ozpeter

Hmmm, the one I linked to above upsets the RH-1 - it's putting out 5.76 volts which perhaps is too high. The mobile phone takes no notice of it either. Makes a good 3LED torch.... Edit: The MintyBoost link above indicates that not all devices like being charged from a battery pack. Maybe that's the problem.

http://www.mrgadget.com.au/catalog/usb-dev...ight-p-571.html is the one I'm trying though with a fair lack of success so far.... watch this space...

External usb battery box is due to arrive here tomorrow... I'll report on how long it records for with that.

I only use my RH-1 for recording and uploading live concerts (often several a week) and for that it's just perfect. It's everything MD should always have been. In my experience, unless you are talking rock festivals, battery life should be a non-issue for normal concerts. Nine hours of battery (claimed life) should cover the rehearsal as well as the concert! (and there are always alternative battery power packs such as http://tinyurl.com/mg57h)

Good tip indeed. But do the USB headphones that come with the phone work with the RH-1 if you connect them to the RH-1 USB socket? OK, I'm joking.... More seriously, had anyone come across adapters to enable 'normal' headphones to be used with a USB-only phone? But I guess I'm in the wrong forum for that one.

Cheers, I'll see what I can do. The RH-1 output was definitely line level. Indeed, it's by no means a disaster proof backup method, chaining on MD from another - chiefly it's a media backup, so if SonicStage ate the first copy (ok, I know it doesn't these days but old habits die hard) then there would be at least something to fall back on.

At fairly short notice I was asked to record a concert tonight of new works, performed by a symphony orchestra include eight percussionists (!) in a national broadcaster's orchestral recording studio. I decided that the excuse of being asked late was a good enough justification to take a lightweight outfit for the purpose - so in I marched with an RH-1, an NH1, and an NH900, together with the Rode Stereo VideoMic, and a 12 foot mic stand collapsed into three short sections. I used the NH1 as a backup for the RH-1/Rode combo, fed from the RH-1 line out socket. There were speeches during the concert and these I recorded from the studio's public address mixer on the NH900 - I'll integrate them later using editing software. The dynamic range of the performance in the very quiet studio was huge - from the sound of a cymbal being gently stroked with a violin bow, through to the whole orchestra going flat out. Listening to it now, it's been faithfully captured to the extent that I'm having to turn down the louder passages for fear of domestic upset (it being late at night here now). The Rode SVM proved well up to the task, and a good match for the RH-1. I used the low sensitivity setting of the RH-1 mic input, and a recording level of 18/30 seemed just right. During the rehearsal I tried it with significantly higher levels and noticed audible distortion in the headphones (via a top-flight headphone amp) well before the "over" segment on the RH-1 meter came on. It's clear that you should indeed neversee that light illuminate. Indeed, if the meters "sit" on the top segment (rather than flick it on with a transient) you're probably at risk of distortion. But with the dynamic range available, there's no need to take that risk. I was surprised that the NH1 had to be on about 22/30 to meter the same as the RH-1 - actually I deliberately slightly "undercooked" it on 20 - normally I would have expected to use 16/30 from a typical line level source. Seems like the RH-1 line out is a bit lower level than most. Listening to the overall sound, perhaps it is slightly lacking in extreme low frequencies - but in the morning I'll be able to explore the sound at a more realistic level. And I'm playing back from the RH-1 line out rather than via USB - there could be a difference in the transferred sound. For copyright reasons it may not be possible to post an example of the result, but we'll see.... examples of "native" RH-1 symphonic studio recordings must be rare. I guess these days it's possible to post .oma files with the protection taken off?

First impressions of the Rode Stereo Videomic - I'm very pleased! It's build like a tank and kind of looks rather like one too. It has a very short curly output lead with a 3.5 mm stereo plug on the end. For most purposes an extension lead would be required. The shockmount is designed to fit to a camcorder or to a stand but no tilt is provided, which might be a slight problem if mounted on a tall stand. The shockmount is pretty effective against handling noise but the handle part isn't really long enough to hand-hold for long. I happen to have a suitable handle/table stand which goes nicely with it - I guess such a thing would not be too hard to find in the shops. It takes a 9 volt battery internally which is supposed to last about 60 hours, with an indicator to warn when it needs changing. I connected it direct to the RH-1 and walked around the house in the late evening. With the RH-1 on high sensitivity and a manual level of 15, routine domestic noise was easily peaking to the -12dB light, in other words the mic has a healthy output. It would be great for wildlife/outdoor ambient recordings. Noise was imperceptible at any sensible playback level through professional grade headphones. Frequency response sounded just fine, although it was hardly a real test in that respect. I have a symphony orchestra to record at the weekend and may get the chance to stand in front of that with this mic for a few minutes to see how it sounds. Left right separation was very clear - the mics are hypercardioid types - and rear rejection (of sound from the back) was very good. If your wallet extends to something like two-thirds of the cost of the RH-1, and you want a first class stereo mic for non-stealth recording, this bears close examination. Really the only downside is the short lead and the non-tilt mount, neither of which are of great concern to me for the purposes to which I shall put it. It will probably even be used with my video camera from time to time!

