mrsoul

Aren't those out already? I saw one in Walmart here in SC last week. Maybe I'm confused but it sure looked like the orangeish one.

Try the 40ELK, I'm pretty sure it will work with the NH800 and the backlight with the recording meters displayed is about as good as you can ask for when recording in the dark. Should be able to get it for $80-100, try audiocubes, minidisco (now carrying this remote for $99), and bargaining4all.com on ebay. I can't record on my NH900 without it. http://www.minidisco.com/rm-mc40elk.html

That shouldn't be a problem. Just output from the phantom power to the line in. Use manual record to set the levels and you are set.

Mine has 4 "sound options" which shows a small equalizer with 5 bands but you cannot set the bands, just choose from 4 different settings to accent different ranges. I prefer the flat with live tunes and the typical high bass, low middle, high treble for studio tunes. The one good thing about ATRAC CD is how good it sounds at Hi-SP and even LP2, plus I don't have convert shows to mp3 to get a few on 1 CD. That transcoding can't be good (ATRAC to mp3,etc) for the sound. It does take a while to read the ATRAC and mp3 CDs but it always remembers where you stopped until you take the CD out. It doesn't re-read if you turn off and on. I do like that. Plus, the remote is great for the backyard deck fun,etc. If the ATRAC CDs playback was gapless, it would be close to perfect but it's something I can live with. My Mp3 deck in the car does the same thing, puts a space of silence between tracks but it's much longer on the car deck than the ATRAC CDs on the boombox. So, it could be worse! Still, I paid $12 out of pocket for this boombox. Not bad in my book. Plus, I am familar enough with SS that wasn't an issue for me. Other folks might be turned off by SS and having to encode to a codec they don't know (ATRAC). But, for a MD junkie like me, it was an easy step.

ZS-YN7. My only issue with this boombox is that it doesn't support gapless playback for ATRAC CD which is a shame since the Hi-MD does just fine with that issue. My shows have a gap between tracks, not cool. Plus, it is a little noisy when reading. But, otherwise, I am happy and it will well serve it's purpose. Just too bad about the gapless playback.

Since this boombox uses Atrac3plus, I thought it would fit in this forum... I just picked up the Sony Psyc CD Boombox with ATRAC3 Plus MP3 CD from Best Buy. I really can't say enough about how good this thing sounds on Hi-SP. Takes about 30 seconds to read the CD when you first put it in but it remembers it as long as you keep it in the boombox, even when you cycle the power. I bought this for the backyard deck but it's found a home in my office in the meantime. Made a few Hi-SP/LP2 CDs and it's been flawless. For the $74 on sale price, I feel really good about a Sony that uses ATRAC. Plays Mp3 fine as well as CDR/CDRW. The remote control was the deciding factor. With the Best Buy gift cards, it was only $12 for me. A steal and now I can listen to my shows in ATRAC form after uploading on CDRW on the deck. SS 3.0 has a few ATRAC CD quirks but I think I have them figured out,etc. So far, so good. Now I just wish my car deck played ATRAC3plus in addition to mp3. But the ATRAC3plus Sony decks came out after I bought my Aiwa with AUX input last fall. Oh well, I still think this boombox is a great addition for any deck or office space. Very good sound out of the tiny speakers. Megabass adds a little, nothing major or wall shaking but noticeable. Just wanted to post a quick reivew while this thing is still on sale at Best Buy until March 19th, 2005. Check it out when you are in the store. I think the 256k ATRAC3plus sounds almost better than the CD versions on the boombox and I get to play what I recorded on Hi-MD from a CDRW on the fly. Cool. Ok, warm and fuzzy Sony moment is over... M

The closest I can get with my NH900 and the 40ELK is to start recording in pause on the recorder, place on HOLD, then use the remote to take off pause to start the recording.

