BJ

Sony do tend to be on the quiet side--but I don't know of any other brands that offer FM. Also, even with Sonys, listening at max volume can do some dirt to your ears, unless you've got the headphones on over ear plugs.

Okay, I cracked it open, and took a look at its horribly small, four-layered innards and made a face. I wiggled the jack around--no loose solder joints. I started getting out all my equipment, then had the goofy impulse to take a look down the jack itself There was so much gunk on the contacts you wouldn't believe it. So I scraped off the gunk, and everything is back to normal!! Thank you both for helping me understand exactly how much work I avoided! :wink: And somehow, in reassembling everything, I've unwittingly repaired its awful screeching mechanical noise. I'm very happy today.

*groan* Cheap MD is getting more and more expensive... Thanks for pointing me in the right direction. I hope to have some time this weekend for projects...I'll let you know if I figure it out.

Thanks Kurisu. I figured Sony was out of the picture. After a little more thought, I'm hoping it's just a blown solder joint or something. I have to crack it open and see. What would a headphone amp do for me? (amplify the heaphone out, duh.) Thanks for the input!

How about the Sony MZ-R700? It's an older model but with some decent shock protection and mic input. You can probably find one cheap on eBay or on clearance at an online retailer. Any time you involve some serious jostling, though, you also risk a bit of skipping during recording--probably not enough to worry about, but I thought I'd mention it.

Music recorded in LP4 sounds brittle to me. It lacks any power. However, voice recorded in LP4 is pretty darn good. I'd say if you're going to be listening to your music in a noisy car, LP4 is fine. And the Guest is correct, it really depends on how the MP3 you're comparing it to was encoded.

Does anybody know if it's possible to pick up an aftermarket stereojack that would fit into the R700? I picked up a used one cheap, but the sound is fuzzy at best, nonexistent at worst. By jiggling the plug I can improve it, but I'd like to just replace the jack (I don't need the remote input). Any ideas? Or does anybody have a junk '700 they'd be willing to let go dirt cheap?

Even if you unplugged the recorder, the music was recorded, and provided you haven't used the MD for something else, the music should be recoverable. Get your hands on a Sharp MD-MS702 or 701, and follow the instructions on this page regarding TOC cloning. Prepare an MD beforehand, and here's the quick digest of instructions: Prepare--Record one single, 80m59s track of nothing on a separate MD. Cover the recognition switch on the 702, and have it read the TOC from the nothing disc. Eject the nothing disc--with the recognition switch covered, the 702 will not know you have done this. Pop in the concert MD with the missing TOC. Title the MD--even enter "A" for the title. Press "stop" so the 702 writes the nothing disc's TOC to the concert MD. Eject the MD. Now your concert is available as one track with a bunch of silence at the end. We managed to bring back a concert of my brother's using this method--he was very happy. I recommend the 702 because they are readily available and very easy to use for TOC cloning.

If you're not shy about removing the faceplate, I've found that a nicely done spray enamel job works wonders. Remove the faceplate, pop out buttons, mask over the LCD window and anything you DON'T want, say, green, and spray away. Use primer, layer the paint in thin coats and let it dry properly. The enamel spray paint is very durable when done right. And you can choose your own colour!

I don't know if you CAN record optically, unless they have an optical out jack. I'm not familiar with either console (sorry!) but I think you can get a female RCA-to-stereo miniplug cable at your local electronic store. Plug the left and right audio cables from the game into the female RCA end of the cord, and the stereo miniplug into your MD's line in.

It's okay. In headphones, it's enough, but in the car I'd like a little more oomph.

It's about three apples tal-- No, wait. That's the Smurfs. I think it's just a hair larger than four MDs, in slipcases, stacked. That would make a Smurf about 9 N505s tall. Right? ....why are you all looking at me like that?

If you're using OpenMG, double-check your options menu to make sure your record mode is set at LP2 instead of SP. I wouldn't recommend LP4 for music, but it works well for voice.

Okay, I'll try to tackle your requests... For the first batch of questions, I think the Sony MZ-N707 would work for you. It has good battery life, skip protection, etc. It will record off your computer and it has a microphone jack for recording live. It's widely available, and currently around $200...which is bound to drop soon when the new batch of MDs hits the market. I find, however, that Sharp portables have a more intuitive interface. It's easier for me to fiddle with a Sharp and get it figured out than it is with Sony--I never read the manual for my Sharp 702 and mastered all its functions by playing with it for an hour. However, I STILL forget how to title discs on my Sony N505. For ease of use, I'd say go Sharp. All the new Sonys with a radio tuner feature the tuner built into the wired remote, and it's impossible to record off them. You'd need a separate radio and a stereo cable to plug into your MD to record. Secondary criteria.... My N505 has been mistreated and still works fine. If you want something built like a tank, try the Sony MZ-R900. My 900 is my baby, but it could kick my butt if it wanted to. The only thing is the 900 is not a Net MD, so no USB connection. If you want to copy files off your computer, you have to do it in real time. Again, for some reason you can't record radio audio off the MDs tuner. Does anybody know why, or how difficult it would be to redesign the tuner to allow recording? For recording talk, get an MD unit with LP playback. LP4 is great for voice and you can cram over 5 hours onto an MD in that mode. Hook up a microphone and you're ready to roll. The N707 and R900 both have these features. The N707 has a nicer LCD screen than the N505, and also comes with a remote, charging cradle and microphone input. If you want to experiment, you can pick up a 505 for the $82 and get a powered microphone (one that runs on its own battery) to record voice through the 505's line-in jack. Don't worry about the radio tuner--it doesn't sound like it would be much use to you. Quality wise, the 900 is the most solid of the three Sonys I've mentioned. The only thing it lacks is NetMD capability, but there is an N909 on the market. I have never seen one, though, so I can't vouch for its construction. Like I said, though, my N505 has taken a number of beatings and still works just fine. In summary... If you're not too worried about transferring your MP3s to your MD, I'd say try to pick up the Sony MZ-R900. It's well made and loaded with features, and you can probably find one on eBay for $130, or less if you're patient. If you'd like the option to transfer MP3s, go for the Sony MZ-N707. It has most of the 900's features plus NetMD capability and better battery life. I want to recommend a couple Sharp units, but I haven't had the pleasure of playing with any of their LP portables. Sharp in general are made very well, they have a natural control configuration and larger LCD screens (which I LOVE). Can anybody recommend a Sharp or two? Good luck!

