1kyle

Hi all Hope you had a merry Xmas and have a happy New year Just recently I've seen something of a renewed interest in MD here in the UK. Even Morrisons supermarket now often carries MD blanks (not alas yet the 1GB variety but no probs with the 80 Min type for around 2.99 GBP / 7 USD for a pack of 5. We've had all sorts of Dire Future projected Street crime statistics in the UK with things like Ipods on top of muggers targets. Added to which the problems of losing entire music collections and other drawbacks with downloaded music (DRM, incompatable formats, poor compression etc). have given people a new impetus to re-visit things like MD again. I've actually noticed a lot more people using MD's lately. Even Itunes have admitted that music downloads are now slowing (this was meant to be THE growth in 2007 --won't happen now) and apple's Ipod sales have finally peaked. Whilst the MD (especially the RH1) is really designed for portable recording there's no real problem in using it as a play back device and with 80 Min discs you can still have a days worth of music by carrying 2 or 3 discs even when using HI-SP mode. I think actually we WILL see some new gear in 2007 although how the RH1 could be bettered I really don't know except possibly for an optional title track display. Cheers -K

Anybody who's living in the UK ( Or Eire - ROI) and suscribed to the SKY HD TV service --you can get some great Audio now on the HD channels -- the good thing about the SKY HD boxes is that they have both HDMI and OPTICAL Audio output. Film Soundtracks from the HD channels are invariably coded in 3.2 Dolby which even if you just record into the Optical In on your MD recorder will give you Stupendous results for your play back in HI-SP. No need or point to use PCM for these recordings BTW. (Slightly Off topic - but info for those wishing to get SKY HDTV in the UK -- the current HDTV boxes also have Analog output as well both phono and scart so you can still get HDTV audio output via "more conventional means" even though the quality won't be as good as the Optical output.(Quality here however is still streets ahead of DAB radio even on Analog input). The later boxes will just have HDMI and optical outputs so if you are thinking about getting HDTV via SKY then try and get the current boxes as they give the most flexibility for your recordings). OK It's real time --but if you are watching the film anyway and want to record the sound track it's a great way to do it. Compared with FM or DAB Audio quality from the HDTV system can be VERY GOOD INDEED. Other countries I'm sure also have their own versions of HDTV systems --the remarks made above should also apply to these services as well. OK the HDTV service comes at a price and I know we are on an Audio board but once you've seen stunning HD pictures especially from channels like Discovery / National Geographic and Sport in really fine detail and outstanding colour you can't go back to "Ordinary TV" and of course the Audio out really is First Class in most cases - which is actually the point of this post. Cheers -K

If you guys can't find any 1GB discs any more the 74 / 80 MD discs (still easy to find and very cheap currently) why not try using these in HI-LP mode for Audio Books. You can get often 2 entire books on an 80 Min MD recorded at HI-LP and for audio vocal (pure speech) it's fine (or even 48 kbs is not too bad for pure speech either --still beats the old tape hands down). Audio Books are a great way to enjoy books when it's really difficult to read a book in a crowded train -- and even the most dedicated music listener I'm sure will want a change from time to time to listen to something else. On a long car journey It's also great to have these audio books available -- if you've got a car unit LP4 on a standard MD is fine otherwise use an Audio In with your HI-MD recorder or those little transmitters you can buy everywhere. One great thing about this type of recording is that almost (within reason) whatever bit rate you use the quality will be more than adequate. Cheers -K

Remember that compression techniques and algorithms have improved significantly over the last few years so there is no reason to suppose that HI-SP is inferior to SP (it actually isn't BTW) just because the bit rate is slightly smaller. OK SP was (and is fine) if you need or are using legacy equipment but HI-SP more than holds its own these days. 7 1/2 hours is usually more than enough music for a single session so I'm not sure if this is in fact anyway at all a serious limitation. Just take 2 1GB discs with you -- the battery will probably run out before you've completely listened (or recorded) 2 discs. In fact to me that is the mose noticeable omission for professional recording use. A sidecar containing an extra battery would have been a great idea. Otherwise I agree with the reviewer and to me the RH1 has not only come up to expectations but greatly exceeded them --especially after the real disappointment I had with the RH10. Cheers -K

