Is there a MD recorder with mic jack that records to mp3?

[bargun9]

Hey everyone,

I have a mini-disc recorder with a mic jack - works great!

I'm just wondering with all of the new mini-disc recorders out there that transfer MP3s from your computer to MD if there is a recorder that will record your live mic feed directly to MP3 or ATRACK (sp?) format on your MD? Sometimes I record performances that I intend on encoding to MP3, or I'll record home demos that don't need to be high quality. If I could find a recorder that would record MP3 format to the MD using my external mic it would not only save me a step later on, but it would provide so much more storage on the MD! Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find one yet that clearly does this... anyone know of one?

Thanks!

[dex Otaku]

MD equipment records in ATRAC, the version depending on how recent the recorder is.

HiMD records in both MD modes [with standard MD formatted discs, and when told to] and HiMD modes, aka atrac3plus in addition to PCM [exactly the same format as audio CDs use].

No MD or HiMD recorders either play or record mp3s [directly].

Also, compared to the availabe atrac modes with an MDLP recorder, mp3 has no advantage in quality vs. size.

[bargun9]

So there are recorder models that will record directly to ATRAC from the mic input? If you get 80min of stereo or 160 minutes of mono in regular MD format exactly what do would you get in an ATRAC quality setting that is at least equal to what a 128kbps mp3 would sound like? Is there a particular recorder model that I should go check out for mic recording to ATRAC or will any of the new ones offer this? Thanks for the help!

[dex Otaku]

All MDs record in atrac. SP [standard Play] mode [292kbps] on modern MD equipment - as the codecs evolved since 1992 - far exceeds mp3 128kbps in quality. Arguably, if you want a near-direct equivalent, SP is more like mp3 @ 320kbps.

As I said, all MDs use atrac of one version or another. HiMD uses a slightly newer [but not necessarily better due to its lack of maturity] version called atrac3plus.

Please check out the FAQs on http://www.minidisc.org . There is also an equipment browser there which lets you compare features between models.

In terms of what model to get, what kind of recording do you need to do? And what is your budget?

[bargun9]

I need a MD recorder for recording live performances, and for recording home demos/ideas. Most of these recordings need not be true CD quality... i.e. if I could get a ton of extra time and have the quality of an 128kbps MP3 that would be absolutely fine with me. Of course, there are certain performances I want recorded at CD quality. I'd love to be able to quickly transfer my recordings off the MD to my computer. With my current MD recorder I have to copy in real-time (record it on the computer through the analog inputs while it is playing). It'd be great if I could USB them to the computer and have them auto-separated into tracks/files. That is why I was asking about mp3s... thought since that will likely be the end source for most of my material that saving a few steps and a lot of time would be great. As far as a budget goes... well, if it can do all of the things I mentioned above I might be willing to pay $250. If not, I probably won't buy it because I already have one that does the generic stuff for me. Thanks for the help! I'm going to go check out the links you gave me!

[dex Otaku]

No MD models allow uploading. This can only be done with HiMD.

Given the versatility of HiMD [with backward-compatibility as well as the HiMD mode with higher disc capacities] I would suggest that either an NH700 [not sold in the US] or NHF800 would suit your needs well. See http://www.minidisco.com/mz-nhf800.html

[bargun9]

Thanks dex! This looks perfect! I read the manual and it looks like it does everything I hoped! The only downside (but I hadn't even been expecting this) is it looks like I can't do a high speed transfer of my current/old regular MD recordings through the new HiMD recorder and the computer software... I'll just have to transfer these old ones the old fashioned way. But all new recordings would be much easier to manage!

I was a little confused when it said you can only transfer items from the MD player to the software once... that seems too bad if that's the case, but I guess the odds are in my favor that I wouldn't have any horrible failures during a transfer.

Thanks again for your help and advice! I think you've found the perfect one for me!

[dex Otaku]

Thanks dex! This looks perfect! I read the manual and it looks like it does everything I hoped! The only downside (but I hadn't even been expecting this) is it looks like I can't do a high speed transfer of my current/old regular MD recordings through the new HiMD recorder and the computer software... I'll just have to transfer these old ones the old fashioned way. But all new recordings would be much easier to manage!

I was a little confused when it said you can only transfer items from the MD player to the software once... that seems too bad if that's the case, but I guess the odds are in my favor that I wouldn't have any horrible failures during a transfer.

Thanks again for your help and advice! I think you've found the perfect one for me!

You're welcome. Take a look through the FAQ / info sub-forum in the HiMD forum. There's info there on doing transfers &c. - which admittedly hasn't been updated since Sony released their WAV converter, though I think the majority of us here are sticking with marcnet's HiMDRenderer.

SS does have a bug that trashes tracks occasionally during upload - so know in advance that it's recommended that HiMD owners backup their own recordings by copying them in realtime before doing the SS transfer. Yes, it sounds like a pain, but I find it not that inconvenient knowing that in the end I get a full-digital transfer of my original recording.

Mind you, I'd rather that Sony just fixed the bug.

[Christopher]

There's info there on doing transfers &c. - which admittedly hasn't been updated since Sony released their WAV converter, though I think the majority of us here are sticking with marcnet's HiMDRenderer.

Since I have never used either softwares [lack of Hi-MD :rasp:], is it worth it for me to mention Sony's utility?

[dex Otaku]

Since I have never used either softwares [lack of Hi-MD :rasp:], is it worth it for me to mention Sony's utility?

I could eventually get around to updating it.. to reflect the newer HiMDRenderer as well as the wave converter .. and some screencaps might be advantageous to those who have read the instructions and are still unable to grasp the instructions.

[Christopher]

Yes, this would be good. I'm going to do some searching this weekend to finish out that thread listing topic for recommended reading btw. I appreciate your consistant help Dex, it makes the community much stronger.