SCMS Bypass (although Real time)

[1kyle]

This method works (But Don't get the LATEST software upgrade).

(Forgot to add -- am using the Creative Labs Notebook Audigy 2 ZS card) -- the one that slides into a PCMCIA / Cardbus slot on your laptop).

I've got 2 Minidisc recorders -- A Hi MD unit (NHF800) and the older Net MD model MZ-N10 (absolutely love the thin case even though it's an older unit).

A disc I recorded digitally on the NHF800 can be played via Sonic stage (even though as I've posted prevciously won't let me transfer to computer for all sorts of stupid reasons) and then using the digital OUT plugged in to the optical input of the MZ-N10 works perfectly --even though I'm using the MZ-N10 in LP mode.

The Disc I copied on to the MZ-N10 can then be digitally copied to another disc (on the HI-MD MHF800) in either MDLP mode or Hi-MD SP/LP or whatever. (Making a 2nd generation copy -- not normally allowed by SCMS) This 2nd generation copy can then be digitally copied back to the Hi-MD unit where I can repeat the whole process.

I haven't got 2 Net MD or 2 HI-MD units so I haven't been able to check all possible combinations -- but for what I want --provided it's done in Real Time I can make any number of digital copies from a Digitally recorded minidisc via the USB cable to an older MD unit.

If I've got 2 Hi-MD recorders I can't see any problems either --so the Audigy 2 ZS notebhook card definitly ignores SCMS.

(The latest software is alleged to have fixed this so the card honours SCMS but so long as you are just playing your MD with Sonic Stage (don't transfer) the digital output on the card will allow a disc copy and THAT copied disc will copy another disc and so on.

I know it's digital as a) I've looked at in on a 'Scope and the only connection from the Source MD unit is via the USB cable.

Cheers all

-K

Don't use a version above 3.10.08 however as they've AFAIK plugged this loophole

[xispe]

yes that's nice. But:

1. Sonic stage will be playing the sound coming from the files in the Hi-MD disk... we all know the difference that it makes in terms of quality when compared to the playback in the unit.

2. The resulting signal is reencoded again in ATRAC/ATRAC3 in your N10.

I've made something similar passing an album from Hi-MD (Atrac3@256) to standard MD (SP - Real SP!!). I hooked up my mz-r70 to the optical out of my SB Live, and played back the source Hi-MD using SonicStage.

[Christopher]

Xispe raises a good point. Your transcoding ATRAC from ATRAC. Ew.