Ral-Clan

I get the sense that it's probably pointless to argue with you, but... What you do mean? It's not like there's any great shortage of minidiscs at the moment. Heck, even if I don't even try very hard, I could purchase a pack of MDs every month, and eventually have a thousand (not that I'd ever want to). Same goes for a year from now too. No rush. No impending doom. No sudden end to MDs. Sure, a gradual tapering of media availability, but that will take a long, long time. At the moment there are still hundreds of online stores selling MD stuff, and thousands of blank discs for sale on Ebay in any given month. ...and since the rest of us have waited, it's now even cheaper for us to stockpile than it was two years ago when you stockpiled. Back then Minidisc stuff still was still competitive with MP3 players and more highly priced. Now it's going for peanuts and is a buyer's market. Heck, you can still buy NEW unopened Digital Compact Cassettes (DCC) on Ebay for dirt cheap. Remember the DCC vs. Minidisc war in the early '90s? Philips hasn't made a DCC deck in over TEN YEARS, yet you can still get the blank media - and they weren't even one tenth as popular as Minidiscs ever were. http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?s...o%3D2&fgtp= I'd say Minidisc was about as popular as the 8-track tape player got in the 1970s. Both formats were around for about 12 years & had a small but steady share of the market. Well guess what? Ebay is FLUSH with new, unopened blank 8-track cassettes for dirt cheap - and they haven't made any of those decks for almost THIRTY years: http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?s...op=1%26fsoo%3D1' But I'm sure there was some guy in 1979 stockpiling all the blank 8-track cassettes he could find (when they were still $5 or more a pop) because he was sure they were going to be impossible to find by the year 2000. Sorry, I just don't get the "sky is falling" attitude. But it's your money, so have fun with it.

Honestly, when you are in a small bar situation, playing in a rock band, panning doesn't make much sense anyway. Everything's too loud and crowded in there to really get any stereo definition. So mono recording would probably be the best route.

NOTE: if your P.A. system only outputs a MONO signal then there's no point in recording in stereo mode on the Minidisc deck. Set the MD deck to MONO record mode and you will get twice the recording time on a single disc (160 minutes for an 80 minute disc). Many simple P.A. systems for bars have what appears to be a LEFT and RIGHT output for an external tape/minidisc recorder but the actual signal is mono (the same on the left and right jacks). A good way to tell for sure: if the mixing board has PAN controls on each channel, then it probably has stereo output on the REC-OUT jacks (just play with the PAN knob on a single channel while recording and see if the sound of that instrument fades from left to right in your recorder's headphones). PS: even if you have a stereo board, you might want to record in MONO mode anyway to get the extra time (if it's just for reference and going to be erased later).

I don't agree with you. Here's why. I collect old computers & video games from the 1980s like Commodore, Atari, etc. These systems were made about 20 years ago. Packs of 5-1/4" disks for these computers can still be cheaply purchased as new, old stock (unused) even 20 years later. Cartridges for Atari computers rarely go beyond $10 each for the scarcer titles, and the majority of the common ones are only a few bucks. The actual consoles & computers can still be had for less than $20 even after all this time. Now, there were far more Minidisc walkmans made & sold than Commodore computers or Atari consoles. Millions and MILLIONS of MD walkmans were sold world-wide. For every 1 MD walkman produced, lets say that 10 discs were made (a conservative ratio). That means that there are 10 to 20 million MD discs floating around out there in the world (at least). Even if half of these are tossed in the garbage, that still leaves at least 5 million discs to eventually show up on the re-sellers market (ebay, your local paper, your Freecycle, etc.). In 10 or 20 years there will only be a few thousand people worldwide still sticking with MD, out of nostalgia or whatever. So don't tell me there won't be enough discs around for those people needing or wanting some. Sure they are used media. But most people just recorded on them once and that's it. MDs can be re-written up to a million times (as claimed by Sony). Plus, as I said, you can still buy new, unopened 8-track cassettes, reel to reel cassettes, Beta cassettes, etc. TODAY fairly easily. This is stuff that just never got cleared out of the backs of warehouses. Home Beta decks were discontinued in the 1980s but the tapes were still manufactured up until 1999, for instance. And as for $1.50 MDs on Ebay. I personally think that's a GREAT price for discs. That's less than a VHS or cassette tape nowadays around where I live. Plus, whoever said they couldn't find cheap MD media on eBay wasn't looking very hard. Here's an auction for four discs that has 6 hours to go and is still at 99-cents. That's 25 cents per disc. http://cgi.ebay.com/4-USED-MINI-DISC-for-M...1QQcmdZViewItem here's another: http://cgi.ebay.com/6-New-and-11-1-Used-mi...1QQcmdZViewItem here's another: http://cgi.ebay.com/Lot-of-17-Recordable-M...1QQcmdZViewItem and some new discs: http://cgi.ebay.com/5-blank-MiniDisc-74-mi...1QQcmdZViewItem ...I found those auctions within two minutes by typing "blank minidiscs". Also, Ebay is a terrible place to look for deals (unless you are lucky). There's too much competition. It's a sellers market. Try your local pawn shop, or buy & sell, or Craigslist for even better deals (or free give-aways).

