A440

For some people the MDAC Repair Tool from Downloads (above) solves this problem with minidisc units. You might also search the ATRAClife forum (also above).

Thanks MattJ, but greenmachine's got me. I had lodged in my head the ratio of 1GB discs vs. 291MB regular 80-minute MDs, not the amount of storage you can get on the same disc in regular vs. Hi-MD formats. Even so, twice as much per disc is a significant improvement.

Hi-MD will play all of the old formats as well as the new ones. It will also pack three times as much information on an old disc. NetMD will play only the old formats. 320 minutes is over five hours. But if you care about sound quality, it will be five hours of disappointment. Really, go Hi-MD. The reason those old models are cheap is because nobody wants them. And with a little searching, you can find a very affordable NH600D.

Anything that is not Hi-MD is an old model. Those are the models you've found. I wouldn't buy any used version because it's a minimum of three years old and you have no idea how it was (mis)used or how long it will hold up. There are two kinds of MDs that download from the computer. One is the old NetMD. It will put a maximum of 320 minutes of music in lowest quality on the largest disc it can handle, 80 min.; 160 minutes in better quality, 80 minutes in best quality. As far as I'm concerned, NetMD is obsolete. The newer version is Hi-MD. It will put 660 minutes in decent quality (better than NetMD) on an 80-minute disc and 2040 minutes on the new 1GB discs for Hi-MD. The Hi-MD are the MZ-NH*** and MZ-RH*** models. Look around for an NH600D, like on Ebay, where there are still new ones around.

Sound quality is the same on every model except the NH900 and NH1, both discontinued and expensive. They had HD digital amps that some people liked and some people found too harsh. For just playback at a low price, you can't beat the NH600D. It's discontinued, and you shouldn't pay more than $100. Search around, look at your local Best Buy or Circuit City to see if they're on clearance, etc. For recording--with a microphone input--the cheapest one around is the NH700 at minidisco, $150. Easier to find locally would be the RH910, around $170. http://www.minidisco.com/portables.html However: If playback is really all you need, minidisc might not be your best solution. Battery life and sound are good, but it's bulkier than a small flash player, the interface is annoying and mp3s have to go through an additional level of conversion, so if they were only OK to start with they will sound worse. Look at flash players like Iriver's IFP series (IFP-799 or IFP-899 hold 1 GB, and you can find them for under $150 new on Ebay) or even the $149 1GB Apple Nano (though that's kind of fragile).

Look at Start/Run and type in msconfig. Click the Startup tab. It will tell you all the things that are loading at startup, and Creative is bound to be in there. If you can't tell what a file is then type the name (xxxxxxx.exe) into Google to find out. Uncheck the Creative software and reboot, and see if that will help. You can probably leave it unchecked. After you've tried SonicStage/SB then open the Creative software to make sure it works. Then look at Startup again to see if it snuck itself back in. With any luck, you won't have to uncheck it again. Somewhere in its Options or Preferences it should have an option to automatically load at startup, which you should disable. (You might want to do the same thing with SimpleBurner.)

You really need to narrow down exactly what is giving you trouble. SonicStage has been known to have problems with low-bitrate mp3s (48kbps), with variable bitrate (VBR) mp3s, and with mp3s that have very long titles. SonicStage also has trouble if you are trying to connect through a USB hub rather than a port on the computer. And it needs a lot of resources, so you can't run a lot of programs with it simultaneously, and you need to have some free space on your hard drive. You also need a fairly fast processor in your computer. Can you find one mp3 that consistently gives you trouble and send in its details? And can you send in your system specs and how you are connecting PC to MD?

Koss Spain sounds just plain wrong. A lifetime warranty is a lifetime warranty, period. You don't need a receipt--the phones are guaranteed. Tell them to honor their warranty or you will report them to the government. If Koss isn't making KSC 35 then you need to get a guarantee in writing that they will actually repair your current phones and not replace them with another model. If you send them to the US you may have to pay additional postage to have them sent back overseas. You also need to contact them first to work that out. When I sent my Portapros back for repair I enclosed a check for the $6, along with a letter with my return address, etc. Amazon in the USA has someone selling new KSC 35s. Try this link: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/store...5Fencoding=UTF8 You should also look at Ebay since you have Paypal.

