A440

acc4less on Ebay always has a decent Buy It Now price, about $6 each shipped, and they arrive quickly. http://cgi.ebay.com/5-SONY-HMD-1G-MINI-DIS...1QQcmdZViewItem

There may be some copy protection on that particular Muse mp3. Try converting it to .wav with Dbpoweramp and using SonicStage to send the .wav to MD. Realplayer probably needs some Sony drivers to connect to MD. Here's advice from some techsupport board: I just cut-and-pasted, so I don't vouch for it. (Open RealPlayer, go to Tools > Add Device, select Sony from the Browse menu, select Sony NetMD) Note: the RealPlayer plugin needs all the Sony software installed before it will work properly, even if you choose not to use SonicStage/OpenMG. If you don't have the CD, go to http://esupport.sony.com/perl/model-swu.pl?mdl=MZN707 for software updates and drivers.

Glad you found a good level. SMKranz is right: "Set it and forget it" is the best way to go. Otherwise, you'll hear every adjustment you make in the finished recording. So if 11 leaves you enough headroom for the loudest passages, that's ideal. You can always lower the volume of the applause on playback. Just one small thing: The attenuator is to go through Mic-In, the battery module through Line-in. It's no wonder you didn't get any level. The attenuator cuts the output of the mic, which is already too low for Line-In, so it won't overload the preamp at Mic-in. The battery box adds power to the mic so that with the signal from live music, there's enough juice for Line-in. The RM-MC40ELK is useful for reassurance during live recordings, just so you can see you're recording and getting a level. As long as you leave it on Hold and don't light it up or adjust it, you won't get noise, and unless your symphony concerts are kept darker than mine, you can read the LCD without the backlight.

The EX phones go in the ear but they don't shut out much sound. And yes, lots of people have complained about a flimsy cord.

Sawadee. The differences between Hi-MD and your N1 are: 1) Longer recording time or higher quality (PCM, CD-quality) are available with Hi-MD. But you won't be able to play back recordings in Hi-MD formats (PCM, Hi-SP, Hi-LP) on your N1. 2) You can upload recordings directly to a PC instead of your realtime method. You'll be surprised how quickly you get spoiled by the convenience of it. It seems like you have all the features you need with the N1, so there's no pressing need for you to upgrade. However, if you do, your best option would be NH700, NHF800 or NH900, which will record in your old MD formats as well as the new ones. (So will the RH1 when it arrives, but not the other RH models. And only the RH1 will upload those old formats.) NH700 and NHF800 both take plain old AA batteries. Does Ebay work in Thailand? There seem to be Ebay sellers in the Far East who still have those models.

Use Ebay and search for "Cmoy," a basic headphone amp design. Search both titles and text within listings. A lot of hobbyists make them. Look at various listings and compare what features are being offered with them: which opamp chip, how much power (you want at least 9V), volume control, metal box (not plastic). Don't buy the first one you see--look around for a few days to see what's being offered. Look at the seller's feedback, etc. I have one that a college kid built in an Altoids tin, and it sounds fine. $60.

That's exactly what I'm saying. Low-cost omnis can give you 20-20,000 Hz frequency response, while low-cost cards tend to cut off at 100 Hz, or roll off rapidly (pick up less and less as the pitch goes down). Look around at manufacturers' specs. Every doubling of Hz is an octave, so the difference between 100 and 20 is more than two whole octaves of bass. The lowest note on a piano is 27 Hz, and rock bass goes lower than that. I had Core Sound low-cost cardioids, and I thought they sounded narrower in every way--spatially, timbrally--than omnis. Cheaper omnis give you more sound for the dollar. And to me they are more realistic, because your ears are omni as well. If you want to stay on the fence, look at Sound Professionals CMC-4: you can get them with either omni or cardioid capsules, and buy the other capsules later. Listen to some of the sound samples on that site to hear what they sound like. http://www.soundprofessionals.com/cgi-bin/gold/item/SP-CMC-4