You're welcome. This week supports my theory a bit. I just picked up an MZ-R700 (really good SP/LP recording model) for $15US ($20 with shipping) on Ebay. Then a few days later an old highschool friend e-mailed me to offer (for free) his Kenwood DMC-G7R SP recorder! Both these units were over $300 when new. People are just dumping these things (along with the media). So if you like to stick with MD (as I do as for field recording) it's a cheap way to get a high quality digital audio device! Really that's the only remaining advantage MD has over a flash recorder. Flash recorders are just as good, but you can't buy one for $15 US! I think it's not going to be an issue of finding old MD units & media, but rather an issue of learning to hold back from getting too much ultra cheap MD stuff!

This question ("how can I upload my Net-MD recordings?") gets asked EVERY week on Minidisc.org forums. The operators of this forum really need to put a message in huge letters on the sign-up page that reads "IF YOU ARE JOINING TO ASK HOW TO UPLOAD NET-MD RECORDINGS READ THE FAQ FIRST". The number of people who have joined the forum just to ask this question, then never return, must be in the hundreds.

You guys are kidding right? Panicing, actually. As people abandon Minidisc, there's going to be TONS of cheap media to be had on the used market, for YEARS to come. For those left using Minidisc, you will have your pick of blank MD media. Heck, you can still buy reel-to-reel and 8-track tape media fairly easily and cheaply online. MD (standard MD) is going to be available for a long time, new stock, used stock and unused stock people find in the backs of warehouses. The only MD media that might get harder track down is Hi-MD and MD-Data. But even then, when you find it they buyer will probably be happy to just get rid of it.

The original poster never came back. I guess he realized his mistake.

Are you confusing Mini-DVDs with MD-Data discs? As far as I know, the ONLY video camera that used MiniDiscs was a single extremely rare model by Sony that used the proprietary (and even rarer) MD-Data2 discs. This was in fact the ONLY product ever made that used MD-Data2 discs (not the same as the already scarce, earlier, MD-Data format). http://www.minidisc.org/part_Sony_DCM-M1.html Mini-DVD camcorders have nothing to do with MiniDiscs at all. It's a different media format. In that case, you're in the wrong forum. Here's a picture of an MD-Data2 (the only MD used for a video camera): http://a1441.g.akamai.net/7/1441/5846/0112.../47634347.pjpeg Here's a picture of a Mini-DVD, commonly used in camcorders today: http://www.computersonline.com.au/product_...-R(LAS0067).jpg

I found this service tip online: http://www.minidisc.org/manuals/sony/servi.../sony006209.pdf Going to try it tonight. Expect it to be very tight working in there, but I've not got much to lose at this point as this unit is now on the verge of failing (alignment problems, mic pre-amp problems, headphone jack problems). If this works, it will give it a bit of a lease on life. ADDENDUM: I opened up my MZ-R700 so I could see the board. Then I inserted a headphone plug in the headphone jack, and played a disc. I wiggled the plug in the jack to flex the board in order to have the audio cut-out. By doing this I was hoping to see an obvious solder break would open up and be visible (I had to use an eye loupe becuase the parts are very small). After doing this I noticed, to my surprise, that the audio was now playing well through the headphones. Despite a lot of wiggling, it was now hard to get the audio to cut out (previously there was NO audio at all unless you deliberately held the plug in the jack with finger pressure). So, I just closed the machine back up withough doing any soldering. The headphone jack works much better now for some strange reason and only cuts-out temporarily out if you really to wiggle and hold the jack at an angle. So go figure. Something obviously moved inside and contact was made again. Well see you long that lasts.

