A440

There's a free program, JHymn, that is supposed to remove DRM from .m4a files. But it only works if your iTunes version is lower than 6.0. http://hymn-project.org/jhymndoc/ You can also burn the songs to CD, then import the CD with SimpleBurner or SonicStage.

You could just upload it to http://www.savefile.com or another "free file hosting" site (search with Google) and put a message here with a link.

The problem with mp3 on the RH units was built into the hardware, which played back mp3s poorly, not SonicStage. There are lots of reasons to dislike Sony, but deliberately bad encoding (as opposed to playback) is not one of them. Still, most geeks say the best mp3 encoder is LAME. http://lame.sourceforge.net/download.php You can use it with: Exact Audio Copy http://www.exactaudiocopy.de/ CDex http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=567 Audiograbber http://www.audiograbber.com-us.net/ or the free version of dbpoweramp from Downloads: http://forums.minidisc.org/downloads/details.php?file=12 You may have to unzip the Lame *.dll (Lame_Enc.dll or something like that) and put it in the same directory as EAC, CDex, Audiograbber or dbpoweramp. Or it may be built into some versions. EAC and CdEX will connnect to Freedb and tag the songs on the CD. The best thing is that you don't have to wait for big old clunky iTunes or SonicStage to load. Those programs open almost instantly because all they do is rip. And as LAME improves, you can update it for state-of-the-art ripping.

I agree about the battery box but not about the bass rolloff. Bass rolloff is to keep the preamp from overloading, and line-in doesn't have that problem. I just recorded a booming techno show--mic-->battbox-->line-in--with no distortion, and there was serious bass. In fact, I could have recorded it a bit louder, but I was overly cautious. Option B probably won't work. Once the distortion is there, it obliterates the whole recording--not just the bass frequencies that you would cut out on playback.

Build a battery box rather than an attenuator. An attenuator will cut the signal from the mic going into the MD unit, but it will also lessen the ability of your mics to handle loud sounds. A battery box will slightly boost the signal from the mic (which is why you switch to Line-in) and increase the ability to handle loud sounds. I would be willing to bet that the problem is not in the mics--it's in the MD preamp, which can't handle loud sounds and particularly loud bass. Mic-->Battery box-->Line-in will bypass the preamp and capture the loud music. You should also try the soundboard patch. Line-in expects a strong signal, and the soundboard output might well be at line level. Here's more about line-in recording: http://forums.minidisc.org/index.php?showtopic=7989

I would say the first generation is extremely sturdy. About a year after I got my NHF800, the Australian closeouts on the NH700 began and I bought one, figuring I would have another unit if anything happened to my NHF800. Since then, I have used the NHF800 for music recording 3-4 nights a week as well as speech recording. I have dropped it on hard floors. I've carried it in my pocket and my car as a player. I have worn off the lettering on most of the buttons. And the thing keeps going. The NH700 is still in mint condition because I haven't needed it yet. I fully agree with BobT. The second generation units before the RH1 seem like cost-cutters rather than improvements. Snap up another NH700 if you're on a budget.

The Play button is not tilted on my unit--it's about 1mm below the FF-FR-marked plastic and 2-3mm above the side that says Rec Level. I don't remember local date and time being set. Sounds like that place is a bit shady. See if you can get a sealed one. You're within the Sony warranty period, so if there are any problems you can also send it back to Sony.

The MZ-RH1 is the only unit that will upload your old MDs to a PC (not a Mac). It also has the mic jack and USB connection and power adapter. However, when recording you are better off using battery power because using the power adapter adds a hum. The (rechargeable, removable gumstick) battery will last for the full length of a recording in PCM or Hi-SP, the only formats you would want to use for music. If for some reason you're on a recording marathon and don't have an hour to plug in the MZ-RH1 and recharge it, you could either get a second battery or the Motorola Razr V3 AA battery pack from Gomadic. http://www.gomadic.com/motorola-razr-v3-em...y-extender.html

See if it's possible to run the Backup Tool, which should be under Start/Programs/SonicStage but runs separately from SonicStage. With luck you will be able to run the Backup Tool so that you will have a backup of My Library. Usually installing a later version of SonicStage doesn't mess up your library, but yes, it can. Unless you can back it up, you are just going to have to hope for the best. OpenMG is the core of SonicStage, and even if you know the exact version you were running it is not going to be easy to find separately. There are SonicStage downloads and links under Downloads, on the upper left of this page. There is also a link to a full installer for 3.4 here: http://www.savefile.com/files/194995