That's a cool idea, and it would probably work. But I remember waiting 45 minutes for "Temple of Apshai" to load on our C64, and I certainly don't miss the "good ol' days" that way. :wink: I felt so liberated when we got our first floppy drive. Mmmmm....5.25" floppies..... *ahem* Okay, now that I've hopelessly dated myself, any other comments?

Just a couple warnings about the Avery self-adhesive stock... I've been labelling my MDs like this for a while, and it is pretty darn slick. Be careful leaving the labelled MDs in your car, however, as extreme temperatures/moisture will buckle the paper. A few of my MDs have some serious rippling going on. Also, make sure the edges and corners of your labels are stuck very firmly so they don't catch on the innards of your player. Yeah, I suppose I do mistreat my MDs a little...but that's why I'm hooked on such a resiliant format! If anybody's really bored, check out www.neato.com for info on their MediaFace software. It's clunky and frustrating, but they have some nice templates that work with almost all the over-the-counter label stock out there (CD/cassette/MD/VHS/DVD...), and I think the Neato company also offers some die-cut MD label sheets that work with their software.

I've gotten some good results just plugging a stereo line into the headphone out on the tape deck, then running it into the line-in on my portable MD. Adjust the recording levels, Dolby on the cassette deck (if you've got it) and record. You can trim off any unwanted space before and after the MD recording later.

What console are you using (PC/Playstation/XBox)?

Has anybody tried jogging with the MD in a case that has a handstrap? Would that work better than having it in a pocket?

If you have tons and tons of MP3s that you want to take with you, then MD is a little clunky at transferring the files. It has to convert the MP3 format (or WMA or whatever) to ATRAC before it copies the file to disc. I usually have mine connected to my stereo instead of my computer, though, so this isn't a concern for me. I just thought I'd add the info. What you get with the MD that you won't with an MP3 player is the ability to edit and rearrange tracks, delete them, etc on the fly. I have a few MP3s on a CD-R that I always skip through; wish I could delete them without burning the whole thing again. I could if it was an MD... And the 505's battery life is great. I've had the same AA in mine for three weeks of constant use--recording, playing editing--and it just died yesterday. Also found a long-lost MD wedged under my carseat last week. The case is all scratched and gouged up, but it still plays perfectly. Tough little buggers!

Okay, blonde moment. I do grasp the idea of the battery box for a microphone, but everyone recommends one with bass roll off--and I have no clue what that is. Could someone more in the know explain to me what exactly it does to improve your recording? I've pulled off some good recordings without, but what do I stand to gain by pursuing this?

Go back into service mode. I hope you wrote down the original settings for the changes you made, if not, go back to the instructions you used to hack your MD and try plugging in the default settings they list. What have you got to lose at this point? I'm tired....if anyone else is more coherant, please post.

The X-ray never harmed my MDs, but I got stopped by a security guy who wanted to know what my MZ-E3 was. He was kinda stuffy about it, but once I proved it just plays music, he relaxed and said it was pretty cool! But yeah...little grey metal box with a small LCD screen on it. Could be a bomb, you know. :roll:

I'm sure Sony would claim a shoe has better sound quality if they were trying to market one. :wink: I honestly don't think it makes much difference these days. All I can tell is that Sharp tend to sound 'crisper' and Sony sound 'warmer'.

I originally got into MD because I was sick of tape hiss, drift and all the other headaches involved in recording to tape. The portability, sound quality and ease of use still blow my mind. I just plug the MD into a sound source and hit 'record'. I figured it was simply another componant for my stereo, and that's a huge point in favour of MD: it doesn't have to be slaved to a computer. Keep in mind this whole "connect to the PC" thing is new to me. Titling an MD on the computer is new, LP2/4 are new....it's all very wonderful, from my standpoint. It is truly sad that Sony will never allow the full potential of the MD format to be reached, but I'm very happy with what I have. I'd rather have a good, solid MD in my hand than a few ethereal computer files hiding somewhere. Besides, my girlfriend HATES anything she needs to read a manual for. She was able to pick up MD in a snap and loves it.