Just about makes the grade as it's on the 100 USD border. See my post on the Sennheiser PCX 150 Active Noise cancelling phones. http://forums.minidisc.org/index.php?showtopic=17832 Cheers -K

Travelling in the London Underground these days with literally 1000's of Ipod / other portable music listeners having no "etiquette" about listening in packed spaces I was looking for a decent set of light portable phones that could essentially shut out the "ambient noise" of all these different music devices without costing a fortune. At just under 45 GBP / 85 USD The Sennheiser PCX 150 ACTIVE noise cancelling phones do the trick like magic. You can also switch off the Noise Limiter when you don't need it. It also has the advantage of cancelling out all those Mobile Phone conversations "I'm on the train..." etc etc. as well. -- Peace at last. The phones are powered by 2 AA cells which seem to last almost indefinitely. If you want to listen in peace even in noisy places like London's underground railway system then these phones are a real winner. The quality is good as well --certainly what you would expect from a near 100 USD set of phones. Recommend these highly if you can afford them. With the RH1 absolutely superb. Cheers -K

Ever tried calling a Bank or almost any other service you care to name these days. As soon as i hear the dreaded words "Your Call is Important to us ......" I immediately hang up as I know I'll be paying money on a premium line for typically 20 mins and eventually when you do get hold of a human the chances are you'll know much more than the person at the other end of the phone - even if they do speak some sort of English (or other language depending on where you are calling from). The chances are that your battery has gone -- replace it. You should be able to get a new one from your warranty if you only purchased the equipment a couple of months ago. The Charger itself is very unlikely to be faulty -- if you have a Motoralor RAZR type of phone the same charger works so you could see if your charger charges your phone. This will eliminate a fault with the charger if the phone charges up. The batteries have a certain shelf life -- Once the shelf life has been exceeded they need replacing. Cheers -K

The real tragedy here was not the lack engineering skills at Sony but from the sheer incompetence of the marketing people. For example just look at the sleek designs of the RH1 and the N10 -- were these ever SEEN on TV or in the press -- not as far as I know. Most pepole I know who are using MD equipment are either long time users from back way when or new users who have got to know about them by word of mouth from other users - particularly musicians. The product managers weren't much better either as they let areas of the market where Sony had a real lead slip away from them. I don't like the design at all of the hideous (IMO) ubiquitious tiny micro mp3 players and I don't really like the design of the IPOD anyway --but others do so I can't really knock that one. The Ipod definitely was simple to use and essentially drag and drop. Some of the MD manuals almost require you to have a university Ph.d before you can understand ho to use the product. OK some MD's weren't exactly state of the art either --the RH10 was a HUGE disappointment for example -- poor quality including the notorious battery door compartment which breaks just when it's LOOKED at at it, and the really easily scratchable case. However the RH1 certainly is far better than anyone could have dared hoped given the possibility of the entire MD range being killed off. Had Sony allowed Drag and Drop and uploads from the outset and only applied DRM to "Purchased copyrighted downloaded music" the MD would have taken off long before the Ipod was even thought of. Stopping people copying THEIR OWN COMPOSED AND PLAYED MUSIC was probably the biggest own goal in the music industry of all time. Some of the Sony Laptops are really great but watch out --Philips (yes Europe is still in it) has an exquisite ultra portable laptop -- the X56 -- at around 1/2 the price of the Vaio's and LG is certainly competing with Sony's new HD TV's (excellent again but a lot more costly than LG's). Motorola (I love the RAZR type of mobile phones) and Samsung IMO have outsmarted Sony / Ericcsson in the mobile market and Sony's DVD technology is too late -- with the price of a 350 GB hard disk now as little as 79 GBP / 100 USD who needs yet another DVD format. A 350 GB disk can record HOURS and HOURS of HD Tv without yet another set top box. Whilst Sony is not yet in its death throes it's clear that they need to percieve what the user wants rather than the music / entertainment moguls. Finally having got a product they need to MARKET IT. I hope that we won't be writing sometime in 2008 Sony's Obituary -- SONY R.I.P. Cheers -K