I got mine for $4.99 in Canada. Yes, this was a lucky find, but many pawn shops & second hand electronics stores (i.e. Cash Converters) in Canada have minidisc walkmans for less than $40. Of course, there's always Ebay, where older NetMD and SP-MD walkmans sell for $20-$50. The MZ-NE410 NetMD walkman is always on Ebay in droves, selling for around US$25 *new* in plastic - it's a good "I don't care if it breaks" MD walkman for general music listening.

Three things that made (still make?) Minidisc cool: 1. You can get your music into the digital realm without the need for a bloody computer as a go-between (if you have a line-in). Sure USB might be faster, but sometimes I just hate going to the computer for everything. Analogue or Optical source straight into the Minidisc, hit RECORD. There you have it. 2. Removable media: You make the recording, pop out the disc, give it to someone else (provided of course they have a MD machine). If you are doing field recording for a radio station, etc. you don't have to leave your machine with them, or bring it to a bloody desktop computer to do a transfer. (you see how everything is leashed to a computer nowadays!). Try that with your iPod. 3. Now that Minidiscs are passé, people are selling their old units for dirt cheap. $100 will buy you two or three older minidisc portables to use as digital field recorders. Great sound, durable, and no great loss if they are stolen or damaged. I picked up an MZ-N505 with remote control for $4.99CAD at a Thrift store a few months ago - that's how much the discs used to cost here (oh, and there was a disc in the machine)!

Okay, I have the MD-8 and have been using it for years. The reason the MD-8 doesn't have a digital output is because the mixer section is ANALOGUE. Atrac Data (encoded music) comes off of the 8-tracks on the Minidisc in the MD-8, is converted to analogue, then goes through the analogue mixer. ALL minidisc multitrack machines have analogue mixers. So, if there was a digital output on the back of the machine it would just be audio that had started out as digital, been converted to analogue, then converted back to digital - i.e. not a real 'pure' digital signal straight from the disc. So, it makes no difference if the analogue audio is converted back to digital at the outputs of the multitrack, or in your computer's sound-card after going into its "line-in". In fact, it makes the MD-8 cheaper not to have included this silly feature. If the MD-8 had a true digital mixer like some modern multitrack machines, then a digital output would make sense. I hope I explained that well. Okay, so, how to get that audio into your computer. Short of buying an expensive multi-channel input for your computer, you can just dump it two tracks at a time (as you've been doing) into a multitrack recorder. Obviously you need to sync up the tracks. There are two ways to do it: 1. at the beginning of the song (on the MD-8 recording), record a short sharp noise across ALL 8 tracks. A handclap or tap will do. After transferring all eight tracks into your computer's multitrack program (two at a time), you can use this clap as a visual reference to "line up" all eight tracks. It will look like a little spike on the waveforms. Or.... 2. use the MIDI output of your MD-8 to control the multitrack program on your computer. You can "SLAVE" your computer to the MD-8's MIDI TIME CODE or MIDI CLOCK. You set your computer's multitrack program to receive MIDI TIME CODE or MIDI CLOCK data. You put your computer into record mode and it will the wait for the MIDI timing signal to start. Press play on your MD-8 and the computer will start recording the two tracks. By using this method to record two tracks at a time, you can be sure that all the tracks will be recorded perfectly synced, and won't need to be "lined up" later by hand (as in method 1 above). NOTE: if your multitrack program can receive MIDI MACHINE CONTROL/CODE "MMC" then you can even control it via the PLAY/RECORD/SHUTTLE KNOB buttons on the MD-8 (you need to set the MD-8 to send MMC). You could also set the MD-8 to receive MMC, so that when you click the "RECORD" function/icon on your multitrack program, the MD-8 will automatically start to play. The pause/stop/shuttle controls in your multitrack program can also control the MD-8 remotely this way. If your computer has a gameport or soundblaster, you can buy a very cheap MIDI cable (less than $10). Otherwise you'll need a USB or parallel port MIDI interface.