First, try opening SonicStage without the MD unit connected. Then connect via USB--directly to a port on the computer, not to a USB hub. Do you have skinning software runnning, like Windowblinds or anything else that changes the Windows display? If you do, turn it off--SonicStage doesn't like it. If you still have problems, then see if a reinstall and fixing the ID tags helps. Uninstall SonicStage with Add or Remove Programs and reinstall it with your antivirus software turned off (temporarily). Open it, then connect your MD unit, and see if it can read that the disc is connected (a new screen should pop up on the right side). If you get a database error try the MDAC Repair tool and MDAC, as above. Now take a look at your mp3s. SonicStage sometimes has trouble with the ways some programs tag the .mp3 file. Download and install Winamp from www.winamp.com if you don't already have it. Use it to open one of your mp3 files, and right-click on the Winamp player while it's playing. From the menu click "View File Info" (or just press Alt-3). Look at what's written in all the fields. If there is anything in any of them besides letters and numbers, change it; if there's anything extremely long, shorten it, and then click Update. Try importing a file that has a short, conventional tag.

Cheapest recorder with a mic jack: MZ-NH700. Look at http://www.minidiscaccess.com or Ebay. It's a great little workhorse, perfectly fine for interviewing or music. All Hi-MD recorders basically record with the same quality and upload the recordings to PC. Fanciest recorder, with a lot of features you don't need: MZ-RH1. Also try US outlets. You probably know that you'll also need a microphone: MD recorders don't have them built in. On the MZ-NH700 (and all other Hi-MD recorders except the MZ-RH1), there are three uploadable formats: PCM, which is CD-quality and probably far more than you need for an interview; Hi-SP, just under 8 hours per 1GB disc or 140 minutes per 80-minute disc, or Hi-LP, which will give you four times as much recording time per disc. Hi-LP may well be good enough for interviews; Hi-SP definitely will be. Choose your format, plug in the mic and push Record (which will default to Automatic Gain Control, good for interviews). Enjoy your interviewing.

Turn off the skinning software. SonicStage doesn't like skins.

These people claim to be able to help. It might be expensive. http://www.esdl.co.uk/body/md_data_recovery/md_recovery.htm

This is pretty baffling. Does it happen regardless of the source? Can you record an album out of your stereo? An intermittent problem like this also makes me think it's something mechanical--the cord, the output jack, the input jack--not making the proper connection. If it were some signal-processing problem you'd expect the same kind of trouble consistently.

Sony hasn't announced any further MD recorders, and its new products tend to appear in spring and summer, so you'd have a long wait ahead of you for any new Hi-MD that might arise. Most Sony-watchers have been treating the RH1 as a fond farewell to minidisc. How about importing from the USA? Might be cheaper than Japan. I don't know if the RH1 has volume limitations in Europe or not. E10 won't play Hi-MDs. You could record in the RH1 on SP, LP2 or LP4 if you were dead-set on using the E10. http://www.minidisc.org/part_Sony_MZ-E10.html I use Shure E4 (total isolation earplug phones) and Sennheiser PX100 (open) portably with my MD units. At home, Grado SR125. Shure E3 are also quite good. But it all depends on your budget and your ears. There's a whole headphone forum below, and you can go entirely insane and read www.head-fi.org . Finally, if budget is a consideration you might also think about the MZ-NH700 from places like http://www.minidiscaccess.com or eBay. The NH700 won't upload old MD recordings like the RH1, and you have to go through some extra menus to set Manual Volume each time you record. It's also uglier and doesn't have a backlit display. An advantage, to me, is that it takes a regular AA battery rather than the RH1's flat rechargeable gumstick, though of course that makes it a little bit fatter. But like the RH1, it will record to PCM--which is, yes, CD-quality reproduction of whatever comes through your microphone. Last time I was in London I was totally appalled at the prices charged there for electronics. I have a feeling you'd do better via mail order from abroad.