Do you need Mac computer compatibility? Because if you don't need to upload recordings to a Mac, I would recommend a first-generation Hi-MD: NH700 or NHF800. They run on regular AA batteries, rather than the gumstick plus outboard AA pod in other units. You can find them on Ebay for $125-$150. Second choices would be RH910 or RH10, but they use the gumstick and outboard AA. The recording quality of all the Hi-MD units is the same. (Second generation ones, the MZ-RH*** and MZ-M***, do not record in old minidisc formats, which don't concern you.) So I would suggest you get the one with the most easily replaceable battery. I have been using my NHF800 for recording at least 3 times a week since 2004, and it's still going strong. It's essential that you get a good microphone. The one bundled with the MZ-M** is decent, and would probably work for your monkeys, but you can do better with the money you'd save by buying the NH700.

Realplayer also works with NetMD, or used to. I've never used it, so you'll have to rely on whatever Help files it offers. Have you tried a different USB cable? Are you connecting directly to your computer's USB port (not a hub)?

The large fat woman would still be audible from in front of you, so it would still be in your recording. Perhaps cardioids would lower it slightly. I have only used the kind of cardioids I could afford, which were under $200. So my experience only applies to lower-priced cardioids. But with those: 1) They don't pick up as much bass, making for a more tinny sound. Listen to "Power Serj" in my gallery album, recorded with cardioids. System has a lot more bass, obviously. and 2) Because they don't pick up sound from behind you, listening to them through headphones (as I usually do) creates a strange effect I describe as backless: there's nothing at all behind you, so the sound image is more two-dimensional. More expensive cardioids might eliminate (1), but I think (2) is unavoidable with cardioids. They are useful for things like instrument and voice miking on stage, where you want them to reject a lot of sound, and for interviews where you are just picking up one source. But live music is really an immersive experience, and I like my mics to pick that up. Maybe next time you could move, or ask the fat lady to shut up?

When you transfer CD to MD with Simple Burner, you are doing one conversion from a high-quality source. When you transfer mp3s, you are starting with a lower-fidelity compressed file. Then it is getting compressed again--and LP4 compression is very lossy itself. Definitely update to 3.4 as suggested above. But also take a look at your initial mp3s. If they are 48 or 96 kbps, conversion to anything Sonyc calls LP (Hi-LP, LP2, LP4) is going to make them sound pretty bad no matter what.

That's a great price, well worth it. Have fun with it.

Every Hi-MD with a microphone input will work the same for you. There aren't that many: MZ-NH700, MZ-NHF800, MZ-NH900, MZ-R910, MZ-R10 and the pricey MZ-NH1. There are also two Mac-compatible models, MZ-100 and MZ-10, which otherwise are exactly like the MZ-R910 and MZ-R10. The MZ-R1, which will upload old minidisc recordings, is promised for late spring/early summer. Hi-MD units will upload recordings to your computer (PC) for burning to CDs, etc. and can record in PCM (CD-quality files). Any previous MD unit will not upload--you would have to record your recordings out of the headphone jack in realtime--and only records in compressed formats. The recording capabilities are the same in every unit. Other features vary. For your mic question you should go to a pro music store and ask about a low-sensitivity mic that can handle high SPL (sound pressure levels = volume). Or ask some of your fellow opera people what they use. One way to avoid overloading with a basic mic is to run it with a battery module and record through Line-in rather than Mic-in. (Mic-in provides a little power to the mic and amplifies the signal with a built-in preamp. Line-in expects a stronger signal.) Power extends the dynamic range of a microphone. I use this: http://www.microphonemadness.com/products/mmcbmminminc.htm with these: http://www.soundprofessionals.com/cgi-bin/gold/item/SP-BMC-2 at very loud rock concerts. But you don't need tiny stealthy microphones, so another kind of mic may be more suitable for you. See if you can find out what your fellow Brunnhildes use.

