for rolloff and impedance, and look in the Construction Projects category on the opening page, right side. I think that info may be here. If not, try Google--someone must have figured that out. Also, I'm not sure what kind of battery box you've built. Is it just providing power to the mics? Or is it providing some kind of bass rolloff? I'm not a big believer in bass rolloff, because once it's gone from the recording you can't restore it. I'd rather record at a lower level and get the way the show really sounded. As long as the bass doesn't overload the preamp, which the RS will help prevent, you can always filter it during playback or re-recording. Other users disagree, however. Another tip on the MZ-R900: tape your battery latch shut. Otherwise it can get jostled open in your pocket or at a crowded show.

Try transferring songs with no other programs running. Sony's programs need a lot of resources.

You could copy your CD tracks to your computer and use an editing program like Audacity to Normalize volume, then send the tracks to your MD. But Kurisu is right: the headphones that come with any walkman or other portable are never worthy of the sound that comes out of the machine. You'll thank yourself if you get better ones. You want isolation? Splurge and get canalphones like the Shure E3 (demure gray) or E3c (fake iPod white). Unlike dinky earbuds, the Shures are extremely musical headphones once you figure out which of the many earplugs that come with them fit best for your ears. I wear them on the subway to listen to music at normal volume, and you can sleep in them too.

How can I put this most tactfully? OK: The person who sold you the mics is a lying scumbag. There is no way in hell that the attenuator would short out the mic (or the power from the MD) or cause any harm whatsoever. The estimable Dex is talking about a negligible effect on the response of the mic, not any sort of damage. If the RS was any danger to the mics or the MD, the pair of mics I have been recording with every few days for the last year would have shown some effect by now, as would the four MD recorders I have used RS attenuators with (MZ-R700, MZ-R900, MZ-N707 and MZ-NHF800). It's a loose cable, pure and simple. Nothing magic, or even electronic, about it--it's a mechanical flaw. The guy needed a little more solder or a better wire. I do hope this bozo isn't one of the better-known vendors.

If they are deleted their remains might still be on your hard drive. Here's a free file-recovery program. http://www.pcinspector.de/file_recovery/uk/welcome.htm It may or may not come up with your missing files; they may or may not be encrypted. But if nothing else revives them, it's worth a try. See what's there, and put the file back into wherever My Library resides. If you're still looking for the files on the MD, that second attempt to upload them probably deleted them forever. SonicStage at its most vicious and useless.

If you haven't already, try the Radio Shack Headphone Volume Control. It will lower the incoming signal, including the bass that causes most of the distortion, so you'll have to use a higher level in mic-in, but it might help. Try it with or without the battery box.

* I read the FAQs on transferring recordings from Hi-MD and it seems it may actually work for me. Since SonicStage 2.3 the one upload has been reliable for nearly everything except home-built computers. Then Wav converter will convert the transferred file repeatedly. SS 3.0 apparently has Wav converter integrated to save a step, and .wav files are unencrypted. * I'm not clear on this checkout thing. I've heard that the first-gen HiMD's limit any given file on your PC to be transferred only three times. I've also heard that the second-gen units will remove that restriction for unencrypted files and also be able to play MP3 directly. Explain this to me please? Checkout is just that--you can also check back in and it starts the count again. As for the changes, we'll have to see when it gets here. Sony's advance publicity always promises more than it delivers. * The MD has an optical in. I've read that you cannot transfer recordings made on the optical-in port even on a Hi-MD unit to the PC (only analogs can be transferred). True? Marcnet's HiMDRenderer (look at the pinned thread under Software) gets around this. * From what I've read, the unit offers drive-letter access. Is this true? Yes, but it's slow, USB 1.0. Windows XP will recognize it as a USB drive. * Is there any benefit to waiting for second-gen units besides playing MP3 files directly? I read something about recording straight to MP3 files (128kbps). What's up with this? Again, wait and see. But why record to mp3 when you have PCM? * Not highly important, but some MD's have radio tuners; can they record from radio to Hi MD? No, you can't record from the tuner to the MD. * Preferably would like a unit that uses AA batts Yeah, so would I. The current NH-700 and NHF-800 do that. It doesn't look like the next generation does, though there may be outboard battery packs. Two steps forward, one step back....

A Duracell Ultra or similar top-level alkaline battery is 2750 mAh. You can now get rechargeable Energizers and others that are 2500 mAh, which is close enough. They take overnight to charge in a charger, and probably forever in the MZ-NHF800 (which will charge a rechargeable battery, though Sony doesn't want to be responsible in the US if there are any problems, like overheating). After looking at this article http://www.imaging-resource.com/ACCS/BATTS/BATTS.HTM I decided it was worthwhile to get the Energizer charger that comes with four or eight 2500 mAh batteries. They're on Ebay and elsewhere; I paid about $30 shipped for the four-battery combo. Make sure it's the 2500 mAh version and not one of the many other Energizer chargers. I see Thomas Distributing, above, also has chargers by Maha that the article recommends.

You can (and should) set the Mic Sens on Low, and that setting will be retained as a default until you change it. Yes, 10/30 is conservative. It won't eliminate crowd noise or mic-handling noise--nothing will. If you're standing next to a screamer or a conversation, move. The low manual volume is to prevent the recording from overloading. Amplified acoustic is still amplified; you can make a real racket with a strummed acoustic guitar through a PA. If you're expecting crowd noise, that suggests a fairly loud show. Go to the men's room between acts, put in a new battery and run through the whole Rec-Pause to Manual Volume sequence, then leave the recorder paused and on Hold and get back to your spot. All you'll have to do is slide Hold to off and push the Pause button to start recording, both easy to find by feel in a pocket. Even if you can't leave your spot, don't be super-paranoid about this. People carry lots of little shiny things to concerts: phones, cameras, iPODs, PDAs, mp3 players. The sound guy may conceivably know what a MD recorder looks like, but the bouncers probably don't. I've pulled out my MD to make track marks or look at levels with ushers right next to me at arena shows, and they're clueless. Just be sensible, don't wave the mic around and you should be fine.

