A440

So it's not an encryption problem, but a mechanical problem with that specific disc. Since it's data, SonicStage is irrelevant--you're just using the MD as a USB storage medium. And you've already tried other players and computers. I assume you have SonicStage set (in Options, I think) not to open automatically when the MD unit is connected. So Windows should just detect the unit as a USB drive. Can you drag-and-drop data (via Windows Explorer) to a different disc? (Preferably an empty one with nothing to lose.) If no, you could try uninstalling and reinstalling SonicStage, which should have every necessary driver for MD. But I suspect the answer is yes, so that your computer can already read discs that are working correctly and the driver is already installed. It sounds like the disc has gone bad--you can't access anything on it. Which suggests that the only option, assuming the data is worth enough to you, is to send it to Sony and let them try to read it (probably for $45). Presumably they have more sophisticated MD readers that can correct errors better than the portable Hi-MD unit.

The best thing to do is not to alter the data on the disc. The music is encrypted with an encryption no one has been able to break. It's hidden somewhere on the disc in the relationship between files you can see and files that are invisible to Windows. If you use Windows to fool around with anything on the disc, you will just make things worse, and you could easily erase or alter a unque encryption key that can't be recovered. There is no "driver." And don't worry about "file management." Just leave it alone. This is simply not something you can do on your home computer. Only Sony can attempt to get data off a disc that has a glitch in it, which costs $45 per disc. And Sony has been known to fail. To repeat raintheory's question: If you disconnect the unit from the computer, can you play the disc on the unit? If you can, record it in realtime out of the headphone jack into your computer. It won't be digitally bit-perfect, but you'll have what you recorded. That's your best option right now.

Upload and then edit, with any audio editing program (Audacity is free). That way you can just cut and paste each track you want into a separate file. To use Audacity or any other editing program, you'll have to record (Hi-SP is probably fine for radio), upload with SonicStage and then convert, either to .wav with SonicStage (which will make gigantic files, so you'll need hard-drive space) or to .mp3 with HiMDRenderer, from Downloads. Or you can divide uploaded recordings with SonicStage itself, under Edit.

This post is older than the Sony Media Services post that you linked to, and probably out of date. Sony Media Services now does it in the US. The European version was in Austria, not Australia, and I would guess that now that they have beta-tested it, it's not free any more. Maybe you could try Google from Australia with "Sony Media Services" and see what comes up.

You need to transfer mp3s through SonicStage, unfortunately. Old MDs did not upload at all. That's probably what you have been reading. Hi-MD changed that, but with a two-step or three-step process rather than drag-and-drop. You record the file. You upload it through SonicStage. Then you convert it to an unprotected format like .wav or .mp3. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- OK, take a deep breath, relax, here's the full explanation. We would all prefer that MD used an unprotected, drag-and-drop format. But the facts of life are that it doesn't. MD files are not recorded in mp3. They are recorded in Sony's own ATRAC formats. On Hi-MD, that ATRAC is .hma, an encrypted format that can be played back on a minidisc unit or with SonicStage. Hi-MD (including the RH1) DOES upload to your computer, into My Library in SonicStage. The original files you uploaded are copy-protected. They become .oma files, still copy-protected. BUT once they are in your computer SonicStage can convert them to .wav, which removes all copy-protection, and those .wav files can be burned to CD or converted to .mp3 like any other .wav files. There's also another program, Hi-MD Renderer (free from Downloads here), that can take the files in My Library and convert them directly to .mp3 without going through .wav in between. Finally, SonicStage itself WILL allow you to remove copy protection from the files you upload with its built-in File Conversion Tool. That still leaves the files in an .oma format that is no longer copy-protected. But only computers that have SonicStage installed can play .oma files. ------------------------------------ Which is why I say, again, if you want an mp3 player, get an mp3 player. If you want a tiny palm-sized high-fidelity recorder that has level controls, editing on the unit and the other useful features of MD, then get MD and put up with its quirks.

You may have some leftover junk from 2.0, which doesn't always uninstall itself correctly. Backup anything in your Sonicstage Library, if you can. Then uninstall 4.3. Get rid of the leftovers from 2.0 by following this: http://forums.minidisc.org/index.php?showtopic=8071 Then reinstall 4.3, which claims to be Vista compatible. You might need to turn off McAfee when installing--some security programs get in the way. Just don't forget to restart McAfee afterward.

The Sansa is definitely a "whatever." I treat my RH1 very carefully, which is why I think a knockaround flash mp3 player is a more practical choice.

The M100 does not have good sound quality on mp3. Only the RH1/M200 does. While the RH1 does have excellent sound quality, and is a great recorder, to me it seems like a very expensive mp3 player if that's going to be its only use. I suggest a Sansa E260 or E280 mp3 player. E260 is 4GB and will accept an added 2GB MicroSD card. E280 is 8 GB and will also accept an added 2GB MicroSD card. You can simply drag and drop folders of mp3s onto either one. Sound quality is considerably better than the iPod Nano, interface is easy (as long as the mp3s have good ID3 tags) and Sansa also improves upon the Nano in other ways: the MicroSD slot, a (built-in rechargeable) battery that can be replaced by the user and a voice recorder with built-in microphone. But the voice recorder has very low recording quality.