I was extremely happy with my E3 until I got the E4, and I'm still keeping my E3 for knockaround use. Mostly, the E4 have a far more spacious sound. When I play the E3 back to back with the E4, the E3s now sound like the vocals are pressed up against your ear--certainly not the two-dimensional soundstage of cheap little earbuds, but still less open than the E4. The E4 also have more definition on transients like cymbals. They just sound a lot more natural in general. Incidentally, I just had a chance to try Ultimate Ears SuperFi Pro 5s and I thought they were inferior even to the E3--very exaggerated midrange. I think weak bass is a problem with all in-ear monitors--how big is that woofer, anyway? Bass is even thinner with the much touted Etymotic 4P. But when I boost the bass up one notch with either of the Shures, they sound well-balanced to me. There's not significantly more bass in the E4. The tips make a huge difference. I tried all of them, and absolutely the only one that wasn't tinny for me was the largest gray flexis. If you try some of the advertisers on http://www.head-fi.org and email them you can get the E4 for about $180 shipped, not the $299 list. I don't know if they're worth twice as much as the E3s, but they are definitely a step up.

Just to second Dex's advice: upload all of the gazillion tracks with SonicStage first just to make sure you have a backup copy. Convert them to .wav (which will take a lot of space) and save the .wavs somewhere outside SonicStage--to a separate folder, or a CD, or an outboard drive. [You know the story on backups: if you make one, you'll never need it, and if you don't....] Then delete the uploaded tracks from My Library (uncheck Delete These Tracks From My Computer, just in case) and upload again from the disc. Then you can use SonicStage's Combine function. Do 10 or so at a time so it doesn't hang up. Make sure when you use the Combine function in SonicStage that you combine the tracks from top to bottom--that is, in the order they were recorded. I can tell you from experience that if you highlight them in the reverse direction they'll be combined in the order you highlighted them, and no fun to pull apart.

You can't transfer NetMD recordings from MD to PC. It wasn't enabled in any NetMD unit--only one-way, from PC to MD, was ever intended for NetMD. Since 2004, Hi-MD units have been able to upload (MD to PC) in their own new Hi-MD formats, but not the old formats (SP, LP2, LP4). When the MZ-RH1 comes out later this year, that unit--and only that unit--will finally be able to upload the old microphone recordings from SP units.

Since this is buried in the long News "revelation" thread, I thought I'd put an easy link here. http://www.mdcenter.nl/redirect.php?file=h...opic.php?t=2084

It will be fine for interviews. It is directional, which is good for interviews. For live music it will be somewhat tinny since its frequency range is 100-15,000 Hz and the full frequency range of music is 20-20,000 Hz. So you would be missing two octaves of bass and some high frequencies. I prefer omnidirectional mics for music because the sound is more enveloping and realistic. The ECMDS70P also introduces self-noise that you would hear in quiet recordings--there are quieter microphones. Although the ECMDS70P can plug directly into the MD, just sitting on the unit, you shouldn't use it that way because it will pick up the whirring of the MD motor. You need to put it on an extension cord. Which raises another problem: it's a little bulky. In the U.S., a better starter microphone is the Sound Professionals BMC-2 (get it with the clips). You can put the pair of microphones right next to each other for a mono source like an interview--clip them to the source's shirt or collar, like a TV talk show--or you can separate them by six inches (like your ears) for a full-sounding stereo image of music. They're tiny, too; each one is smaller than your fingernail. Look on Ebay--sometimes SoundPros sells them at a discount there. http://www.soundprofessionals.com/cgi-bin/gold/item/SP-BMC-2 Outside the US, this forum's microphone guru Greenmachine sells his own handmade ones. Ask for the MDCF discount. http://greenmachine-audio.95mb.com/de-mic.html Sony cuts off its bass response at 100 Hz to lessen a problem with the mic preamp in the MD unit: It can overload with strong bass. So if you are planning to record loud music with the SoundPros, you need one more gizmo: either an attenuator (Radio Shack Headphone Volume Control, $7) or a battery module (from Sound Professionals or Microphone Madness, about $60). But to me it is well worth it because the recording is so much more hi-fi. If there's too much bass, you can lessen it on playback, but if you've never recorded it, you can't add it later.

