xeroxide

either use sony's wave converter tool (must have sonic stage 2.2) or use marcnets tool. Sony's wave converter will only allow recordings done in real time to be converted, marcnets tool does not have this limitation ;-)

lol, ipod keeping the mac afloat. must admit, it was tempting to get one instead of the mznh700, but my primary purpose was to record rehearsals so ipod was out of the question (don't like the recording on ipod and prefered ipod mini to begin with which doesn't record)

ok, I don't know much about the older md's but I got a hi-md. Compared it to my friends mdr-900 and from what i can tell is as follows... the Hi-md can support the new 1gb media, thuss, more music can be placed on one disc (around 6hrs i think of good quality audio - compare that with 80 minutes of the older md for similar... notice i said similar, I do not want to start a flame war). By using the new format in the normal mini-discs (not the 1gb disc), the amount of music is also increased (an added bonus due to new format) The new hi-md drive is backwards compatible with the older md discs (although the reverse is not true) Also, if you want CD sound, the newer hi-md is probably the way to go since it supports more formats (and you can choose one to your liking) and... it even lets u record in PCM mode (although this means that you get a little over an hour on a 1gb disc. Still, it's re-recordable right?) also be aware that if you want to transfer Live recordings to pc digitally (through usb, not optical), the hi-md is the way to go... (not sure but I think its only possible on a hi-md... although i might be wrong). for more info and faq, goto the main site www.minidisc.org it should have all u need to know, it did for me. :cool: seems like u have a good idea of what u want. hope this helps I have a mznh-700, i use it for live recordings, practice sessions and general listening... now i can't live without it. an lcd on the remote would have been nice... but not worth the extra $100

VirtualPC is supposed to have usb support right?

I didn't say it was seperate. However stereo is another matter right? Couldn't agree more... Thankyou for clearing that up, i was getting confused with sample/bitrate The problem with music, it's all about perception. I was not stating what sounded good to my ears, right now... even a 48kbps mp3 would sound good (ear infection). If you've ever heard of PAS Spectrum Analyser Pro, you'll know what i'm talking about. it lets me import wav files, scan them for peak/average fft and compare them to each other. So, what i did was have an original, convert one to mp3, the other to atrac3+ using sonic stage and converted back using marcnets tool (0.22 at the time) I then imput the three files and compared using a hanning filter. If the compressed files have deviated in anyway, the frequency spectrum changes acording to what has changed. What I found was more deviation in the Mp3 than Atrac3+

Well, shame on them. Probably locked up in a cupboard all their lives and finally let out for fresh air :laugh: :laugh: but seriously, I'd almost go to the opposite extreme (not quite though). The codec is what matters most. It defines (to a large extent) the clarity, harmonic resonance and timbre. The bit-rate or put in laymans terms... number of samples taken per second is only important in achieving high frequencies effectively. I've heard many ppl claim that lower bitrates effect the bass... but I ask how. The number of samples taken in a lower frequency should have more reference points taken and should be more than enough to reproduce an identical waveform. To me, the higher frequencies sometimes sound "tinny" and its hard for me to tell (probably playing too much violin... too close to my ears - long term effect :rasp: ) I've been a long time fan of Mp3, but I have bent in favour of Ogg-Vorbis. Same quality at 128, Ogg-Vorbis is better (in my opinion). Same bit-rate, different encoder. I was then a fan of WMA for 64kbps on my Imation Rip-Go Mp3 player (mp3/wma 8cm-cd player/burner). I've done some fft tests which were suprising. I found that Ogg vorbis is closest to the original waveform across the spectrum. Next came Atrac 3+, then finally came Mp3 (all tests done at 256kbps and 64kbps). if anyone wants, I can do a blind-test analysis in my spare time. Converted all formats into wave and compressed using flac or some other lossless audio format.

