A440

Great price, lucky you. Why not try uninstalling 4.3 and using an earlier version, in case there's a bug. A full 4.0 installer is in Downloads. And if you're on broadband and have time to download 244 MB, an .iso image of the full SonicStage 3.4 disc for the RH1 is here: http://s15.quicksharing.com/v/8783199/SS3.4RH1.iso.html

Gaming headphones generally aren't made for music--they boom and sizzle, exaggerating bass and highs for more thrills in gaming. There must be a good reason that they are cheaper than the regular 4C. By the way, I love my E4C--they are much better than the E3C, which I also had, and those in turn are a leap up from the E2C. So you should be happy if you splurge. These folks have a great price in the USA--contact them to see if it's worthwhile to ship to you in the UK. http://www.djdeals.com/shureE4.htm Also, Shure has introduced some newer IEMs, the SE series. You might look at the SE420 too.

You said you got the message "Insert a disc." That suggests SonicStage is connecting to the unit, seeing the player but not reading files on the a disc because the disc has an error on it. If you get that message again, try the Device/Media Info button and see if you can Initialize. Recording units have a Format command under Edit. Yours is a downloader, so it may not have an Edit menu. Whether it does or not, you can't get there through the unit because it can't read the disc, and you would get that Error message even in a recording unit. But again, the "Insert a disc" message suggests that SonicStage might be able to reach the disc. How much use has the unit had? It's an old model and the recording head might just be wearing out, which means you will have more problems. To replace that unit, look for the MZ-NH600D. I got one for $60 a while back on eBay.

Go ahead and use whatever sounds good to you. But: the Shure SM58 is made to pick up vocals and reject the rest of the band. Its response is tapered off below 100 Hz (that's just under your A string) and above 10,000 Hz. http://www.shure.com/stellent/groups/publi..._sm58_large.gif The little Sony mics are no better. But your MD can record 20-20,000 Hz, so you could get a better microphone. Or borrow one. Also, if you record to NetMD you are going to be recording in a compressed format: SP at best. Then you will be re-recording in analogue out of the headphone jack and losing quality. With Hi-MD (or one of the other recorders) you can record in PCM and upload directly. The audible difference in fidelity between SP and Hi-MD will probably be more than the difference between HI-MD PCM and the 24-bit PCM of the Microtrack or Zoom. For something as important as your own album, I would really recommend an upgrade on both microphone and recorder. An independent record company is probably not going to want to start with something so low-fi that it has no bass and the limitations of compressed recording.

Until about a week ago, I might have agreed with you. But that was when, as I had a working, well-kept unit in Pause and was setting it to manual levels, suddenly it flashed Record Error and trashed the whole disc. There's nearly 1GB of irreplaceable recordings on that disc, and Windows Explorer shows, and will copy, all the data except one 320 KB TRCKID file that must be a table of contents or encryption. Windows can't even copy that defective file. I copied all the other files onto a newly initialized blank disc, hoping the unit might rewrite a new TOC, and the copied disc didn't give me Audio File Error. But the player doesn't know those are audio files any more: NO TRACK. It's just garbage data. The file system on Hi-MD is idiotic--everything in one giant file that's vulnerable to the slightest glitch in any other file, and with absolutely no way to fix those glitches because of Sony's encryption. Shouldn't I be able to just regenerate that little TRCKID file? Sony doesn't think so. So: MD as data storage? Maybe. But MD as music storage in MD formats? Definitely at your own risk. And sooner or later, when there are no Hi-MD units left to use as readers, all that well-kept data will be useless too.

"Initialize" (which is on a menu via the bottom right Device/Media Info button) will erase and format the disc. Don't use it if you want to keep any data. If you don't care about what's on the disc--since the Error means the disc is otherwise unusable--then Initialize should format it and make it usable again. I have no idea if the visual differences between discs are relevant.

That's not an attenuator. That's a self-portrait. Just a coincidence that it happens to look like an attenuator.

Use the battery box into Line-in unless you have to be super stealthy. The battery box gives the mic more dynamic range and lets it handle more sound pressure. It also lets you bypass the mic preamp at mic-in, which is usually what overloads first. Whereas the attenuator actually limits dynamic range and lowers the amount of sound pressure the mic can handle, because not only is it lowering the signal from the mic to the mic preamp--to keep that from overloading--but it's also lowering the amount of plug-in power that gets to the mic. If the mic overloads, you still get a bad recording. So at a loud concert, you want the additional sound pressure handling that the battery box can provide. Unless the bass is really rattling the fillings in your teeth, try to record without bass rolloff. You can always roll it off during playback, and without it you'll have a more accurate recording.

