woofcyn

I have a Sony NW-E005F (2 gb) player. Is there a way to use it with my MacBook Pro OS X? I was using SonicStage for Windows previously and wondered if there was a way to get the software to work on the Mac, or to reconfigure the player to work with iTunes.

I installed Sonic Stage 4.3. It doesn't work on Vista Business. Do you know how to get it to work?

My SonicStage 4.3 stopped working with Vista Business. Is there another version that works with Vista Business?

I tried to edit (cut) portions of live recordings in Sonic Stage. It works on OMG files but doesn't work for MP3 files. Thanks for your help!

What is the difference? Where do they still sell them? Is Sony planning on discontinuing SonicStage as well? What recorder alternatives are there for live music?

Do any of you know why SonicStage v.3 does not track the number of times you transfer a song to the player? I set a "Dynamic Playlist" to randomly display and play songs with the lowest transfer count. This would make it easier to refresh my player.

How do you instruct Sonic Stage v 4.3 to refresh your MD or MP3 player with new, least played or least transferred songs? It also seems that Sonic Stage will not delete or replace the songs on the player; you have to first delete them manually before transferring. It looks like it might be the dynamic playlist function, however it's not clear whether Sonic Stage can monitor the number of times you play a song on the MD or MP3 player or just the number of times you play the song on the computer. I'm guessing it's the Dynamic Playlist function, but I do not have it working properly.

The online help isn't great. I wanted to learn more about the Automatic Transfer function - whether it automatically refreshes your titles if not everything fits on the player like the iPod Shuffle. It seems to be leaving the same songs on the player.

Is there a user manual for SonicStage 4.3?

Thank you for the advice. No, I have the small, fold-up ECM-DS70P that can connect directly to the Minidisc player. But I double checked Minidisco.com and you're right, I already have the same mic! I thought it was the MS907 that was included with the M200...

I plan to buy either the Sony RH1 or M200 at Minidisco. I presume the M200 is exactly the same as the RH1 but is packaged with the ECM-MS907 microphone. I currently have the ECM-DS70P microphone. Since the ECM-MS907 is packaged at a discount as well, is it worthwhile to get the M200? Is there a significant improvement in sound or functionality compared to the ECM-DS70P? For example, will the ECM-DS70P pick up battery noise because it is closer to the unit? If not, then it would make sense just to get the RH1...

Thank you for your input. Is the CA RH1 the model sold in North America and the JP RH1 sold in Japan? I assume that the minidisc at Minidisco.com (looks to be the cheapest right now) is the CA RH1 model you are referring, though the picture shows the Japanese unit. How much is the JP RH1? Is it significantly more expensive? Is the interface in Japanese? The manual can always be downloaded from the Internet in English anyway.

Is this still be the best (cheapest) place to buy the RH-1?

How do you cut out a portion of a song? I'd like to cut out the introduction or first part of a song. Thanks!

Can the digital voice recorders also be used to record live music and upload into a computer? To my knowledge, musicians are using iRiver which was intended for digital voice recording and marketed as an MP3 player (before they discontinued the recording capability).

I recently contacted iRiver. They discontinued all their units that permit live recording. You would have to purchase an older, perhaps refurbished unit. In any case, what is the difference between MP3 and PCM recording? I'd like to record live music from my concerts and upload onto a windows XP computer (to burn into music CDs). I'm using SonicStage for my Sony MP3 player and old MD player (which doesn't upload - very annoying). Do you think Sony will develop a flash recorder?

Anyone know how to convert SonicStage files to MP3? SonicStage 4.0 only allows to convert to a wave file. Thanks for your help!