NH700 at minidisco. $149. http://www.minidisco.com/portables.html Or, introduce yourself to FrayAdjacent. http://forums.minidisc.org/index.php?showt...t=0entry87146

Recording loud amplified music, like a rock concert, you can use a battery module like this one into line-in. http://www.microphonemadness.com/products/mmcbmminminc.htm Recording quieter sounds, like speech, you would need a preamp, and for that kind of money you might as well get a Hi-MD recorder with a mic jack (which means there's a built-in preamp) as well as a line-in jack. Your friend's MD probably has a mic jack (marked in red) as well as a line-in jack. Most portable preamps are over $100 by themselves, and it means carrying an extra box bigger than the MD unit. You can get a new Hi-MD (NH700) with a mic jack, PCM (CD-quality) recording and digital uploading for $150 plus shipping from Minidisco. I've got no connection with them, but that's probably the lowest price (outside eBay) that you'll see for a Hi-MD with a mic jack. http://www.minidisco.com/portables.html Your current model records only in compressed modes (though SP is very good) and won't upload the recordings to your PC for editing, burning, etc.--you would have to record them in realtime out of the headphone jack. Hi-MD uploads.

You should get their software player off your computer. It could screw up your soundcard driver or make you vulnerable to viruses. Sony got caught for its rootkit XCP software and Sunncomm Mediamax software, but somehow EMI continues to use copy-protection (probably Mediamax) unnoticed. You never want CDs to Autorun because they can saddle your computer with all kinds of garbage. Disable Autorun, with these instructions from Annoyances.org * Right-click on the drive icon for your CD drive, CD recorder, or DVD drive, and select Properties. * Choose the AutoPlay tab, and choose the desired action for each type of CD. For example, choose Music CD, then click Select an action to perform, then select Take no action. Complain to EMI and tell them you want every trace of their software player removed from your computer. If you get anything but a full uninstaller tell them you will take legal action if necessary under consumer protection and anti-hacking laws. Sunncomm MediaMax, at least in its Sony version, installed part of itself on Autorun without user consent. Also take a look at www.sonybmg.com (center bottom of the front page) for information on XCP and Sunncomm (MediaMax). Without Autorun activated, put the CD in your player and run Exact Audio Copy (free at http://www.exactaudiocopy.de/) to extract audio from most copy-protected discs.

Don't break the bank. Get the basic SoundProfessionals BMC-2 with clips. You can put them together for a voiceover and separate them (6 inches) for very realistic stereo at a concert. http://www.soundprofessionals.com/cgi-bin/gold/item/SP-BMC-2 Or look for church-audio (that's the member name) stereo omni mics on Ebay, though they're harder to find clips for.

Charlotte-- I strongly recommend that you don't wait. Sony stopped selling its first-generation (MZ-NH) units in Australia and dealers got a bunch of them in bulk. Minidisc Canada had some and sold out. Minidisco got some, sold out, and seems to have a few more. But when they're gone, they won't be back. http://www.minidisco.com/portables.html The NH700 will record beautifully at the quality of whatever mic you use. I got my NHF800 for about $230 when it came out in 2004, and have been using it steadily ever since. The only thing that has worn out is the little rubber gasket that covers the USB port because I've uploaded too much music. java script:emoticon('', 'smid_13') Otherwise, the unit is a little workhorse. The NH700 is the same unit minus the radio, and $149 for a new one is a ridiculously low price. I've never had the RH910, which is in the same price range and more widely available, but I prefer this unit because it takes a regular AA battery in the unit itself that is easily replaced. The RH910 has a rechargeable gumstick battery in the unit and an outboard battery pod (for AA) that makes it bulkier. Seriously, if you're thinking about MD, the NH700 is the one to grab. I got one of the Australian ones myself for the sad day when the NHF800 eventually wears out. I've never dealt with Minidisco, but they've been around and have a good reputation, and you can contact them here http://forums.minidisc.org/index.php?showforum=92 if you want.

It's not related to your gap problem, but some people have reported getting a hum or buzz in the recording when using AC power instead of batteries. For better quality, use just the batteries--a charged up gumstick should easily get you through the gig, and gumstick plus an outboard alkaline (Duracell) most definitely will.

I record regularly at live gigs with the unit in my pocket--standing, sitting, etc. I'm sure it's getting jostled a bit. While I had gaps on the early (black, big plastic box) Hi-MDs, I haven't had one in a while. So I think it was the discs. Generally I have been mighty impressed by how shock-resistant the MD is. Of course you can't go into the mosh pit or jump up and down and expect to have error-free recordings. There are mechanical parts involved that should not be abused. Constant vibrations on the PA rack may also be a problem. Can you mount it somehow so that it's isolated? Tape bubble wrap around it or something.

