raintheory

MiniDisc actually uses both the magnetic head and the laser to work. As far as the claim I have seen here a few times regarding the magnetic head actually touching the disc (regarding portable units), I haven't been able to find any references to back that up... If you've ever looked inside a hard drive it certainly looks like the heads touch, but in reality they don't (due to air flow, Bernoulli's principle I believe). This could be the same with MiniDisc, and in my mind warrants further investigation. I'd like to know for sure, I've opened up my fair share of MiniDisc units and don't ever remember seeing this phenomenon.

Think of it this way... Data is stored on the hard drive of your computer much the same way that it is on MiniDisc (as 1's & 0's... Digital Data, it's up to the D/A converter in the MD unit to transform the data to sound). Do mp3's sound better when played from a new hard drive vs an old one? When you delete something from your computer it simply deletes the reference to the data, not the actual data itself, same with formatting a MiniDisc. I can state with a high degree of certainty that recording a blank PCM file to your disc before formatting will only decrease the lifespan of the disc (and your unit), not affect the sound quality of the consecutive recording(s). If you'd like to run some actual tests to confirm, you can use RightMark Audio Analyzer to compare the same recording on a new -vs- used disc: http://audio.rightmark.org/index_new.shtml

Either way works, I tried both the explorer way and the Hi-MD Music Transfer way.

I just transferred a WAV file to my RH1 via Hi-MD Music Transfer (Mac), and imported it via SonicStage on PC with no problems (SonicStage 4.2). I didn;t try it with .mp3 but I would assume that you could import those too...

The difference is that cassette tape is Analog and MD is Digital. Also the tape itself comes into direct contact with the playback/record heads at all times during playback/recording, and I think alot of signal degradation in analog tape is due to the magnetic fields that are created on the recording/playback heads from so much tape passing over them. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cassette_demagnetizer

Sounds like the ribbon cable... We see this pretty often with older units. Not terribly difficult to repair/fix if you're handy with a soldering iron.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Sony-Net-MD-Walkman-MZ...VQQcmdZViewItem MZ-N1 w/7 discs etc... currently $30 with 1hr left...

Well I don't think anyone here keeps a running count of how many times they use a particular disc... That said, I know I have discs that I have used well over 100 or more times. Also, I still have the first discs I purchased (they were 60min back then) and they still work fine. There is a possibility that environmental factors or mechanical failure could ruin a discs lifespan. Although if you'd like to test this, assuming you can do one write/erase/rewrite cycle a minute... It would take a couple years to reach a million cycles, and that doesn't factor in sleeping or bathroom breaks!

haha, no i usually send just a handful... regardless, i'm not one for wanting to lug around my whole collection (not that it would actually fit) on an ipod.

I would assume a completely dead battery would prevent charging... What are the specs for the battery? I have a couple laying around and may have the one you need... Edit: are there contacts for a AA Dry Battery Add-On Attachment thing?

I like being able to trade/mail mix-tapes (minidiscs) with my friends that have MD. Otherwise what... Trade iPods?

These older NetMD models were designed as one-way PC>MD machines. Unfortunately the only route is analog, or buy an RH1.

Yeah if they're WAV, you're fine.

First remove DRM from your files by following the instructions in this thread: http://forums.minidisc.org/index.php?showtopic=16088 Then uninstall and reinstall either 3.4, or 4.2 (4.3 if you have Vista). If you don't remove the DRM on your files first, you run the risk of not being able to play them or transfer them when you uninstall/reinstall. Removing DRM prevents any problems. Download Links 3.4 : http://forums.minidisc.org/index.php?showtopic=11889 4.2 : http://forums.minidisc.org/index.php?showtopic=17769

nope not yet. supposedly it was shipped out yesterday, but i'm still waiting on a tracking number to be sure. keep your fingers crossed for me.

Got a good one here. Purchased an E-MU 1616m Audio Interface about 2 years ago for a little over $600. I had the unit replaced by the manufacturer about 2 months after purchase because of a faulty optical output. The replacement I was given malfunctioned about 7 months after I had received it. Sent in again for a replacement. Okay so skip to July 10th. I received a surround sound system (Creative P7800, which also malfunctioned... funny because Creative owns E-MU) and hooked it up to my E-MU, only to find out that the 2L/2R outputs weren't working. So I call E-MU support. They walked me through a bunch of steps (most of which I'd already done) and determined the unit was defective and offered a replacement. They sent me the RMA info and shipping label and I sent it off. On the 17th I received an email stating that the unit was out of warranty (the representative that gave me the RMA made no mention of this), and I could have it repaired for $186. So I call support again and they explain that it was out of warranty, blah blah.. and by this time I'm too frustrated to argue so I tell them to mail it back. They tell me there's a $25 service fee. I say I'll get back to them. I receive two emails the next day, the first of which states that the $25 did not apply... while the second demanded payment of either the $186 or the $25 service fee, or they would be "disposing of my unit"... mind you these emails were from the same person... disposing of my $600 unit.. okay I'm pretty pissed at this point. I call again and am greeted with a message saying all issues are being handled via the online email service at this time. I call a different number and get through to someone, only to be transferred about 10 times whilst asking to speak to a supervisor or at least someone in the E-MU department. I am told that the replacement I had previously received did not come with the full 1yr warranty, but rather a "90 days labor warranty". hence the out of warranty issue. So I'm pissed to no end having been offered a free replacement and then threatened that they would dispose of my unit if I didn't pay for a repair or service fee. I weasel an email address for a supervisor from a rep and write a lengthy note, stating that I would be filing a claim with the better business bureau if I did not speak to someone who knew what the heck was happening and could help resolve the issue. Anyway, turns out someone put in a request to have the unit shipped back to me at no cost... unrepaired, without my permission and before I was able to speak to a supervisor regarding the matter. [sarcasm]Damn fine customer service there.[/sarcasm] Screw Creative Labs. Check out their BBB report sometime.

Okay so I need to hook up my surround system to my MOTU 828MKII Firewire Audio Interface.. Problem is, the outputs from the MOTU are 1/4" outputs, and the cables coming from my surround system are 1/8". So I need to find either: - Stereo Female 1/8" to Dual Mono Male 1/4" or - Stereo Male 1/8" to Dual Mono Male 1/4"... Anyone have any sites I should check out? I didn't have much luck searching on eBay. Thanks all!

Also be sure to install SonicStage before plugging in your unit. The SonicStage installation installs the drivers for it, and is used to transfer music to MD. As for the USB cable. It's just a standard Mini-B cable.

If you have CDs that you wish to transfer to MD, you can also use SimpleBurner (available in the downloads section here in the forums). SimpleBurner is a little more straightforward if you are just transferring a CD > MD.

If you are using the MZ-RH1/MZ-M200, you can only upload those old legacy recordings to PC using SonicStage. Currently there is no Mac support for the legacy recordings. You can however, upload any Hi-MD recordings you make on the unit to your Mac. Just be sure you grab the latest version of the Mac transfer software from the downloads section here in the forums. Welcome to the forums by the way!

Check out GoldWave. It's not freeware (though a fully functional trial is available I believe), but you can add markers at any set interval.

yes check the battery terminals in the unit and on the battery itself.

When you say "move the button", do you mean you press Stop/Chg? On almost all fairly recent MD units (at least that I know of), the Stop button is also the Charge button.

The N1 is NetMD and therefore designed for use with SonicStage. You'd want to use at least version 3.4 though. I'd guess your first unit was faulty, I've never heard of SonicStage breaking NetMD recorders before.

yep I do this as well.