It sounds to me that it might NOT be a mis-alignment problem, but rather a break in the ribbon cable that leads to the recording head. If this is the case, people have been able to repair this ribbon cable (I think it was a big problem on the MZ-N505). The flexing of the ribbon cable causes this short to occur. If you can can get this unit for almost nothing and fix it yourself then it will be worth it. I am a big proponent of REPAIR rather than REPLACE....save from the landfill, etc. like some other posters. Unfortunately Sony have a pricing policy that is meant to deter this. The LCD cracked on my MZ-R700. I called for a repair estimate. The price of the PART was $125.00 Canadian, plus labour (I assume add at LEAST another $50). Obviously they DON'T want to fix their equipment and would rather that you bought a new one. In the end, because of the repair philosophy, I purchased the part and installed it myself....but really, it was not financially worth it. Better to get your MD spare parts from old, broken units which you can buy for peanuts on Ebay. In fact, I think some of the lastest, cheap NET MD players used identical ribbons to the 505 and maybe the 707?

Seriously, if you're recording family oral history interviews (speech), then you really don't need to worry about the minimual loss of quality you will get from doing an analogue transfer with WIN MD. Even a music recording transferred over analogue cables to your computer's sound-card can sound great if done carefully, with good cables and with the proper settings. The only downside is that these transfers are in real-time. I do analogue transfers from my MZ-R700 to my computer often and frankly, they sound very good. No doubt a USB digital transfer from a Hi-MD recorder in PCM mode is going to be a perfect copy, but the real question is - can you actually hear the difference....and if you can, is it so slight to be worth the expense of buying a whole new Hi-MD deck? People on this board make a big deal about getting a Hi-MD recorder. You hear some talking about legacy MD recordings like they were done on some sort of crackly old wax-cylinders now that Hi-MD is out. Don't believe the hype. These were the same people that raved about SP mode when it was all there was. Experiment and let your ears decide. You can, and many people have, made incredible recordings with SP mode on "standard" MD hardware. Hi-MD may be amazing sounding, but standard SP mode is still pretty DARNED good and is something we would have drooled over in the late 80s & early 90s when we were still using our cassettes and reel-to-reel equipment. I think the most important thing is for you to get a good microphone. That will make far more difference than any loss of quality you will get from SP mode or doing an analogue transfer.

That's fine, but just as long as you realise: 1. All microphones are analogue. 2. If you use your Shure mic, you will only be getting a MONO recording. Are you planning to sell or submit this? Perhaps a stereo mini jack to Y-splitter would allow you to plug two Shure mics in for a stereo recording....but as another user suggested, using an external mixer and the MD-recorder's line-in jack will work better. I don't think you need a Hi-MD recorder. Frankly, SP recording is great and if it's good enough for thousands of soundmen & bands to record their shows off the board with, it's good enough for your demo. Lots of musicians (professional and independent) have used MD recordings to contribute to finished CDs. Of course, if your microphone sucks, the MD recording is only going to be as good as that. Even old standard MD is good enough for a demo, certainly (if the recording is done well).

You seem to have posted the same question in two seperate threads. So I'll give you the same reply here as I did in the other thread: If you just plan to "play into" your SHURE mic (I assume an SM58) attached to a minidisc machine, then you're only going to get a MONO recording. The SHURE is a good mic for close-recording (i.e. right up near the instrument or your mouth)....which is why it's good for stage work. However, there are a lot better mics for micing a room (i.e. setting the mic back to capture your playing/singing). You'll want a stereo condensor mic. Even those little stereo mics sold by Sony are probably better than using the SHURE in this way.

If you just plan to "play into" your SHURE mic (I assume an SM58) attached to a minidisc machine, then you're only going to get a MONO recording. The SHURE is a good mic for close-recording (i.e. right up near the instrument or your mouth)....which is why it's good for stage work. However, there are a lot better mics for micing a room (i.e. setting the mic back to capture your playing/singing). You'll want a stereo condensor mic. Even those little stereo mics sold by Sony are probably better than using the SHURE in this way.

Yes, you cannot install the stand-alone downloadable Simple Burner because it's missing the Open MG software. You need to download the whole SonicStage archive. However, during the Sonic Stage installation, you have the option to ONLY install the Simple Burner software (which will then be installed with the proper OpenMG software).

