A440

I don't have your setup, but from what you describe, your battery box/ pre-amp should give you good fidelity across a very wide dynamic range, brasses and singing included. Is it possible you were getting wind noise in your mics? That might be solvable with wind screens. If not, I'd suggest writing techsupport @ Sound Professionals (take out the spaces) and asking them what to do, because that setup should be able to handle a whole lot of decibels, and they would know what the best settings are. They're usually quite helpful. And copy their reply to the board here if you can.

How did you do it?

Being a guy, the purse gambit isn't really going to work for me. Sometime I do carry a little canvas camera bag with the MD in it if not the camera case on the belt. But you should definitely get yourself some smaller mics. It's not that big an investment for basic binaurals, the size of pencil erasers, and you can clip 'em on--maybe even to your purse strap--and forget about them. Better stereo spread, too. As for reactions, yeah, I do try to keep quiet during shows--not singing along, not yelling, waiting till the song is over before applauding--but I pretty much did that before MD. Laughs or a few words are no big deal, but usually the band sings better than I do, and conversation can wait until after the set unless the club is on fire. If I do talk, I try to do it during the applause so I can edit it out. There's plenty of time to talk during intermission or after the gig. It always baffled me that people would pay big money for Radiohead tickets and then spend the entire show shouting over the music about what's going on at their office. And I've seen it happen....

All AC adapters are not alike. First, the plug has to match the jack on the unit, and second, the voltage coming through the adapter has to be the same. Here's the link to the Sharp user manual, which you may find useful for other things, too. http://www.minidisc.org/manuals/sharp_mdms...s722_manual.pdf According to the manual, the Sharp MD-MS722 adapter puts out 5V DC. So you'll need to find an adapter with that voltage. If you have other AC adapters around, one may work, but you'll have to check it. The voltage should be shown on the the adapter somewhere.

You record in realtime from headphone out of MD to Line in of PC. Connect MD headphone out to PC Line In via plug-to-plug cord. WinNetMD at http://christian.klukas.bei.t-online.de/fi...md/winNetMD.htm will transfer track-mark and title info to the recordings via NetMD and USB connection; it needs Open MG or Sonic Stage 1 (2 is not supported yet) and Microsoft's .net framework, a big free download. If you haven't already edited the tracks on the MD, then Audacity is a good free recording program. http://audacity.sourceforge.net/ It will make one long track that you can edit. An hourlong MD will take about 1G of disc space for a .wav recording.

WHAT THE... "Uploaded tracks can [currently] only be played back on the PC by using the supplied SonicStage2 ("SS2") software. Extended SonicStage software will become available that will be able to burn audio-CD's." The upshot of this is that Sony still isn't letting go and giving microphone users control over their audio--despite the fact that in the US a good portion of MD users are journalists and home recordists. This is definitely going to make me think twice about forking over $300 for Hi-MD. Apparently recorded uploads will be stuck in SonicStage until Sony gets around to giving it audio CD burning capacity. Personally, I'm not holding my breath. Until then, it's the same realtime workaround we're stuck with now with NetMD. All we can hope is that this will be more easily hacked, on the software level, than NetMD's hardware restrictions were once the file is on the PC. If Sony really wants to make Hi-MD competitive with Zen, Archos, Iriver and whatever other hard-drive recorders are on their way, it's certainly not trying very hard. The promise of Hi-MD was not just bigger storage but more flexibility, and once again it looks like Sony is pulling a fast one.

I don't wear hats, and after some experimentation I've settled on clipping little binaural mics to each side of my shirt collar. Dark shirt, obviously. You can turn your head without affecting the mics. The cord goes down my shirt and out to where the MD is in a (camera) case on my belt--easy to reach down and hit the track mark button between songs. Club bouncers mostly care about weapons, cameras and booze. Most of them aren't going to know what an MD recorder is. If they find it in a search, you can pull it out of your pocket and show it to them and tell them it's an MP3 player or a pager. Or as I've mentioned elsewhere, get a case that's big enough to tuck the MD under a pair of binoculars and put it on your belt. When they look at it, open it up and show the binocs, and you're in. I was at a coliseum show recently next to two ushers and was taking out my MZ-R700 between songs to make track marks. They looked right at it and didn't know or care what it was.

Is the output volume all the way up from the MD into the headphone jack? And is the mixer volume (next to the picture of the microphone) all the way up on Audacity? If the original recording wasn't too quiet, and your Line-In is working properly, then Audacity shouldn't mute it any further. You can also try recording it through Mic-In on the computer, and see if that helps or adds too much noise.

Here's another vote for automatic level control. Recording studio engineers may have the luxury of manual level control, but if you're in a dark club where you're not supposed to be recording at all, and you're trying to enjoy the concert, just set it and let it roll. I've only had problems with it when the bass is really booming, and if that's the situation, then set it manually to something reasonable and leave it alone. Rock concerts don't have the loud-and-soft contrasts of classical shows anyway, which is what you would need manual for. And definitely get smaller mics that you can clip to a shirt collar, eyeglasses or hat. The noise you get from moving the mic around probably outweighs any advantage in fidelity. Basic pencil-eraser-sized binauarals from Sound Professionals or Microphone Madness or Core Sounds will give you superb recordings.

