LowMD

You can easily record analog out of your MD's headphone jack in realtime, assuming you have a line-in to your Mac. Audacity http://audacity.sourceforge.net/ is a free recording and sound-editing program. If you don't have a line-in connection, get the iMic (not a microphone but a USB line-in and mic-in connection) from Griffin Technology. http://www.griffintechnology.com/products/imic/ And then you can fire off a letter to Sony asking what right it has to encrypt recordings you make yourself.

You can also go from the headphone out to your stereo system if it has an AUX input. You'll have to see what the connectors are and get a cable: probably stereo minijack (out of the headphone jack) to right and left (red and white) RCA plugs (little circular connectors).

Dude, calm down. What is on the disc right now? Audio files or other data? If they are audio files, they are encrypted and you need SonicStage to see what they are. Connect the USB cord, open Sonic Stage, click Transfer and Hi-MD (G: or whatever) and it should list the audio files on the disc. If they are data files then you should just be able to plug the MD into the USB port and see the names. If you're just trying to blank the disc and start again, press the Menu button, Edit, and Format.

I'm amazed--OK, I'm not--that Sony is putting out misinformation about its own program. Wav Converter has nothing to do with the model of the MD. It works with files uploaded to SonicStage once they're in your computer. (So does HiMDRenderer.) Since the NH-700 does record and upload to SonicStage (it's the same as the NH-800 in that respect) Sony should get a clue. Here are links to both Wav Converter and Marcnet's program. http://forums.minidisc.org/index.php?showtopic=6330 And make sure you use SonicStage 2.3 rather than the earlier version that's probably packaged with the NH700.

Nero is definitely your way to go, but if you ever do want a straightforward conversion program, it's dbpoweramp www.dbpoweramp.com

The NHF-800 is easier to find in the US than the NH700, it's the same recorder plus an FM radio in the remote. It will also do the job for you. Sony really shouldn't bill the NH600D as a "recorder" when it's just a downloader.

Try uninstalling SS 2.2 and installing SS 2.3 . It's less temperamental. http://forums.minidisc.org/index.php?showtopic=8304

Audacity will record whatever is coming into your computer's Recording input. But your computer has to be able to "hear" it. I have Windows XP, if you have a different Windows it's a similar process with slightly different names. Settings-->Control Panel--Sounds and Audio Devices. Under Audio (tab) are Sound Playback and the one you want, Sound Recording. You have to tell it what to record in a dropdown list: from your computer soundcard, your new outboard soundcard, whatever your MD is plugged into. Then look at Volume and make sure the correct input is checked: Microphone, Line-in, etc. While you're in there, look under Sounds and turn off all unnecessary sounds: You've Got Mail, etc., by selecting (None) for each one. Save the new settings, close Control Panel, open Audacity and click the big red Record button and start the MD. When you're recording you should see a nice fat jagged waveform, like an oscilloscope. If it's flattened on the top, your levels are too high, lower the outgoing volume on the MD. If it's just a little skinny thing, turn up the outgoing volume. Audacity records as its own format, .aup, but you can save it as .wav (CD audio) instead by clicking Export as .wav . Then you can cut that into separate tracks (selecting chunks of the waveform and copying and pasting into a new file, just like in a word processor) and burn them to a CD.

I'm guessing that Sony is dumping a lot of the NH600D to wholesalers because except for us longtime MD users, a downloader tied to SonicStage makes a lot less sense than a flash or HD player.

Be patient and keep looking, and skip the "Buy It Now" offers for $169--that's retail. A lot of people are selling them for under $100 new. Search (MZNH600)* For instance: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...5753085496&rd=1 (That's a US model, the Euro would be better.) Also look in the Minidisc Players category along with searching for NH-600--not everyone puts the model number in the listing title.

What do you want to use it for? It's a good solid recorder, but you can't upload like you can with Hi-MD. You also can't download music onto it, you have to record music onto it in realtime. Is it in good condition? Does it include the remote? Some discs? The PC-Link to help you record into the computer (realtime only)? $50 seems pretty compatible with prices now on Ebay, take a look there at what's on sale.

If all you care about is downloading music onto your player, then you can find the MZ-NH600 (Euro model with line in and USB) or MZ-NH600D (American model, USB only) for under $100 on Ebay. It will also play your old MDs. It's not beautiful, but as a portable player, it's got much higher capacity than the Net MDs. Mic recording and uploading are a different story--for that, wait for 2d generation to appear and then grab a NH-700 or NHF-800 when the price drops. They have optical-in like the NH-900.

All of the uploading capabilities of Hi-MD are Windows-only because they require SonicStage, a Windows program. The recordings can only be imported via SonicStage because they are encrypted--they are not drag-and-drop. You might want to look into hard-disc recorders from Archos and Iriver, or voice recorders (if that's all you're doing) from Olympus.