This has started happening on my MZ-R700 as well. I opened it up and re-touched all the solder points, plus cleaned the inner contacts of the headphone jack extremely well. It helped a little but didn't solve the issue. I think the part has to be replaced. It looks possible except for the fact that the jack is also attached to the remote control connector. This makes replacement (desoldering, etc.) much trickier....it's very crowded in there.

DAMN! I just bought one of these off of Ebay and had it shipped to Canada from the US. Total came to $62 CAD and I thought I was getting a deal (as these are still priced at $114 CAD at Canadian Tire). Only three weeks later I see this!!! Wow....too late for me to take advantage of! Strange. The Source website now says the price is $39.99 CAD. Still a good deal though.

Eeee-Gads! Well, I have a cleaning disc. Did you use the one with the brushes for cleaning the laser, or the one with the fabric backing for cleaning the magnetic head? Both do seem to have a bit of a "real" MD surface in there (I think they are just modified MDs), so it's understandable you could record on it.....but if you were using it to record an hour long rehearsal you are very lucky as (at least the magnetic head-cleaning one) can be mildly abrasive to get the dirt off (It's only meant to be used in 30 second bursts).

As far as the durability (i.e. flimsiness/toughness) of this unit goes, I would have to say that despite it being plastic, it is probably at least as tough as my MZ-R700 was - which was a bit of a surprise. You can see they took a few minor shortcuts (the door latch seems to be made of thinner metal - although probably still good enough). As far as the sound quality goes, the MZ-R700 was (to me) a little warmer and bassier, while the MZ-NE410 is crisper and more sharp, perhaps slighly harsh(?) to some? I imagine this is a function of the different headphone pre-amps used. Of course, the MZ-NE410 comes with a bit of an EQ, while the MZ-R700 (my former model) only had the bass-boost function. It's really a matter of to-each-his-own. It depends on your tastes and the sound of the minidisc model you are already used to. For travelling, jaunting around, etc. where there is extraneous noise and you don't want to take an expensive unit, the MZ-NE410 would do well. Battery life is really good. For "active" listening (laying back and closing your eyes to listen to an album) in a quiet environment the MZ-NE410 can serve well, but if you have a higher end unit you might prefer that one for the latter type of listening. If the NZ-NE410 were selling at its original price of $120 (as it still isin some places here in Canada) I would probably pass, but at $40 US I would say it's worth it. Heck, even if you don't like the sound of the headphone amp, at that price you could buy one to use solely as a MD "burner" device to make discs, and save your more expensive unit's laser for listening/live recording.

