A440

You're not flying first class? java script:emoticon('', 'smid_5') But you're right. Minidisc is for recording. Anyone getting it as a player only is just being perverse at this point.

First, a hearty welcome to the 21st century. Hi-MD is the new version of minidisc. It will record on and play back your old (MD) discs in SP, LP2 and LP4. It will also record and play on new 1GB discs (and on regular MD) in newer formats that can be uploaded digitally to PCs (not Macs): Hi-SP, Hi-LP and CD-quality PCM (about 90 minutes on a 1GB disc). Everything mentioned below has line-in and mic-in and plays LP2. There are no line-out jacks--it's all out of the headphone jack. Look at the Browser tab on http://www.minidisc.org for more details on the following MZ-NH700 MZ-NHF800 (same as NH700 plus FM radio remote) Those were 2004 models and are hard to find at retail. You may find some new bargains, bought when Sony closed them out, on Ebay. Those are my favorites because they run on an AA battery--a small bulge in the back is worth it for the long battery life and easy battery replacement. Other models take a rechargeable gumstick battery and come with an outboard pod for an AA battery--bulky. Newer versions are the MZ-R910 and MZ-R10--the same unit, though the R10 has a light-up display. Gumstick battery plus AA pod. Try www.jr.com if you're in the USA. Desperate for line-out? You'll have to find an NH-900. But as far as I know, it's just a menu setting that turns off any EQ (custom sound settings) and maximizes the volume--something you can do manually on the other units. Don't want to upload those recordings or record in CD quality? Then NetMD suits you: records SP, LP2 and LP4 (four times the length of SP, but lousy quality). Line-out is still hard to find, but look at MZ-R700, MZ-N707 (both AA battery) and MZ-N910 , or consult the Browser with models you see on Ebay. They're all getting pretty old, which may mean they've had a lot of use. That's a good recipe for getting ripped off.

Nature recording is going to be difficult because the microphone preamp in the MD adds noise that will be more audible with quiet sounds. The best solution is to go mic-preamp-Line in with a good preamp, but you're looking at another $100 at least. Cardioid microphones are directional. If you are trying to focus on a sound directly in front of the microphone--a distant birdcall, maybe--I suppose they are useful. However, to my ear they give a peculiar sound I'd describe as backless, as if there is no universe behind you. You will also have to pay a bundle for a cardioid that has full-range frequency response (20-20,000 Hz). Your DS70P is only 100-15,000 Hz. So I prefer omnis, and what you want to find is a full frequency range and the highest available signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio for your budget. Look at these birdcall fanciers for some ideas. http://www.wildsounds.co.uk/ Also, take a look at this post. http://forums.minidisc.org/index.php?s=&sh...indpost&p=89218

http://www.thesourcecc.com/estore/Product....product=4202559

There's also a Winamp plugin in Downloads.

I hope someone who runs the site can tell you about attachments. As for 2, yes, Total Recorder could have done something. Go to Settings/Control Panel/Sounds and Audio Devices and make sure your Default Device for playback is your computer's soundcard rather than Total Recorder (which places itself between the music player and the soundcard). When you want to use Total Recorder again, you may have to switch it, but try it without switching first.

They can? How? Have they cracked Sony's encryption?

Don't let the USB connection fool you. The only software that transfers music from mp3 to minidisc--which with your units means that the mp3s have to be converted to ATRAC, the format the minidisc units play--is SonicStage, which only runs on PC. The only way to get mp3s from your Mac onto a minidisc is to record them in realtime as your computer plays them back. Sony has only recently offered any software/hardware that supports Mac with the MZ-M10 and MZ-M100 units. But all they will do is upload their PCM recordings to the Mac--you still can't download mp3s to them. Your units are NetMD units, which means they are PC-compatible only. http://forums.minidisc.org/index.php?showtopic=10493

We've gone around and around on this theoretical discussion. I'm sure you mic builders are technically correct. But n00bs can listen to the attenuator recordings in my Album under Live Recordings and see what you think of them. It's a cheap, practical solution. For earsplitting or earthquake-level-bass music, microphone to battery module to line-in is best. Attenuator may work but can't prevent mic overload. For moderately loud music, microphone to battery module to line-in can be too quiet, needing amplification that also amplifies noise. I consider it a toss-up between that and mic--attentuator--mic-in. This is getting away with it, technically, but since you can get away with it, why not? For quiet, non-bass-heavy sounds, mic straight into mic-in is best. For ultra-quiet sounds, perhaps an outboard preamp into line-in is a good idea, but I've found that an outboard preamp (I've tried both Reactive Sounds and Sound Professionals) clips at levels so low that it's no use to me.

RH710 does not have a mic jack, only line-in. One AA will power the unit through recording an entire disc, or give you many happy hours of playback. They may not set battery life records compared to flash players, but it's ample.

