craftech

http://www.goldmine-elec-products.com/prod...aitem=4&mitem=6 Cost is $7.95 each. Shipping is $6.00 for any quantity. John

Here are some more user reviews of the Olympus DM-10: http://www.epinions.com/pr-Olympus_DM-10_V...isplay_~reviews These are the specs: Recording format: DSS (Digital Speech Standard)/WMA (Windows Media Audio) Recording media: 64 MB built-in flash memory Recording time: SHQ mode: 2 hours 10 minutes; HQ mode: 4 hours 20 minutes; SP mode: 10 hours 25 minutes; LP mode: 22 hours 20 minutes Alarms: 1 Card format: N/A Input level: - 70 dBv PC interface: USB LCD: Large backlit full dot display LED: N/A Folders/messages: 5 folders Sampling frequency: SHQ mode: 44.1 kHz; HQ mode: 44.1 kHz; SP mode: 12 kHz; LP mode: 8 kHz Overall frequency response: SHQ mode: 300 to 8,000 Hz; HQ mode: 300 to 7,000 Hz; SP mode: 300 to 5,000 Hz; LP mode: 300 to 3,000 Hz LP mode: Yes Voice activation: Yes Demographic data input: No Practical maximum output: Information not available Write protection: No Speaker: 23 mm diameter dynamic internal speaker Microphone jack: 3.5 mm minijack, impedance MIC 2 kW Earphone jack: Yes (3.5 mm) Power supply: Rated voltage: 3V DC; batteries: 2 AAA; external power supply: AC adapter Batteries: 2 AAA Alkaline batteries (LR03 or R03) or 2 AAA Ni-MH batteries External power supply: AC adapter (not included) Battery life: Voice Recording: Alkaline: Recording: Approx. 16 hours; Playback: Approx. 9 hours (based on Olympus's standard testing procedure); Voice Recording: NiMH: Recording: Approx. 12 hours; Playback: Approx. 8 hours (based on our standard testing procedure); Music Player: Alkaline (Approx. 10 hours); NiMH (Approx. 8 hours - based on our standard testing procedure) OS supported: Windows: Windows 98, 98SE, ME, 2000 Professional, XP Professional, Home Edition; Macintosh: Mac OS 9.0/9.1/9.2/10.1/10.2 CPU: Requires Intel Pentium II class 333 MHz processor or higher RAM: PC: 64 MB or more; Mac: 16 MB or more Sound board: Requires Creative Labs Sound Blaster 16 or 100-percent-compatible sound card Video card and display: Requires 800 x 600 pixel or more, 256 colors or more Removable drive: Requires 2x or faster USB port: Requires 1 free port Audio output: PC: earphone (or speaker) output; Mac: Microphone input or earphone (or speaker) output Supplied software: Windows Media Player 9 (Windows only), DSS Player software (Windows and Mac) Item width: 1.6 inches Item height: 4.3 inches Item depth: .59 inches Item weight: .19 pounds, including battery Warranty: 1 year parts and labor In the box: Voice recorder, docking station, USB cable, stereo ear bud headphones, a CD-ROM, a user's manual, and warranty info Optional Accessories are reasonably priced here: http://www.video-direct.com/olympus/voicer...ccessories.html John Since she will be conducting interviews and not recording concerts or other live music why spend all that money on a recorder that won't be any better for interviews and may be more complicated to use?

These suggestions are clearly overkill for journalism. Why not get the popular Olympus DM-10 Digital Voice Recorder for $149? It holds 22 hours of crystal clear audio. Read the user comments: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detai...ronics&n=172282 Shipping is free and they have a great return policy. If you need more recording space you can spend another $65 for the DM-20 which doubles the recording time. John

These are the official distributors for Hosa in the UK: http://www.handinhand.uk.net/ John

The show from April 1, 2004 at the Lincoln Theater in Raleigh, NC sounds really good. Both the performance and the audio were good. I really liked their version of the Stevie Wonder song "To Know You is To Love You". Nice guitar improv. BB King did that song also. Great song. John

In terms of durability, the MZ-NH900 isn't built nearly as well as the MZ-R37. I own both and the quality of construction is like night and day. I have opened both (a quirk of mine and maybe not a great idea under the warranty terms) and the difference is really obvious. Some of the bearing points and plastic internal parts don't look like they will last very long. John

Dex made a Jeklin DisK. I liked this author's $5 shockmount: http://www.maltedmedia.com/people/bathory/shock.html and $15 Jeklin Disk http://www.maltedmedia.com/people/bathory/jecklin.html