Making the file Bigger won't improve it. Even a WAV file made from your 128 kbs mp3 file won't sound better than the original - you will still lose a bit. Whether converting the 128 kbs mp3 file to a similar bit (132 ATRAC LP2) file is worth while would depend on the accuracy of the conversion algorithm and the quality of the MP3 file. For Lowish quality sound it might work acceptably. I would in general avoid transcoding a compressed (lossy) file to another compressed (lossy) file in any case. If you have the original in say FLAC, WAV or Compressed Lossless ATRAC then converting to MP3 would be far better. --Again the quality of the original source might render this as overkill. Your ears should be the only real judge. --We can theorize about the maths and physics but it's what your own ears hear is how you'll probably proceed in any case. Cheers -K

Great post Remember also that the RH1 (and other Minidiscs) are great RECORDING instruments as well instead of mere playback units. The Infamous Ipod is finally showing a drop in sales as people have either got bored with it or since nearly everyone has one it's becoming decidedly "Uncool". The new Microsoft horror (ZUNE I think it's called --who comes out with these rediculous names --sounds like son of ZogZilla) ) has too many restrictions and what's the point of being able to copy a song on to a colleagues unit where it disappears after 3 plays. Whoever thought of that one must have been under the influence of those funny smelling cigarettes you can buy in those famous or (infamous) Amsterdam "Coffeeshops". At least with a MD you can give a disc to someone else who can then upload to another comnputer etc etc. I'm also sure if you are listening on a train etc the whole "shared listening" concept of the Zune is not what people will want, and the unit is as fat as a brick anyway. A decent MD unit still causes people to look at it especially these 2 units - The RH1 (current and best of the lot) and my favorite older recorder the (IMO) really exquisite N10. I still use this from time to time for playing legacy discs and for shorter recording sessions where I'm using legacy mode recording. MD is still very much alive and kicking even if it's a "niche" market. Cheers -K

just my take on this If you ARE listening to music why not just go for the highest reasonable quality you can get - At HI-SP at 256 which is usually good enough unless you really want to go for "extreme" modes such as 352 / PCM you will get nearly 8 hours / 8 CD's worth of listening on a 1GB disc. How often are you actually continuously listening during a day so 1 disc should be sufficient. Take a 2nd disc if you must. Discs are relatively cheap and easy to store so I wouldn't worry too much about cost here. If you are transcoding from a 128 MP3 source then all bets are off since there won't be any point in taking an already lossy file and making a larger file out of it. It's equivalent to taking a 25 ml glass filled with water and pouring it into a 1 Litre glass - spilling a little of the liquid in the process - the spilling would be equivalent to the additional dataloss in the re-transcoding. With cheap "cans" you can get away with lower bitrates etc --but once you start using decent phones or playing through high end audio equipment you really will notice the difference. 128 MP3's IMO are really only good enough when you are listening through those cheap bud type of phones --and even then only if it's an MP3 made from an original CD (not a copy of another compressed music source). Incidentally for storing music on the computer - provided you don't mind using SS and the extra steps for moving music to different devices such as if I dare say it IPOD's storing in 352 Atrac LOSSLESS is quite efficient (when ripping original CD's). You can convert LOSSLESSLY to PCM and then convert to MP3 / OGG or whatever. You don't have to keep the WAV files in the library. Note however SS does have an issue --music can't span more than one volume --when your disk is full you can't add a 2nd disk to the same library. (You can have more than one library however). remember also that MD is now primarily marketed as a RECORDING device so don't expect Sony to add any new formats or bit-rates. We might get in due course a larger capacity recording device 2GB or greater - but that's another issue. Solid state recording devices are fine on the road in theory but studios etc will want to archive recordings so removable media still IMO has a role to play. As for SP vs HI-SP HI-SP really is fine as you will get 2 hrs 20 on a standard 80 min disc instead of 80 Min and modern compression algorithms have improved considerably since the launch of the original MD. Unless you have gear which still uses SP (like some of the great decks such as MDS-JB980) I'd tend to forget it and standardize on Hi-SP. Cheers -K