You're not loading it into the library. You're recording it into the computer in realtime. The soundcard is to make sure you get a high-quality connection, since many computers have no line-in jack and bad mic-in connections. If your computer has a good line-in connection you don't need the soundcard either. If your recording is already edited into tracks, and you have SonicStage and Microsoft's .net installed, then WInNMD is for you. http://winnmd.net/ If your recording is NOT edited into tracks, then you can simply record into your computer and edit later. Get Audacity, which is free: http://audacity.sourceforge.net/ It allows to you to record (and edit) sound on your computer. Get a stereo plug-to-plug cord, connect headphone out to line in on your computer, push the record button in Audacity, and record. Both of these are realtime. It's not uploading. It's recording. It's the best you can do with a recording made on anything but a Hi-MD. And like any other recording, if you get the levels right and the connections good, it will sound just fine.

Prices in Europe are ridiculous! You should look into ordering one from the US from www.soundprofessionals.com or www.minidisco.com and having it shipped overseas. Also, since new Hi-MDs are promised for in April, you might wait until then. Prices may drop on first-generation Hi-MDs.

Tylendel, another alternative would be to get a Hi-MD recorder--NH-700, NHF-800, just a little over $200--and upload your stealth recordings digitally with SS 2.3, which is proving to be pretty reliable. That would work for new hi-MD recordings, though it won't upload your older MDs. If you have a transferred recording you like, please upload a song into the mailbox at livefrommd (at) yahoo.com, with the password 1minidisc1. I don't think there are any cardioid recordings there yet, and it would be great to hear one.

The NetMD players are nearly obsolete. Hi-MD has more storage and better sound. Spend a little more $$ and get a Hi-MD that records, like the NH-700. The 600D really ties you to your computer--you can't move tracks around on the MD, you can't do any recording, it doesn't even have an AC adapater plug. For a passive music player, you might well be better off with an iPod. The only advantages of the 600D over an Ipod are the removable/replaceable battery, the removable storage (MDs, not a HDD) and the price--you can find the NH-600D for under $100 on eBay. But the iPod is a lot more compact and user-friendly.

sample attached, I hope Edit: Kurisu--tried to attach it but there's nothing here.

Elevation is ideal if it's at all possible. Dex Otaku, you're assuming that most of the crowd noise is in front of you. But even if the people in front of you are talking, they're likely to be facing forward and away from your mics. In a big show, there's a lot more crowd noise from behind that's being projected directly toward you and your mics. It always seems that the loudest, drunkest, out-of-tune singing along, clap-on-the-wrong-beat moron is sitting right behind me. Seriously, I would think that if cardioids rejected a lot of that sound from behind, they would be useful. Sound Professionals does recommend cardioids as their "if you're only getting one mic" choice. http://www.soundprofessionals.com/cgi-bin/...ry=binvscardfaq

No direct upload with NetMD, it's all in this pinned thread. You can't upload music either, unless it's downloaded from Sonic Stage (in which case you're just returning it.) http://forums.minidisc.org/index.php?showtopic=7073

If you want to try another cheap Ebay mic, I have "Stereo Lapel Microphone for Minidisc" and it works pretty well as long as you don't touch the mic while using it. Here's a typical listing: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...ssPageName=WDVW I see there are also some mics claiming to be Sonys on there. I wouldn't trust them myself. Or get the Sound Professionals BMC-2, which sometimes shows up on Ebay for $25-29, not a noisy mic at all. Here's a listing: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...3780422140&rd=1

Come on, Dex Otaku. Much respect but I think you're being too dismissive. Installing codecs piecemeal is just as likely to cause problems. Yes, lots of codec packs are full of spyware, malware or just plain bad code, but I've been using various iterations of K-Lite for the last 3-4 years in computers from Win98 to XP, and it's never given me a problem. There are basic and mega versions, it's very well documented and clear about what's in each package, and the edskes mirror in the link above is the real thing. Beware, of course, of the various counterfeits that come up on Google searches. I've had more trouble with Nero Vision Express codecs than with K-Lite.

By the way, you should go back to the Sony shop and tell that guy he's engaging in deceptive sales practices and can be prosecuted for it. I can understand a clerk at a regular electronics store not understanding MD, but Sony? And if he claims you got his explanation wrong, whip out your MZ-NH700 and USB cord and demand that he show you what he meant on the spot. They should have some VAIO computers around. If Sony is going to sell crippled products, its employees should not pretend otherwise.

Instead of ffdshow, try the Kazaa Lite Codec Pack http://home.hccnet.nl/h.edskes/mirror.htm

One of the best and most reliable all-codec packs is the KazaaLite Codec Pack. You can get it here: http://home.hccnet.nl/h.edskes/mirror.htm