Which end of the mics were you moving when it went silent? The weak point in a lot of mics is the connection between the cable and the mic itself. If that's what's coming loose when you wiggle the left mic, you're pretty much stuck: either get them carefully repaired or replace them. It seems like it's not your problem, but the RS attenuator is not the most durable item. Usually it starts fritzing out with static rather than silence, though. You might be able to save your recording by re-recording it in realtime with a stereo-mono-stereo connection--stereo plug (into the headphone jack) to mono-out plug, then mono-plug to stereo out, either with cables (preferred, so there's less strain on your headphone jack) or adapters. Obviously you have to have something to record it on: your computer, another recorder, etc. You'll lose a little quality, but at least you'll have the recording in mono.

To remove track marks, start the track, hit Pause, go back (with the center > stick) and you'll see MARK xx. Push the track button and the mark is erased.

Since the newest models aren't out yet, no one has been able to try them. But unless they have radically improved the mic pre-amp, the older advice holds. The mic jacks all have plug-in power so you don't need a battery module unless you are recording such loud sounds--Slipknot from the front row, jet takeoffs--that you're worried about the mic overloading. That doesn't seem to apply to you. If you're recording quiet sounds and want the lowest possible background noise, get a separate pre-amp (different and more expensive than a battery module, though most pre-amps now throw in a battery module as well) and run through line-in. But try the mics by themselves before you make the investment. Even the current built-in pre-amps are pretty decent for anything but loud, bassy music. It would be fantastic if the newer preamps were better, but I'm not holding my breath. Just about any mic is good for talking, since your voice has a much narrower frequency spectrum than music or real-world sounds. For ambient field recordings, you want omnidirectional or binaural mics (the terms are used interchangeably) picking up 20-20,000 Hz like your ears to record sounds from all around you in the most natural-sounding way. (Cardioids, the other choice, are directional and sometimes sound like it, a sort of "backless" effect.) Look at S/N (signal to noise) ratio specs for the highest negative number if you want the quietest mics, but the standard ones are -58 to -62 and they are just fine. Don't know which mic you mean by lavalier mic on the Reactive website. How enveloping do you want your ambient recordings to be? If you get a pair of stereo mics (like Reactive's Auris or similar binaural mics from Sound Professionals, Microphone Madness, Core-Sound, etc.) and separate them like your ears, rather than a one-point stereo mic, you will get a much more realistic sense of space in the recording. You can always clip them together if you want to talk into them. Don't get one of those mics without a cord that sits on the recorder--it will pick up the machine noise.

Well, you asked for it. Mic-In Low Sens Manual Volume 10/30 If you've got a 1GB Hi-MD disc and the set is going to last less than 90 minutes, record in PCM. If you're using a standard (74 or 80-minute) MD, or it's a longer set, then record in Hi-SP. (AGC and Standard/Loud music are not involved when you use manual.) That means you have to insert the disc, push Rec and Pause at the same time (the time display blinks, the level meter moves), push Menu, click down to Rec Set, click down to Rec Volume, switch to manual, set to 10/30 by pushing the center stick (>) left or right, or turning the wheel. Pause Pause again to un-pause and start recording, as the time display starts to tick off seconds. Keep an eye on the level meter. With luck it's somewhere between the two little dashes. Nudge up the volume if it's staying below the left dash. Don't fiddle a lot with it during the show, because you'll hear every volume change. If you want, you can just leave it on Hold to record the whole show insured against jostling, etc. Or you can take it off Hold between songs to push the track button during applause, which will make it easier to find songs later. But one great thing about MD is that you can also add track marks after the fact, like when you're playing it back at home. Use Pause, not Stop, if you want to pause during recording. Pressing Stop will send your default back to AGC, and you'll have to do the whole manual volume thing again. AGC can't anticipate changes in sound, so you can hear it adjusting itself with any sharp accents in the music, making an obvious whooshing sound. If you want to hear AGC's ill effects, go to mail.yahoo.com and the mailbox livefrommd, password 1minidisc1, and listen to the blues recording from John May er. That's why it's better to use Manual set low enough to leave headroom for any sudden surge. Try this first with your stereo playing something that approximates the gig. It's easier than the description sounds. The best place to record a concert is not necessarily the best place to view it. When you're finding a spot, or maybe during the opening act, close your eyes and think about how the sound is balanced. Your recording can't read a singer's lips the way you do when you're at a show. With the DS70P, don't plug the mic plug directly into the MD unless you like the sound of the machine whirring and vibrating in your recording. Use the extension cord instead. If it doesn't have a clip, improvise one--a big paper clip perhaps--so you can put it on your shirt pocket or coat collar. The higher up it is the better, so people in front of you don't muffle the sound. Put it on your belt only if you're desperate for concealment. If you're really worried about stealth in future, you can find smaller, affordable, eraser-sized microphones like the Sound Professionals BMC-2's that you can clip to a shirt collar. And, obviously: Start each recording with a fresh new battery.

Use whatever works for you. I find that AGC screws up anything with sudden bursts of loud noise, making a whoosh as it tries to compensate for things like a bass drum beat. If you want to hear AGC making a mess of things, listen to the John M ayer blues recording in the Yahoo mailbox livefrommd (at) yahoo.com , password 1minidisc1. The MZ-N707 was on high sensitivity all the time, so the low sensitivity setting on your Sharp will act differently. I urge you to give manual volume a try though, especially if you have a Sharp where it's easy to adjust.