dex Otaku

I knew someone would eventually wield this.

That's what I'm testing. I might go out later and record a few hours at HiSP to see things fare. Maybe I should see how long the battery lasts again. Think I can record for 7 hours at HiSP on a single alkaline? [i have before.] This reminds me, though, that the only thing the NH1 held as interesting to me was its auto time/date stamping.

Two interesting things while fiddling with SS 3 today.. First, the first time I tried to upload things, I got this dialogue: [attachmentid=84] Hmm. Gee. Never noticed that before. Thumbs up on this one. Second was that during the transfers, the window is slightly different: [attachmentid=85] Progress in a nice box in the top corner. No more annoying popup. But.. it never asked me where to put my transfer, so I'm assuming it'll go into an untitled folder.. The most interesting thing.. one of the things I was suggesting months ago, of automatically naming files with the upload date+time at the least.. note that this appears to be happening here. Very cool. This is progress. ============ edit: Indeed. Interesting results with the imported files, especially that "year released" column: [attachmentid=86] Proof that the auto-renaming took. Note my own filenaming system just above SS's autonaming: [attachmentid=87] It's not perfect, but it's definitely more functional than before.

It's unclear what you're asking here, so this might not be related to your problem. Enabling "Rename the corresponding music file.." on the Advanced Settings page of SonicStage's options might fix this. Of course, you have to re-rename the tracks after enabling it. This will give you sensible filenames after uploading. Renaming them on the HiMD before uploading also names the files upon upload.

oh.. you mean.. kind of like how paid support works? Sure. We can do that. All you have to do is pay us.

Did you miss the thread about companies exporting mfg to china? [ducks]

Yes, it should be the quality that the full bitrate on a single channel can provide, which should be better than "normal" [i.e. with stereo recordings]. MD and HiMD are constant-bitrate media. Among other things, constant bitrate and a fixed packet time-length [the time duration of each chunk of sound in ATRAC] are what make editing and gapless playback possible.

Wow. I insure packages for as little as $75. Most places here basically require that you ensure parcels over a certain value.

One thing I'd do when I can't monitor the levels constantly is to record the sound check or opening band for 1 minute each at 10, 15, 20, 25 .. manual levels, normal mic sensitivity .. and then go ahead and record the show at around 10/30 as A440 suggests. When you do your transfers later you can check the relative volumes from the short clips, to see what was still reasonable. This at least works on a per-venue basis.

I'm waiting for Stamp to squelch at me for my "review."

The result of recording in HiSP and HiLP [64] ATRAC3plus modes in mono is that you should basically get the full bitrate's encoding bandwidth dedicated to the one channel that is used. i.e. if you record a mono signal in HiSP, it should be using the full 256kbps bandwidth for the one channel, rather than splitting it between two. Since HiSP and HiLP, as with ATRAC3's LP2, are joint-stereo [M/S stereo] encoding formats, having a single channel active or both channels active with identical signals mean that the full encoding bitrate should be dedicated to recording the one signal.

SS 3.0 uses a rather annoying helper service for CD access. Go to Start -> Run and enter "services.msc" then STOP the service titled "SonicStage SCSI Service" and try burning again. As this may be an ongoing issue, please do let us know if this fixes the problem for you or not.

Your issue is with the USPS, not B&D. Chances are your shipment was insured, and the USPS should replace the item or repay you at least the insurance amount. I have dealt with Minidisc Canada in the past and have found them to be good at their business. I cannot attest personally to their record re: international shipments, though.

http://www.minidisc.org These already exist, and we do direct people to them on a regular basis. I do agree about centralising the board's FAQs though.

The most common causes are broken cabling/contacts or dirty contacts. You can check whether the volume control is the problem by testing it with a pair of headphones [i.e. use the headphone volume control -as- a headphone volume control]. Cabling on your mics can be checked by lightly moving the mics and cables around while monitoring or recording. If there's an intermittent break somewhere, the signal should cut in and out. In any case, you can try cleaning your plugs [using 99% isopropyl alcohol, available at any pharmacy] and jacks. Wipe the plug at the end of the mic cable so that it's not 'wet' but filmed with alcohol and insert it into the mic jack [with the unit OFF] gently 3-4 times and rotate it once or twice. For light oil [from your skin touching the connectors] buildup, this should be sufficient cleaning. If your cabling is broken, I can only recommend replacing the mics. Yes, they can be fixed, but unless you know exactly what you're doing I would still recommend replacement over repair.

I added my own review to that. Not that I actually review the unit, but I express my own [fairly strong] opinion on what HiMD is for, and what it's not for. I do find it surprising - or maybe I don't.. that people would review an item that isn't released yet based on their experience with netMDs several years ago. I mean, really. What boneheads.

