A440

Qualia was preposterous and overpriced, for people with more money than brains. AIBO was an engineers' indulgence. But minidisc actually had real-world uses. Maybe we should count ourselves lucky that before Sony ditched MD, they almost got it right: high-capacity media, PCM recording, backlit recording remote (almost), uploading of original recordings that can shed the DRM. Even Mac compatibility. Years too late, it's a useful format, though it's still so technically convoluted that it could never compete in an iPod world. The real villains in the minidisc saga--and they are as venal as they are stupid--are the fools at Sony Music: the ones who see a piracy threat in every new technology that might lose them a few dozen CD sales, but who don't mind wasting millions of dollars in payola to get Jennifer Lopez on the radio. If they had their way, CDs would self-destruct after two plays and you'd have to buy a separate copy of any song you wanted to hear in your car. It's their short-sightedness and greed, and their fear and contempt of their customers, that crippled minidisc and may now have killed it. And in the meantime, Sony sells countless VAIO computers with CD burners. I've got 2 Hi-MD recorders. By the time they wear out, I expect that someone will have come up with an iPod Nano-sized compact-flash recorder that takes removable, cheap 100 GB discs; has a readable remote; gets MD-like battery life and treats its recordings as drag-and-drop files. For all I know, it will also be a cell phone and wireless PDA, a camera and a mini-accordion. I don't expect it will be by Sony.

The only reason for 48kbps was to cram more onto an old-fashioned minidisc. It was barely passable quality. Now that you can use Hi-LP and put 10 hours 10 minutes on one 80-minute mindisc, it hardly seems worth it to lose any more audio quality, even for speech.

Definitely upgrade to 3.2 so you can upload more than once. And once you do: I have had tracks that would not play on the MD player but would play through Sonicstage. Try connecting via USB and using Sonicstage just for playback--not upload--and see if it will play the track through the computer. Then you can record it with Total Recorder.

You can go crazy with headphones. Remember, though, that from MD (or iPod or other portables) you're probably listening to compressed audio and you're probably not in an ideal silent listening setup. It's just not worth it to get $300 headphones for that kind of listening. Super duper headphones might even reveal the limitations of your ATRAC or mp3 files. For under $50 you can get the seriously musical mini open-air portable Sennheiser PX100, far better than and just as comfortable as cheapo earbuds--I always forget I have them on. For under $150 ($129 at Amazon, sometimes even cheaper elsewhere now that Shure has introduced the E4) you can get Shure E3 earbuds for incredible isolation and good sound. Or you can get the big, geeky, un-portable, wonderfully clear and punchy Grado SR 125 (which are much better and not that much more expensive than the SR 60 or SR 80). They're not as comfortable as the others, particularly if you wear glasses--they press on the arms--but boy, do they sound good. http://www.gradolabs.com/frameset_main.htm I read Head-Fi too, and it convinced me to get a pocket headphone amp (which I got from some electronics hobbyist on Ebay, search for "Cmoy" and do a little comparison among the competing versions). It does open up the sound of the Grados even more and is useful sometimes if I've set levels too low on an MD recording. But no, I am not getting a component-sized headphone amp custom-designed for a $1000 pair of headphones to listen to mp3s.

Please keep us posted on your results. It would be great to hear a comparison between your old TSO recording with cardioids and a new TSO show with omnis, especially if you're recording from the same position with both.

The proper setting depends absolutely and completely on your microphone. Other users' settings are irrelevant to you unless you are using the same microphones. Unity gain is theoretically what to use when recording from prerecorded sources through line-in. But again, it depends on what you are recording from and what the volume is that is coming out of your source--if you have it all the way cranked up, unity gain might overload. You need to think about which will provide the cleaner signal: the output of your prerecorded source or whatever amplification the MD can provide. For instance, if I was recording from a stereo with a good amplifier, I would use the stereo output and unity gain, playing with the stereo volume control until 18/30 shows the peak level below overload (i.e., between the two dashes). If I was recording out of a cheap cassette recorder, I might want to use 20-22/30 and play the cassette a little more quietly. The level is what's important--not too quiet, not overloading--rather than the numbers. Recording from prerecorded sources is usually simpler than recording live sound because the prerecorded sources, particularly vinyl LPs, are usually compressed--that is, they don't go to extremes of loud and soft. So you can usually find a comfortable setting and leave it. But that setting will be different for each LP.

