dex Otaku

Other queries: * Can you hear the disc spinning? [depending on the drive you might be able to] * Does your computer's BIOS report that the drive is present? * Have you tried unplugging/reseating both the power and interface cables to the drive? * In the Device Manager, are there any "Warning" [yellow inverted triangle with exclamation point] or "Disabled" [red X] items pertaining to your hard disc controller?

There is about a 95% chance [off the top of my head] that the problem you're experiencing is because of a faulty Windows component, something somewhere being set in a way that interferes, or some other software you have installed that interferes. In a situation like this, faced with a client's [your] computer with no obvious reason for acting this way, there are several things I would try: * make sure you're plugging the HiMD directly into a USB port on the puter, not into a hub * do a full scan for virii, trojans, and worms * download and run both adaware and spybot search&destroy [update them first] * run a registry repair utility [the free ones offered online are usually useless crap unless you buy them, I keep an old copy of Norton Utilis 2003 around for this because WinDoctor can be run from the CD - and set a restore point FIRST!] * run the actual MS registry cleaner [they do not do the same thing, and REGCLEAN will find dead entries that other utils didn't, and it will back them up itself in a .reg file you can reimport in case something takes a nosedive] * go through your startup list [use MSCONFIG, hit the "Startup" tab] and google every entry that isn't obvious what it is - anything that is totally unknown, remove from the list; anything that isn't reallay needed [like tray icons for programs that you don't use], also remove from the list These are just a few suggestions. The point is that your problem is likely a software conflict of -some- kind, and without information [such as the system specs requested in the rules for posting in this forum] no one will be able to diagnose what the problem is. Failing standard "process of elimination" technician tactics that you can do yourself, I'd suggest taking your puter to an actual technician [assuming you aren't one]. Failing that, it might be a good time to back up your data, do a clean reinstall, apply servicepacks, install SS 3.4 and see if it works -before- you've reinstalled the rest of your software. If it stops working after reinstalling a particular package, then you know what the culprit is/was. And - you can tell us so we can avoid it. There is also the option of inviting someone to use remote desktop to attempt a Dx over the net, but that requires trust. Good luck.

RE: SSAAD.EXE ... since it has no apparent function except to take up memory and add time to my system's bootup, I decided to get rid of it. If you use MSCONFIG or edit the registry manually to delete the startup entry for it, SS will put that entry back the next time you run it. If you rename the actual file, SSAAD.EXE though - it doesn't come back, doesn't give errors, SS doesn't give errors, everything still works just fine for me, in fact.

You're right on except for one thing [funnily enough] - the one thing the codec lacks is support for actual ATRAC [sP].

You could always check the equipment browsers on www.minidisc.org .. but here are some key diffs between these models: NH700 [1st-gen]: records in legacy MD modes [MD/LP recordings cannot be uploaded with this unit]; has mic preamp RH710 [2nd-gen]: has native but buggy MP3 support; lacks mic preamp; north american [710D] has no line/optical input; does not record in legacy MD modes [does play them] AFAIK those are the key differences, other than cosmetics such as display layout and the key arrangement. I have a NH700 and an RH10 and use both of them interchangeably. The lack of a mic preamp on the 710 would make it next to useless for my purposes.

This is the same atrac3 / atrac3plus codec as the other Sony products now have. This isn't new. The enitre Sony media suite [sound Forge, Vegas, Acid, CD Architect, DVD Architect] all rely on the same codecs to work. It's actually possible to copy the codec from one application to all the others just by copying the folder structure containing the A3/a3+ codec [folder called "atracplug"] into the "FileIO Plug-Ins" folder for each application. BTW, you can open the unDRM'd tracks in SS if you rename them to .oma . Also - while it is nice to see Sony supporting their own file format after so many years, it would be even nicer if their media suite apps had an open plugin architecture that would encourage the creation of free or OSS codecs for other rather common formats such as FLAC, WavPack, APE, and others. I use the Sony apps on a nearly-daily basis [and have for several years] because I am most comfortable the Sonic Foundry interface for editing. The lack of file format support has been a sticking point for years, though.

ATRAC 4.5 refers to SP mode encoding only.

There's another workaround for this: * convert all the files as per Rich's instructions * when SS is done, select the entire same range of tracks, and hit 'delete' * when it asks if you want to delete the files from your hard disc, UNCHECK the box so it doesn't do so; it will then clear the library of those tracks' info * go to the folder where SS keeps its own [OMA] tracks, select the folders for the music you just converted [in the case of MP3 conversions they will likely all be in "optimized files"] and then drag&drop all of it onto the SS library * the OMA tracks will import and you dont have to deal with the MP3s from SS at all any more The process of re-importing the OMAs can be hairy. I'm not certain whether SS has the same bug with OMAs as it does with MP3s and M3U playlists [that importing the same track twice actually makes for two entries in the library despite their both being exactly the same thing and same file], so there's a chance you might get duplicate entries if you import the same tracks more than once.