I'm not familiar with either the new Sony MD (since Sony will not stock it at the store) or the iRiver. However, musicians are using various iRiver models to record their live concerts. Some even have claimed that the recording quality on the`Iriver is just as good as my their old minidisc players but not necessarily the new RH1. They told me the following advantages/disadvantages: after a gig on the Iriver, you have to upload it to a computer rather than swapping out discs. File transfer to the computer is at flash memory speed, an advantage over the minidisc. IRiver doesn't allow allow you to monitor recording levels on the fly like the MD, nor does it allow you to listen to the recording as you're making it (an undocumented feature). IFP-895 is around $100 - it's one gig, which records about 4 hours, supposingly super clean and easy to dump into iTunes (I don't have iTunes, though. I'm using SonicStage for my Sony MP3 player). IFP-895 is really ugly, but does the job, supposingly. IRiver hasa 4 gig one that records, but it's bigger, like a standard iPod size. There is also the Iriver IFP 799. Or the low-cost IFP 790 with less memory, but it is discontinued and may have been replaced by the T30. For me, the quality of the recording is the most most important feature. I haven't figured out whether the difference in price between iRiver and Sony is necessary/justified for my purposes. Now that I have the Sony MP3 player, I have gotten used to the convenience and will not be using the MD as my portable music player. I think it's a problem if Sony is charging $330 for the player and refuses to stock it at their own store, even though the employees there have called them several times asking them to do so. It makes me wonder whether Sony is planning on replacing it with another unit or ultimately a flash recorder. Very few musicians are willing to fork out the money on a product they can not see, feel, and understand its features.

Why is Sony not advertising the MZ-RH1 and stocking it at their flagship Sony store in NYC? Are they planning on phasing the product out (maybe they'll come out with a flash recorder)? Does it record in analog or digital format? How does it compare with other recorders for live music such as IRiver?

What other models permit live recordings and upload to the computer? Is Sony discontinuing all models except the NH1? They only display the NH1 on their website. How old and outdated is the NH700 or NH910? A Sony salesperson told me the NH910 doesn't work uploading live recordings.

PS. Is Hi-SP the same as ATRAC 256 setting in SonicStage v4?

This is very helpful. Thanks. I've been experimenting with the different ATRAC and ATRAC Lossless formats under SonicStage v4. I do hear a difference between ATRAC3 (132K) vs ATRAC 256K, though it doubles the file size. The Lossless 132K doesn't sound all that much better than the other two, and the file size is crazy. But using the highest setting under Lossless to duplicate CDs yields excellent results. For some reason, it's harder to hear the difference on Sony's Flash Player, but maybe the amplifier is not that good as another person mentioned earlier. I was using my NF810 as a portable player as well as a recorder until it broke down. At LP2, the sound was still pretty good. I'm tired of carrying so many disks, though.

Ok. Is there an advantage of using old MD formats (other than using old MD playerss)? Has Sony improved the ATRAC format (132K) under SonicStage v4?

Thanks. Looks like J&R only sells this on-line. I visited the store a couple weeks ago. The iPOD counter is a madhouse and the MD counter is empty. Looks like RH1 is a great product; I see a lot of raving reviews about it on this website. I'll have to check to see if the NH700 is available on-line somewhere. The 910 looks large and clumsy, but on Sony's website, seems to do everything the NH1 does.

I tried comparing the same level of compression: ATRAC Advanced Lossless 132K vs ATRAC 132K. The former is slightly better, though the differences are practically imperceptible. Going up to 256K makes a difference, but 352K doesn't make an incremental difference from 256K to justify the additional file space to me. It did sound great when ripping CDs at the highest setting and burning them, though. You may be right about the circuitry or amplification; the same files, when played back on my laptop and minidisc sound better than on the E005 player. I find the sound unnaturally hard and digital; I get fatigued listening to the NW-E005. Maybe the components are cheaper so they can sell at an attractive price. However, I'm unable to detect the hissing noise as some described. The volume does not go "on" without any music. I was satisfied with the sound quality of the MD, even at 132K. Of course, I'd rather have live music or vinyl, but the MD sound is satisfactory for traveling. MD is quickly becoming a cult, it appears. J&R stopped selling it. I haven't tried BH Photo, but I'd be surprised if they have it. Everyone here wants the iPOD.