I've just ordered a Rode Stereo Videomic for my RH-1 - watch this space for a report on how it sounds in a day or two! http://www.videoguys.com.au/scripts/prodVi...?idproduct=2120 shows it, and this page of a long discussion - http://www.pana3ccduser.com/showthread.php...age=8&pp=10 - provides further info. http://dvcreators.net/products/rodesvm_movieframe.htm is a video review with impressive sound samples. No good at all for stealth recording, however.

Yup, PCM (but doesn't that go via Hi-SP or something first??). JE520 was the optical out deck. Yes, I could try some alternative settings in the next day or so. Gotta get some work done and stop playing around meanwhile!

I forget whether anyone has posted any analysis of the comparison between an optical transfer of an SP legacy disk and the same track transferred using the RH-1 via USB. The attached jpg shows the USB transfer in green and the optical transfer in red. It can be seen that divergence only becomes significant above 17kHz. I doubt whether this would be audible under realistic conditions.

Had mine for a few days now (thanks, Sefu, for the usual good service and highly competitive pricing). I've used it as backup to a laptop / Motu Traveler multitrack recording via optical in with Hi-SP, and tonight for an analogue line in recording as the master recorder in PCM mode, fed from a rather costly pair of Sennheiser MKH series mics and a matching Sennheiser preamp. Backup was to an NH-900. The concert tonight was a classical recital for two cellos. Sound seemed to be impeccable, but what I really love is the operational simplicity and clear display - at last, a really usable Hi-MD recorder for serious location recording. No need at all for the remote in this context. The buttons on the recorder are much less fiddly. Transfer to the PC remains pretty slow - 27 minutes for about 70 minutes of audio. But if time is not of the essence at transfer stage, that's no big deal really. Sonic Stage 3.4 lovingly preserved an OMA version of the data plus a WAV version, so you need to have plenty of disk space.... I wish it would just transfer it to wave and leave it at that. This audio and functional quality in such a miniscule package really is pretty stunning. Well done Sony - at last.

Mine only accepts a USB headphone, basically the iffy one that comes with it, so it's hard to tell the quality. Anyone know of a USB to ordinary headphone adaptor?

In my experience there is no way to avoid this with any setting. The fact that auto track mark cannot be turned off proves to me that there will be an RH-2. They've left one thing to be fixed. OK, and it will have an external add-on battery case too.

Got the spam too, which caused me to enable the spam filter on the account for the first time! Some feedback on the password situation would be useful....

I recall a small Sony MD portable which had a kind of clamshell design, like a tiny notebook pc. What was that? That would be good to see again, with the kind of editing facility that you get with the MDS-PC2 sort of built in to the display.

I recall - I think - some comment from someone to the effect that these were being hand made. Well, maybe some sort of hand finishing is going on - or I trust whoever is building them has pretty good eyesight!

Dunno, but that rootkit business was very widely discussed at the time the story surfaced, and the chances of Sony still doing anything of the sort after the worldwide fuss are pretty small. As for the odd stuff they warn about - well, it causes no problems here on a non-branded desktop and a branded laptop.

I bought an MZ-1 in the week they first hit the shops in the UK, and wrote an article for one of the pro sound magazines right away pointing up the professional potential for the device. I must have the article here somewhere... I'll post it for a laugh if I come across it. Must tidy up... the MZ-1 sits unused in the cupboard these days but I can't quite bring myself to part with it.

Too late - see http://tinyurl.com/e6qcv Digital Voice Recorder PDR-1 Digital Voice Recorder with Recording Time of 15, 30 and 60 Minutes Key Specifications/Special Features: * Non-volatile flash memory * 15 minutes - 1 hour recording * Interchangeable memory module * 99 voice notes on each folder * Voice alarm * Password security * phonebook with tone dialer * Speed search * External audio jack * Compact size 105 x 56 x 23.5mm * Use 3 x AAA alkaline batteries * Weight: 69gm (without battery) * Color: champagne gold, silver

They are clearly pitching it at the recording market - quite rightly.

Neat summary - I've just pasted it into my Google Notebook!

Cheers from me too! "Class Act" is a good description. This will be my third MD purchase from Minidisc Australia and if Sony can be persuaded to introduce further cool models in the future, I shall happily place a further order there! I'd order some more HI-MD disks but I've still got a box in their wrappers... they hold so much music!! The "3 line remote" thing was mentioned incorrectly on other Sony sites, wasn't it? Sony Australia probably just posted what they were given without checking, perhaps. Heck, I've got two of them already - no more, no more! (Don't ask me to sell, though - spares are good).

Rats, ordered first, read about the coupon here second. Still, the chief thing is that I'm in the queue!!

I wonder whether JB will carry them? Easier to sneak one past Mrs Oz that way, rather than the postman handing one to her - to be followed by an Official Enquiry...