A440

No, the DS70P is not worth $100. You can get a better mic for $100, including some SoundProfessionals models. The further back you put the omni mic--or even better, a pair of omni mics separated by six inches like your ears--the more diffuse the sound will be. Put the omnis where you'd like to be sitting--picking up some of the comedian, some of the audience. The wireless thing might work, but I'll bet it's expensive, and the batteries in the transmitter and receiver, not to mention possible interference, are just more things that can go wrong. A small mic connected to a recorder in the comedian's pocket is a nice idea--just make sure he turns it on. The sound of the performer is going through a soundboard if it's going through a PA. Get the mic sound out of that directly: into line-in on the minidisc, or into your video, or even into a laptop computer with a line-in jack (you can download Audacity, a free recording program, from Downloads on the upper left here). Synching the performance with the applause will take some time. You might want to make some sharp noise--a handclap, a loud microphone tap--that will give you a spike on the waveform you're going to edit, so you can align multiple sources to mix. Same function as those clapper boards they use making movies.

Don't delete codecs. Let's get this straight. You can play back mp3 with Winamp and Windows Media Player? So they're finding the correct codec and SonicStage is not. Another experiment: Open My Computer/Tools/Folder Options/File Types. Click on Extensions and look for Mp3. Next to it is the default program to play back mp3s. What program is it? Winamp? Windows MP? SonicStage? Just out of curiosity, try uninstalling Winamp and then reinstalling SonicStage again, without Winamp reinstalled.

Unless you still have the files to play back on a disc, you are probably out of luck. Here's the ATRAC plug-in for Winamp, to play .oma files. http://forums.minidisc.org/downloads/details.php?file=65 But you will probably run into the same encryption problem. The way to back up My Library is to use the Backup Tool in the SonicStage program group. (Start/Programs/SonicStage/SonicStage Backup Tool). That preserves the licenses. If it makes you feel any better, you are about the zillionth person to run into this same Sony stupidity.

You might want to switch your plan: use the shotgun mic for the comedian and an omni for the audience. The shotgun picks up very narrowly what is directly in front of it, to isolate a specific source. The omnis pick up all around, for realism. Can you get a signal out of your stage mic from the sound mixer? That would give you a very clear recording of yourself, to be mixed with (omni) audience reaction.

I can certainly hear the difference you're talking about. One possibility is that the people standing in front of you made the sound getting to the mics less clear than in the theater setting. Raising the mics higher would help. But I don't know if that would account for the fuzziness on the recording. Although you say the theater concert was louder, possibly the club had heavier bass, putting you up against the limitation of the attenuator method. Clubs seem to perversely pride themselves on how uselessly loud they can make the bass. The preventive would be to switch to the Mic-Battery box--Line-in method, possibly with one of Greenmachine's battery boxes http://www.geocities.com/greenmachine_audio/index.html if you can't get one from the US like this one. http://www.microphonemadness.com/products/mmcbmminminc.htm Here's why. The attenuator lowers the signal getting to the mic preamp, preventing the preamp from overloading. That's pretty useful at most concerts. But the attenuator also lowers the amount of current getting to the mic. And the more current goes to the mic, the more sound pressure (volume) the mic itself can handle. So using the attenuator actually makes it somewhat easier for the mic itself to overload. This doesn't matter at most concerts, since even with the attentuator, the mic can handle considerable volume. But when it does overload, the attenuator is no help. On the other hand, a battery module gives more current to the mic, which makes it harder to overload the mic. Going Mic--BattBox--Line-in bypasses the mic preamplier, and loud music provides enough signal through the mic to allow you to use the (unamplified) Line-in jack. Do you have the specs for your mics? What's the maximum SPL it can handle?

