dex Otaku

I believe aes/ebu or optical are usually used for it, but maybe you're right about coax if that's what you mean.

to add one bit of clarity to that: Win98 does not include the drivers for USB mass-storage. It pays to carry a diskette or CD with the Sony HiMD/netMD drivers on it around with you.

See here: http://aes.harmony-central.com/117AES/Cont.../PR/MD-CD1.html

SonicStage does have issues with its mp3 decoder. The most frequently heard complaints are that some mp3s come through as silence, and that many VBR mp3s won't convert at all. It's possible that you're experiencing a variation of this. Sony have a standalone mp3 converter .. search for 'mp3 converter' on here .. perhaps this might work better for you. Otherwise, and this may seem a weak argument, I'd say that more than anything the problem is the fault of shoddy encoding [using a shoddy codec or settings well outside standards].

I've erased plenty of discs that had SonicStage library tracks on them simply by using the 'format' command on the HiMD itself. Never gave me a problem.

The only tracks that you can upload are those recorded on the HiMD itself. To my knowledge, no other tracks - whether they originated on your PC or not - can be uploaded. The deleting bit is just part of Sony being rude to their customers, IMO. The same thing occurs to any tracks you've recorded yourself that you try to upload more than once.

Yes. It's called taking the unit to Sony and having them repair or replace it under warranty.

SACD doesn't use 24-bit data. It uses DSD, direct stream digital, a form of PWM. Also: SPDIF [coax and optical] is limited to certain formats. SDS is not one of them; however, you can put it over the same coax or optical line as long as the other end can understand the format being used. Same as with MP2, DTS, AC3, etc.

I believe you're wrong, actually. One of the things about marcnet's utility is that it doesn't actually circumvent [an OMA file's] DRM. Meaning - to decode something with HiMDRenderer, you have to be able to -play- it on your PC. The only way you can play a file is if you have the rights to do so. Which means that moving an OMA from one computer to another won't work [same as playing it in SonicStage won't work]. Likewise with OMAs whose liscense has been lost [i.e. after reinstalling SonicStage without backing up the library first].

FLAC - lossless compression. No quality is lost. There is a plugin for Nero that lets you burn FLAC files directly. OGG - while this might promote argument .. ogg itself is a container format. In this context however, we're talking about OGG Vorbis - another lossy compression method that is known to work better than mp3. lame mp3 - as mp3 using the lame codec. Lossy. WAV - lossless PCM, same as CD. If you want to burn CDs of your recordings, and want the best quality, use either WAV or FLAC. If you're only going to keep the files around long enough to do your burning, WAV is the simplest way to go. Remember also that if your original recording is in HiSP or HiLP, what you will be getting as output is decoded [to PCM and then to whichever format you chose to write to] and has already gone through one pass of lossy compression. Unless you have a real reason to convert to OGG or mp3, -don't-. All you will be doing is adding more compression artifacts, basically the 'modern' equivalent of generation loss.

Transfer rate: For PCM audio it averages between 2.5-3x realtime, which is consistent with the expected transfer rate of about 4-5Mbps. By the same token, HiSP transfers at about 10-15x realtime, and HiLP [64kbps] at about 50-60x realtime. The number of tracks being transferred and disc fragmentation [since MD and HiMD do not record in one long track, rather they go to where free space is to write the next chunk] will affect transfer speeds. Having a lot of short tracks will slow things down to a veritable crawl as the unit itself spends most of its time seeking back and forth between the track table and track data [much like how a CD-ROM works without cacheing]. Transfer limits [i.e. # of times to transfer] are determined by Sony's DRM. When you record something on a HiMD-formatted disc, it is marked as a new recording, never transferred, etc. When you transfer it to your computer with SonicStage [sS], SS marks the track on disc as having been copied to a computer. After that, you can play the track from the original disc, but if you try to transfer it again, SS will simply delete it [something most of us have found out by accident, since it's not officially specified anywhere that it will do that]. Mind you, you can still copy the tracks from SS to another disc.