Sometimes I want to create a bog standard SP disk (car listening etc). The problem is not with recording it but how to get the track info on to the SP disk. However the easy way is to simply create your disk on a "Virtual CD" (use something like NERO's DRIVE IMAGE - you can create up to 2 "Virtual CD's"). You can then burn your SP MD (in real time) using total recorder / computer optical out or whatever music playing software you use to "play the Virtual CD". You can create a CD from your Hi-MD tracks (remember however that you won't get more than 80 Mins on a standard CD and it's better to aim for 74 mins as the maximum). You create your CD probably in real time but if you've got data in a music library you could use that as well -- some music formats will create CD's without a problem such as OGG if you've got the appropriate software. Once you've made your MD use Simple Burner and use Gracenote GET CD info from the CDDB. You can then edit (via cut and paste) the track info on the MD. Don't record as (or use FREEDB if you don't like gracenote) then you can edit your SP. I still haven't found a way to automate this yet but this method DOES work and it's far better than having TRK1, TRK2, Trk3 etc as names for your tracks. Also using "Virtual CD's saves you actually having to physically burn CD's --quicker and cheaper. The computer will treat the "Virtual CD" exactly as a "Real CD" so when you've finished with it you will have to "Eject it" otherwise you coun't "mount" another one. The documentation is quite clear in Nero on how to use this feature. Cheers -K

Using a Line out ensures that the signal hasn't been processed by any of the "Sound options" such custom 1, custom 2, studio etc etc. You ususally get a much cleaner sound going into your target output device. The output is usually higher as well than headphone output -- especially if you have one of those European limited output (2mw) models. You can hack most models to increase the output to 5MW but you are adding another stage of amplification when using headphone output. Cheers -K

The RH10 was unfortunately a HUGE disappointment --it could have been almost an "IPOD" killer had it been built more ruggedly, made slightly thinner and had provision for a line out. The screen was great for play back and the unit although fat looked quite "snazzy". The cheap case however is a real dog as it chips and scratches very easily. I had the broken battery problem TWICE but you can get a repair fairly easily as the previous poster points out. I'd suggest you don't even THINK of opening the battery door once you've got it repaired. The battery can be charged and discharged a lot of times before you really need a new battery --I'd think the unit is likely to get broken long before you wear out the battery. I've since got rid of mine and am very happy with the RH1's I use instead. A far superior model all round. Cheers -K

The RH1 can record directly in SP - SS not required. You can also use optical out from a high end deck such as MDS JB980 to the optical in of the RH1. OK it's real time - but I don't know where you got the info that some ATRAC3+ devices can't record in true SP mode. Incidentally I think there's a bit of "erroneous" info around here regarding compression quality of HI-SP @256 and True SP @ 292. A Higher compression ratio doesn't always mean a poorer quality sound --modern mathematics and engineering can create some very efficient and good compression algorithms and Hi-SP @ 256 certainly passes most quality tests. --Incidentally if you must you can use a higher bit rate (if you use SS) but in most listening applications the Hi-SP @ 256 is more than adequate and certainly beats typical MP3 download rates of 128. An analogy is in professional photography where some high end (really expensive 1500 GBP or more) digital cameras which "only" have a mega pixel count of 6 - 8MP will yield far far superior pictures under any circumstances to a lot of the consumer grade cameras which have a far higher MP count (often 7 - 10 MP). There really is no contest. With audio (as well as video) it's not just the "bare numbers" that count. You MUST look at the underlying technology and methods used to produce the effects. Cheers -K

I'm sure any piece of gear will eventually wear out given enough constant usage - however these discs are cheap enough --why not buy a few more and "rotate" them say use a different one each week. You only need a few -- a pack of 10 (easily obtainable cheaply) will probably last you longer than the minidisc recorder itself you are using to record your radio programs with. Cheers -K

I still have some of the old 60 Min discs (donkeys years old) -- They STILL work. There's no reason why discs shouldn't last indefinitely if they are reasonably handled. I don't think I've EVER had to get rid of a MD. I shouldn't worry about the lifetime of a disc --if you do get a bad one you are very unlucky indeed. Cheers -K

One thing also forgotten here is it really doesn't matter what you do if the original source quality / recording is poor to start with. Whilst typical MP3 encoded at 128 is in general not very good there's no reason why an encoding at 320 kbs Lame V0 at a variable bit rate shouldn't sound extremely good. What tends to happen is some people start with already a hideousely compressed sound and then compress it again. Similarly the the quality Music Downloads offer is usaually not very good either and even if you still get your music via "Old Fashioned CD" some recordings are pretty terrible as well so it doesn't matter what you do to the sound --it's going to stay horrible. As they say in the computer industry GIGO --Garbage in - Garbage out). Physical Size has nothing to do with Quality -- just take computer hard disks -- a tiny disk can hold nearly 300 GB of data and it's a lot more reliable than a disc which was probably 3 times it's physical size, manufactured a few years ago which could only hold around 20GB. There is no reason those tiny MP3 players shouldn't produce a decent sound provided the medium has a large enough capacity to record at a decent bit rate --AND OF COURSE PROVIDING THE ORIGINAL SOURCE SOUND IS OK TO START WITH. Cheers -K

