Joy

Thanks for your lecture, very interesting. I'm a beginner at recording. I have a MZRH1 and I need to record speech as cleanly as possible for dvd. My first experiment last weekend with a sanken cos-11 lavalier and a beachtek DXA4 did not go as well as I'd expected. I didn't and may not be able to modify the ambient noise level much as I will be recording old folks stories. The MZRHI was set to low mic sens, PCM and the AVL was off. The beachtek's levels were set to high. The recording was very low volume much to my dismay. What might have caused this? I was able to use gain in the video editing program which worked alright, however an audio tech I spoke to said it should be the other way around, high volume recording brought down to around 30db's in the dvd. Dan Brocket describes the Beachtek as a routing or impedance conversion device (link and file below), is that then a pre-amp or something else? Since the sanken mic has an XLR connection, I'll need something between it and the minidic, what would you recommend? A different mic perhaps? http://www.kenstone.net/fcp_homepage/location_sound.html [attachmentid=2078]

I've been challenged by so much new tech learning just lately that with the minidisc I asked my teenage son to get to know it so that he could show me. It took him 5mins to get me up and running. Oh to be young again. I've been studying network operating systems, adobe photoshop (he's teaching me that too) and audio in general, (I found a great site for that, http://www.kenstone.net/fcp_homepage/location_sound.html) and this old brain quaked at the thought of the manual. Instead I read and reread, http://www.mdcenter.nl/artikelen/mzrh1/index_en.php Thanks for all your help on this site. I'll be a lot more relaxed and happy with this beautiful device soon I'm sure.

Is it possible to rig up a alternative power supply using ordinary batteries for this unit or do people just take spare sticks with them into the field?

The newest model, I didn't realise that I'd left off the end letters, it's the MZRH1B Thanks for your reply, it's going now. I took out the 1gig disc I was using and moved that little tab backwards and forwards a few times and now I can upload. How would I find the bitrate? I see that 64 is the set rate, why would I change this? Please see attatched file

Hi, I spent the weekend getting to know this little device. I borrowed a sanken lavalier cos-11 mic and it's Beachtek DX-A4 unit and read a book to the minidisc to test the sound levels. The AVL was turned off, recording in PCM and low mic sens. I didn't really get to grips with 'mic level' and I could not get a good volume. I was monitoring it through sony's mdr-7506 headphones. When I turned it to high mic sens I got good volume but more ambient noise. Now the immediate problem is that after connecting it to the pc and opening sonic stage v4, it tells me that the file is write protected and cannot be imported. I took the disc out and checked it, it's not physically write protected so what can this error mean? The sonic stage disk I received with the unit is still in it's packet, I already had v4 on the pc from a download, and had used it with an md minidisc. Should I be using the other version? I notice that I have not got the controls neccessary to alter the import style.

I've ordered one, can't wait to get it. However, one source brought up some questions I'd like answered if possible. Does the RHI provide 48V phantom power? Does the RHI need to compress or in any way alter the recorded PCM sound before it downloads to the pc hard disc? Can you name recorded files on the fly? Will the RHI work with a mic pre amp? Does the mic input provide automatic gain, or if it does, can it be avoided? Is the maximum recording quality 16 bit/44.1kHz? For the type of field recording that is required, the current recommendation is something like a laptop and an Apogee Minime. Way beyond my current price range.

MZ N707. I've also an older MZ R37 and a newer but very worn out MZ N710.

Hi, I'm pretty new to minidisc but I'm getting the fever and intending to buy a MZRH1B soon, but I have older minidiscs on hand,(passed down, worn out or nearly so). My question is about AVLS, which I learnt means automatic volume limiter. I've noticed this and it annoys me. I guess some of the recordings I've made are too quiet and on play back this AVLS prevents me increasing the volume. I think I've seen how to turn it off but as yet, I'm not too confident at finding my way around the menus! This finding my way around the menus is holding up my interaction with the devices. I don't understand group function or anything basic like that yet. The new minidisc on order appears to have an even more involved menu. Experimentation takes time, is there a site or 'how to' for people like me to visit to get up to speed? The reason I've become interested is because I need a recorder to tape oral histories. I looked at the edirol R09 but it's expensive and poorly engineered and the on-board mic will pick up all sound. A local sound shop have advised me on an expensive lav mic and mic pre amp which can be attached to my dv camera and then I can use the camera as a recorder. But I'm expecting that some of the old folk will be intimidated by too much equipment and that the mic etc would hook up nicely to the new (or older?) minidisc and that it will produce a better quality recording anyway. Any comment would be appreciated. I've not spent the money yet!

Hi, Can this be fixed? I didn't do it but still, it's a bit of a shame, everything else is working fine. If not, is there a remote for sale now which could replace it?