Look in SonicStage under Tools/Options/Location to Save Imported Files. That's where it's looking for the files to transfer. Assuming you have the original files, I suggest importing them again. Using Windows to move stuff around is probably too confusing for SonicStage. And I wouldn't mess with the data and logs--let SonicStage do its mystery manipulations with them. You can uninstall through Settings/Control Panel/Add or Remove Programs. It's in the list. But that would be a last resort.

They're probably .oma files.

Sure you can. You can record them analog in real time: out of the headphone jack, into the computer (ideally via Line In if you have that jack) with Audacity or Total Recorder. You'll have a slight quality loss, but you'll have the tracks.

I'm not sure this will address your problem, but Sonic Stage does two things: 1) It makes a library of music files that it finds on your computer that it can play, including MP3s. 2) It transfers music to your MD player as ATRAC files (unless it's a 2d generation Hi-MD, which can also play mp3s). To transfer them, you have to use Import, under Files, from whichever folder they are in. If you can find them on the computer, Import them and then see if you can transfer them. It's worth a try, anyway.

Similar frequency response to the Sony: 100-18000 Hz. It's not picking up much bass either.

They look like they're worth a try. They have less self-noise (higher Signal to Noise) and are a tiny bit less sensitive, which could be helpful if you're recording loud music, though it's a very small difference either way. They also look even smaller than the BMC-2. They don't have an option to come with clips, but that doesn't matter to you for mounting them on eyeglasses--and smaller should also be better there. The reason you don't need an attenuator with your Sony mic is its frequency response. To adapt to the limitations of the MD, it only picks up above 100 Hz rather than 20Hz-20,000 Hz like your ears. The new mics will pick up bass and overload the preamp, so you'll need an attenuator or battery box. When you compare it to your old recordings, it will sound much more bottom-heavy, but actually it's just more accurate. If you do get the BMC-9, tell us how they work for you.

Once you have uploaded, SonicStage does have a "Combine" function that will get rid of unwanted track marks. Also take a look at Dex Otaku's instructions on Gapless playback.

There's no need to add the volume control or anything else if you are getting good results. Use what is working for you. Whatever mic you are using now may not pick up as much bass, especially if it is a Sony mic. If you have any problem with overloading from your newer mics, then try the headphone volume control. But if you don't, skip it. SP-BMC2 are the size of pencil erasers and very easy to hide. When you mount them on eyeglasses you don't need the clips.

Imagine you are photographing a photo. Each time you do that you are introducing graininess--the lower the resolution, the more grain there is. So whether you are photographing a low-res photo or a high-res photo, you want to get as clear an image as possible to start with. So you should photograph it at high-res, or, in audio, a high bitrate. The better resolution (higher bitrate) you have to begin with, the clearer the image/sound when you compress it.

SP-BMC-2 is a very good newbie mic. More sensitive means more sensitive to everything, high and low. If you have an attenuator you shouldn't have any problems, and if you're recording acoustic guitar, give it a try without the attenuator. The mic preamp in the Sony is sensitive to heavy bass, and the attenuator cuts back the signal enough to make it work better. But with acoustic instruments, you may well be able to do without it. Experiment a little, and you should get good results one way or another. If you get the BMC-2 from Sound Professionals, you can try it for 30 days. Get it with the microphone clips on it, since clips can be hard to find.