Here's 3.4 http://www.savefile.com/files/194995 And here's 4.0 http://s23.quicksharing.com/v/9374647/Soni...200_UN.exe.html

If you can squeeze just a little more money out of the piggy bank, I think you'd be happy with Shure E3 (white) or E3c (gray). I just saw them at J&R in New York City for $129 in the store, and Froogle brings up this site for $116 (plus shipping)--you could also try Froogle for other possibilities. http://www.compuplus.com/i-Shure-E3-Sound-...4cp9f7t1tbvd23l Shure makes authorized dealers advertise the $179 list price, but they can be found cheaper on Ebay, too. Don't get the E3G, which is for gamers and probably has exaggerated highs. Shure makes a cheaper one, the E2/E2C, that some people like and some people don't; I've never tried them. They come with six different kinds of earplugs. Be sure to try them all, because for me, one (large gray sleeve) was far better than the rest. Boost the bass just a little when you get the best fit, and you'll be amazed at the sound that was in your MD all along. Also, be careful with them on. They are VERY isolating and when you're rocking out with them, you should look both ways before crossing the street, etc. Seriously. Head-Fi also has a couple of other in-ear possibilities they like on that page I linked to above: the Ultimate Ears and Sennheiser CX300. Look around the net for reviews on them.

This is solely my opinion, but I think the NH900 was a thoroughly misbegotten unit. Stop and Pause on the same button? Was someone on drugs? The RH1 design doesn't resemble it at all. Obviously none of us have had one long enough to use it for years, but it's definitely not the NH900 painted black. Sony seems to have given the RH1 a lot of thought. and I would expect it to be far less buggy.

I use the same battery module, though not the same mics, through line-in my MD and I don't have volume problems. Automatic may be why you're having problems with your levels. Sometimes the automatic hears something loud and then turns the volume way down low and leaves it there. Do you have a manual setting? You just need to set it once, put it on hold and let it roll. On MD, I find that 20/30 is pretty good for nearly all amplified music. No idea what the equivalent is on the flash recorder. The Microsounds look like the use the same basic Panasonic capsules. Big shiny clips don't look too stealthy, though--maybe you could replace them Those 2-headed things won't work at concerts, maybe for interviews.

Try a different USB cord? Make sure you're using a USB port on the computer and not a hub. Try (carefully, one at a time, offline) disabling antivirus and firewall software. Oh yeah, and try the MDAC Repair Tool in Downloads. http://forums.minidisc.org/downloads/details.php?file=8

Don't throw out the whole IEM category because of the EX81s, which are really overpriced earbuds that don't provide any isolation. It's like saying wine is bad because some stuff you got at the supermarket in a plastic bottle with a screw-on cap didn't taste good. Earbuds generally lack bass because they are so small. It amazes me what good IEMs like Shures can do in that tiny space. Are you dead-set against small portable over-the-ear phones, like Sennheiser PX100, which have bass galore? Here's a page of honest recommendations in your general budget, and you could also take a look at the under-$40 page for various earbuds. http://www.headphone.com/guide/by-budget/40-80/

There are a lot of variations among microphones. Using the mic that came with your computer, for instance, will not give you as good sound as mics made to pick up music. What kind of music are you recording? Loud or soft, full spectrum (low bass up to high treble) or a single instrument, solo or ensemble, etc. You might want to get a mic that makes your particular instrument sound good; you might want to get mics that generally pick up a good approximation of what your ears are hearing. Can you describe your situation a bit more?

I got one from hdpowerseller that works fine.

I have a PC, so unfortunately I have no experience with the Mac software. You're right that it should be working. It's a long shot, but have you tried a different USB cord? Cameras and PDAs use the same cord--it's standard. If the Mac software is anything like the PC software, it has all kinds of quirks depending on what other software is installed, from skinning to firewalls to other music players. Try it with any firewall turned off (and disconnected from the internet obviously) and if that doesn't work, try uninstalling/reinstalling so you're sure that the Sony software is on top of everything else and nothing has gotten in its way. You might also find a Mac user at http://www.atraclife.com , and it wouldn't hurt to post your query there.

The best way to get CD to minidisc is with Simple Burner, which converts directly to ATRAC and doesn't leave files on your computer. If you want .mp3 files on the computer that you can also use for other players, then you should convert to mp3 at 192 kbps or above--for good quality--before SonicStage sends it to the disc as ATRAC. As Grenert says, your unit doesn't play mp3s. The second-generation (RH9**) Hi-MD units can play back mp3s, but they don't sound as good as they should. It only affects those units, and was fixed for the RH1. But don't worry about it.