Almost... its infact 1411kbps Atrac3+ audio. The reason Sony choose to call it "PCM" is cause it is the same bit rate as pcm! (no shock there). only difference is that Wav pcm does not include bit-protection! (so theoretically, someone might be able to figure out which bits contain protection... just a thought though - I do not have enough time or knowledge to get into this... but perhaps someone else might) Also, adding to this "bit-perfect" dilema might be a crc check incorporated into the audio (in which one byte would be used to verify... effectivally reducing bit rate to 1410 audio + 1 bit crc = 1411)

nope, the felt bag came with the MD, the bag came with the charger... but for the md not the charger of course ;-) 10 mds in the package! wow... thats nice, I didn't get any! (but bought some maxells for cheap - assume they're ok cause tapes they make are good) although considering its a hi-md, wouldn't it b nice to get something like 10 * 1Gb tapes. Then I'd say they'd b loosing money

Try JB hifi - The one in the city has them for sure (they're in the Blank DVD/CD/MD Section). The One at Highpoint however, has them behind glass next to the MD units for sale (have to ask a staff member to unlock and sell it.) Edit --- Note that $499 was the retail price here in Aus, but I havn't found 1 shop who wouldn't sell it for 450 when I asked (NH700). I personally got mine for 515 with the T mic. Note, it was not a display model and it came with the Quick Charger package as well (so thats not the reason for price reduction).

Ok, I don't know about 3.5 hrs but a 0.5 hr lecture can be uploaded to the pc in just a few minutes. Hi-LP is quicker (due to the smaller file size). The files are not resampled but are placed on the pc at the same sample rate (Hi-SP = 256kbps, Hi-LP = 64/48 kbps). Ok, I'm not sure if you've used an MD before so... anything recorded through mic/line-in can be split into tracks (or put together again). Each track will become its own file on the pc. They can then be turned into wav files and burned on a cd or copied to another md. Be aware that you may only transfer a file to the PC digitally through usb once. After that, it will be locked and can only be deleted or played. For a 3.5 hr lecture, I'd probably try HI-LP (if transfer rate is important). As a bonus, with a 1gb disk, you can hold quite a few lectures with Hi-lp ;-)

ok, tested and it works, but like with everything with sony, there's a catch... It seems to show up only the files which were transfered from your md (only analogue files). All other digital transfered files do not show up. Still, it's a push in the right direction (along with the limited - but available mp3 support, etc...) Also, quality is NOT the same as the original!!! DAMN IT!!!! I played the *.oma file then the *.wav and I can tell the difference (it was recorded from digital line in on Hi-SP mode) Wave had artifacts while sonys atrac format was virtually artifact free!!! In my opinion Marcnet did a better job then Sony (and it works on all *.oma files)

Need i say more, check this out to see for yourself... haven't gotten it yet... will comment/post later http://sonyelectronics.sonystyle.com/walkm...kmanmc/wav.html :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

Please, explain how i can use the 1gb disks in lp2 mode, is it possible through hardware encoding or only through Sonic$hit ... ugghh stage? I must admit, this sonicstage program would have failed Year 12 highschool Information Systems, its a disgrace to MD equipment.

standard in4004 diods take .7v so i think thats the type to go with.

Yes, i've used that before, but use toothpaste before using brasso, brasso is more of a polish, it' will actually show the scratches more. i'm guessing use toothpaste then brasso. Used this method before for watches. my md is too new to have any scratches just yet, but when it does, that's what i'll do

hmmm, ok. So it's added support for mp3. But tell me, if they were going to use this same chip on the MD, doesn't mean the md will have cd support will it ;-) All I want from my hi-md is the possibility of flagging/unflagging the protection bit. If that could be done with modding the firmware/some other way... that would be purrrrfeccct!

lol, yeah. Sony should get rid of SonicStage entirely. The interface is cluttery, it's buggy and worst of all, its combined too much in one to be of any use (does anyone actually use sonicstage as a player of choice... i don't think so!) When I listen to music, it's usually travelling in the city. Ambient sounds sometimes almost overpower, so quality... is not that much of a concern. What is a concern is that I must fit all my music on one disc (will only fit with Hi-LP compression) Would like to try it in LP2 but since it's a 1gb disc, i don't think that's possible since the format can only be Hi-md mode.

