victorhooi

heya, My audio-technica omni microphone just failed (just get this electrical buzz), so I'm looking at replacing it. I was hoping to get a semi-decent cardoiod microphone, but I just saw the following Giant Squid microphone up on ebay> http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Gold-Plated-Microph...1QQcmdZViewItem What are member's thoughts on this? I assume from the price that it's just a basic omni (what sort of directionality do you think it has?), but since I'm only using this to record voice only in lectures (auditorium of about 200-300 - noise can be an issue though), do you think it would be sufficient? Thanks, Victor

heya, Yes, I'd have to agree iwth 1madman1. I'm pretty sure this used to work with SS 3.3, so I guess it's a regression bug of some sort? In fact, I just installed SimpleBurner 2.0 from the minidisc.org downloads, and it reads the CD-Extra disc fine that SS 3.4 refuses to read. I wonder if anybody from Sony frequents these forums, and will see this? Anyway, failing that, anybody here have any suggestions? Thanks, Victor

heya, I've just installed SS 3.4 *grins*, but I'm having some issues with getting it to read CD-Extra CD's that I've made. Audio CD's will work fine, both retail and burnt CD-Rs (just in case somebody asks, copies of original ones I own), but when I put in a CD-Extra CD, I simply get the "Please insert an Audio CD" message. CD-Extra cd's are basically an audio CD in session 1, with a data in session 2 - most audio CD players will only see session 1, so they won't attempt to play the data track. My CD-Extra cds play in basically every other audio program I've tried under Windows (Foobar2000, WinAmp, Windows Medai Player, VLC, etc.), so a stupid solution would be just to re-rip the CDs them to WAV, import them to SS, and then convert to Atrac. Then again, the whole reason for me making those CD-Extras from my original CDs was not to damage them, and also so I could put lyrics, cover art, and meta tags on them (I've very pedantic about this). Ripping all those CDs to WAV all over again, and retagging and adding cover art is quite annoying, so any help at all would be greatly appreciated =). Thanks, Victor

Located in Sydney, Australia. BTW, forgot to mentiont he Japanese version with cradle/LCD remote would be preferred. Thanks, Victor

heya, Looking for a new Sony RH10 (2nd gen HiMD)? If anybody has one they're willing to sell, or one they can spare, just PM/email me. thanks, Victor

Fair enough, thanks for the advice. Also - should I send just the physical unit itself and headphones? Or should I send the entire box with manuals and stuff? And any idea about the gray pouch? Also, anybody else had experiences with whether Sony replaces or repairs for these sorts of general problems (eg bad writing to disks). Thanks, Victor

heya, (My apologies if this isn't the right category) My aunty in Singapore bought a Sony NH-1 for me at the beginning of the year. Anyway, it's been a bit quirky, but I've dealt with it more or less, except now I'm only getting sound out of the left channel. It's probably a problem with the remote/headphones, but I've also had other weird errors with the device itself, with breaking up tracks, not transferring properly sometimes, corrupting disks, destroying all my groups and putting them all in one forcing me to remake all the groups etc. Do Sony MD products come with an international warranty? Or do I have to send it back to Singapore? Can I get Sony Australia to send it to Singapore? What are people's experiences with Sony and warranty/repairs/refunds for MD products? (lol...if i'm lucky, maybe Sony Australia will just swap mine for another...chances of that?). Also, while I'm here, does anybody know where to get those grey MD pouches? (Lost mine). Thanks, Victor

Excellent Die DRM, die...hehehe My time/stamps seems to be a bit weird though....some of my tracks have them, and some of the earlier ones don't....strangeness, it's probably just me - has anybody here noticed any quirks about time/date stamps, how to make sure all tracks have them, or any reason they wouldn't be stamped? (btw...to A440 - I thought HiMD Renderer can output to Flac anyway? Still, DBPoweramp looks pretty cool - will definitely check out - atm, I'm still trying to figure out the best settings for the LAME thingy - ie what min/max bitrate, and what VBR quality - any suggestions? (aiming for pretty small file sizes, since it's speech - maybe 50 kbps? Would re-encoding the Hi-LP Atrac3 files as 50kbps MP3's significantly decrease quality?) thanks, Victor