My standard concert gear is: NHF800 Sound Professionals BMC-2 omnis (for maximum stealth) or Core Sound Low Cost Binaurals (only a little bigger). Unless you are prepared to pay a lot of money, cardioid (directional) mics are going to cut off the bass and sound tinny. If you turn them while recording, you will notice it. Omnis are more forgiving. Radio Shack Headphone Volume Control as an attenuator. Mics-->RSHVC with volume all the way up-->Mic In Manual Volume at 18/30 for a loud show . I clip the mics to my shirt collar pointed left and right because I do most listening through headphones. If you want, you could point them both forward--at the width of your ears, about 6 inches apart--for speaker playback. Higher would be better--on a hat or glasses, perhaps--but since you turn your torso less than your head, I'm satisfied with the shirt collar. Obviously the mics should not be rubbing against anything. You can hear some of the results in my album in the gallery. For cardioid with meager bass, try the Mars Volta track. If you're handy, take a look at greenmachine's how-to for mounting them on eyeglasses. http://forums.minidisc.org/index.php?showtopic=11254&hl= I've seen Opeth, and I remember they were loud but not deafeningly loud, which is what it would take to overload those mics. A battery box helps prevent the mics from overloading at those levels. If you are truly worried, or the place you'll see them is extremely bass-boomy, then substitute a battery box (from Sound Professionals or Microphone Madness) and go Mic--BattBox--Line-in. But your recording will come out quieter, and I can't advise you on what manual volume level to use. Yes, you can change the volume level on the NHF800 during recording, and in fact on all Sony recorders since the MZ-N9xx. But it is better to set it conservatively--18/30 is quite conservative--and leave it alone. Where to stand? Wherever it sounds good, and every room is different. Often that is near the soundboard. Sometimes, if the band is not using a stereo stage mix, it's near a PA column. Trust your ears, not your eyes. If you can move around during the opening act, try various spots.

I have the Shure E3 (subtle gray color) and am very happy with them. Before I got them I tried Etymotic 4Ps and (1) the bass was anemic--Ety fans say it's simply clear and un-hyped, but I'm sorry, the music had no body to it. (2) They're not built for real-life use. Two thin twisted cords are just asking to break. The cords also picked up more microphonics--sound of rubbing on the cord--than my Shures do. And I didn't find them too comfortable in the ear either, with any of the sleeves. The Shures are best with a little bass boost, and you have to try all of the sleeves to get the best sound. But when you do, they sound extremely good, and they're sturdy. I actually had trouble with a pair--one side just went dead for some reason--and sent it back to Shure, and immediately was sent a replacement pair. Fine with me. But then, a few days later, the head of Engineering at Shure called to ask me about them and talked to me for 15 minutes. They couldn't replicate my problem, and we eventually decided that it was probably sweat getting inside the tiny speaker, and it had dried out by the time I mailed it to them. They clearly care about the product.

Clipping means overloading. When the peaks of the signal coming in are too high, all the unit can do is flatten out the whole sound--"clipping" off the peaks of the sound and producing that horrible distortion you hear. The clips I was talking about are the little alligator clips to attach the mics to something. If distortion is your only problem, try the attenuator first. I recorded a lot of loud music on my RZ-700 with an attenuator. If you're using it with the RZ-700, you can use it to change recording levels during the show, but you're better off just setting a manual level and leaving the attenuator all the way up. It may look familiar.... http://www.radioshack.com/product.asp?cook...duct_id=42-2559 You recorded the sound of headphones with a mic? That might not sound so hot to begin with. How about playing the music through speakers?

Please try using the Mdac repair tool and Jet repair from the Downloads section first with 3.2, which is an immensely superior SonicStage. But if you must.... http://forums.minidisc.org/index.php?showtopic=8790 Go down to Ishiyoshi's post.

Only your first listing came up. It looks decent, but with those clips emerging directly from the mic they will be much bigger than they have to be. I strongly recommend these, although they'll add up to $50 (with the clips) plus shipping. http://www.soundprofessionals.com/cgi-bin/gold/item/SP-BMC-2 You do need the clips. They're tiny, they're hi-fi and they have a 30-day guarantee. Sometimes Sound Pros puts a pair on Ebay for $29, but I don't see any there at the moment. That little mic you got probably also uses the same basic capsules, but it's a one-point mic, so there's no stereo separation. The listing is so vague it might even be a mono mic. But what was your problem with it? If you got clipping with loud music--just a big blare every time the bass hit--then you need something you'll have to use anyway: the Radio Shack Headphone Volume Control ($7), which works as an attenuator. You'll need that with any mic you get because the MD's mic jack just can't handle loud music, particularly bass. Take a look at the pinned thread under Live Recording . If you look in the Gallery under my album, you can hear some of the recordings I've made with BMC-2's. BMC-2-->Headphone Volume Control (turned up)---Mic-In, with Manual Volume set to, oh, 18/30 for something as loud as Mars Volta, should work for you. Please take the extra steps to use Manual Volume--it's worth it. Arcade Fire, Mars Volta and SOAD are well worth recording.