I've never encountered the issue in the first place [from SS 2.1 -> 2.2 -> 2.3 -> 3.0]. The usual questions, then: Obviously, SS v3.0, but what version of windows and what servicepack level are you running? The last I knew, SS database issues were still most likely caused by windows components [such at the jet database] needing to be updated.

I'll counterpoint to A440's recommendation on this one in, sticking with my usual: For general-purpose recording in both stereo and mono, I find a decent M/S stereo or single-point stereo [whether M/S or coincident-Y] mic to be more versatile and generally tougher than omnis [or badly misnamed 'binaurals']. I find that mics with switchable patterns or that are made with cardioid elements tend to be better in situations where ambience can quickly get out of control with omnidirectional mics - i.e. street recordings, in aircraft, buses, trains, and anywhere that the background/ambient level is fairly loud and continuous [anywhere outdoors fits this bill], or at least loud enough to compete with the actual desired source. M/S stereo mics are also more useful for close-mic'ing sources for things like sound effects, or even just capturing a single voice, as the independent M mic element [you get stereo from an M/S mic using matrixing techniques much like how Dolby Surround works] means you have a dedicated "forward-looking" mono signal with no worries of phasing or cancellation if you do a mono mixdown. Single-point stereo mics are also more consistent in their sound [as the pattern is generally fixed or with a switchable 'width' angle], not to mention being made to record for speaker playback. True binaural mics [which face outward from each other to the each side, rather than forward in-phase at the source] provide an end-signal which is not truly suited for speaker playback, since they are actually intended for headphone listening. That said, split omnis are also very versatile, but less forgiving [soundwise] under certain circumstances. Omnis like the Auris series are no different than the majority of decent lapel mics except in their cabling. Used intelligently, clip-on omnis can be called to duty for everything from stealth stereo recordings to sound effects/foley recording, interviewing [with a mic for the 'viewer and 'viewee] and so on. Depending on how you view things, the ability to arrange split omnis separately may be an advantage or disadvantage. For example, if you're wanting to balance ambience with speech, such a dual-mono [i.e. mic'ing two distinct sources as L and R channels, not one stereo source] setup with mics like the Auris should work well. If you need stereo ambience -and- intelligible speech, do what filmies do - record your ambience in stereo, separate from the speech, -then- record your dialogue/interview/whatever. And, of course, mix them later with your editing software. I'm split with many things on whether paired omnis or a single-point mic is better, to be honest. I find it depends on what you're using it for - and fairly often, the final determining factor for MD recordists tends to be stealth; if stealth will most likely be your concern, stereo omnis are definitely the better choice. For overall versatility, especially if you're to be recording tracks such as dialogue or sound effects that will be mixed in editing later, I'd suggest a single point stereo mic with preferences going to the M/S variety. [The Sony ECM-MS907 is one such mic, though I do not recommend it heartily as better mics can be found for less money.] Unfortunately I can't recommend any specific models as M/S mics seem to be becoming harder and harder to find as inexpensive stealth omnis become more popular. See: Single point stereo mics [on soundprofessionals.com] See also: MS stereo basics [from Sound Devices]

Stealthing tip for t-mics: Purses or satchels with fabric sides work great for this. I've gone to a show with a woman-friend who had this lovely fabric satchel/purse thing that had a pocket on the side that was made from acoustically-transparent fabric. I shoved the recorder and T-mic [the same one you've bought] in here, monitored with 'phones to position the satchel, and left it running once I'd found a good place. An advantage to using a method like this is that the bag itself will acoustically shield the mic from crowd noise if you're in a small or tightly-packed venue. I usually carry my gear in camera cases, which sometimes have similar pockets. A good purse is invaluable camouflage, though.

MD's mic preamps have "plug-in power" which is a low-voltage variant of phantom power meant mainly for unbalanced stereo condensor microphones. It has no effect on dynamic ['passive'] mics. If you're using an external preamp with a P48 mic, you should have no problems. Any decent preamp should have DC filtering to protect it from such a thing anyway, but in any case - it's the line-in you want to use with the preamp. Not the mic-in.

Was the library pointing to MP3s that have been moved or deleted since they were converted to ATRAC? If the MP3s were moved, the library will have two entries for all the converted files. The first, for the MP3, will be a dead link since the file is no longer there. SS will complain and then refuse to play the ATRAC file. [believe it or not, this is probably intentional, since it acts as a 'weak' form of copy protection.] The only way I know of around this is to either: 1) put the MP3s back in the same places, and make sure they're named exactly as they were before, which seems pretty wasteful to me, or 2) copy all the OMG files [most of which will be in the folder "Optimised Files" in your SS main storage folder] to another folder on your computer, delete all the offending tracks in your library, then manually import the OMA files back into SS - put them back in "optimised files" if they were deleted by SS's cleaning the library, then just dragndrop them into the SS library window. They should still have valid DRM info, and now SS will have only the one entry referring to the tracks, meaning your can play and transfer them. SS -REALLY- needs a way of cleaning dead entries from the library that doesn't also delete the OMA tracks and all library references. It's such a pain in the arse having to work this way.

