Malcolm Stewart

The joys of miniature(?) electronics! Sounds pretty familiar to me when trying to make gear as small as possible; and without the expensive and specialised tools our technicians had at work. I'm sure you'll get it corrected quite quickly. I wouldn't expect any improvement when using the 9V battery unless you're recording very loud sounds which would cause pre-amp clipping with the inbuilt pre-amp. (There might be a small improvement in noise level if the electrets are optimised for 9V usage, but I'd expect you'd need a meter to measure that.)

Looks good to me, and some pretty good close-up photography as well!

Thanks for an interesting posting. My experience with XLR terminated mikes is zero, and I use small electret types, Plug-in Power, most of the time. For camcorder video I've tried low cost directional mikes but they're not good enough for audio recording. I've measured the "Plug-in Power" voltage for my two Sony Hi-MD units, it's 2.38V, and also my older Panasonic MD recorders, where it's slightly lower at 2V. I normally use Yoga tie-pin microphones (Dummy Head Stereo) and they seem to work quite well. I've yet to measure their noise level. Still wondering how to do, it as I'll obviously need a good level of acoustic insulation for the test to be meaningful. The article http://www.wildlife-sound.org/equipment/hi...evels_meas.html indicates that feeding directly into the Mic-in socket incurs a dynamic range limitation which apparently doesn't occur when using the Line-in socket. I've tried it using a 9V battery box but have yet to find reliable and repeatable loud sounds which would demonstrate any differences.

Using the small plastic box, I didn't need to use hotmelt glue (which I don't have). I bought everything from Maplins in Milton Keynes. The most expensive item was the cheap earphones (from which I removed the lead and gold plated stereo plug) at £4.99. Other items including the PP3 battery clip, stereo socket & case cost about £3. I used a small piece of copper strip board to help neaten my wiring, and I drilled and screwed the 9V battery connector to one side of the case. I was surprised at how long I spent cogitating before cutting plastic! (Nobody would make a profit employing me these days.) To Tangerine I can't think of any reason why tantalum capacitors can't be used instead of aluminium electrolytics (they're a similar size), but it's not my field and others may advise differently. Testing, or not testing the box I still haven't found sufficiently loud sounds (not from loudspeakers) with which to try out my battery box and microphones. This pm I tried recording the noise underneath a metal girder bridge, on the West Coast Mainline, when a Pendolino was thundering above me. Very much quieter than I had expected and much of the (expected) noise had been dampened by a concrete infilling to the underside of the bridge! Certainly the meters got nowhere near -12dB when using the Line Input. I had hoped that this fairly repeatable noise would allow me to tell the difference between various modes such as Mic In, Line In, AGC modes etc.

I've now repeated the Standard/LoudMusic AGC test on my NH900. In the Standard AGC mode, there's hardly any difference between my NH900 and my RH10. However using the NH900, in LoudMusic AGC mode, immediately after the cessation of the loud noise, the gain is at a very low level indeed. In the next 1/2 second, the ambient noise quickly increases to a level about 4 to 6 dB below the level it was before the loud noise. After approx 2.5 seconds, the ambient noise then decreases to ~ -60dB, and then from here, there's a slow return to the normal level of the amnbient noise, similar to how my RH10 behaved, i.e. taking about 10 or more seconds. In LoudMusic AGC mode, the variations in level are audible and puzzling, and as I've described from the waveforms displayed in Audacity, all is "explained". It seems as though there's more than one time constant fighting another. In all cases I fed a mono signal to both Left and Right, and both channels behave similarly, and with AGC in operation the red overload indicator wasn't triggered.

Many thanks to all who've replied. All I have to do is to find some music festivals worth visiting whilst we're there. I think we're going about 2 weeks too early for those listed on the web, but with luck we'll find some local ones and perhaps cowbells in the Dolomites.

I saw your post earlier today and have done a similar test on my RH10, PCM mode. I've examined the waveforms using Audacity. I used the noise of my computer's fans for the steady low level background noise, peaking at around -30dB, and beat a wooden tray to make the loud noise. I'll agree that in Standard AGC mode, after a sustained loud noise it appears to take about 2.5 seconds to return from a low gain level. In LoudMusic mode, my RH10 recovers in about 20-25 seconds. It doesn't have the infinite hold that you found. What I noticed in my initial tests was that in both modes, a single handclap was simply clipped just below Peak level in either case, and there was no ducking of the AGC. In Manual mode, a handclap would cause overload and the red overload marker would be set in Audacity. As these results, for the Loud Music mode are different to yours, I may see what happens with my NH900. Thanks for posting - I now understand the action of the AGC slightly better than before.