I have two DVD-RAM drives: 1 - Matsushita/Panasonic LF-D521 - a minorly problematic caddy-DVD-RAM drive. A slow writer, but at the time I purchased it [spring 2003], it was the least expensive solution available. 2MB cache. Stated write speeds: 2x DVD-R; 1x DVD-RW; 2x DVD-RAM [caddy or not]; 12x CD-R; 8x CD-RW This drive has firmware conflicts with some software [notably DVD Architect] which simple workarounds thankfully exist for. Is somewhat noisy as the tray for DVD-RAM caddy compatibility has a number of parts which vibrate. Very annoying when watching movies. Overall has worked very well, turned out very few coasters; most annoying factor is the vibration sounds it sometimes makes. Oddly, this is the fastest and most reliable drive I've yet used for CD-DA extraction. 2 - BenQ DQ60 - this has been reviewed around the net as one of the worst DVD drives ever created, but I've had no problems with it whatsoever. 2MB cache. $49 at the Futureshop. Stated write speeds: 16x DVD+/-R; 8x DVD+R DL; 4x DVD-R DL; 5x DVD-RAM [no caddy tray]; 8x DVD+RW; 6x DVD-RW; 40x CD-R; 24x CD-RW So far I've had nothing but good experiences with this drive. Unlike many of the reviews I've read, I've had no problems burning CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-R, DVD-RW, and DVD-RAM with this drive, though due to the cost of media I have yet to attempt DL media. It is exceptionally quiet except when spinning up to full speed for data CDs. I regularly write DVD-R discs at 8x speed [the discs' rated speed] and have yet to experience any problems doing so. Haven't made a single coaster with this drive yet [and have burned about 40 DVD-Rs and 10 CD-Rs]. Generally speaking, I have found that the amount of cache a writer has is fairly unimportant until you start getting up to actually writing DVDs at 16x speed, where a 2MB cache is far less than one second's data during writing. I regularly write DVDs using Nero with, at the very least, Thunderbird, Opera, Trillian, Apache [webserver service is always on], a DynDNS manager, phone answering machine software, and quite often a DVD playing a movie on the other drive [they're on separate controllers] .. with no problems whatsoever. In the past 3 years of writing DVDs [mostly at 2x admittedly but the last however many at 8x] I've yet to experience a single buffer underrun or cacheing problem. I tend to think those issues are false ghosts.

Do make the backup as Volta suggests, but also try "hard resetting" the unit: * remove the disc * remove all sources of power including the battery * wait 10 seconds * re-apply power, re-insert disc, see if it makes any difference You might also try plugging your recorder into a different USB port on your computer just to see if that changes anything. It's all voodoo.

Connect store downloads will be tagged one way [possibly with SCMS "no copy" only]. Self-made recordings will likely be untagged except for SCMS "master". Optical copies from CD players will be tagged as "no copy" via SCMS. Pre-pressed discs will be tagged as "copy-once" via SCMS. What they're saying is straight-out bullshit. SCMS has been in there since day one, and while the method of discerning NetMD downloads may or may not use it [it would be logical to use it, since it would make the copy protection both backward and forward compatible] everything else should respect it [sCMS strippers notwithstanding]. Utlimately, the question isn't really whether SCMS works for all possible cases [it can, even for NetMD downloaded tracks], the question is whether Sony have decided to respect it. Making that decision would make a tonne of sense - because it would mean following the already well-established rules, and using information that is already contained in the bitstream of every single MD/LP recording in existence. So yes, I will rather firmly assert that what they're telling you is absolute bullshit. It can be done, done very easily, and done with the assistance of technology THEY came up with in what, 1989? Further .. my argument isn't about the ability to upload traks that have been downloaded. As far as I'm concerned, if you have something in your library, and you put it on a disc, and want to vet it back because you dumped it from your library - tough luck! If you don't keep what you want in your library, then tough! Addendum: Connect store downloads will be tagged one way [possibly with SCMS "no copy" only]. should actually read, Connect store downloads and if fact anything- downloaded from PC will be tagged "no copy" with SCMS and with the extra subcode bit that translates to "track from PC" Sony have actually not been respecting SCMS properly with SS since HiMD wias introduced. Had they been, a lot of the questions about what should be allowed and not would have been completely moot. This especially applies to optical recordings, since with most of use around here, they're just as likely to be first-generation recordings from an external ADC [sCMS master, copiable] as they are a copy from an audio CD {usually SCMS "no copy" beyond that point). It really mystifies me how Sony could omit such a basis function when it can work in harmony with their DRM just fine, and it would solve most of the "unknown" problems {like "what was the source of this recording?". Allocating 3 bits of subcode would have gone a hell of a long way towards completely avoiding all of these issues altogether. Wishful thinking. In any case, DRM has been relaxed at this point, makig much of this discussion entirely moot. It just seems stupid to me that they didn't respect their own damned rules in the first place.