The difference between bass rolloff and EQ afterwards is an important one. A good pair of mics, like the CMC-8, should pick up whatever sound is in the room. If you use bass roll-off, you never record the bass. That whole part of the spectrum just isn't on the recording, or is on the recording at a very low level. So if your live band sounded good in the room, then you are deliberately having your mics ignore bass tones that would have made the recording sound better. You're getting a recording of lower fidelity, and you can't get those bass notes back. Whereas if you just EQ afterward, you have a high-fidelity recording of a concert where the bass was turned up too loud, and you can simply lower it. Bass roll-off was useful for people whose mics were overloading the mic preamp with too much bass, creating distortion that ruined the recording. If you're not getting distortion, then it seems to me that the best strategy is to capture all the sound in the room and tweak it later. Why are you getting so much bass? A lot of potential answers: bad room acoustics, incompetent sound mix, bad mic placement. Do you have the mics someplace low, where the highs are getting muffled? Or is the sound you hear on the recording similar to the sound you remember at the gig? If the mics are near your ears, they should hear what your ears hear. Be objective about the sound in the room--was it too bassy? Sometimes at a live concert, the big, booming vibrations of too much bass registers as excitement. Also, move around in the room and see if you can find a sweeter spot for the acoustics. In a club, just a few feet can make a huge difference. If the mics aren't picking up what you are hearing--objectively--then something is wrong with the mics. Try recording your stereo at home with the same mics. Accurate? Or bass-heavy? If they're not accurate, get in touch with Sound Professionals and see if they have suggestions. Also, what headphones are you using? Are they bass-heavy?

If you open the file in Audacity, you should easily be able to distinguish applause from music by the way the waveform looks. (If not, just play it back.) Then it's basically like using a word processor: Click on the waveform to get a cursor, hold down the shift key and move the mouse to select, then (under File) Export selection as .wav. Name it or number it if you want. CDWave is a free program that will guess where the breaks are for you, and might make the process even easier. Get it here: http://www.milosoftware.com/cdwave/

If none of your mp3s is playing, my guess--only a guess--would be that something messed up the codec that plays them back. Go to Settings/Control Panel/Sounds and Audio Devices/Hardware (tab)/Audio Codecs/Properties. Can you figure out what codec is actually playing your mp3s? Highlight it, click Properties, temporarily disable it (check "Do Not Use This Audio Codec"). Then try playing the mp3 with Windows Media Player, which will search for a usable codec online, presumably a good one. Also: Experiment a little. Find one mp3 that won't play, make a copy of it, and try some things with the copy, like: See if it will play in other programs like Windows Media Player, Real Player, etc. Retag it with something other than Winamp. Delete the v2 tag and switch to a v1 tag. Rip it again with dbpoweramp (from Downloads if you don't have it) and see if the newly ripped version plays. Let us know the results.

GM's birthday might already be officially over in Europe, but MDCF can extend it through all the time zones. So a big happy birthday to Greenmachine, someone who has taught a lot to all of us here.

Whatever you do, don't spend $280 on the M10. The MZ-RH1, which is about to be released in the US, will cost about $300, is better set up for recording, doesn't look like it will scratch the instant you touch it and is supposed to have improved Mac compatibility. Volta is right: If you can prevail on a friend with a PC to install SonicStage, you could get away with the basic MZ-NH700, now a bargain at around $125 on Ebay (from an Australian closeout last year). You'd upload on the PC, burn .wav files to CD, and take it from there on the Mac. Otherwise, if you're living in a Mac universe, wait a few weeks for the RH1. As for mics: Minidisc recorders (with a few early exceptions) don't have built-in mics, and a good thing, too, since the mechanism makes noise that would be picked up by a built-in mic. Beware, as well, those mics without a cord that look like they will be so cute just plugged into the mic jack. They, too, will pick up the whir of the unit. Does your band play through a mixer? You could record from the mixer output into Line-in and find a good level with Manual Volume. Recording from a mic, there's no way around it: You're going to need either an attenuator (Radio Shack Headphone Volume Control, the cheap and expedient and theoretically incorrect solution) or a battery module (Microphone Madness has a small one for $50 that works great: http://www.microphonemadness.com/products/mmcbmminminc.htm ) Without an attenuator, the microphone preamp of the MD, as with every small recorder I've ever tried, overloads with loud or bassy music via the mic jack, no matter how low you set the incoming level. Just a fact of life. The Sound Professionals BMC-2 offer excellent fidelity and small size. You might keep an eye out for them on Ebay--Sound Professionals sometimes offers them at a discount there. Otherwise, http://www.soundprofessionals.com is the place to look. Get them with clips. You can pre-order the MZ-RH1 there too, but ask them when they expect to have it in stock. Also, MDCF's own greenmachine sells his own handmade mics at a reasonable price--a real bargain for Europeans, who regularly get gypped on electronics. Check the end of this thread: http://forums.minidisc.org/index.php?showtopic=14388&st=15#