Welcome aboard and congratulations on getting your RH1. They don't seem to have percolated to the Milton Keynes Sony Centre yet, or perhaps they weren't telling me yesterday. With regard to buying 1GB Hi-MD blank discs, beware of the websites offering them at a very low price of £0.79p. When you add in the postage, you'll find that you're paying close to the street price of £5 to £6.

I'm thinking of taking my HiMD MiniDisc plus battery box, Headbanger Amplifier etc. to Italy and am wondering whether the obvious wires, "black boxes" etc. will be too much for airline security checks. Obviously, I'd remove the 9V batteries, but MiniDisc isn't as common as an Ipod and I'm wondering whether not to bother? Previously I've carried camera equipment with no problems, but that was before recent security incidents. Any recent experience - either way? European airlines? Many thanks

Many thanks to Greenmachine for publishing the details of his battery box. I went shopping last Monday and spent a happy time putting it all together. I used a mini plastic case from Maplins and it's a good fit. (Order code JX56L and it comes with a cable relief grommet. I bought a pair of cheap earphones so as to obtain a lead with a gold plated stereo plug. In the past I've found this helps keep noise down - particularly where power is supplied along mike leads.) Then came the big test, and things weren't so good. Instead of the monitored sound being similar to what the plug-in power Mic socket on my NH900 provided, it was heavily distorted. So I tried again last night capturing quieter(?) birdsong in the garden, definitely better and then after about a minute, the monitored sound cut out all together. Panic. Had I blown my NH900? Fortunately, the answer lay elsewhere. As I'm somewhat deaf I use a Soundprofessionals Headbanger amplifier between my NH900 and my 'phones, and the (rechargeable) 9V battery in the amplifier had chosen the time of this most important test for its voltage to dip below that at which the Headbanger works cleanly. Recharging for a short period and I was listening to good sound - phew... I'll have to add a battery voltage zener in my (modified) Headbanger's LED "ON" circuit to ensure that I get warning when the volts drop below 7V or so.

That's a good point about the leakage, particularly as much of my recording is Dummy Head Stereo. The last thing I want is feedback to my microphones which I mount on the side edges of the peak of my baseball cap. I do have some very well sealed earphones for monitoring this actiivity, but they're not anywhere as sensitive, and I have to be careful to not raise the recording level too far, so as to leave headroom for unexpected peaks.

Being an MD user and now somewhat deaf, I'm always on the lookout for sensitive headphones. Today, I think I've found some - a pair of Sennheiser HeadMax PMX60, neck worn design. For me, the key sensitivity figure is the SPL (at 1kHz, 1Vrms) quoted as 122dB. That's way above most of the other 'phones of various types that were on offer (~102dB to 114dB), and I can now set the gain control of my headphone amplifier to its half-way point. There's even enough sensitivity for the PMX60s to work directly from my European model MZ-RH10, but it's better if I use the additional amplifer ("Headbanger") as I can then compensate for the much larger loss in my right ear. I'm not making any claims as to their other qualities, and they certainly don't seal the bass in as some other designs do. I paid ~£30 from a bricks and mortar outlet. (I'm amazed that in my relative youth, 30 years ago, my hearing was good enough for me to sit on HiFi assessment panels, but creeping otosclerosis has put paid to that involvement with the audio industry.) I was out early this morning recording the dawn chorus, and on playback it certainly sounds better, to me, using the PMX60s.

Before posting, I had done quite a lengthy search with no pertinent results. In the future, I'll use my NH900 for bright daytime events, and my RH10 for other events. Thanks to all for your comments, and insight.

Yes, but what I hadn't appreciated until yesterday, is that the highly praised OLED display appears to have no reflective component whatsoever, leading directly to its near 100% invisibility in sunlight. I do have two old Panasonic MD units, which have very clear displays, but which don't offer HiMD, or PCM recording which is what I was using yesterday. Matters should be easier with the RH1, when it arrives, as it's supposed to be able to remember its settings, so hopefully, getting it into Manual Gain mode can be done and remembered, before setting out for outdoor festivals.

I now have two HiMD recorders, an NH900 and an RH10. Today, I visited an outdoor festival (England's Patron Saint George (and dragon)) and quickly discovered that in the sunshine, I simply couldn't see my RH10's display well enough (i.e. hardly at all) to get it into the Manual Gain mode for recording live musicians. On the contrary, my NH900 is near useless in dim surroundings and I bought the 40ELK remote to help with this. Fortunately, it also works on the RH10 - once you've got the RH10 into Manual Gain mode. (I did manage to find sufficient shade, but that could be near impossible in many outdoor situations.) What annoys me is that whilst the manual mentions temperature limitations, I can't recall ever seeing any mention of ambient brightness limitations. At least the RH1 (hopefully) will remember its settings, so things shouldn't be so difficult in the future.