I have a Sony NetMD MZ-S1 (Sports) that I would like to trade for a NH600D. I have had this unit since August 2004 (bought new from Best Buy, I have recepits and manuals and plastic shipping package). http://www.minidisc.org/part_Sony_MZ-S1.html I have nothing but good things to say about this unit. However, I really want a portable Hi-MD to complement my NH900 which I don't take out often (mainly used for concert recordings). Here's some of the benefits to you in the trade: 1. Extended battery life (the S1 can play forever ~ 50 hours on LP2) 2. Backlight 3. Sturdy rugged design 4. OPTICAL Input and USB Here's what I see as the benefit of the NH600: 1. I can use it as a Hi-MD for more portable applications (gym, work, car) 2. I can use the stock remote that shipped with my NH900 since it is just sitting in the closet. I use the 40ELK with my NH900 So, if you have a NH600D and don't really need the Hi-MD functionality and you want extended battery life, a backlight and a rugged design with NetMD functionality, send me a PM or email and let's talk. M

Use Marcnet's HiMDRenderer you can convert any oma file to mp3 or flac or wav or ogg vorbis. Please see the pinned topic. http://forums.minidisc.org/index.php?showtopic=6087

Use Marcnet's HiMD Render program. Regardless of the source, you will be able to convert to wav, flac, ogg, or mp3. Works like a charm without any problems. See the pinned thread for info.

Sounds more like you need an external preamp as opposed to a battery box. I would always try to avoid that mic input cause the preamp adds too much noise for my taste. Check out the Boost Box at Reactive. It will allow you to turn up the juice on those quieter sections and hopefully avoid going too far on the input side. You interested in selling that battery box?

Why not look at something like this: http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/Se...68176&CatId=107 and get a MD deck with optical output. The optical output is more common than the coaxial outputs. Seems I only remember 1 or 2 decks with coaxial outputs and they also had optical in/out. With this Catalina card you have optical input and output at a $40 price tag. Get a 530 or 520 series deck off ebay with optical output and you are set. You could get all this for less than $100 if the MD deck ebay price is right...

Try something like the Creative Audio Audigy cards with the input boards on the front. I got mine for under $100 after rebate from Best Buy last summer. It has optical in and out, RCA inputs (analog) as well as coaxial in and out, mic input and midi in and out. You will not be able to connect to a "digital in" on the card unless you have coaxial or optical from the MD and you have neither. It will be an analog input that is converted to a digital stream by the card/input board. The benefit of the Audigy board is that everything is upfront and you get a better connection with the RCA inputs (you will need a cable that goes miniplug to RCA but those are easy to find). But this is just one suggestion. It's what I use as a backup to SS and with my no Hi-MD recordings. But, you will need a deck if you want digital to PC connection. Even with your line out it still is analog out.

Also be sure to look at http://www.milosoftware.com/cdwave/ I have used this CD WAV product a good bit in the last year or so. It lets you make tracks easily once you get uploaded via optical/analog/USB input. It writes the file as it is uploading, no problems forgetting to save later,etc. It lets you choose the source for the input and where to save it. It will also do the converting to mp3 or FLAC if you want after you have the WAV file. I couldn't live without it. Be sure to register $15 after 31 days of use. Full use and no nags about registering either. Can't say enough about it for uploading and making tracks. Small footprint on the CPU as well. Worth checking out and highly recommended. Etree.org actually has a basic tutorial on the program as well. http://www.etree.org/cdwave.html Mark

I know this gets some flack here but try recording in SP mono BEFORE you record in LP2. I have used both LP2 and SP mono for shows I didn't want disc changes problems. It is my belief that SP mono does sound better for some shows than LP2. Don't discount that SP mono when you are trying out the options for longer recordings.

Dex- I'm not sure this counts as a lost upload since it's more like an upload that made it but got erased by error either user or DRM-related. Just a small clarification. I've been really lucky with 2.3 so far no problems and the actual uploading was the problem before. Myself and others have also posted numerous times about avoiding a 2nd transfer attempt. Is that pinned for folks who are missing this important info? DO NOT REATTEMPT A 2ND UPLOAD ON Hi-MD. SS WILL DELETE YOUR MD TRACKS AND NOT EVEN TELL YOU IT DID.

Hey A440! I am psyched that I ordered the same mics. I actually sold the Giant Squids because they are cardioids and pick up too much noise when using them in stealth mode. I wanted something without a battery box attached and I look forward to trying something new when in stealth mode. That RS attenuator is something I will add as well. Nonetheless, I should be able to do some basic comparison testing because a good buddy has the Giant Squids here in town and I can get them for some comparison testing. I will post the samples on my server once I have the mics (ordered today) and some samples ready. That sample you posted yesterday sounds good enough without the hassle of extra equipment. I still have the AT822 when stealth is not the issue.