Stepvoice will record whatever's coming through your soundcard, streams included, as mp3s. Just make sure to avoid generating other sounds--"You've got mail," program noises--while you're recording. http://stepvoice.com/ To get rid of sounds permanently, go to Settings-->Control Panel-->Sounds and change them to (None) one by one.

Addendum: I heard back from Sound Pros. Theirs comes with a two-year guarantee.

The Radio Shack headphone volume control, as posted elsewhere, is a cheap and easy solution to the overloading problem on MZ-N707 and MZ-R700s. Unfortunately, they don't stand up under frequent use, and suddenly go all staticky. So I thought I'd spend a little more --$7 plus $5 shipping, twice the cost of the $6 Radio Shack--and get the grandly titled Variable Attenuator from Sound Professionals, SP-ATEN-1. Dumb idea. It's the same exact product, from plug to volume control, minus the Radio Shack logo. Caveat emptor.

WinNetMD won't work with the R900, only with NetMDs. Just get a basic real-time recording program, like the free Audacity. http://audacity.sourceforge.net/ You're recording the MD in real time onto your hard drive, and then you can edit it into separate tracks with Audacity. There's no quick upload function until Hi-MD arrives.

You can use a USB adapter. For WinNetMD, that would mean using 2 USB ports. WinNetMD uses the USB on the MD to get track and title information, and gets the sound from headphone out to Line-In. I've never had any problems with it. I have used it through a Griffin iMic, which gives you line-in and line-out via another USB connection to the computer. If I remember right, you have to set the Windows Recording Mixer (it's in Options on CoolEdit, probably the same in Goldwave) to use Line-in on the USB, same as if you're using an external soundcard via USB, but you only have to do it once.

>>>>P.S. A440: So, with the Creative Extigy, you just plug it in via USB and plug the MD in with an optical cable and wha-la, music into the PC?>>>> Unfortunately, no. The only way out of the MD player is via the headphone jack, which is analog. With MD, the optical is for the other direction: PC to MD. But it's faster and easier with Simple Burn via USB. Audacity has versions for both Mac and PC (and even Linux), so if your Mac has a line-in, you're also in business. Or download the PC version of Audacity on your Mac, burn it to CD, install in PC and....

Anont is right--Line Out is probably near your headphone jack, same size jack. It might be on the front of the computer, too, which makes things easier to plug in. It may also be the one labeled Audio In--does that have a jack like the one for your headphones, or is it two separate channels like a stereo? Whatever gets the audio into your computer, that's what you want. You can find any kind of connector. If you have the original specs for the computer, it should tell you what kind of soundcard you have, or try Settings/Control Panel/System/Device Manager and open up the + for "Sound, Video and Game Controllers" to see what the model of the soundcard is. (Then you can probably go to the manufacturer's website and see where the Line-In is.) But if it's a desktop you ought to have a Line-in somewhere. My laptop didn't have a line-in at all, so in my own setup, I was using a Griffin iMic for a while, and it worked fine for recording, which is why I recommend it as a budget solution. But then I got tempted by a good deal on a Creative Extigy, an external soundcard with all kinds of connections including optical. Creative sells refurbished ones (guaranteed working) for $70 on Ebay, and others are always there. It is an improvement generally on sound from the laptop, and may improve a desktop if the installed card is not so hot. If you get one, though, watch out for its software, which tries to take over every sound function on the computer. Do a Custom installation and don't put in anything that looks unnecessary.

The cord is just a basic cord, and you should be able to find it at Radio Shack or maybe even a hardware store for under $5. It looks like your stereo headphone plug on both ends. Look at your computer to make sure you have a Line-in jack on your soundcard. If it's a desktop, it may be on the back; if it's a laptop, it's probably near the headphone jack. If (as on my laptop) all you see is a jack for the headphone and a microphone jack (with a little microphone icon) then you can try recording through the microphone jack, but you'll have to use much lower volume coming out of the MD, because the mic jack may distort if the incoming signal is too loud. If you record with Audacity, you can watch what's coming in and see if it's distorting, or just monitor it through the computer headphone jack. If all you have is a mic jack and you're going to be doing this often, I'd recommend getting that Griffin iMic sooner or later because you'll get much better quality from the recording. Oh yeah, while you're recording into the PC, try not to trigger any sounds--You've Got Mail!, program noises, etc.--because you'll end up recording them too, since they go through the soundcard. Or you can go into Settings-->Control Panel-->Sounds and get rid of them forever.

The MZ-N707 works the same as the MZ-R700--headphone out is your basic analog out, and you can put it through your stereo, record from it, etc. Just turn off any Sound adjustments you've made for headphone playback.