To record amplified music, you need: (Electret Condenser Omni) Mics and either: A battery module (more expensive, better sound), which will allow you to record through Line-in. Or an attenuator (Maplins VC-1, Radio Shack Headphone Volume Control cheap, slight decrease in sound quality, possibility of overloading at loud volume) that would go Mic-->attenuator-->Mic-in. This lowers the signal enough so that loud music usually will not over load the preamp behind Mic-in. Plus your R55, a full battery and an empty minidisc. The mics you link to are not good mics for this purpose, or for any use with minidisc. They are so close to the unit that they will pick up every whir and click. You need mics on a cord--probably small ones if you intend to record gigs. You could attach the mics you are looking at to an extension cord, but then you'd have two extra connections--mic to plug, plug to cord--and every connection offers a chance for something to go wrong. You want electret condenser mics, not dynamic mics, which need additional amplification. Particularly when price is important, you are better off with omni (omnidirectional, often called binaural) mics. Look for a frequency range of 20-20,000 Hz, which is the same as what your minidisc can record. Given the choice between two mics with that frequency range, look at S/N ratio (Signal to Noise) and choose the higher one. (The other kind of mics are cardioid mics, which are directional. Cheaper ones have a limited frequency response, cutting out bass.) In Europe, try our own Greenmachine for both omni mics and a battery module. http://forums.minidisc.org/index.php?showtopic=14388 Plug-in power sends a little bit of voltage to the mic that it needs to operate. But mics do better with more voltage, and the voltage a battery box sends will make it harder for the mic to overload, allow better dynamic range, and provide just enough power to use with Line-in if you are recording amplified music. The recordings you make will be stuck on the minidisc. To get them onto a computer, you would have to re-record them in real time by recording out of the headphone jack, or find someone with the MZ-RH1, the only unit that can upload them.

Total Recorder intercepts and records whatever comes through the computer soundcard in real time. It's useful for recording streaming audio--Real Player clips, etc.--and when SonicStage was less reliable, it was also a good backup for Hi-MD. You'd hook up SonicStage, play back the disc via the computer and record. It's a good, reliable program for $20. But since you've already uploaded, you don't need it. The gaps are in the playback, not on the disc--play back the minidisc in the unit and there should be no gaps. What do you mean by "made an unedited version on disc"? What format? I use Audacity, not Magix, but Magix must have a similar Noise Reduction effect, where it analyzes a stretch of noice and tries to remove those frequencies from the recording. Sometimes this improves things, sometimes it doesn't, but it's worth a try. Your uploads are .oma files in SonicStage's My Library. Use "Save in .wav" under Tools to convert one and play with it in Magix. Ampify and Normalize should raise the volume. Noise Reduction could help with noise. You can also use filters--if it's a hissy noise, which is high frequencies, then try a low pass filter.

It's not free in the U.S. It's $45 a disc if they recover anything. Maybe they were using freebies to test their gear. http://www.sonymediaservices.com/

MD units don't play .mp3s. They play ATRAC files. You install SonicStage (free, get the latest version from Downloads here) and it works by converting mp3 to ATRAC files (called .oma or .omg). So if you have mp3s of 128 kbps or below, they are going to sound pretty poor after being compressed again to ATRAC. So yes, you can get a NetMD unit (begins MZ-N**) and use SonicStage to convert and transfer mp3s. They are all at least two years old now, so if you get a used one, take a good look at it. On eBay, look at the picture for worn-off paint on buttons or around wheels to get an idea of how beat-up the unit is. But if I were you, and only looking for a player, I would look for the MZ-NH600D which is a Hi-MD and can sometimes be found for $50-$80 on eBay. It will be newer than the NetMD models you are looking at, it will play all your old discs and it will also, if you ever want to, play newer Hi-MD discs that hold 1GB. Do not DO NOT install the software that comes with any NetMD unit. SonicStage has been much improved through the years. Any version before 3.4 is more trouble than it is worth.

No 4.2, but here's 4.0. http://s23.quicksharing.com/v/9374647/Soni...200_UN.exe.html

Are your Atrac files on a minidisc? Or in your computer as My Library in SonicStage? Hi-MD Renderer, as noted above, can covert the My Library tracks directly, without going via .wav. On a disc....you're going to have to get them off the disc with MZ-RH1. Or record them in realtime out of the headphone jack.

I forgot to mention. If you need to do this immediately and can't wait for a battery module by mail order like this one: http://www.microphonemadness.com/products/mmcbmminminc.htm or, in Europe, the one by Greenmachine http://forums.minidisc.org/index.php?showtopic=14388 Then go to Radio Shack and get a headphone volume control, technically speaking an attenuator. It looks quite a bit like my avatar and costs about $7. Maplins in England has something similar, a VC-1. Mic-->headphone volume control with volume fully up-->Mic-in with level at 16/30 to 20/30, depending on your mic and your loudness. Try a test recording. And for more minidiscs, try Tape Warehouse. http://www.tapewarehouse.com/catalog/CatFrame.cfm Category: Digital Audio Product: Minidisc-Audio and look for: SCM HMD1G HI-MD DISC [#2724264569] Those are real Sony discs--no one else makes them--at a good price.

Even at low sensitivity, loud music is probably going to overload the mic preamp. You really need to go through a battery module and line-in, or out of your mixer and into line-in. If you don't have a battery module, then try plugging the mic directly into line-in--if your band is that loud, it just might work. You have to use Manual. Automatic is for speech, not music, and it will make every drumbeat go whoosh and sound horrible. Don't waste your time with it.