For the price of an adapter it is definitely worth trying the AT801. Audio Technica makes good mics, and the replacement mic, the AT803, has a suggested price of $200, so your friend may have given you a very nice gift. If you don't like them, send them to me! java script:emoticon('', 'smid_16') Since you are not concerned with the size of the microphone, you should go to a professional musician's store. There are many more choices than the two you have mentioned, and a well-stocked store should have someone who can give you some advice. What country are you in, Charlotte? If you are in the United States, you could look at www.soundprofessionals.com (their BMC-6 used to use AT801, now uses AT803) or musicians' stores like www.samash.com and www.guitarcenter.com. http://www.soundprofessionals.com/cgi-bin/...=specifications

Somehow I don't think the Harley dealership is going to be presenting a string quartet. Unless you use an attenuator ($7) into Mic-In or a battery module ($60) into Line-in, you will overload the mic preamp and have unlistenable recordings. Guaranteed. Bring along your headphones and try recording the opening act straight into Mic-in and you'll see what I mean. Usually I suggest leaving the volume control on the attenuator all the way up, but if it's really blasting you might want to turn the attenuator down partway. You should still try to keep your distance from the woofers if the music is really loud. Bass overloads the preamp first--the attenuator prevents that--but if it's loud enough to overload the mics themselves, you'll still get distortion.

The most recent version of SonicStage, 3.4, seems to have no problem uploading tracks that were joined on the machine--that is, where an existing track mark was removed by pausing, going to the track mark (Mark xx) and removing it by pushing the track button. For previous versions, at least up to 3.3 (which I never tested), this was a huge problem. It seems to be fixed. How the track marks got there--by timer or with low level--doesn't matter. Please, before you depend on it, do a test with your unit and your SonicStage. Record something non-crucial, add and remove some track marks, and see how it uploads. I have had no problems with tracks that used to be 7 or 8 separate tracks, but I never entirely trust SonicStage.

You need a microphone to plug into the mic jack.

Hi-MDRenderer is the work of one programmer, Marcnet, working on his own, outside Sony and paid only by donation. He has repeatedly made MD far more flexible and user-friendly, and his work is probably a major factor in pushing Sony to open up the format as much as it has. Lately, he has provided a free, largely automated solution to realtime NetMD recording that used to cost $20 as WinNMD. It's not Marcnet's fault that NetMD was not made for uploading. Neither Sony nor anyone else has ever promised NetMD uploading. If you ever expected anything else from NetMD, you either didn't do your research or you were deceived. But if you want to take out your disappointment, take it out on Sony, which deserves it. Marcnet does not.

Make sure they're not rubbing anything and the clip isn't rubbing against anything. On a shirt with a collar--not a T-shirt-there's a spot near your neck where there's space under the collar (for the clip) and the microphone sits on top of the collar and can't rub anything.

Send them back and get Shure canalphones. Both E3 and E4 work great with MD, and the E2 probably do too. Stronger build, richer sound, no hiss.

If you're impatient and don't want to wait until your mic arrives, plug your headphones into the mic jack (yes!) and sing loudly in their direction. It won't exactly be hi-fi, but it will record something.

The windscreens are for recording outdoors in windy situations. Otherwise you don't need to use them. Save them, they'll come in handy. Put in a disc, plug in the mics, plug in your headphones (make sure they're on the correct ears), push Record and Pause simultaneousy, gently tap or stroke one mic and you'll find out which channel it is. Mark it, put a label on it, put a piece of tape around one cord--up to you.

Have you tried connecting the unit to the PC and opening SonicStage? See what's in the Hi-MD window. Sometimes SS can still read the files on the disc. Then you can play them back, with SonicStage controlling the unit, and record them in realtime, either digitally with Total Recorder (records what comes through soundcard) or analog out of the headphone jack.

Assuming you like the sound of the recording you have, don't apply any processing to it when you record it: Automatic Volume, Normalizing, etc. Set a good level so that the peak of the original recording doesn't overload, and just let it roll. I usually use Audacity, but I'm sure Nero is fine and probably the Creative too, if it doesn't automatically add anything. You can always make a copy of your computer recording with any effects you want. But the first recording you make should be as unfiltered as possible. You can normalize it when you burn it to CD if you think that's necessary. As for the sampling rate, personally I believe that most humans won't be able to hear any difference between 48 and 44.1 Khz. (Perhaps dogs can.) It's just that the numbers seduce people. The best way to tell what works for you is to record a short sample, convert the 48k version down to a CD, and see if there's a difference for you when you play it back through your equipment.

It couldn't hurt to update LAME, at least to a stable one like 3.96 or 3.97. It just keeps improving anyway.

But Dex, how should they fix the system codec?

If you want mics, you can now get Greenmachine's handmade ones in Europe. http://greenmachine-audio.95mb.com/de-mic.html And try Ebay for the NH700--there are some brand-new ones available there at good prices, at least in the US version of Ebay.

The R37 only plays SP. The N505 plays SP, LP2 and LP4. You're probably transferring your music to the N505 as LP2 or LP4. Look through the Transfer settings on SonicStage, switch to SP, and your R37 should be able to play the transferred songs (but of course you won't get as many on the disc). Don't know about the looping on the N505--perhaps someone else can help.