KJ_Palmer

Hi James, I can confirm that you can put any mp3 or wav files directly from a computer onto a micro SD card, insert the card into the PCM-M10, which will play them back quite happily. I assure you, it works a treat, with none of the (understandably) suspected Sony intervention.

I've used it on some throwaway radio voice recordings and the like, more or less to 'suck it and see'. As you say, the quality's surprisingly good, but proper SP is so much better, and if you have the means to record in full SP, it's no substitute.

I'll be glad to upload your recording to a .wav file for you. PM me and I'll give you my address. Hopefully I can then email you the wav file back - you can clean up the wav file with something like Audacity. Perhaps then Stephen (sfbp) will be kind enough to host it on this site... You could also 'upload' your recording using your R30. It has a pretty decent line out, there's instructions for doing that See under "Net MD + Older MD units".

This also sometimes happens with my B10, but I can't quite work out why. Even when the TOC is written, there's plenty of space left on the disc, hold off etc. I can 'cure' it by some indeterminate combination of Stop, Forward, Back, open lid etc. Seems to be OK when using Pause during recording, but otherwise fairly annoying, and probably a design fault. Luckily I use it mostly for playback, and record with other units. Of course if there are some B10's where the record button never stays down, that's even worse...

I was desperate for an D400 back in the day - funny the minidisc.org page says available in the UK, but they were never in the shops over here. Had to 'make do' with my MXD-D40 for CD dubs, which to be be fair has served very well, and still works fine.

Bought and received a Sony FS-85B50 Foot Control Unit for my MZ-B10 from Andy. Would just like to say that this was a perfect transaction, payment was quickly negotiated (through PayPal) and correspondence was very helpful and friendly. The item was dispatched without delay. I would not hesitate to do business with Andy again, and can highly recommend him to other SIF users. Kevin

Possibly - my adapter came with the keyboard, bought a while back, presumably when PS/2 sockets were more common!

Re 2) - I just tried a Vivanco USB keyboard with PS/2 adaptor on my JB980 (amd JE640) deck, and it's all fully functional. I haven't used a keyboard to title tracks on a deck for a few years now, but I guess if/when I can;t use Sonicstage any more it would be a good option...

PM sent...

The problem, as mentioned, is that Sonicstage can't/won't play SP. The best it can do, and only with the RH1/M200 is to use the the recorder's on board decoder to convert it to a format that it will recognise (MDLP/Hi-MD/Wav formats). So you can't archive raw SP at all, apart from on Minidiscs.

No, there's no ATRAC or Sonicstage support for the PCM-M10 - or ever likely to be. At least this simplifies your options - record to Wav/MP3 (also playback WMA/AAC). You can drag and drop files and there's no DRM or flaky software to contend with, unless you want to try the bundled Sound Forge program...

Ah, I forgot about that - no, it doesn't have an optical in, only line in (and mic in of course). Another way in which MD is ahead. I think only the older (and larger) flash recorders (PCM-D50) did. Once or twice recently I've had to go back to my RH1 to get a purely digital recording and upload that. Still, doesn't really detract from the M10's otherwise impeccable credentials..

If anything, it's much easier to use than the average MD/Hi-MD portable. Lots of dedicated buttons, including a huge rec level knob, a large 7 line backlit display so you won't be squinting all the time to see what's going on. It's not so menu-driven as MD either - whilst there's a lot of 'advanced' features accesible via the menu, they're not so hidden as in the MD units under inscrutible sub-menus and modes. Once you're set up you may not even need to delve into the menus too much. I just normally upload recordings to the computer and do any necessary editing there. Excellent recorder. Only thing it lags behind MD is in playback capabilities, just normal playmode and a bass 'enhancer'.

You're welcome. Not sure how well/badly it works with the Mac, but there were (are?) problems enough with Windows versions, until we finally reached a reliable release for 32 bit installations. Let us know how you get on with it!

You can indeed record to PCM on the MZM-200. Use a line-level output from your turntable (if it has one) or your amp. You need to experiment a bit to get the best manual rec level on the recorder. If you have enough discs, it's probably best go with PCM. 256kbps HiSP would also give good results, as would SP (on 80/74 min discs), but you'll probably not want to lose too much quality. Besides, you'll almost certainly want to edit and clean up the results on your computer, so recording to PCM will allow you upload and export to Wav format and a suitable editor without any (further) loss. If you can use Sonicstage, you can import the cleaned wav files to the SS Library, export them to an MD in whichever bitrate suits you, and keep the wav files for archiving. If you have a 64 bit Windows 7 machine you're a bit stuck at the moment with Sonicstage, but there are other ways round this, but otherwise I still find SS a useful too for creating MDs.

Indeed, the DAC/ADC capabilties of MD decks (those with plenty of digital and analogue) inputs and outputs are very well thought of, looking at AV Forums etc. On a par with the best dedicated DACs, at least for 44.1/16 bit audio. Not bad if you can pick one up for £50 (or less), plus with all the benefits of MD.

Hmm, well I've got an optical (TOSLink) feed for FLAC's from my WDTV to the JE640's optical in, and thence via line out to the amp. DAC or ADC it sounds mighty fine...

I'd second Stephen's recommendation for the Sony MDS-JE640. Bought it when they first came out (10+ years according to the Minidisc.Org equipment browser) and it's still going like a champ! Acts as a handy DAC too with other digital equipment, so I'll keep it even if/when the MD mechanics fail. I once had a hankering for the similarly slimline MDS-JE780, but never got round to it, and probably won't now as they seem to be very rare.

Google translate (on the Google toolbar) gives quite a useful rendition in English. Mind you, I won't be going anywhere near this update until someone conforms it works.

I've got the Creative Zen X-Fi2. Great player, lousy recorder. Seems you can't have both these days. Having said that the Edirol R-09HR comes close (for me) as a player/recorder. As least it has shuffle. Similar in size/weight to the M10 though...

Hi. The PCM-M10 doesn't have any 'proper' EQ controls, apart from 2 bass boost settings. Unlike MD recorders, this new breed of flash-based digital recorder (from Sony and other makes) aren't really designed for use as players too, which I think is a big shame. No EQ, no random playback, limited browsing etc. The PCM-M10 sounds great through my Sennheisers and Grados, and via line out to my stereo, but I'd never use it as a general player. As for gapless playback, I'd assume Wav woud play back gaplessly as it should do by default, but MP3 would be gappy as it is on all Sony devices. It can apparently play back AAC-LC format and WMA files, not sure if these are gappy though.

Great to have you on the Admin team Stephen!

Probably b. methinks, at that price, good though it is. Maybe c, but it's unfair to prejudge really. Now if it were a JA333-ES...

I can't check at the moment, but as far as I recall, there is an Option (possibly under 'Advanced' Options) to specify locations of imported files, and default SS Library locations etc. You can even choose to re-locate an entire Library to a new drive/partition etc. Anyway, make sure your file locations are set appropriately, eg. I use D:\SSLibrary and D:\SSImports so I know where everything should go... Hope that helps in some way...

Don't Ipods (at least the later ones) now have the option to pay gaplessly, via Itunes? One of the few current players to do so, I believe, now that Sony has abandoned ATRAC. Not that that would make me buy one.