You can find this in the manual and Help, but: Open Simple Burner. Click CONFIG on the upper right (it doesn't look like a button but it is). Under Settings and "Select a bit rate for recording" on Hi-MD use the menu to switch to Hi-LP (34 hours per disc) or, if you really want to pack the disc, 48 kbps (45 hours per disc). (Both of those are Sony website figures, Dex.) Click OK, you're done.

Don't get some dinky mic. You'll end up replacing it anyway. Our own greenmachine makes highly praised, inexpensive microphones. http://www.geocities.com/greenmachine_audio/ http://forums.minidisc.org/index.php?showtopic=14388 If you're severely broke, then start with an attenuator (Maplin VC-1) running Mic-->VC-1-->Mic-in on Low Sensitivity, Manual Volume (around 20/30, but experiment with your music and your mics). If you're handy with a soldering iron, you could also build your own battery module.

http://www.minidisc.org/repair_info.html

Grados are way too big for portable use. I love my SR-125 at home, but I wouldn't carry them around. Even if they weren't big and un-foldable, they don't just leak sound--they just about broadcast it. Along with Volta, I vote for the Sennheiser PX100. Small, light, good-sounding, ultra-comfortable. Before them, I used Portapros, which aren't exactly beautiful but are magnificently comfortable. But the PX100's sound better, period. And they're better than any earbud I've tried anywhere near the same price range.

The shape of your ears themselves would alter the sound reaching mics placed inside your ears. Search for "pinna" and "pinnae" to see some discussion of this. The heavy-duty concert recorders in the jam-band world tend to put their mics overhead on stalks, out in the open air above the conversation. Though I haven't ever recorded with mics in-ear, I would think that the funnel shape of your outer ears would tend to cut highs a little compared to having the mics in the open air. That's why I would think the eyeglasses method would be better--the mics still have stereo separation mimicking the width of your ears, but without the shielding of your outer ears. If you do various methods, I'd be curious how you feel about the results.

Here's an easy currency converter, Jaylen: http://www.xe.com Just looking at specifications online, it seems the Muvo has a Line-in jack as well as the built-in mic. A Line-in jack calls for an amplified signal. A Mic-in jack has a preamplifier behind it. You could test the quality of the Muvo's Line-in jack. Get a connector from your stereo so you can connect its headphone out to the Muvo's line-in connection--and see how you like the sound of those recordings. If you can live with them, then mic--->battery module--->Muvo connector should give you better recording quality than the built-in mic for loud music. Alternately, it looks like you can record the FM radio. Is that hi-fi? The Muvo's line-in recordings are mp3, which is compressed, and the highest bitrate is 160 kbps, which is less than ideal. (MP3 at 192 or 256 kbps is close to high fidelity.) A minidisc would let you record PCM for higher fidelity. The weak point of MD recording is the preamp, which doesn't like low bass or loud sounds and overloads easily. That's why many of us use Line-in with a battery module or, for a cheaper solution, Mic-in with an attenuator (Maplins VC-1, about 3 pounds), which helps prevent the preamp from overloading. Just out of curiosity, try the Muvo's Line-in jack out of your stereo. Maybe it's all you need. Incidentally, a battery module isn't exactly a preamp, but it sends enough current to the mic to get a strong enough signal with loud music. If you were recording quiet sounds--birdcalls, conversations--you would need to get a preamp to get a strong enough signal for Line-in. And for the price of a preamp, you can get an NH700. So if the line-in recording on your Muvo is weak or too low-fi, then minidisc is what you need. Listen to some of the music in the Gallery to see what MD can do.