Yes, you can upload optical digital recordings, but you cannot convert them with Wave Converter. You can convert them with HiMDRenderer, though. Infoman: You and I seem to take opposing philosophies, here. You appear to be so paranoid about losing your recording that you won't transfer it at all, where I'm paranoid to the degree that the first and most important thing to do, IMO, is get it off the HiMD. Kinda interesting. Have you read the uploading FAQ?

My notes on the TFB-2's: * I've worn the TFB-2's for up to 6 hours at a stretch with no discomfort. This will depend largely on the shape and size of your pinnae [out ears]; mine are supposedly about average size * the windscreens are also comfortable, and are durable. They are made from acoustic foam and share the same wear & tear characteristics as most microphone windscreens. There are pretty much acoustically invisible [inaudible?]; they seem to reduce ambience a bit without actually reducing direct HF sources [meaning that off-axis high frequency [HF] sounds are damped, whereas direct ones aren't, which can be handy in certain situations, like when recording outdoors] * the cabling is durable but is not intended for rough use * the rubber hooks the capsules are mounted in can be held using anything from standard flat clips intended for use with lapel-type mics to small paperclips [the triangular black kind are what I use] * the rubber hooks can act as damping from whatever alternate mounting method you use * because they're earworn, people assume you're wearing earbuds and don't even notice that you can hear them perfectly when they talk to you. This is pretty much the best balance between stealth and sound quality I've ever encountered * natural ambient sound, when fed through matrix-surround processing, comes out .. really interesting. cons: * like any "binaurals", the stereo image depends on how you mount them; earworn recordings are -not- really meant for playback over normal stereos [improper phase alignment for such] * because they're worn in your ears, you can pretty much assume that "what you hear is what you get". Unfortunately, this includes such things as yourself lighting a cigarette, drinking, and the stereo pespective shiftin or rotating with every single movement you make with your head - something that can be extremely disorienting when listening later I've found that these mics are excellent and also versatile, given a little ingenuity on the user's part. The sense of space and stereo image are rather spectacular when listening on headphones; with a bit of tweaking they can be made to sound pretty 'normal' over a home stereo. I end up filtering most of my recordings with a 145Hz -12dB, -12dB/oct lowcut because the bass is clean but VERY loud; when listening through headphones everything is very natural-sounding, but through speakers it can end up way too large in the bottom-end. The biggest single issue I have with them is that of the stereo image rotating when you move your head. I've found that the best way to record with these is to actually meditate while running the recorder; this helps to avoid movement sounds from becoming part of the recording, as well as to maintain a constant perspective for the stereo image. Stealth vs. quality-wise, I honestly think you can't get much better than these. The biggest caveat is also their biggest selling point: what you hear is what you get. You aren't shackled to wearing them in your ears, of course. You can pin them to your jacket as I've done with the paperclips a number of times, though I personally don't really like recordings that have been made this way; the stereo image is all weird, using two forward-facing omnis. [This is part of the reason I don't particularly like a lot of the recordings made with glasses- or hat- or jacket-worn omnis.] What it comes down to is a matter of personal preference, and I would agree that A440's suggestion that mounting method is what should make this decision for you, keeping in mind that while you can use the TFB-2s in virtually all the same ways as any of the other clip-on "binaurals" [which are actual misnamed, since none of them are actually binaural mics], the cabling of the TFB-2s is not as durable as on, say, Reactive's Auris microphones. I have several recordings made with the TFB-2s online at http://dexotaku.ath.cx .. feel free to download and listen. Any other questions - please do ask.

ATRAC is standardised on the decoder side, as are basically all audio codecs. Basically, as long as the bitstream thrown at them is recognised as a valid format, it should decode. Encoders are standardised in the sense that the data they put out must follow a specific format. Otherwise, how they end up with that data is a matter for the designers to come up with; they can either liscense Sony's chips or they can develop their own [as Sharp have]. This is the same as the difference between different MP3 encoders - Fraunhofer's vs. LAME, for instance. Each encoder can can optimised to do a different or 'better' job, knowing that as long as what they put out follows the standard that DEcoders follow, they're fine. Generally speaking, all ATRAC versions [sP mode] are both forward and backward-compatible, as are different ATRAC3 versions. You can take an SP-mode recording and play it on the very first MD every made, as an example. You won't realise the full benefit of certain extra bits in the stream that certain recorders will use [namely decks with 20+ bit A/D conversion], but the recording will play - and will sound better on an older decoder than the matching version encoders do.

Um.. Did you mean "uploaded" here? Because legacy MD and MDLP recordings cannot be uploaded with *any* existing portables.