Hi, Okay, I'm stupid *slaps back of head* I was kinda scared about transfering my files, due to the limit on only one transfer...but anyway, I decided to risk it, and now notice that the tracks are named after the date/time stamps... This is excellent work... Now that I've finally gotten SS to work (buying a new harddisk, spending an hour or so installing Windows 2000, and then messing around with boot.ini to get dual boot up), it's actually survivable...not stupendously great, but pretty ok...problem is I have to keep rebooting back to my main box, then back to this one every time I want to transfer something...lol... cya, Victor

Hi, Well, I think I'll stick it out with my NH1...Maybe somebody will reverse engineer OpenMG/Himd someday . Anyway, thanks to all of the incredibly helpful people on this forum who helped me out (I'm the guy who posted "cannot find database"). My question is, the NH1 has date/time stamping, is there any way to get SS to import/transfer over this data? (Can't seem to see the option...if I've missed and it's obvious, please forgive me...come to think of it, it seems completely illogical that Sony wouldn't transfer the stamps over...). Also, for those who transfer live recordings via SS, what do you do once you've transferred them over, since you only get one shot at in? (eg. do you use HiMD Renderer? What's the best way to preserve quality with this method? As well as squeeze as much as possible?) thanks, Victor

Hi, Thanks for your quick replies guys . Well, basically I'm getting the SS "cannot find database" error - I posted the details here, and you can follow the thread to see what was suggested, and what I've tried. I've tried both 2.3, and 3.0, uninstalled and reinstalled several times, and quite simply, I'm fed up. Even under VMWare, using a pristine install of Win2K, I experienced crashes and random issues... Also, this isn't the reason for the return, but the DRM stuff is starting to annoy me - when I tried to transfer microphone recordings to my computer (I *finally* got it to work...or at least load up, but it wouldn't actually transfer), it tells em I only have 1 shot at it.... What exactly is Sony's return policy? Basically, if I take the product and proof of sales to Sony, can I ask for my money back? (It was actually a present from a relative overseas, so that might complicate things - if they just send me the receipt, I can claim it here, right?) thanks, victor

Hi, Hmmm, I've had a lot of troubles with SS...I've tried 2.3, 3.0, also under VMWare, reinstalled as per FAQ several times etc. Would it be possible to just ask for a refund from Sony? (I've had it for about 2 to 3 weeks...tech support said Sony said to wait for next SS release, which I did - 3.0 is now out, it doesn't work, and frankly, I think I just want my money back). Anybody had experience with such a thing? thanks, victor

Well, I have to say that I'm also experiencing the same issue with SS 3.0 - I did the whole rigaramole as detailed in the FAQ - uninstalling SS 2.3, OpenMG modules and add-ons, restarting each time, removing all Sony/OpenMG-related directories, purging all Sony/OpenMG registry databse keys etc. Yet the same error: I don't get it - can Sony's software engineer's really be all that bad? This isn't simply just buggy software...this is software so badly coded it's literally a joke.... Also - I'm sure everyone on these forums means well, and they really are trying their best to help out, but does anybody have *any* idea whatsover about the real reason for this "Cannot find the databse file" error? What exactly is the root cause of this problem. After searching through 30 posts on the subjects, most seem to end with the generic response 1. It's your fault, 2. Replace your computer, and 3. Try reinstalling SS. Apart from reinstalling SS, applying service packs, and checking for codec packs, there doesn't seem to be any other solution that has ever been suggested. Is this a fundamental problem with SS? On a brighter note - does anybody know of any open-source projects to reverse-engineer the HiMD protocol, or create a GPL app to transfer music? I know the libnetmd people were trying something, but the project seems fairly dead in the water as of late .

