klang_ding

:?: I dunno. My model is a Sony MDS-JE520, if that's any use to anyone. My portable DOES clip, though (making that nasty scratchy sound). But with the deck, it's not like I'm frying the circuits or anything; just pushing the level against the 0dB limit, so it occasionally pops into the red. But then when I do fry the circuits it distorts just like tape, ie. no digital clipping.

I've noticed with my rack MD recorder that when recording via the analogue input (my CD player has no optical out) I can let the level peak into the red without any nasty digital distortion or clipping. If anything, it makes the sound a little "fuller", acting like cassette, which always sounds a little better when peaking around the +3dB mark. I've tried deliberately sending far too much level into the red, and the sound - although far from pleasant - just sounds like standard "analogue" distortion - no digital clipping like there would be on a CD recorder. I was wondering if anyone else had experienced this phenomenon and if anybody knows why it occurs. Is it to do with the MiniDisc's ATRAC system of compression? Thanks, Steven