$100 is too low a budget. NH700 would do the job but it was about $180 new and is disappearing. They still show up on Ebay, but not for under $100. A good basic concealable omni mic is the Sound Professionals BMC-2, the size of pencil erasers. http://www.soundprofessionals.com/cgi-bin/gold/item/SP-BMC-2 But the better the mic, the better the result. Up close, people here have recommended the Audio-Technica AT822 and the Nady CM-25. For good quality with quiet ambient sounds, your birds and jungle noises, you're probably going to need a preamp, unfortunately. Minidisc preamps are good for their size, but they add hiss if they have to do a lot of work. Remember, a Hi-MD disc is only 1 GB. That's 90 minutes of PCM and just under 8 hours of Hi-SP. I don't know what quality you need for your documentaries. You should look at this site: http://www.quietamerican.org/

As raintheory said, the M200 or RH1 (same thing) is your only choice. The M100 won't do it.

The ECM719 is a cardioid microphone, which is directional. That's good--it should help you isolate the comic from the laughter and other audience noise all around you. Put it in Voice mode to have it also ignore things like foot-stomping and high screams. Voice is a relatively narrow band of frequencies, so it will help you to set it for that mode. The BMC-2 are omni-directional and have a wider frequency response, which makes them better for music (with a battery module and line-in). But for a comedy show I'd use the EMC719 and AGC. Put it up as high as you can without getting noticed. If you have it too hidden, it may be getting muffled by people in front of you. And are you sure the unintelligibility doesn't have something to do with that Scottish accent.....

Nice find, Guitarfxr . I'll be curious about what his price is when he starts selling them. I wouldn't want the mics, since I prefer my SoundPro BMC-2, made from the same capsule and considerably stealthier. At loud concerts, I don't need any preamplification, just the battery module. But I'd definitely like to try this.

While the MZ-NH700 and MZ-NHF800 (same unit with an FM remote for the NHF) will do Hi-MD recording and uploading, and I have found mine to be pretty tough, I'll just reiterate: 1) They only upload to Windows and 2) They will not upload the old MD recordings. Only the RH1 will do that.

There is no "why" with SonicStage. It is just perverse, cranky and mysterious. You can speed up your tagging a little bit with some of the tagging capability in media players like Windows Media Player (Library, highlight the whole album, right-click to get Advanced Tag Editor) or iTunes (Get Info under File), which allow you to re-title a whole album at a time. Some people also like the free Media Monkey.

To continue with MD, I strongly suggest you save up and get the MZ-RH1 while it's still around. It's the only unit that will upload all of your old recordings. Otherwise, sooner or later they are going to be useless to you. For legacy MD, here's the one you want: aluminum body, optical in. On-the-fly level adjustment while recording was one of the last things Sony put into the legacy MD, but I believe this one has it. http://www.minidisc.org/part_Sony_MZ-N910.html But it was made in 2003 and it's going to be extremely difficult to find. Possibly the MZ-N920 from 2004 also fulfills your requirements. Also going to be tough to find. http://www.minidisc.org/part_Sony_MZ-N920.html You can look through that equipment browser at other models. I had an MZ-N707, which did not have on-the-fly level adjustment--you had to Pause while recording, and I believe that all Sony models of that date and before--including the whole MZ-R* era--had the same problem. If adjusting the recording level only in Pause doesn't bother you, then there are a lot of other MDLP models: MZ-R900 (metal case), MZ-R700, MZ-N707, etc. But like all the other available legacy models, they are old and are only available used, so you can't know how soon they will wear out. Under $100 probably isn't realistic for everything you want. Take a look at Ebay--good models either cost more or just aren't there.

Another way to digitize your LPs is to get a high-quality external soundcard--Google for USB soundcard--and record onto your computer's hard drive with a program like Audacity (free). Then use lossless compression (like FLAC) to store those recordings on a large external hard drive. When you want to use the songs portably, convert them to mp3 and put them on a portable device as you need them. Even your (sputter) iPod. You can record the vinyl to Hi-MDs with an RH1, too. But at CD quality, a 1GB disc only holds about 1 1/2 CDs. You'd probably want to upload them to your computer from the Hi-MD for digital storage sooner or later, which is all-digital but still time-consuming since it's via the relatively slow USB 1.1. And frankly, you don't need uncompressed quality when you're commuting unless you are in an utterly soundproof limousine with a high-end stereo system. Even then, only dogs and audio-magazine writers can hear any difference between high-bitrate mp3 (256 or 320 kbps, or the Lame encoder's alt-preset-extreme) and uncompressed files: CDs, FLAC, etc.

What minidisc unit are you using? Only Hi-MD units can upload.

When you put the disc in your player, does it show tracks or No Track?