Hi, Oh man....I'm excited...but also seriously pi*sed off, since I just got a Nh1. Is there a a chance of there being a firmware update or something? Well, I know some companies seem to really care about their customers and constantly release really nice updates (e.g. Lite-On with their firmaware releases that enabled dual-layer or faster burning speeds on older models, or NVidia with their massive performance boosts), but I've never heard of Sony doing something like that...*sigh*...is there a chance of there being an unofficial hack (a la Canon 300D to 10D hack) ? Well, still, it's good to see MD moving along - if only there was some hack for my old MD deck...lol... cya, Victor

Hi, Yeah, I second the call for GNU software . I rang up Sony Australia again for the third time, and the person I spoke to (Paul) was incredibly helpful. He admitted that the database error was a known problem, and that it was a fairly common issue. Apparently, SonicStage 2.3 was meant to resolve the issue, but it didn't, and so now we're waiting on the next release. Since I've registered my MD unit, I'm meant to get an email when it's released (although since I follow these forums pretty closely now, I think I'll know before the email arrives anyway ). atrain: Sorry about the delay in getting back to you, but *yes*, I did delete the database - look up a bit and read, and you'll see exactly what I did (believe me, I was thorough). Are there any attempts to create a GNU/OSS program for transferring files to and from Hi-MD units? I'm not a brilliant programmer, but I'd be happy to help out how I can (bug-testing, documentation, light coding) on any projects that are trying to reverse the Hi-MD format, or create a new transfer app. bye, Victor

A440: Thanks a lot dude - you answered all of my questions . However, I've got another one . Thanks for mentioning the adapter - it's only a couple of dollars, and I suppose it's a cheap solution. However, it might be better quality to upload and combine in an audio editor (your thoughts?) For listening, I can use the adapter when I need to listen to the recordings (since it's weird to listen to sound in only one ear - that was my original reason for wanting a mono mode). However, looking here and here, it seems that the codec *will* compress the no-signal in the R-channel to nothingness (or close enough). I have no idea what the 500/520 reference means? Also: Nonetheless, it's still quite annoying and I don't see why Sony didn't include it. It's a pain to listen back to your recordings in one ear only, the summary-channel isn't as good as having *true* mono mode, and how much effort would it have taken to include it? They had it in MD original, after all (i have an old md deck). Any chance of a skillful MD afficiando putting out a firmware hack to add Mono in HiMD? With storing cords, I still don't know which is best. Wrapping is good, except it means every time you want to listen, you have to take the whole thing out, unwrap it, then put it back in...whereas you can be lazy like me and just pack it all in on the top . bye, Victor

*shameless bump* Does anybody have any idea about the best way to make use of the mono microphone? Or is this the wrong place to ask these sorts of questions - if it is, could somebody please redirect me to a better place I should ask? Thanks, Victor

Hi, The CD arrived from Sony today (SonicStage 2.3), but as I feared, it still fails on startup with the "corrupt database" error. kurisu: You've been very helpful so far dude, and I appreciate you taking the time to help me out. Would you happen to haven any other suggestions? I'm getting kinda desperate now... Tomorrow, I think I'll give Sony tech support a ring, scream at some reps to work off some aggression, and see where we go from there... Does anybody else have any advice - I'm pretty open to trying nearly anything. Thanks, Victor

hi, Thanks for the suggestion, but that's the first thing I tried afterwards (after rebooting, and uninstalling/reinstalling of course) . Anyway, I just called Sony Technical Support (for those interested the Australian number is 1300 13 7669, listed here- There's also a direct number here, although J Hagness is on holidays at the moment). The rep I spoke to at Sony (Don) said that they'd send out an updated SonicStage CD tomorrow for me to try. I guess I'll wait for it, try it, and see how it goes. Also, while I've got your attention , would you know anything about this? Just a quick question from me about recording in mono-mode on HiMD units. Anyway, thanks a lot for your help - I'll post again when the CD arrives (fingers crossed that it helps). bye, Victor