If you use the Delta, you are going to have to separate it from the recorder, either in its pod or attached to something else. Ditto with the SoundPro T or anything else--the recorder is just too loud. For ultra-cheap one-point stereo, there is a Stereo Lapel Microphone for Minidisc usually on Ebay, like this listing. I have one and it's good as long as nothing is rubbing the case. http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-STEREO-LAPEL-MICRO...1QQcmdZViewItem Again, you're going to have to place it somewhere. But for recording a string band, I really hope you'll try a pair of mics you can separate. Mimicking the six-inch distance between your ears and pointing them forward or sideways will provide you with far more depth and separation of instruments and give you a sound much more like playing in the group. Acoustic instruments in a small room are ideal for separated stereo mics. You could get Sound Pros' BMC-2's with clips and clip them to anything (preferably not a hard reflective surface), like a pillow or even an open wallet, in front of your band. They have a 30-day trial, but I'd bet that once you heard the difference, you won't send them back. Or if you have more to spend, get a stereo pair with even better basic capsules.

To translate for greenmachine, HRTF means Head Related Transfer Function: putting left and right microphones at the width of your ears. To do that, you need a stereo pair of microphones that you can separate rather than a one-point microphone like the Sony. Look at microphone pairs like the little ones from www.soundprofessionals.com, www-core-sound.com and www.microphonemadness.com . Since you don't have to worry about stealth, you could also look at pro audio stores like www.bhphoto.com, www.samash.com or www.guitarcenter.com , or call them up and talk to them about your needs and your budget. Here's a very enthusiastic and expensive version. http://www.sonicstudios.com/

You don't need the preamp. The preamp is for boosting quiet sounds, which is definitely not your problem with punk shows. A battery box provides power to the microphones so they can handle louder and quieter sounds. A preamp boosts the signal coming through the microphone. Punk needs no boosting. The SP Preamp includes battery-box circuitry, but it's an expensive way to get it. Personally, I haven't found much need for a battery box. An attenuator (Radio Shack Headphone Volume Control, Maplin VC-1) will cut the signal enough to suit the MD's built-in mic preamp unless you are trying to record something deafening. Mic-->attenuator-->mic-in works for 90 percent of loud club shows. For the loudest shows, mic-->battery box-->line-in is the way to go. A preamp won't help. SoundPros has a 30-day guarantee, so you can send back the preamp.

Don't know how much consumer electronics you can get for a bunch of squid. OK, seriously. All new Hi-MD recorders will play and record your old discs. They will also accept higher-capacity Hi-MD's, which will not play on your older recorder. If all you want is a player for music transferred from your computer, get the NH600D. The NH600 (no D on end) also has a line-in, but not a mic in. If you want to do live mic recording there are only a handful of choices: 1st generation Hi-MD: NH700: basic Hi-MD recorder, advantage: takes AA battery NHF800: same as NH700 plus radio remote NH900: some extra features, slightly thinner because it takes gumstick battery (plus outboard AA pack), digital amp that some listeners like better and others find brittle. NH1: fanciest, metal body. Disadvantages: price, no outboard AA battery, special battery and USB connector that are hard to replace. All of the above are last year's models and may be difficult to find. 2d Generation Hi-MD: RH910, basic Hi-MD, takes gumstick battery plus AA pack. RH10 Same as RH 910 with fancier display on front of unit 2d-generation will play back mp3s (transferred through SonicStage) with questionable fidelity, instead of having to convert them to ATRAC . 2d generation will not record in formats playable on old MD (SP, LP2, LP4) but WILL play them back. Personally, I recommend NH700 or NHF800 if you can find one. But RH910 will probably be cheaper. Much more info: http://www.minidisc.org/equipment_browser.html