Another inexplicably trashed disc. I was recording at an all-day music festival on my newish backup recorder, MZ-NH700--the one I've been saving in a drawer for when I no longer trust my MZ-NHF800. It has been working fine for the past few weeks. The 1GB blue disc was nearly full with about 20 minutes left in Hi-SP. Saved the data. Was going through menus again to set Manual Record Levels in Rec/Pause. Battery about half full, incidentally. "Record Error" And then: "Cannot Record or Play"--which means, for those lucky enough never to have seen it, that the whole disc is trashed. Tried it later on the MZ-RH1: "Audio File Error"--same error. SonicStage 4.3 can't read it in either unit. Windows Explorer will copy all the data on the disc except one little 320KB TRKID file, which comes up "cyclic redundancy check." Called Sony Media Services in the USA, 1-866-347-7669. They will send it to Japan to attempt to recover the files. Cost: $45 if they recover anything. Otherwise free. They claim they're not making a profit because overnight shipping to Japan is costly . http://www.sonymediaservices.com/ Authorization form (bottom right) starts the process. They say they will have the same technology in the US at the end of May. No more shipping cost to Japan. Price will still be $45. No explanation for that one. Used the MZ-NH700 later on a new blank disc with no problems, incidentally--two groups recorded so far. Probably a glitch on that particular disc. Hi-MD encryption is a surpassingly idiotic software design. Everything on the disc goes into one giant file, instead of separate folders that could be recovered if there was a problem with just one of them. I'm seriously thinking about a drag-and-drop recorder.

The manual page refers to tracks transferred FROM the computer to the disc. The idea is that if you copied a (copyrighted) CD to the disc via NetMD, then you cannot copy it to another computer, in case you were to get the bright idea that you wanted to commit such low-fi music piracy. It has nothing to do with uploading recordings originally made on a NetMD unit.

Connecting via USB, using Windows Explorer, can you see data on the disc? Or is it empty? It's probably useless data thanks to Sony's stupid encryption, but if you have it you should save it somewhere--you never know.

There are some manuals here, but I don't see your model. http://www.minidisc.org/part_Manuals.html

You should uninstall the K-Lite Codec pack anyway. You don't know (and neither do I) how current any of those codecs are, and any of them might be interfering with codecs in SonicStage. It's always best to download codecs as needed, preferably from original manufacturers or where Windows wants to find them. That way you get the most current versions. Have you tried CCleaner? It might get rid of things that K-Lite leaves behind. http://www.ccleaner.com/

I'm surprised that you say this. When you clip a little lapel microphone to someone, you get good, consistent positioning--they're not moving closer to or further away from the mic--and it's out of their line of sight. They forget they're wearing it. Just make sure they don't start fidgeting with the wire. Whereas when you have a mic sitting on the table pointed at someone, they are often aware of it--looking down at it instead of looking you in the eye. I'm not talking about a using a fairly big mic like a Sony DS70P as a lapel mic, but small lightweight ones. For interviews, you can find a mono mic wired to a stereo plug--so you get the interviewee in both channels--or two mics that can be used the way ratbagradio uses his Visivox pair. The Sound Pros BMC-2 and microphones like them are the size of pencil erasers. They're not obtrusive. If you do get a table mic or handheld mic, it's probably a good idea to get a cardioid (directional) one so that it will isolate your subject's voice. The Sony ECM MS907 is directional. Sound Professionals, Microphone Madness and others have quite a variety of mics. Ura, you are describing a single-point stereo mic, and there are plenty available.

Sound editing programs can raise the volume of the recording, but in doing so they also amplify noise. it's best to get the loudest recording you can without overloading--more signal, less noise. You want your peak level to be close to the top, and the bulk of your recording to be past the middle mark--lower, obviously, if songs start quietly and build up like crazy, as she might do. But I don't think Ms. LG is going to be overwhelmingly loud, so go with 20/30 at least. Mic-in overload is what you've been reading about, and yes, that ruins things completely. But I find it is very difficult to overload Line-in. SonicStage really isn't a sound editing program, although it does combine and divide tracks. To amplify a recording, you need something like Magix or Audacity. You're going to convert them out of My Library to .wav or .mp3 before using Magix or Audacity on them anyway, so you should always have a copy of your original recording as the .oma file in My Library. All you need to worry about at the concert is that everything is connected--you can check this in Rec/Pause outside the venue--and that you un-paused, so you should glance at the remote once you un-Pause and leave it on Hold. Check your watch so you can be ready at the 90-minute mark. Then just let it roll and enjoy the concert. Try not to talk/applaud/yell/sigh during songs, because, yes, you'll be recording that too. In excellent fidelity. Oh, and CDs actually aren't going to replicate your head that well, unless it is hard, angular and highly reflective of sound waves.

Maybe this? (at bottom of page) http://64.233.179.104/translate_c?hl=en&am...load/index.html You really should try http://www.atraclife.com as I suggested the last time you posted this identical query.

Try Google for diy mic preamp. This showed up: http://sound.westhost.com/project66.htm