In advance - my apologies for the condescending, undimplomatic language herein. There's only so much I can take of someone asking more and more quesitons about things that the answers for which are staring them straight in the face, not to mention being described to some degree in their manual, and to a much greater degree in "Help". You've been able to do this since SS 2.1. [attachmentid=1549] If you set "genre" to Compilation or Movie Soundtrack, it usually sets the compilation flag automatically. However, there's a more direct way as well: [attachmentid=1550] Here you can check/uncheck "Compilation" [as circled"]. You get to this dialogue by clicking on "CD Info". You can do the same with any range of tracks in the library by selecting multiple tracks, right-click on one, going to properties, and checking the box for "Track in the compilation album" .. lovely Engrish, I know. Again, you've always been able to do this. Select multiple entries in the library, right-click on one, hit Properties, it will only allow you to alter fields that can be changed on multiple tracks [i.e. "track title" will be locked but "album name" can be changed]. Have you ever tried "Help", just out of curiosity? Change the EQ setting.. does your sound card control applet have an EQ that changes per application [which should apply to analogue outputs only on most cards, and not affect any audio going from program to program within your system? Or are you using a codec such as FFDshow that has built-in EQ [wihch doesn't usually change unless you go in an force it to, or for that matter even happen to be turned on]? What you're saying here is vague and to be honest makes no sense. Playing from one app should not have different EQ compared to another unless each app has its own EQ and you've set all of them differently, in which case the simple solution is to start using the same EQ curve in all apps. In any case, application EQs should not have any effect whatsoever on how your downloads sound. Your downloads should only be affected by whatever codecs you have installed [such as your system MP3 codec which SS uses to transcode MP3 to atrac3/plus]. Yes, it would be nice if SS had an EQ. I don't see how Sound Forge integration would improve anything, though. All that would accomplish is to inflate the price of SS from $0 to about $500 overnight. Side note: SF has had a NetMD writer module [LP2 only] for ages now, in case you weren't aware. This intrigues me .. could you sketch it? I want to know what exactly it is that you want to move around as though it were a reading pane [the albums?]. Um. Let's look at another picture here: [attachmentid=1551] What exactly is confusing about this? On one part of the screen, off on its own and above the library, we have playback controls. Down in between the two sources/destinations for transferring, we have transfer controls. Furthermore, the main transfer controls are marked in RED, and in any case if you mouse-over any of the controls, SS TELLS YOU WHAT THEY ARE. So .. exactly what is it that you'd like to change? The controls seem pretty damned clear to me already, at least. OMG, man. I'm just .. barely containing myself, here. Again, this is something you've ALWAYS BEEN ABLE TO DO. Have you ever tried double-clicking on one of the albums in the album list? It changes the display to show ONLY the album and its contents - so you can select individual tracks to transfer. The only fault with this method is it doesn't create groups on the destination disc that are titled the same as the album, though it's pretty easy to create a group and move the selected tracks into it once they've already been transferred.

Completely untrue. All MD recordings contain SCMS info; pre-recorded discs should be marked "copy once, go no further", analogue recordings should be marked "copy unlimited [master]" &c. The question is when Sony will respect SCMS, since it's the lowest common denominator in copy protection terms. If they do, re-uploading netMD recordings should not be possible, nor should uploading [opticall] copied CDs. Time will tell.

I have upgraded online between each version since SS 2.1 and never had any problems installing one over another.

MS UI Gothic is not present on my system, nor in my rather large [uninstalled] font collection. Does it come with MS Office [which I have refused to reinstall since OpenOffice became stable enough to use] or something?

d'oh! Oh well. I won't bother suggesting you try google again. I assume by now that you've searched things like "DVD recorder DVD-Audio". No suggestions. Good luck on your quest.

See here, just in case it applies: http://forums.minidisc.org/index.php?showtopic=14222 And yes, as several people have already said, please do upgrade you version of SS.

Could one of the mods please move this to the tips/tricks forum where it will be more likely to be found by people [rather than one page 5 in the software forum where -no one- will find it]?