kurisu: Thanks for your quick reply dude. Unfortunately, it still does not appear to work. I actually already carried out your instructions more or less to the letter before, except for the installing on top part. Just to be certain, I used Locate32 to scan for all occurences of "sony" and "openmg" on disk, and Nirsoft's Regscanner to purge the registry for all occurence of "sony" or "openmg" (except for those linked to my Sony CD-RW, and those in %systemroot%\Driver Cache\i386" which are the drivers for Sony Digicams). So yeah, as you can see, I was pretty thorough, and it still refuses to work Also, if you attempt to install on top, SS23ENG.exe actually complains with If you click No, the install aborts immediately. So, it seems I've basically done what I did before, which was install 2.1, remove, and then install 2.3. Very annoying... (Sony, that is). Anyway, I appreciate your help nonetheless - do you have any other suggestions I could try? Thanks, Victor Is this actually a common issue? From what I've read on forum boards and blogs so far, I'm pretty sure that Sony must have quite a few irate customers - isn't this a bit like the iPod battery issue? Why hasn't anybody pressed the issue, or complained to Sony about it? I wonder if it's possible to demand a refund from Sony?

Hi, Recording with a Mono Microphone I've recently received a MZ-NH1, which I'm lots of fun playing with right now . Anyway, I also got a monoaural microphone, and I'm wondering what's the best way to use a mono mic. If I plug it in and attempt to record, obviously it only gives me sound in the L-Channel, with the R-Channel being empty. Is there some sort of adapter I can get to duplicate the sound across both channels? Or is there a mono recording mode in HiMD (I know there's the old MD Mono)? (this would be best solution, but I'v seen nothing to indicate this) Or doesn't it matter due to the compression? (I'm not sure how HiMD compression works - will it just compress the emptiness in the R-channel into nothing, and use the leftover bitrate for the left channel? - I thought it was cbr?) Analogue Line In My next question is, when recording from a device which only has an analogue line out (ie stereo mini plug), should I just plug it into the microphone port? Or should I get some kind of adapter to plug it into the optical port? Which would give better quality? Carry Pouch, Cords My final question is kinda random, but for those with a portable MD unit in a carry pouch, how do you tuck your cords in? Do you fold it back and forth, like how it originally came in the box with a wire twist-tie, or do you just pack it all into a convoluted spaghetti mess? Thanks, Victor PS: Anybody know where you can get rewriteable labels for MD disks? I always found it silly that the labels are just paper, and not rewriteable plastic, since the whole point of MDs is to rewrite them...

Hi, Yeah, I know, this issue has probably been dealt with to death, but I seriously can *not* seem to get it to work . Anyway, basic specs first, as suggested here: Sony MZ-NH1 Sonic Stage 2.1 (on CD), 2.3 (downloaded) Windows XP, SP2, Account is Administrator AMD 1600+, 256 Mb No Firewall or Antivirus software installed. FFDShow not installed I first attempted to just install the application off the CD, and plug it in and let it rip. That, of course, didn't work: I tried installing the MDAC update, as suggested in this post, which also didn't work. I then updated to SP2, and ran Windows Update afterwards. I also followed the uninstallation instructions as detailed here, installed one version, uninstalled again and reinstalled the other, each one several times, all to no avail. I have also read the following posts: Updating Sonic Stage Database Problem SonicStage Problem (Latest Version) Sonicstage Error....when I Open It Help Meeeeeeeeeeeee!, sonicstage I have also read through the posts here, as well as the comments here. If you click cancel, the application just closes. If you click ok, it brings up the recover database dialog, which then just causes the app to close. Does anybody know if there's a solution to this issue, or what the root cause of it it? I'm actually fairly happy with my NH1, except that I think Sony has really, really terrible software engineers, and if they actually spent half the effort programming SS as they did on the DRM, it might actually work... Is there a project to create HiMD/MD apps for Linux? I don't know why nobody seems to have started one...these recurrent problems with SS is an excellent advertisement for an OSS development model. Anyway, I hope somebody has a solution to this, because I really do want to use it - in advance, thank you . Thanks, Victor