Archivist

I've noticed that my NH900 is VERY mechanically noisy, more so than my NH1. Definitely more noisy than my Sharp DR480 and old-school Sony MZ-R55. Plugging a mic directly into the NH900 pretty much dooms any recording to be full of whirring and chugging, so it's a good job I primarily use binaurals.

Isn't this the case with computers in general? I have long noticed that burning CDs or transferring data takes longer when the same amount of data is in a number of small files.

"Make sure things are well grounded." Silly question, but how do you do this?

I can still buy Sony Color Collection packs from local stores, and they suit me fine for my recording needs. Unfortunately I can't seem to find Hi-MD's anywhere - should have stocked up when I had the chance, but then, I didn't have a Hi-MD recorder at the time!

What if you don't have access to a computer? What if Sonicstage messes with your computer so much that it is impossible to use? What if you don't want to put a rootkit-infested CD into your computer? There could be any number of reasons why you might not be using a computer at that time. A possibly unique case that is true for me: I want to copy someone's CD to WAV, but I am unable to take the CD with me. The owner does have a CD player with optical out, so the only way I'll get a WAV copy is a real-time optical recording. Thank heaven that Hi-MD has optical in!

I have no idea. I took mine to an authorized repair centre listed on Sony's website, along with the invoice. That was all they needed for warranty work, no need for a seller-authorization.

I bought a couple of NH900's from Minidisc Australia. One of them is perfect, the other had a strange button issue - pressing Stop would make the unit skip forward tracks, and pressing Stop when the unit was stopped would start it up again. I emailed them and got a reply very quickly; their service is really, really excellent. I was able to send mine back, and they sent out a replacement. Unfortunately, that had the same problem but in a more minor way. It seems that this is a known fault in NH900's. I decided that I would handle this myself, so I have sent it to a local Sony repair centre. All I needed was a copy of the invoice from minidisc.com.au. It is currently being serviced and I'm waiting to hear progress reports. ~Archivist~

Google for "lavalier clip" or similar. Apart from that, I've seen some backyard-jobs done with mini-electrical clips and solder or black electrical tape.

Hi Isabel, Let me see if I can understand this. You want to use the audio metronome on your keyboard, record the music that you play, but not have the metronome sound in the background. Is that right? Do a test with your recorder. Plug your headphones into the recorder and get the metronome going while you record. Can you hear the metronome? If not, then you will have music without beats. If you can hear the metronome through the headphones (plugges into the recorder), then you are out of luck. Hope this helps.

While you can combine tracks, be aware that some people, myself included, have had trouble combining tracks recorded in WAV. My first WAV recording was auto-trackmarked every five minutes, and when I went to combine them, some of the tracks refused to do so. I asked around here, and while there are no explanations, it seems to be common enough to be known. ~Archivist~

Yeah, exactly. I've been everywhere (Dick Smith, Tandy, Jaycar in the City), and no one has the appropriate converter. It's not even listed in DS's store catalogue. That's why I'm either going to have to order one over the net, or maybe three so I'll always have backups. ~Archivist~

No, Dick Smith and Tandy have nothing suitable. I had to order something like that from Sound Professionals. Soldering iron is probably your best bet, if you have the skills. Hey, would it be hard to make a mono-in -> dual mono-out converter cable? I have a mono mic that I want to plug into my Hi-MD, and I haven't been able to find a mono->dual mono converter in the shops, either.

Dex, are there particular external preamps and professional mics you would recommend for low-level ambient recording? What should I be looking for when searching for this kind of equipment? What would you say is the price range of this kind of equipment? ~Archivist~

Just ensure that you set your mic levels correctly. Dial the setting up and down until your most strident double or triple stop barely redlines. Also, experiment with the distance of the mics from your violin. I personally like the Sony mic preamp a lot. While it is very sensitive at upper levels, the sound quality is good and clear, with very little noise (I have a NH1, a NH900, and an old MZ-R55). When correctly adjusted, they are fine.

3rd gen wishlist: - unit defaults to previous Rec Volume setting after ejecting disc, like Sharp - unlimited uploads from analogue and digitally recorded material - MUCH longer battery life for recording - backwards compatibility with legacy MD record modes - ability to upload legacy MD recordings - true drag-and-drop functionality with the unit - probably not possible due to Hi-MD file structure? ~Archivist~