KJ_Palmer

The levels on a commercial CD should already have been optimised in the studio by the engineers/producers, so in theory you shouldn't need to set manual levels. You should get a 'faithful' recording (within the limits of MD) by recording at 0dB (ie. no manual increase). Certain tracks might need bumping up or down, though, particularly if you're making a compilation from different sources, on soft tracks that have been recorded at low levels. Also, I've found many older CDs (over 10 years old say) with AAD or ADD mastering have lower levels than modern recordings and have needed to be bumped up by as much as 12dB and didn't overpeak...

Yes please Marc, if it's not too much trouble!!! At the most basic level, I guess a simple text track listing that can be copied and pasted into Word/Excel etc would be great. I suppose if the list could be headed by Disc Name, Group, Album then Track / Artist then all the better. Cheers

Lower bitrate, 'Hi-gher capacity' (ie. number of tracks on a disk) I suppose... Anyway, sounds like Hi-LP is something to avoid, which is what I've done so far. At least they got it right with SP, LP2 (IMO), PCM and probably Hi-SP. That'll do me for recording modes...

Hmmm... I've tried that. Unfortunately SS only seems to allow you to copy (and paste etc.) one track at a time even though you can highlight all the tracks. That's a bit laborious for a large number of tracks. Shame, I suppose it's not a word processor/spreadheet though. Unless there's a way around this, I've tried all the key/mouse combinations I can think of...

Hmmm.... Whether you love or loathe the iPod, I never thought the volume on the thing was a problem. Especially compared to Euro/UK MD units..

The digital amp, or lack of one in the NH700's case, doesn't affect recording at all, only the sound on playback through the headphones. I've heard the NH700, and own a NH600 (also no digital amp), and it sounds fine like that (IMO).

That timer, or any similar one, should be fine - but only if the JE530 has a Timer - Rec switch. You better check whether it does or not first. It should be located on the front panel as a sticky-out lever. I'm not absolutely sure but I don't think the JE-5xx series have a timer, usually the higher end models do. Basically the principle is that you have to set the time that the timer goes on and off, then set the Timer switch on the deck to 'Record'. The deck will start recording when the timer goes on - when the timer goes off the power is cut to the deck and the recording session is effectively finished.... You'll then have to do some editing if you want to remove the ads etc...

Not sure about the alarm (my hacked R500 went long ago), but sadly your R500 still hasn't got mic-in capability. It needs a mic pre-amp which is of course a hardware item... You can still attach a powered mic/external battery box to the line in though...

Hi, yes you need a mono to stereo adapter, like this one. Either that, or use the mono mode for recording - that only records one channel but plays back the mono signal in two.

Yes, well if Sony (or someone else) brings out a range of separates Hi-MD decks, with the same functionality as the standard MD stock, they can have my money... If not, after a brief flourishing of Hi-MD, I can see that being the end of the format. Well maybe....

Hmmm, would have been nice about a year ago, in fact very nice. Now if it were a Hi-MD deck, I would certainly be interested...

With static FM hiss (ie. de-tuned), at normal listening volume, or perhaps a bit lower, leaving them for about 50-70 hours. No idea if it helps at all, but doesn't seem to harm, and got in the habit now. Only as a once-off, can't be bothered with that palaver too often...

Helo & welcome. There are a few MD recorders with mic inputs around the $250 mark. Try some of these portables at minidisco.com for starters. The Sony-NHF800 looks good value, as it includes a radio remote, or the Sharp DR420 is a solid old-style recorder. Not sure what you mean by 'nasal', both these will give high quality, the Sony edging it with the new lossless recording capability...

Hello. Please don't double post. I have deleted your earlier posting. You can edit your posts if you want to make changes. Anyway, the DR77 should be able to do most of what you want, though I'm not sure about changing levels with the remote. Have you looked at the equipment browser at Minidisc.org ?

Cheers, once again. Nothing's perfect I guess... I don't suppose you've had a chance to try out an NH900 or NH1 in headphone/line out mode. Or indeed to compare the NH700's results with past models (or different devices).... Sorry, don't want to overburden you, jonahn. Maybe someone else wants to join the fray?...

Ideally use some sensitive, low impedence headphones/earbuds with the lower output Sonys. If you don't mind (or even prefer) earbuds, may I suggest something like the new Sennheiser MX550 earbuds - they seem to have been designed with getting the most out of such players in mind. They can certainly go ear-splittingly loud, the sound quality is excellent (IMO), and they're at the lower end of the price spectrum (ie. about £20).

The Sony MZ-NH900 will give you the best recording battery life of the current Hi-MD recorders. Alternatively the NH700 would also give you respectable results if you are looking for a more budget model. It depends on how much you want to spend really, and which features you're after...

If it's boxed, brand-new etc. it should definitely come with a 1GB blank. Careful on eBay though, as those disks fetch a tidy sum in themselves... You can use normal MD media as well, though at reduced capacity (about 300 MB)

Have you tried at soundprofessionals.com. The nearest I could find was this, but they may well have more. You could try e-mailing them if not, they're very helpful... Also places like core sound or microphone madness may be worth a try... Maybe even Radioshack...

Thanks to Chris for keeping the place going, and helping keep the format alive. And to the many well informed and helpful contributors - including of course Marc but many others. :smile:

Hi. Yes, with a CD recording deck you can record directly to a CD-R through the line inputs - you would usually require a microphone pre-amplifier box as well, though. Bit difficult to lug that gear round to gigs, though, OK for studios/bedrooms etc... Anyway, I've got a Philips CDR820 with a built in microphone socket - I've used that feature once or twice. The trouble is that the recordings are uneditable, so it quickly lost its novelty value (for me) - much better do that on an editable media like MD. It's a good stand alone CD recorder in any case...

Thanks jonahn, I look forward to the results. You certainly seem to know your stuff.

Glad to have helped. Have fun choosing a nice stereo mic. There are plenty of suggestions around this board (give the search facility a try), or just ask away...

Thanks for posting your findings, jonahn, very interesting (and somewhat reassuring). Would you mind checking that 16 ohm headphones give a flat response? I'm using 16 ohm Sennheiser MX550 earphones with my NH600 and NH900 (Euro models). The overall sound certainly seems 'better' than with some higher impedence phones, but it would be nice to know if they really make a difference...

Hope your dad feels better soon, Chris. Don't worry, this place won't descend into anarchy (too much)...