Cheap noise-cancelling headphones (under $150) do a disservice to the music, and if you're not in a noisy place you'll hear the hiss of the noise-canceller circuit. You'll get less noise by using 'phones that simply shut out the noise like earplugs. The Etymotics are expensive and the ER-4S need a strong output--ER-4P are are optimized for small portables (like MD). But I tried the ER-4P and found the bass weak. I'm happier with Shure E3, which I got for $139 at www.bhphoto.com Get a price quote by phone. It's a canalphone like the Etys, which provides great isolation (NYC subway, no problem) and good sound, especially with a little bass boost. Leland's right, you'll have to try them (and there are seven different earplug sizes provided, each of which alters sound and fit!), so check the return policy. Many places give you 30 days to try them. There are two versions, Shure E3, in gray, and Shure E3c in showoff Ipod white, otherwise identical.

Are you using the Core Sound mic with the Low Sensitivity option, or a regular mic? And if it is the low-sensitivity version, have you tried it for acoustic music and/or speech and interviews? I've always been curious about how flexible the low-sensitivity mics are, since it seems like they might be the perfect solution if they're not too quiet for acoustic settings.

Radio Shack doesn't make something this specialized, and battery boxes aren't much to look at anyway: a plastic box with plugs on it. Both Sound Professionals and Microphone Madness have 30-day guarantees if things don't work for you.

I've had good results with Sonys: MZ-R700, MZ-R900 and MZ-N707. The only place to find them now is Ebay, but you can often get the MZ-Rs for under $100, and maybe you could work out a potential refund from the seller. The MZ-R900 has one advantage, which is that it has a Low Sensitivity setting for the mic, which makes it easier to record live music. The other two will distort with loud music or significant bass, though that's easy to solve: get the headphone volume control ($5.99) at Radio Shack and run your mic through that. But people do love their Sharps for live recording--I've never had a chance to use one.

If you really want something basic, the "Stereo Lapel Microphone for Minidisc" that's usually on Ebay for about $10 is surprisingly good. Sonys like the DSP70 lack bass response--they only go down to 100 hz, the G on your low E string--and you'd be better off with the low-priced binaurals from Soundprofessionals. And having the two mics as a stereo pair rather than one-point stereo also gives you more recording options.

Assuming you have a NetMD recorder, the exact program you want is WinNetMD. http://christian.klukas.bei.t-online.de/fi...md/winNetMD.htm It's not free, but it's only about $15 paid to a real person (not a company), and boy does it save a lot of time editing. It records each track from the MD as an individual .wav file and will also take titles if you've put them on, getting the track and title information via the USB and NetMD. It needs OpenMG or Sonicstage and the Windows .net framework to run, which is a big free download.

First of all, I've been making live recordings with my MZ-N707 for a year, and I love it. The only way to "upload" recordings from the MZ-N707 is by using a recording program on your PC in realtime. Any other hardware or software company (like Mironics) that promises uploading is misleading. Sony has fixed it so it's realtime only, no file upload. End of story. But it's no big deal to record to PC in realtime. A good free recording program is Audacity, or if that Canopus has a sound recording program you can use that. http://audacity.sourceforge.net/ Audacity will record the MD as one long track to be edited. If you already have tracks titled and edited you can use WinNetMD instead, which records the tracks individually and picks up the titles via the NetMD USB connection. It's under $20. It does require the (free) Windows .net framework, which is a big download--probably not for dial-up users. http://christian.klukas.bei.t-online.de/fi...md/winNetMD.htm Either way, just connect a miniplug-to-miniplug cord from MD headphone out to soundcard Line-in. Get rid of any adjustments you've made to Sound (go through the menus and select Sound Off). In Windows, set the Windows Recording Mixer to pick up Line In (there's a check box.) The first time, you should test to adjust the recording level so it's not too soft or distorting (use the volume control on the MD to alter the sound coming out--try starting with it about halfway up). Once you have settings you like, write them down and use them forever. Click the record button on Audacity or WinNetMD, start the MD, go have dinner and come back and you'll have the recording on your PC. The ECM 719 is definitely compatible with the MZ-N707. The drawback of the MZ-707 is that it does not have a Low Sensitivity setting for Mic-In, so that anything loud or with low bass notes distorts. It's not muffled--it's an unlistenable blare. The ECM 719 tries to get around the bass problem by only picking up notes down to 100hz, which if you're a musician is the low G on the bass clef. It simply ignores anything lower. So for the open-mic recordings, probably just voice and guitar, it's picking up nearly everything (except the very lowest notes on the E string). For a full live band, with bass and drums, it may either overload from the volume or sound tinny. The headphone volume control works as a substitute for a Low Sensitivity setting. It acts as a kind of buffer, lowering the signal into the MZ-N707 so it doesn't overload. Tinniness comes from the mic itself. Try the ECM 719 with headphone volume control and without it, and if the ECM 719 gives you good results, use it. If not, look for a mic that picks up 20-20,000 Hz, like your ears do. You can find them for around $60 or less.