It looks like Minidisco has more of the 1st-generations at good prices--they were out of stock for a while. The recording capability is the same on all models. The differences are in other features. With no radio, I recommend the NH700. The NH900 has a few more features but none of them are necessary. http://www.minidisco.com/portables.html?j=...015961&mid=8644

It is getting difficult to find any models but the RH models. The NH models aren't being made any more, though if you search eBay you might find one. The RH910 is around $170 new, as here: http://www.jr.com/JRProductPage.process?Product=4029518 The only difference between it and the RH10, as was pointed out, is the display. I have the NHF800 and NH700, both excellent if you can find them. As a musician, you may be interested in the NH900, which allows you to change the pitch when you play back. Unless you care about that, though, you're just as well off with any of the other Hi-MD recorders. NH600, NH600D, RH710 and DH10P don't have mic jacks, so skip them. No matter what you read in some older forums, at this point you should only consider MZ-NH and MZ-RH models. Older models--and there are lots of them with lots of confusing numbers (MZ-R**, MZ-N**)--are obsolete because 1) they don't record in CD-quality PCM and 2) they don't upload to the computer so you can edit and burn the best-quality files. For your purposes, you might also be able to find a more inexpensive microphone, though the AT822 has an excellent reputation. Some people on this site record classical music and perhaps they can recommend others as well.

Can you translate this for non-geeks (me)? This is about computer playback of files that have already been transferred, I presume. A regular MD-formatted disc in a Hi-MD unit doesn't pop up as a data drive, so I still can't get those files off the disc. Does having this codec mean I can add ATRAC3 playback to Windows Media Player, Real, etc? Or do I have to do some kind of conversion on every file?

You can put a 64kbps (=LP4 but not labeled as such) or 132 kbps (=LP2) onto a Hi-MD formatted disc. But a Hi-MD formatted disc wouldn't play on a NetMD, so I don't consider it LP2 or LP4. And when you remove it from My Library you can't transfer it back. At least in SS 3.3, I haven't upgraded yet.

Are you sure? I just took a track in My Library (a Hi-MD recording that had been uploaded, no DRM) and transferred it three times to a NetMD disc in SP, LP2 and LP4, then deleted it from My Library. Those tracks would not upload from the MD once the source file was deleted. A track I did leave in My Library would "upload"--that is, it disappeared from the disc. But without a copy already in My Library, there is no so-called "upload" from NetMD. At least, not for me.

Way too much software for what you need to do. You can copy the mp3 to your Hi-MD as data (connect via USB, opens a window), drag-and-drop it onto your home computer, send back to MD via SonicStage.... Or get a little flash drive (256K should be plenty for an album of mp3s, under $30), copy files, take home, etc.... Or burn a CD....

Maybe you just need a different USB cord (they're standard, not proprietary--USB to USB mini, used by cameras, PDAs, etc.) With the Sony apps Simple Burner and SonicStage not running, the PC should recognize the HiMD as a USB drive and pop open a window when it's connected. Unplug any other USB's just for the heck of it. The PC-MD on the unit display just means something is plugged into the USB port on the unit. When Simple Burner or SonicStage senses it, the display changes to ACCESS PC--MD . If it is showing up as a USB drive--that is, with the cord working--but the Sony apps can't find it, then disconnect it, run the MDAC Repair Tool from Downloads, open a Sony app and try connecting again.

It's possible that your mics are less sensitive or need more power than others. I've lately been using a 9V Microphone Madness Classic Battery Module http://www.microphonemadness.com/products/mmcbmminminc.htm with SoundProfessionals BMC-2's and some other mics, and my usual level is 20/30. No need for post-amplification at all.

Not so. There is no uploading support for regular MD formats (SP, LP2, LP4). Only Hi-MD formats upload. Th-th-th-th-that's all, folks!!

Pug, the smallest Winamps are the 2.x versions. You can probably still find them on www.winamp.com. Even with the new ones, you can go to Options/Preferences/General Preferences and choose "Not connected to the Internet" and all outgoing communications stop. I don't think it's spyware--just a CDDB connection--but mine's off anyway. Chris, your Google must be different from mine. Googling in_atrac.dll only showed the old posts of people not finding it. And if atrac.zip works for you, congratulations, but it didn't give me any Winamp plugin.