Check with Giant Squid Audio. They have some cheap mics that I have used with pretty good results. I just got the cheap Sound Pro binaurals off Ebay for $29. I wanted something small and cheap to play around with for stealth recordings. The T mic sometime pick up motor noise from the MD. You could always get a headphone extension on one of those T mics to get away from the MD. I would take a look at Giant Squid and see if he will ship to you. Minidisco might be your best bet for overseas shipping.

I think part of my problem has to do with SS not reading the mp3 track length correctly. Anybody else have that problem? The track after transfer was 26 min and SS shows it as over 39 min in the album library folder. Maybe that is why I thought I was getting more space. SS was confusing my testing. BTW, I was using my MZ-S1, not my NH900. The timing issue with SS seems to be the source of my error since the MD file sizes are exactly the same after transfer. I guess if I burned an ATRAC CD then it would make a difference. I am getting a ATRAC3 boombox in a few weeks, so I will check it out then. Sorry for any confusion.

I confirmed this again last night. The concert was over 3 hours in VBR mp3 format. It wouldn't transfer the last 4 or 5 songs if I used LP2 transfer (132k) but if I converted first to 105K, then I got the whole show on the 80 min MD and had time left over. Don't know if the converting first instead of just transferring makes any difference but it does allow me to get all of the songs on the MD if I convert to 105k and it was not letting me transfer all of the tracks if I was using 132k. Don't know how else to explain what I was seeing and that's why I figured there is a file size difference somewhere.' Michael1980, can you convert the files and see if you have the same file size? Don't just transfer to MD but use the same song with a different title and convert. Ok, I just did a test with a tune that I imported from a WAV file. I imported and then reimported with a different name to another album the same track. Note: You can't reconvert the same track once it has been converted to ATRAC3, that's why you need to use the same track renamed/imported again in another album in SS to make this test work. My results: In PCM it is 65.96MB In 132K it is 6.19MB In 105K it is 4.90MB It makes a difference if you convert FIRST to the 105k format and then transfer instead of the transfer/convert action. Let me know if you get similar results for file size difference. So, you can get more tracks if you use 105k from SS. It only makes sense to me. Lower bit rate = smaller file size.

How would you find out other than checking the properties via SS of the NetMD tracks? It's more than likely to say 105k. Any other method of checking the bit rate?? My NH900 shows the bit rate on the LCD. But, then again are we looking at the real bit rate or just what Sony wants to show? Let me know how you would figure that out. I guess it's sorta like the SP transcoded LP2 thing. How was it discovered that the SP from SS is really LP2 transcoded? It doesn't mention that on SS for the transfer rate settings. Just curious.

There is a file size difference and SS knows the difference. I ripped my first CD to 105k last night as a matter of fact. The reason I used 105k is because I couldn't fit the whole concert on a 80min standard MD in 132k so I decided to try out the 105k and it worked. Listening this morning at the gym, I was surprised at the quality of 105k and I may try this again real soon with my workout mixes of longer record times. For portable applications like using it at the gym with my MZ-S1, 105k works really good in my opinion after my first try.

I second that emotion Dex! We get way too many complaints about the system but it works if you pay attention to what you are doing. You can't be on autopilot with your software updates or your settings but it will work and give you excellent results. Thanks again Featfan80 (Bill Payne fan are ya?)for sharing your positive experiences and welcome aboard. Chris- Weren't we trying to setup something to allow uploads for sharing? Head over to http://www.archive.org/audio/collection.ph...pensource_audio and see if you can find something there to help in the meantime. or see this Live Samplesthread

Like I said before, now that I have the Hi-MD, I don't have to compromise mono vs stereo. I do agree that stereo sounds better, especially with mics with some distance between them. But, I was using an AT822 and the elements are really tight in that head. Not much difference. Now, when I used my Giant Squid audio mini cardioids, there was a noticeable difference in mono and stereo. I plan to get some Auris stereo mics in a few weeks and I am looking forward to that wider field of capture for some indoor shows but the AT822 is hard to beat in the outdoor setting for my purposes. But, it stands worth repeating, if I only had a NetMD or a Sharp DR7x standard MD, I would always use mono if I was recording any live performance that might go over 80 minutes. It was worth the small sacrifice in spatial fullness and mix to avoid putting in another MD right in the middle of a tune...

Price dropped to $10 plus postage. If interested, send me a PM. Thanks.