Hi, I have owned a MZ-R700 MDLP walkman for the past three years and a Yamaha MD-8 multitracker since 1998. I bought the MZ-R700 for $300 to do field recording, concert recording, family history interviews, to take down song-ideas, and to listen to mixes of my home-studio music, etc. However, I ended up using it a lot as a personal "everyday" walkman to listen to commercial music as well. Recently my MZ-R700 has started to show signs of the laser dying. I should be able to repair it (I have a spare broken one with a good laser). But I've vowed that I'll never again wear-out my expensive mic-recorder by using it for everyday music listening. So I bought a cheap NetMD recorder off of Ebay for the everyday stuff; the MZ-NE410 . This is a Net-MD unit which is virtually identical to the NZ-NF520 and the MZ-N420D. It's a bare-bones unit with only USB-in and no remote control. I think it's the least expensive MD walkman Sony has ever marketed (I got mine NEW off of Ebay for $39.99 US)! The one great thing about walkmans in this low price range is you are never sweating-it about carrying around an expensive piece of gear that could get dropped or stolen! It's not Hi-MD technology, but personally, I'd feel too nervous carrying around a $300 Hi-MD walkman --- with this new $39 unit I can just pop it in my pocket and enjoy music without worrying about losing a week's worth of pay if it breaks or is lost. The MZ-NE410 is a discontinued model, but there are still thousands of brand-new units out there to be purchased. They are showing up in bargain bins and on-line auctions for prices that are irresistable. Who can turn down a brand-new MD walkman for $40? "Cheap and cheerful" as one on-line reviewer put it. The MZ-NE410 has a plastic shell (my model ordered from the US is black) instead of the partial metal body of my old MZ-R700. At first I thought this would make it weaker, but I see they've done a good job by using fairly stiff plastic. It's also thick enough that I would say it's probably as strong as the (aluminum?) shell of my old MZ-R700. The LCD display is small, squarish and mounted in the centre of the clam-shell top. At first glance the small size of the LCD might seem like a really bad feature, but it actually is a good design. On the older units with larger/longer LCDs mounted near the edge of the casing, the displays are vulnerable to flexing, pressure, and impact force (my MZ-R700 display cracked and cost $125 CAD to replace). This tiny display on the MZ-NE410 shows all the info you need and is securely mounted in the centre of the top (away from the edges that hit the ground first) and because of the small size it should not flex. Furthermore, the clear plastic "lens" over top of the LCD is very thick and stronger than that on my MZ-R700. Because I only look at the LCD for track info now-and-then I think this is a good balance between usability and durability. Since the MZ-NE410 was the last of Sony's "standard" NetMD line, you get the latest advances that this technology can offer: ATRAC Type-R and ATRAC3 Type-S, LP2 and LP4 recording/playback, USB 1.1 transfers, use of "groups" and two SOUND settings (user equalizations). Battery life is phenominal at 48-56 hours for tracks recorded in one of the LP modes. The sound quality itself is pretty good. Perhaps not quite as silky as my MZ-R700 (which was a mid-range model rather than this low-range model) but 95% of the way there. It is certainly good considering the price. The volume output is also satisfactory. At a volume setting of 25 out of 30 or so most music is too loud for me to comfortably listen to and the amp is actually loud enough to distort my earbud headphones. The only thing that REALLY surprised me, and bothers me somewhat, about the MZ-NE410 is that it has a high noise floor. You can hear this hiss especially if there is a moment of silence on a track before the music starts. At first I thought it was hiss from the original recording (i.e. older albums recorded on analogue studio gear), but it is even apparent on brand new digitally mastered albums, so I know it's originating from the Minidisc unit itself. Try this experiment: play a track on this unit, then turn the volume ALL the way down so you cannot hear the music anymore. You will hear a quiet HISS like on a casette deck (but not as loud). PAUSE and then PLAY the music several times. The HISS will stop when you pause and start again when you play the disc. Unlike tape, the hiss does not get any louder when you raise the volume, so it's not on the recording. While this hiss is noticable, it is pretty much masked by the music itself. Still this is mildly annoying. I went back to my old MZ-R700 and tried this experiment. There was no noticable hiss. Then I tried it on my wife's MZ-NF520 (almost identical to the MZ-NE410) and the hiss was certainly there. Clearly Sony cut the cost of these new low-end MD units by using cheaper components (A/D converters or noisier headphone amps). This "hiss" issue is really the only complaint I have about the MZ-NE410. It's a fairly quiet noise and since it's masked most of the time it's really up to the individual whether it will bother them or not. Frankly, for a $39.99 MD-walkman I am not surprised that it has a few shortcomings, and overall I am satisfied with the price/performance ratio. The music that gets to your ears is of a decent quality. Appearance - I like the no-nonsense look of the MZ-NE410. It's not a showstopper but it's simple and pleasant. The plain, black & silver matte finish reminds me of 1960s transistor radios or 1980s Japanese stereo components. There is also a silver variation which looks a little plainer, to me. The similar models mentioned above have coloured faceplates and a 'glossy' finish which might appeal to some, although could scratch more easily. So "Cheap and Cheerful" is right. Irresistably low price, good quality MD sound, basic features, despite one or two small shortcomings (slight hiss and no adaptor socket) I would recommend this as an "everyday" no-worries MD walkman. MZ-NE410 PROS: - extremely cheap - good sound quality - decent range of features - seems to be durable despite plastic body (some thought seems put into the design in this regard). - cheaper than an I-pod shuffle but has more features (display, removable media, probably better sound) - very long battery life with easy-to-get single AA battery - saves wear-and-tear on your expensive live-recording MD unit. MZ-NE410 CONS: - lack of power adaptor socket - mildly noticable HISS when playing music - no remote socket (but what do you expect in this price range?) - a little thicker than my MZ-R700 (but probably the same as some Hi-MD models like MZ-NH600D). Personally, I think they were made thicker to protect them against drops/flexing - so this is a good thing).

Try plugging it into the LINE-IN jack on the back of your PC, not the LINE-OUT jack.