Recovering recordings

[ericb]

Hi, I’ve been using a Sony MZ-R900 for the past three years and have never had problems, until my last reporting assignment. I have tried to listen back to two interviews I recorded, but the counter gets stuck on zero. I tried playing the minidisk on another player and got the same results. I thought this might have been the result of having low batteries, but the same thing happened the next day, even though I had charged the MD all night and was using an external (brand new) AA battery.

According to the remaining time on the minidisk and my calculations, the interviews were recorded.

I tried to recover the interviews by following the instructions at http://members.aol.com/BorusSylt/303.htm#3, but the minidisk simply stops playing and the counter disappears.

These two interviews are quite important for the program I’m working on. I would appreciate any help you might be able to offer.

Thanks in advance.

[jadeclaw]

Hmm, it seems, that the recordings are unrecoverable.

Your R900 seems to have an issue here.

If the R900 plays recordings done on other decks, then there might be an issue with the recording head. The little white thing in the lid exactly over the lens.

Check it for accumulated dust and dirt.

If the R900 records up to a certain time point and then the recording ends abruptly, the wires to the recording head are possibly broken. Can be fixed by an experienced technician.

If no dirt is on the head, it can be the wires as well.

If the R900 doesn't play anything, it is the laser...

These types of hardware problems cannot be fixed with TOC-cloning as the sounddata never has been written in the first place.

When you give the recorder into service, get an estimate first, you might want to buy one of the new Hi-MD recorders instead, if repairing the old one is too expensive.

Since you need Microphone in, avoid the NH600, NH700 and up can be used.