Here's a how-to for the battery module. http://forums.minidisc.org/index.php?showtopic=11254

What are you going to use your recordings for? If you ever want to get them onto your computer, to burn them as CDs, or to play them off anything but the original disc, then save yourself a lot of time and get Hi-MD. The bonus is that you get higher-fidelity recording as well as uploading capability. The NH600 has a line-in jack for realtime recording. The NH600D (for Downloader) does not do realtime recording, just downloads music from the computer. Some sellers like to "forget" the difference. If you see NH600 for sale make sure it is not the NH600D. As BobT said, Hi-MD can use regular MD discs. You only get 27 minutes of PCM recording on a regular 80-minute disc, but you get 140 minutes of Hi-SP recording, about the length of a concert. Recording times are on this page. http://www.minidisc.org/keep/onkyo_md-133.htm

@ BobT--Sure, you can record and play on one unit, or save the recorder for recording and get a player. But a little flash player with a lot of storage and no moving parts makes more sense for jogging, car trips, etc., as mentioned in the original post. @ Mobius--Early MD units like the R50 only record (maximum) 80 minutes per disc, don't upload and of course can't handle Hi-MD discs. Those very early units are pricey because there aren't many left, and because they were more durable than anything built afterward, but they are limited. Yes, you can record loud music to Line-in with a battery module like this: http://www.microphonemadness.com/products/mmcbmminminc.htm Or record quieter stuff, too, with a preamp. But the S1 won't upload either. If you're going to try the format now, you might as well try it with Hi-MD.

Are the files still on the disc? If so, just record them in realtime out of the headphone jack. http://forums.minidisc.org/index.php?showtopic=7070 I fear you are using an old version of SonicStage. Early versions would allow one upload of recordings and then DELETE them without warning if you tried to upload them again. If that has happened then they are probably gone. For the future, update SonicStage to 3.4 or later. Get it from Downloads.

Nothing is the perfect unit for everything you want to do. The MZ-RH1 would do a lot of it extremely well--though personally I wouldn't go jogging with mine. But there is no question that minidisc is nearing the end of its life. And much as I enjoy Hi-MD, and appreciate its current advantages, I have doubts about recommending it to a newcomer. Look at the Samson Zoom H2, the Edirol R09 and the M-Audio Microtrack. All of them are flash recorders, with easy drag-and-drop to a computer. Edirol and Zoom have built in mics for your interviews. The mic preamps for external mics apparently aren't comparable to minidisc, but users say they are adequate. Line-in recording can be higher quality than minidisc--24-bit. This O'Reilly site has a lot of informed discussion about them. http://digitalmedia.oreilly.com/pub/a/orei...iew.html?page=2 The Zoom H2, especially, is being billed as a field recorder because it captures surround sound, and it's only $200. But it has proponents and detractors. Guitarfxr has one and he prefers MD. I haven't switched because i like the smaller size, on-unit editing, level monitoring on the remote control, good mic preamps, better stealth capability and other features of minidisc. Also, I'm used to the darn things. If you can find one, there are also old units like the iRiver H120 and H140, hard-drive recorders that were not great recorders when introduced, but have been brought up to speed by third-party Rockbox firmware. Unlike minidisc, they have 20GB and 40GB capacity and simple drag-and-drop interface for their recordings. (You can watch levels on their remotes, too.) But it's a rechargeable battery (my preferred Hi-MD unit, the MZ-NH700, takes a basic AA), people can fry them with the wrong chargers, interface takes getting used to, etc. Minidisc, as you have probably read, is not drag-and-drop. It goes through Sony's proprietary software--SonicStage or Mac Transfer--because the files themselves are, for no good reason, encrypted. Personally, I don't see why you're so eager to combine the recorder and the player. For jogging, get yourself a little flash mp3 player--I like the Sansa E200 series, but there are many other contenders. The most you'd be able to carry on a Hi-MD disc is 1GB, while the little flash players hold more and are much tinier. Set the player aside and concentrate on the recorder. All the flash recorders will do Line-in recording. They have removable media too, and flash memory cards can be read by all sorts of gadgets--unlike minidiscs, which can only be read by a minidisc player. Perhaps a decade or two from now, all the minidisc units will be worn out and minidiscs will be unreadable (though I hope to have uploaded everything by then). If you don't need ultra high quality for interviews, you could get yourself a lipstick-sized iRiver T30 (1GB max) or T60 (various larger capacities) and use their tiny built-in mics, which are suitable for voice (though not music). Also drag-and-drop, very simple, very portable. The one-size-fits-all unit is still just out of reach. I keep thinking it will get closer, but no one seems to want to manufacture the exact feature set I crave--or you. For instance, to record your LPs, you want to look for sync recording--starting a new track when silence is sensed. Minidisc has that. I don't know if the flash recorders do. You need to set priorities with your wish list. Then you can figure out which unit is closest to your ideal. If it's minidisc, we'll be happy to help you here and teach you the secret handshake and mysterious cult rituals. But you do have other choices.

OpenMG Jukebox is old, old, bad, buggy, horrible software. Upgrade to SonicStage 3.4 at the very least, and 4.2 if you want the latest. Look in Downloads .

You should post this on http://www.head-fi.org where you'll get a lot more replies--some of them even well-informed.