You might want to try this cheap shockmount setup for around $5: http://www.maltedmedia.com/people/bathory/shock.html And then set up a cheap $15 Jecklin Disc made by the same author: http://www.maltedmedia.com/people/bathory/jecklin.html John

I didn't realize that the band was so popular. In fact, after it was too late I realized that they were playing in the town where my mother lives TONIGHT. I can see why they were signed. I also didn't make the connection with the name "Trucks". Derek Trucks is Butch Trucks' nephew and has played with the Allman Brothers Band as well. I thought a few tunes sounded like them before I found out about the connection. Good band. John

Mrsoul, I noticed in another post of yours that you use Line In with your AT822. Perhaps that played a factor in your need to "normalize" the tracks. The only time I have ever used Line IN with that mike is through a mixer to the Line Input of a DV Camera. Otherwise, with small recording devices such as the MZ-NH900 I always use Mic In and set the levels manually rather on the conservative side (below 50%). I think Dex explained the reasons better in that other post. John

Is your actual username there or does it just say "User name"? If it says "Username", it's just an example so people understand that it's a login prompt. The last visit bit, if you're under guest mode, applies to all guests. ==================== It just says User Name. I guess what I was concerned about was that a password was there. These are troubling times on the internet. Thanks Kurisu, John

Why is it that when I first go to the forum webpage it says "User Name" where the log in name goes and there is a "password" already there? It also says the time of my last visit??? All cookies are deleted at the end of a session. All temp files are deleted as well. Cache is deleted, etc, etc. John

-Line out and Headphone out should be separate like they were on my MZ-R37. -Modern portable electronics are becoming ever increasingly difficult and time consuming to use because manufacturers insist on cost cutting by eliminating manual controls, ports, etc and forcing the user to wade through menus. Camcorders are the worst example. -Build quality is poor compared to the MZ-R37. I have opened both cases and I can safely say that the MZ-NH900 will not last as long as the older unit. John

I listened to the December 29 concert as you recommended. The band is very good. The audio quality on the other hand leaves a lot to be desired. What is lacking is clarity and definition particularly with the vocals. That may be a result of one of the following: 1. The band itself wasn't set up properly. 2. The minidisc recorder was going into distortion levels (you indicated the mike was 10 feet from the band). That's pretty close. 3. Normalizing the audio muddied the vocals and reduced overall clarity of the instrumentals as well. After listening I used the Flac download and the Flac frontend to convert to wave before burning to a CD. I played it for a few people. All of them liked the band, most commented on the low audio quality as well. John

I used Line Out to test it. Playing with the low quality EQ will increase loudness which one shouldn't have to resort to even with the headphones. The unit works better using analog especially with a mike. The build quality also disturbs me especially after using an MZ-R37. John

I just purchased two Sanyo 1350 mAh gumstick batteries and am in the process of tesrting them now. John

I live in the United States and I noticed the same thing. Despite Sony's claim that the units copy levels digitally from a CD that are identical when using an optical cable , the minidisc level is noticeably lower than the original. Play it through a stereo system and you can really notice it. John

Hi Kurisu, I am located in the New York City area. I do primarily videography and thought this format would be a decent backup audio source. My kids are all musicians as well. John

Thanks for the response Twine. The MZ-NH900 does not have that option. It does have "Useful/Audio Out" where you can switch from headphone output to line output. I tried that, but could hear no significant difference in output volume. Both were too low compared to the original CD. I tried an older MZ-R37 for comparison (boy were those well built compared to the newer ones), and the results were the same. The output was too low when using the optical cable for recording. I guess I will try an analog patch cord and manual levels and after that straight PCM on the 1GB disc. John

I just got a new Mz-NH900 and copied a CD onto it to test it. The following settings were used: After charging the internal battery and attaching the dry cell, the AC adapter was used for power. A regular 80 minute MD was recorded using the default Hi-SP mode. A second 80 minute MD was tested using MD mode in SP stereo. The supplied Optical Cable was used from optical output of CD player to optical input of MZ-NH900. AGC was used for the recording. I tried playing back both minidiscs through the cheap headphones and then through a $150 set of headphones. With the volume at 30 it wasn't very loud. Not like a portable CD player for example. Then I hooked it up to my stereo system and A-B tested it against the original CD. The playback level of the original CD was much louder than either MD. My question is, is this normal? And if so, why do you guys like this format? Secondly, would analog output from the CD player yield better results? John