It's funny that you specify "I wouldn't run it through my hi-fi"... The masking principles et al that lossy compression are based on work far better when played over speakers than over earphones/headphones. Even with very low-quality earphones I can hear the artifacting from, say, 128kbps mp3 plain as day. On the other hand, over a $2,000 portable [active] monitor system, a 128kbps mp3 sounds relatively okay. And it's not that MD gets nothing but complainst about sound quality; it's that those of us who know better dispute Sony's claims that HiLP 64/48kbps are perfect for normal listening [when to many of us they are the equivalent of nails on a blackboard in terms of their artifacting and colouration]. I am, perhaps, slightly more liberal than aeriyn when it comes to one thing: while I agree with her that basically all modes below LP2 [in terms of bitrate] are basically unacceptable for anything other than radio or voice recording, I am willing to concede that if -you- like what you're hearing, that's all that really matters. To you. I don't use anything but HiSP for portable music listening, myself. Anything less annoys me, unless the recordings were originally in mono - I'll use LP2 for those.

There's a reason why I've been saying for the past few months - use total recorder or analogue realtime method to back up your full recording BEFORE transferring it with SonicStage. I realise that woul have been almost 8 hours of recording to transfer in real time, bu hey - if you'd done it, you'd still have all your stuff, wouldn't you. Also: did it do the erasure &c. while/after transferring? Or is this something the wav convertor did [which seems unlikely]? Sorry to hear you lost your stuff, at any rate. Next time - back up first.

You rock, marc. You so totally rock. Are you planning on having option dialogues for quality settings et al?

In two words: Creative Labs. Which is why most people who are even remotely serious about sound dropped using any of their products perhaps 5-7 years ago.

I would say not, actually. A battbox is needed to extend the headroom of your recording by increasing the maximum recordable SPL of a condenser microphone. Generally, this is most useful in situations where what you are recording is expected to be very loud. It does not necessarily present any significant advantage in terms of raising signal above the noise floor of your recorder. More to it, though.. For a situation where you know you'll be needing high-gain from the preamp [as the speaker is usually relatively far away from the mic when recording lectures] one would be better off using an external preamp with a lower noise floor to insure that the distant speaker's voice isn't buried in preamp hiss. This would make for a slightly clearer recording. Of course, it's basically a requirement to use your recorder's AGC [auto gain control, aka auto record levels] in such a situation as well, as any nearby sounds will likely be much louder than the actual lecturer. In my experience, using a reasonably good microphone and the preamp on my HiMD in combination with the high mic sensitivity mode and AGC gives perfectly acceptable results for such recordings. Remember that the point of recording a lecture is not fidelity or stereo separation or whatever other purist technical merit; the point is intelligibility. Good mic placement [as close to the speaker as possible] and proper use of your equipment will go a long way.

You should be able to find used Sony and Sharp recorders with mic inputs for under $100 on eBay.

I could add to mine: Involuntarily celibate.

Quite simple: buy an iPod and use Itunes.

Geebus, man. You remind me of me and my friends maybe 13 years ago. I'm with the thinking that your contributions are of enormous value. Happy hacking indeed!

IE has long since had very poor png support, especially if using alpha layers or actual gamma settings that are including in the file. Basically IE doesn't do PNG for sh*t.

HiMD formatted discs cannot be used in other than HiMD equipment. Period. No, SonicStage has no editing capabilites beyond split and combine. This is what software like Audacity is for.

Disgust. Absolute disgust. This is what I feel towards the people of the United States of America [who voted for Bush]. Disgust and pity. Congratulations, you have just near-guaranteed that the world will descend into hell. [important to note: not through my doing, or some easterner's - but through GW Bush's doing, and yours.]

I would look to companies that actually make and sell stand/boom equipment for the sound and film industry. Unfortunately, I can't name a single one off the top of my head - but you might try looking at broadcast or film-related equipment sites for a hint of who does. Vistek is on one place [uS/Canada] that has horrible prices but you can at least usually find examples of what you're looking for there. Maybe google "microphone stand" or "microphone boom". Large stands are, AFAIK, usually a bit pricey, though. There was a telescopic photo monopod that extended to perhaps 4.5-5m that was out about 10 years ago. Maybe looking at tripod makers like Slik or the like would help, too.

I had no idea that choosing an audio CODEC was a moral issue. Interesting. Does that make mp2 lovers immoral heathens?