I have an NH900 and I'm wondering if there is any limit to the maximum time (battery life permitting) I can leave my recorder in Pause mode, i.e. without any buttons being pressed. Haven't spotted anything in the manual or in the FAQs here, so I've just given it a quick trial. It stayed in Pause for over 10 minutes after going into Mic Rec mode. I then did a short recording, and put it into Pause again. 15 minutes later it was still in Pause mode. Just wondering if it times out after say 30 minutes ?

Shortly after the above, I ordered one of the RM-MC40ELK remotes controls from Audiocubes, and it arrived earlier today. Seems just as good as I hoped for. In many ways, it's how the display of the NH900 should have been:- clear, can be backlit, and easy to see. It even has mini gain controls on the side. Many thanks for all the advice - I would never have found my own way to the Audiocubes website!

Have just seen your post. I'm definitely not the world's expert but I have successfully joined two files. I don't use the batch mode of Hi-MDRenderer. I downloaded the free version of WavePad (it's more than sufficient for this) and once you've loaded one file, place the marker at the point where you want the second to start, and load that. It joins on seamlessly. Then play and edit as required. The zoom facility is useful for this. Save to .wav or .mp3 (with a free downloadable .dll file), and burn to CD. If necessary, I rename using Windows Explorer tools. Hope this helps.

I have an NH900 amd I'm using SonicStage 2.0. Do I take it from the above that SS 3.0 offers direct saving of uploaded files as wav? (No longer necessary to use HiMDRenderer?) Is SS 3.0 a big download ? Many thanks

Thanks for the pointer. $79 doesn't seem too bad, except that with International Air Freight, duty etc. I guess the cost to me will be around £70 when all's done. As it's backlit and shows record levels, it could be just what I need when I'm recording birdsong at night! (The (English) robins are very vocal at the moment trying to claim their territory.) Very surprised to see (from the reviews on Audiocube's website) that in the UK the NH1 is supplied without any remote. That certainly wasn't clear from the demo model NH1 I examined. Guess I had a lucky break when I went for the NH900.

Yes; the NH900 has a lock. I use it whenever I'm recording because normally I stuff the recorder in a pocket, and wander around capturing whatever sounds come my way! Others in this forum have said that the NH1 remote works on the NH900. I haven't seen any mention of this by Sony. For me in the UK, it's a very expensive option - cost is about 1/2 what I paid for the NH900. Apart from the display window, my NH900 has a metal case. It's almost certainly anodised aluminium rather than the magnesium(?) alloy of the NH1.

I chose the NH900 (black model) for the above reasons, and also, because it could use the same batteries as I'd bought for my MDLP unit, a Panasonic MJ230. My biggest gripe is the dark and low contrast display (I've tried the menu adjustment...) which is not backlit; and the high price for the NH1's R/C in the UK which tends to make that route a non starter. Having kept the Panasonic, I do know how clear a good display can be, and also how easy editing and file annotating can be, with a well designed docking station which the NH900 lacks. Oh well, at least it records in full PCM mode! My main use is live recording, so many of the features are lost on me, but the mike pre-amp seems to work OK for me. ... and both the NH900 and the Panasonic have survived being dropped.

PolderbitS Recorder can record from a variety of sources - in my case I have simply selected the Windows default, which is my soundcard. I suggest you email Mr Kok at the address below and check whether it will recognise data on your USB as being audio data - obviously in your case you don't want to capture via the Edirol's phono outputs to a sound card! He's answered my few questions very quickly. "With best regards, Rudy Kok. PolderbitS Software customer support. E-mail address: support@polderbits.com Internet site: http://www.polderbits.com " Hope this helps - there is a trial version on their website, but I paid for registration very quickly, so don't know what limitations the un-registered S/W has.

For the last few weeks, I've been recording the BBC's R3 "Late Junction" using one of my MiniDisc recorders, but tonight I thought that a meeting I was attending might over-run. (It did.) I decided to try the timer recorder control in the editing software which I've been using, PolderbitS Sound Recorder and Editor. I connected my radio to my PC, amd left it all running whilst I was out. It worked fine - when I got home, the first 20 minutes had been recorded to my HDD, and I just let it run on to the end. I now have a choice - leave as a .wav file on my PC, or transfer to my NH900 at whatever quality I choose.

I'm puzzled... I've just bought (within the last 3 weeks) a Hi-MD NH900, and the software which came on the bundled CD is SS2.0. When I follwed the prompts etc. I found an offer to update me to SS2.1, but no mention of 2.3. Why wasn't 2.1 on the CD delivered with my unit, and as I have been able to transfer Hi-MD files to my PC, what am I missing by staying with 2.0 ? (I'm sort of resistant to upgrade on 2 accounts: 1, If it ain't broke, don't fix it; and 2, I'm on a dial-up connection, and the download time of 2.1 would exceed my "connect" time. Otherwise, my unit makes good recordings.