denormaliser

so.... do you reckon that the tascam would be a better purchase than the sony? i have a strange feeling that the tascam will be more reliable. one bonus of the tascam is that the program play stays in the memory even when the deck is turned off.

Hey can you guys help me identify what version of ATRAC this little guy uses: http://www.minidisc.org/part_Sony_MDS-E52.html (ie is it ATRAC 2 revision 4.5 type R like the Tascam?)

a mixer doesnt usually control line in level. some channels will have input gain, but that is not the same thing. I guess the Tascam is presuming that the material being played is recorded at the right level, but sometimes you want the signal you are sending from the machine to be hotter. It shouldnt be a problem. I just think its a bit weird. These things were made for broadcast mostly so it makes sense in that context i guess.

cool. thanks so much. for the amount of money i want to pay i think i'll need to make a decision between something like the Tascam MD-301 MkII and a Professional CD player. My only concern with the CD player is if it skips. Are there any issues with MD playback like potential for skipping or glitches to occur?

Thanks so much for your advice. Its greatly appreciated. Just one final question. What are the main differences between the Tascam MD-301MkII and something like the Sony MDS-E10 or MDS-E12: http://www.minidisc.org/part_Tascam_MD-301.html VS. http://www.minidisc.org/part_Sony_MDS-E10.html The sony has MDLP... what is that exactly? long play? so it fits more on a disk right? Isnt that just another compression mode or something? A 1U rack instead of 2U would be good, but i can live with 2U. Oh and about the Tascam not having a volume knob... In the images the main knob that you would normally think to be output volume, actually reads "Input". Im just wondering how you adjust the playback volume? http://www.tascamcontractor.com/ftp_resour...kII_images.html

Well for starters im not concerned about how much audio i can store. i only need max 60 mins per disk. Im more interested in the quality of the audio. The signal out of this might be sent to a 2000W PA amp so MP3 quality isnt going to cut it. I need CD quality sound in stereo. Does the Tascam do that? Also rackmountability is a factor. I dont want to have to plug and unplug anything because i often only have 15 minutes to get everything plugged in onstage and unplugged off again before and after a show. In terms of quality, this article that i just found seems to indicate the ATRAC 4.5 actually has superior sound quality to the later MD ATRAC formats: http://www.hhb.co.uk/hhb/uk/support/faq_pdisc.html#2 (i pasted the relevant paragraph below) To me it looks like the main benefit that later ATRAC compression brings is smaller file size (ie more songs per disk). But maybe that isnt including HiMD?? im confused on that one. Yeah im ok with that. Versatility is what i dont need. It only has to do one thing really really well. But are you sure about the fidelity part? because if the Tascam ATRAC 4.5 version is pretty close to the PCM 44.1kHz that Hi-MD can do, then the Tascam would be the winner for me (for the other reasons listed above). I guess my concern there would be whether these blanks are still broadly available in stores?? Thanks heaps for the discussion so far! Its very useful.

it will basically be used to play backing tracks for concerts (scale from britany spears in Las Vegas to your local beer garden) Up to now we have been using 16bit 44kHz stereo .wav files played through a ProTools Digi002 rack. The sound is good enough but im looking for a cheap way to simplify the set up (ie. not have to cart a computer around and plug it in). If minidisc comes close to that audio quality then it will be good enough. The Tascam im looking at even has balanced XLR outs which the Digi002 doesnt. that has to count for something quality-wise. I was just reading about ATRAC in WikiPedia but there is no mention of ATRAC 4.5...

I am contemplating the puchase of one "Tascam MD-301mkII" but i am totally unfamiliar with the MD format so i am hoping some of you kind strangers might set me straight about what im getting myself into. What i know about The Minidisc and this unit is the sum total of these two pages: http://www.tascamcontractor.com/products/MD-301mkII.html http://www.minidisc.org/part_Tascam_MD-301.html What i want to know is stuff like: * What is the max sound quality i can get from the analogue outputs of this machine (eg. is minidisc 16bit/44Khz or better?) * What does it mean when it says it is upgraded "to ATRAC 4.5"? What is that? * Will I be able to buy any MD discs and use them with this deck (eg. 1GB discs)? * Are there any compatibility issues with this and other MD player/recorders? * It doesnt appear to have an output volume knob on it. What is that about? Finally, any comments general or otherwise much appreciated.

Hi, i am looking to buy a rackmountable MD player/recorder. Using the equipment browser on minidisc.org i have narrowed the search down to the following models: Sony (MDS-E12,MDS-E58,MDS-E52,SRP-MD1,MDS-E10,MDS-E11,MDS-E55) Tascam (MD-350,MD-501,MD-801,MD-301) Denon (DN-1100R,DN-M2000R,DN-M1050R,DN) Im wondering if anyone call tell me what are the latest or best models of rackmountable MD recorder? Are there any models missing from my list? cheers D PS. i have a WTB listing in the classified thread if anyone can help me. WTB Sony MDS E-10 or similar

Im after a rackmountable minidisc player/recorder for home studio/ live venue music. Something along these lines: Sony (MDS-E12,MDS-E58,MDS-E52,SRP-MD1,MDS-E10,MDS-E11,MDS-E55) Tascam (MD-350,MD-501,MD-801,MD-301) If anyone can help out please let me know! (If anyone is interested in commenting on what is the best model for my purposes that would be great too) cheers D