Just a quick question is it possible to install SB ONLY on a laptop without having to install SS. There are times I'd just like to Burn a CD directly while on the road --I don't want to have a large music Library on a Laptop (or at least THIS particular laptop -- it's a work one where I don't want to install a lort of *Other* software on it.. I know I Can install SS and not use it but it seems a bit of a waste. The standard HI-SP @256 is fine for on the road listening --you have to have really good equipment and ears to tell any improvement at HI-SP 320. Some of the recording quality of some modern re-pressed CD's isn't really worth it in any case and using SB is a lot quicker than messing around importing the CD's into a music library and thenm transferring --also the latest SB version (from this site) seems to have fixed a lot of the problems with connecting to CDDB / Gracenote to retrieve track info. Cheers -K

Hi all For WAV==>FLAC==>WAV==>CD this works great http://www.legroom.net/modules.php?op=modl...mp;app=autoflac Cheers -K

Anybody managed to get SS music library to "Span" disk volumes. (I.e when you want to have your library on several volumes instead of just one disk). I know you can "Poodlefake" it by having several different libraries but this is not really a satisfactory work around as you have to do either a backup / restore via SS or a "re-import". I'd like to have a single library which could span multiple volumes. I've got a half way sort of better get-around using MySQL and linking FLAC file names to the Mysql database (you don't store the flac file in the Mysql data base just its name and a link to where it is on a disk / dvd etc). So currently I upload as WAV and convert to FLAC which then gets added to the MySQL database. I really only use the computer for Music backup -- I rarely use it as a music SOURCE and I NEVER buy downloadable tracks -- for me quality is still too hideous (why can't you get UNCOMPRESSED downloadable music like CD's) and the DRM restrictions too irritating -- I'm often using a variety of different laptops and workstations so restrictions on music to device / other computer transfer makes that type of purchase not an option for me in any case. I've also catalogued my MD collection in the Mysql DB using the excellent labelling programs found on this site. Cheers -K

Hi Volta -- running a VM is NOT emulation and it will run at nearly Native Speed. The overhead these days is relatively minimal. There are many cases where for various reasons one will have to use Windows --particularly if you have to connect to a load of corporate apps that are windows based such as SAP etc. If you are (and a lot of people on the road most certainly are) in the position where you have to logon to a Windows corporate application then the VM approach IMO works wonders. Note a VM (Virtual Machine) is NOT the same as emulation or dual booting. You can Instantly switch between your VM and the native OS for example OSX. For example have a look at this screenshot. http://www.1kyle.com/rdesk.jpg Cheers -K (edited --can't spell my own name properly after drinking that DUVEL strong Belgian Beer --great stuff though).

If you have an Intel mac you can run Parallels and set up a Virtual Windows VM on your Mac under OS X. No dual booting required. Then you can run SS just as windows users. Parallels works great. http://www.parallels.com personally IMO this is a much easier and neater solution than trying to find specific Mac software which may or may not work and even if it does work it will probably not work 100% the same as it did in Windows. Once you've got your Windows upload to MP3 /WAV you can of course share these with your Mac. You can do it by "Host Only Networking". The Parallels documentation is quite good. Cheers -K

RH1 forget the RH10 -- it really was a DOG. Cheers -K

Flash recorders have probs with limited capacity. What do you do when it's full and you are 5,000 KM away from home with no Internet / download capacity so you can't clear the device for more recording. Hard Disc recorders have other problems -- if you are in a War Zone doing PJ work and the Hard disk goes belly up (quite likely in areas with a lot of Sand / Dust and vibrations on the back of a Tank exiting from the battlefield) then you are 100% totally hosed. An individual MD is virtually indestructable. As a PJ / pro photographer whose been in some very dubious situations I'd know what gear I'd prefer to take --and it wouldn't be hard disk based, Cheers -K