Ebay will also have a lot of NetMD and even older MD recorders. Ignore them. Bluntly, they are obsolete. Only Hi-MD uploads, and only Hi-MD records in PCM, which will give you as good quality as your microphone and mic placement can deliver. Hi-MD's best compressed format, Hi-SP, sounds mighty good too. All the Hi-MD models begin with MZ-NH or MZ-RH . The ones raintheory recommended are by far the best bang for the buck. The recording quality on all the Hi-MD units is the same--what varies is features, display, etc. For recording and uploading, the NH-700 or NHF-800 are superb, and they run on a regular AA battery, easy to replace. Don't worry about mic sensitivity--it's switchable in all the Hi-MDs. However, when recording music with a mic, you're going to be better off with a $50 battery module http://www.microphonemadness.com/products/mmcbmminminc.htm into Line-In, where mic sensitivity doesn't matter.

You could also just get clips and clip them to a shirt collar, hat, etc. If you're wearing a dark shirt they're hardly noticeable. And since you're in NYC, you can get clips easily at B&H near Madison Square Garden. These squeeze nicely onto the tapered end of the BMC-2. http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller...oughType=search

Are you using File/Import/Music Files to find the file?

Get Hi-MD if you want PCM (CD-quality) recording and/or want to upload directly to PC. Older units--NetMD, regular MD--do not upload and only record in compressed formats. They're all palm-sized. They will be detected by metal detectors, but if you look innocent you can just say it's your mp3 player. The recording capability of all Hi-MD units is the same. Recording at PCM, the quality is as good as your input. Manual recording levels take clicking through a menu each time you start recording, but it's not a big deal. The only MD recorder that will save Manual as a default is the MZ-RH1. The cheapest with a microphone jack is the NH700, around $125 on Ebay (new from Sony's Australian closeout). The NHF800 is the same unit with a radio in the remote control. You'll need a unit, an outboard microphone, and either a battery module or, if you're really broke, an attenuator. Here's more: http://forums.minidisc.org/index.php?showt...993entry49993

Welcome to MD. The unit should record in stereo. So try to narrow down the possibilities. It could be the cord: try a different one. Make sure it's a stereo cord, with two rings around the plug (like your headphone plug), not one. It would be great if you've accidentally been using a mono cord instead of a stereo one. It could also be a problem with the Line-in jack,which would require a repair and is probably not worth the cost. To test, try the microphone input as an alternative. If you don't have a stereo microphone (again, two rings around the plug), then plug your headphones--yes, your headphones--into the mic jack and record yourself yelling at them. (Headphones can work as low-level microphones.) See if that plays back in stereo. It seems from your description that you can hear a mono recording in both headphones, so at least the headphone jack is working.

Look at the plug. Does it have two circles (like your headphone plug or the stereo attenuator I use for an avatar) or one? One is a mono mic. You can get an adapter that will turn a mono mic into a stereo (actually two-channel mono) mic. Or get a stereo mic.

Check your PMs.

First, try running the MDAC Repair Tool from Downloads here. Might work, might not. If not, post your question here at www.atraclife.com http://www.atraclife.com/forums/index.php?showforum=13

I feel much better now. All I have is my MZ-NHF800, my MZ-NH600D, my MZ-NH700 (nearly unused, bought for backup) and my old MZ-N707.....but that's only because I gave my MZ-R700 to my brother, sold my MZ-NH900 and MZ-R900....Uh-oh.... Hey, I can stop any time. Really. Sure I can. Right after I get the MZ-RH1....