I take it you're recording with a microphone. This problem results from the fact that the recorder itself has a floating ground. The power supply has no ground, and to make things worse, only unbalanced connections are used. Any mic that is powered by the unit will end up being biased with noise from the AC adapter. The same should not usually occur when recording with dynamic [unpowered] mics, self-powered [i.e. requiring a battery of their own] mics, or through the line-input. It is possible to leech the noise off by actually grounding either the unit or the mic canisters; touching any screws on the unit's case or, if you have a unit whose case is metal or part-metal, simply touching that part of the case may fix the problem. This is not usually a very practical solution. The only true solution is not to use the AC adapter for power when recording with a unit-powered microphone - so yes, you basically should resign yourself to using batteries.

The RH910 is capable of taking MP3s and playing them as-is, though Sony's implementation of an MP3 decoder on 2nd gen HiMD models is flawed. [This has already been shown to be fixed on the soon to be released RH1.] See here: http://forums.minidisc.org/index.php?showtopic=10621 [scroll down to "mp3 playback test"] and here: http://forums.minidisc.org/index.php?showtopic=14492 The main recording modes for HiMD are HiLP [48 and 64kbps], HiSP [256kbps], and LPCM [full CD quality]. Available atrac3 and atrac3plus modes for HiMD use are: HiLP 48kbps [atrac3plus] HiLP 64kbps [atrac3plus] LP2 132kbps [atrac3] 192kbps [atrac3plus] HiSP 256kbps [atrac3plus] 352kbps [atrac3plus] LPCM [linear PCM, completely uncompressed audio] 132kbps is LP2 - an older [atrac3] codec from the days of NetMD, which you may or may not find to be of noticeably lesser quality, especially when transcoding MP3s. If you find the difference in quality after transcoding [converting formats] to be too noticeable, you could try experimenting a bit to see what suits your ears the best. Modes above and including 192kbps are of noticeably better quality than the lower bitrates. If you have a couple of minutes, try transcoding an MP3 you're familiar with to several different bitrates and see which you prefer. I generally don't use less than HiSP when transcoding MP3s. With well-encoded MP3s, 192kbps isn't too noticeably degraded - definitely good enough for portable listening. It's also a good compromise rate in terms of quality vs. space used. Cheers.

Theory: Sony changed the label design because someone there realised that with the way most listeners will use a 1GB disc [i.e. NOT with PCM recordings] they will have somewhere between 120 to 500+ tracks on the disc; the label isn't good for listing even just album titles at this point. I just number the discs, so the tiny label is fine with me. A big "2" is expressive enough on the one indigo disc ["2nd gen blank"] I've got. I already know what's on the disc .. I don't even bother reading the unit or remote displays when navigating, usually.

The "dedicated line out" is the same is the RH1's line out. The RH1 appears to have everything the NH1 does except for full support for the MC40 3-line remote [might be fixed by the time official release rolls around], plus a few improvements and totally new features [MP3 playback, MDLP upload support, improvements to recording settings, OLED display, &c.].

Duuuuuuude, learn how to edit!

Here's what I'm talking about by imperfect compensation... [attachmentid=1545] As the legend says, RED = UnEQ'd 320kbps MP3 Magenta = Subtractive EQ only [see below] Blue = Additive EQ only [see below] Green = UnEQ'd PCM of the same sweep [spikes cause by FFT window size I was too lazy to change] Subtractive EQ only: <pre>- |-|-|-|-|-|-| - |-|-|-|-|-|-| - |-|-|-|-|-|-| 0 |-|-|-|-|-|=| - |-|-|-|-|=|-| - |=|=|=|=|-|-| - |-|-|-|-|-|-|</pre>This would be fine for loud source material with high-sensitivity 'phones. I usually use this as, even though it's a bumpier ride so to speak, I tend to stick to subtractive EQ only [it comes from working with analogue equipment]. The effect on the low end is also similar to old-style mega-bass. Additive EQ only: <pre>- |-|-|-|-|-|-| - |-|-|-|-|-|=| - |-|-|-|-|=|-| 0 |=|=|=|=|-|-| - |-|-|-|-|-|-| - |-|-|-|-|-|-| - |-|-|-|-|-|-|</pre>As you can see, neither is anywhere near perfect. Once again, the RH10's artificial sweetening of the high-end can be seen with the PCM sweep. Loopback measurement of the same signal is perfectly flat. I don't think the DAC has anything whatsoever to do with it. I think it has to do with Sony having imperfectly [to say the absolute least] programmed an MP3-decoding algorithm for the DSP used in 2nd-gen HiMD units. Had they coded the decoder correctly, we'd get flat response, period. My own speculation is that this may have come about by being a rush-job before the units' release.

Has anyone tried checking what systemwide MP3 codec is being used, and whether it actually works? From what I've seen so far, nearly all problems relating to SS not handling MP3s correctly stem from conflicting or broken codecs being installed.