Ok, I've heard many discussions about comparisons etc (mainly of Hi-sp vs 256kbs mp3) but what about Hi-LP vs Mp3 64kbps? I mean, they are at the same bit-rate, both have inferiour quality when compared to something like pcm but... how do they compare (in all truth and honesty - i know there are a lot of fans out there supporting one format or another) to each other. I want your honest opinion. By giving a comment the "both sux" sounds both elitist and ignorant of the fact that it IS A RATIO OF approx 20:1!!!! In my honest opinion, mp3 fails at this bit-rate, on any headphones (cheaper sets sound better in this case ). I have always been a fan of Mp3 (until i found out about ogg vorbis and i have never looked back!) I have the Imation Ripgo Mp3 burner and it was great. at 64kbs however, wma proved to be more sucessfull. When I got my md, i was curious to see how well this wonderful ratio of 20:1 would compare. I was delighted!. I listen to a lot of classical (i play violin) and for once, a violin solo does not sound tinny when playing on the higher strings. I have tried different mp3 encoders and the best was (suprise suprise) LAME. i found it more bareable to convert to Mp3-pro rather than the standard mp3 however, it still does not quite match the quality of atrac3+ I believe this would be the best format for a ratio of 20:1 if it were not for the stupid copywrite protections sony have put in place. Older mp3 encoders I only shudder when i hear what it does to the music at this compression level. having perfect pitch, I hear a piece supposedly in Dmaj modulate to different keys (and sometimes even different speeds!!!!) yes, Mp3 has gone a long way, but can go further still as proven by Sonys format. Damn sony for the protection devices which only hinder a brilliant and useful piece of technology

For a disk formatted in Hi-MD mode, only PCM, Hi-SP and Hi-LP modes are available, for other modes to be available, one must use the older md format. Hi-LP is good for lectures though any analogue file recorded on a hi-md may be transfered to pc. SS copies it to a folder ("C:Documents and SettingsAll UsersSonicStagePackagesHi-MD" by default) so it's just a matter of using himdrender proggie to convert it to wave. Not that i am aware of, it'll still be damn good quality for 1 channel audio. might i ask why pcm in mono? wouldn't you be better off using hi-sp stereo? for lectures, i use hi-lp, its good enough for voice recording (pretty decent actually). Just be aware of the fact that the format you choose for your md will decide the modes you can record and play. sp, lp, lp2 and lp4 require the disc to be in the older md format (so you cant use the 1gb hi-md discs) - not sure if pcm can b done in this mode but i don't think so. pcm, hi-sp and hi-lp require the newer hi-md format

Ok, did a test on my mznh700, did digital in and mic in. The disc was formated in Hi-MD mode and was using hi-sp for recording mode. All transfers worked fine :smile: seems that anything recorded in real time does not have the copy bit protection. I transfered them to hdd using sonicstage, opened the folder where *.omg files are kept (default was "C:Documents and SettingsAll UsersSonicStagePackages") find the files, convert them to wave using himdrender... god bless u marc, a hero in the making :grin:

ahhh, i see. thankyou... now i can rest easier when transfering recorded lectures etc...

please tell me how to disable it. I can't find it, would be a start in safety...

Yeah, thanks for that. It will be abused uni equipment (although, they are in good shape considering). I got the MD, It's all I had hoped for. The recording quality of the Mic is good enough for recording my string quartets, trios etc... Now finally I can study the old recordings without having to be in the library for hours at a time that is the BEST!!!!

Yeah, thanks for that... already looked at the iriver... was not that impressed with the quality of the recording and, more importantly, it seems to affect other studio equipment (when using with mic) with sounds similar to feed-back but in a much higher freq... don't know the cause of this but it put me off it entirely. I like both mds and hd players... but what i need is one long on battery life and good recording quality (as well as playback). I don't fancy the Ipod since i'd be reluctant to use it so much... the idea of paying so much for a new battery really puts me off. the iriver is nicer with ability to use normal batteries but still doesn't quite fit in the recording catagory i want

gee, that was quick! thanks for that... will go and get it right now! got an offer for the Mznh-700 and Sony's ECM-DS70P for $515 Aus Considering the mds around 499 and mics 150, its not a bad deal... also, just another question... does the use of an analogue cable (1/2 metre) affect the quality all that much or?