Roamer

I assume you want to upload from HiMD to PC. If you look at the property of a HiMD track , it will tell how many times you can transfer it (and if you have done it with a previous version, you can no longer transfer it as you have found). There is also a small symbol that changes form after uploading a track on the left of the titles for the track. WinNetMD is for earlier units, you don't need it. Have a look at this topic : http://forums.minidisc.org/index.php?showtopic=7436

Upload your record to your PC, and try to adjust level with Audacity (or similar tools). If you have saturation in your recordings (over 0 db during recording), there is probably not much that can be done ....

You can find the nh600 well under 200$. A quick ebay search gave me this one : http://cgi.ebay.com/Sony-MZNH600D-Hi-MD-Mi...1QQcmdZViewItem but you can eventually find them cheaper if you search further. The nh600 doesn't have a remote or fancy features, but you get better capacity with HiMD. But the choice is yours ...

If you're doing you're own records with a mic, HiMD is worth the upgrade IMO. 1. You get uncompressed PCM 2. You get hours of compressed HiSP 3. You can upload faster than realtime with USB. (the only reason for me to use SonicStage ...) Even if it is a niche market, there is a demand for this type of use (small bands, interviewers, tappers ...) and there is little competition in that market (Creative Jukebox 3 is discontinued, same with DAT, and M-Audio is more expensive ...). I think that HiMD should focus there (larger media would have been better), HD and Flash are dropping in price constantly, and it will only be harder to chase iPod and other players ... On the other hand, i completly agree with the point of dropping DRM.

And the Bufalo unit. I hope that Sony will open their license to more manufacturers if they are no longer interested ...

Strictly speaking, 'binaural' is a stereo technique. By extension, it is also used for mics made for this technique, but they can actually be used the way you want. Some info also on this site : http://www.dpamicrophones.com/page.php?PID=1

What would you like to record ? It usually have to be quiet loud without a preamp, although that depends also on the mics (and most of them are available from US).

The 'For Loud Music' is for recording with a mic (it is described in the manual). So it doesn't matter for playback. And SonicStage / SimpleBurner is the only way to transfer music.

Yes. You can name disc and tracks. Check the manual / SonicStage for 'Titling'.

- Gain Agreed. This could (should) be easily fixed. - XLR This would make probably make the unit too bulky. And only pro/semi_pro user use this type of connector. Alternative : Get a preamp like the AD-20 (or UA-5). You can then use XLR and output a digital signal. - On/off Turn the unit off and set it on hold. That should prevent turning it on by accident. - Noise Get a long enough cable for the mics and use the remote (RM-MC40ELK is great for this) to control the unit. -Transfer, Atrac : Can't think of a workaround yet ...

If the drive was faster, battery will surely not last as long as we known. Plus i could see others reasons : there is surely not as many drive makers for MD as for CD, so less cash for R&D to improve the concept. And the main use is for music, so increasing reading speed is probably not a priority. EDIT : The Low Volta has been quicker And i agree with him, the main strength is recording possibilities ...

Cheapest models with mic-in: 1st gen : NH700 2nd gen : RH910

Yes. But the NH600D (US variant) doesn't have line-in for recording. No. Only recording done with HiMD can be uploaded to PC through USB.

Taking those questions in order 1. Could depend on what's being recorded (voice/acoustic/rock/metal ?) and the mic sensitivity. 2. Attenuator and/or MD. 3. Battery provides power. 4. Experience ... 5. http://www.minidisc.org/part_Sharp_MD-MS721+MS722.html Should last for a day .. 6. HiMD . But if this a Sharp, then you can't upload with SonicStage, so a desk with digital out or analog. Check sticky posts, there is plenty of info ... 7. No. See above. 8. Mic-in provides 'plug-in power', so you don't need powered mics with a model that has mic-in, but if you want to go line-in, you will need external power on the mics.

I think your options are either the NH900 or the NH1

Correct with NetMD. Upgrade to HiMD is the way to go. http://forums.minidisc.org/index.php?showtopic=7070

PCM is the most power hungry mode, plus you'll need some extra power to save data at the end, so even with a proper fully charged gumstick, there is a good chance that you will need extra power (AAs + attachement).

Yes, they certainly don't want anyone to get access to the DRM encryption around Atrac. I highly doubt that they would give anything like this in the near future ...

That's one big difference at shows between US and Europe. From what i understood, there are venues/bands in the US were you can openly set up mic stand, recording equipment ... I've never seen anything similar in Europe, at best you can have a lax security at the entrance , but nothing similar to fully open section for tapers.

There are actually several vendors for this type of battery : Sony, Sharp, GPPower, Uniross to name a few ... Which gives more options to find a good deal !

Same issue for me last Friday ... But i will have to check if it's an issue with the media or my NH900 starting to age (still under warranty) ...

If open tapping, you could have a look at a modded Edirol UA-5 ( Check Oade's board, www.oade.com . UA-5 normally takes power from USB, but it can be hacked for batteries).

Start recording : You must push the record on the main unit (that's the only missing point on this great remote), but you can then pause, and release the pause with the remote. And yes, you can view (3-lines display) the different titles without selecting them on the nh900.

The RM-MC40ELK shows rec levels on NH1, NH900 and probably with some others units ...

Not the same machine ... That's the whole point of DRM, it will only work on the original PC. (until someone find some workaround ...) Or if you want to transfer the oma files, you should use the Tools/Backup function from SonicStage. (But it's still a good idea to convert recordings as wav/FLAC and backup those)