I've never had the in-ear binaurals, Dex, so maybe you have magically shaped outer ears. My BMC-2's, presumably with the same microphone capsules, overload the mic jack with just about any rock bass or drums, unless I have an attenuator or module.

Definitely use the RH10, for both capacity and uploading capability. Symphonies aren't as loud as rock shows by a long shot. For the symphony use RH10 and just go direct from the binaurals to Mic-In. Low sensitivity and manual levels, perhaps 15/30 to 18/30 (unless they're playing the 1812 Overture). Hi-SP should be pretty good with a regular MD. But if you have two 1GB Hi-MD discs, you could use PCM, since there's bound to be an intermission before 90 minutes. Careful about program rustling, seats creaking, heavy breathing--you'll hear it all. Is the piano/gtr/vocals amplified or unamplified? Amplified, use Mic-Battery box--Line In, unamplified try Mic-Attenuator (all the way up)-Line-in. 20/30 is my benchmark for either method. Try with your stereo first. You probably play classical music louder at home than it actually is in a concert hall. Also, see if you get a glimpse at the RH10 level display during the shows--or even during the tuning up at the symphony, when everyone is turning off their cell phones and no one's going to notice your particular gadget.

You can use the NH700 to record in SP--use format MD (not Hi-MD) and Rec Mode as SP. That will be compatible with your old units. Then shell out the $$$ for an RH1 when you want to upload your new and old SP recordings to computer. Or you can use the NH700 to record in Hi-SP or (max quality) PCM, upload those to your computer, and download from computer via SonicStage in an SP mode (not actual SP, but passable) to MDs that will play on your old units.

It's not just the sensitivity settings, though you should use Low. For the reasons Dex explained, you should use Manual recording level. This is one of the peculiar annoyances of Sony's MD units. You have to switch from Automatic (AGC) to Manual each time you begin recording. Here's the drill: Push REC and Pause (simultaneously, or Pause afterward) and you'll see the display blinking. Push MENU, click up two slots to REC SET, Enter(>)it, click down to Rec Volume, Enter (>), click down to Manual and Enter (>). You'll probably see 13/30, push Enter again. Push Pause again to un-Pause and start recording (the time display will start counting). Look at the level meter and see that your level is between the middle dash and the one on the right. You can change the input volume (from 0/30 to 30/30) with the jog wheel or pointing stick. This prevents the recorder from using AGC and making the sudden volume changes you heard. The tradeoff is that you have to make sure it's not overloading, so keep an eye on the meter. Eventually it will become second nature about what volume setting to use. It's simpler than the description. But after you push STOP to save your recording, you have to reset to Manual the next time you record.

Depends on your mics and how loud the music is. I use it with the little volume knob turned all the way UP and the manual recording level on the MD unit set to between 17/30 and 20/30. You may have different results with your mics. It is always better to use Manual level than automatic. To set it, press REC and PAUSE, and you'll see a blinking display. Then: MENU/REC SET/RECORD VOLUME/Manual....and then you will see a number like 13/30, which you can raise or lower with the jog wheel or pointing stick. You need to do this each time you start recording (or after every time you press STOP)--an annoyance that the RH1 is finally supposed to eliminate. Also, if you are recording something with bass that makes your ears hurt, then the mics themselves will overload. To prevent that you need to use a battery module instead, like this one: http://www.microphonemadness.com/products/mmcbmminminc.htm and record through line-in. But Mic--attenuator--Mic-in works fine for a lot of situations.

I haven't used the Denecke, but I would think you'd want to get your gain from the Denecke, since its preamp is likely to be higher quality (and, with a 9V battery, higher powered) than the RH10. A quick test--recording footsteps or something in a quiet room--would give you a definitive answer.

Thanks, Volta--my incredibly tender feelings are not hurt. java script:emoticon('', 'smid_1') It's the second time asking the same question without finding or accepting the answer, so.... http://forums.minidisc.org/index.php?showtopic=14816 java script:add_smilie("","smid_37")