Christopher Posted January 4, 2005 Report Share Posted January 4, 2005 (edited) Written by members dex Otaku, A440, and kurisu.Updated and reformatted November 2005 by dex Otaku.-------------------------------------NOTE: This guide does not apply to the 3rd Generation Hi-MD - MZ-RH1-------------------------------------Q: I have a live recording on my Hi-MD. Can I burn it to a CD?A: Yes! This is what Hi-MD is all about. You've come to the right place.. read on, and read thoroughly.Limitations: <blockquote><ul><li>Uploading is applicable ONLY to tracks recorded on Hi-MD via Mic-In, Line-in, or optical in to Hi-MD formats: PCM, Hi-SP or Hi-LP </li><li>Hence, if you have MD / MDLP / NetMD recordings (SP, LP2, LP4), they can not be uploaded, even if you have a Hi-MD player </li><li>SonicStage is a Windows-only program -- no Mac, Linux, etc. - though newer pro models such as the MZ-M100 [a slightly modified and renamed RH-10] can upload PCM tracks to Macintosh computers using dedicated Mac software. </li><li>Wave Converter will only export tracks that are from an analogue source. If you record on your HiMD using the optical input, you can upload the tracks but not convert them to WAV with Sony's Utility. HiMDRenderer works perfectly for this, however. </li></ul></blockquote> Software:<blockquote>This is the most important part of the process. If you don't have Sonicstage 3.3, then you may continue at your own risk [which includes randomly trashed uploads as experienced by many users with SS 2.x]. Please refer to this thread:http://forums.minidisc.org/index.php?showtopic=5481 If you are running SS 3.x, there is no need to use Sony's Wave Converter software. For historical purposes only, here is the link to it from Sony:---> Wave Converter [at Sony's Walkman site]You can also try the best [and only] third party application for this, HiMDRendere, with superior functionality. marcnet has his own FAQ regarding HiMDRenderer, with links for downloading, found here:---> marcnet's HiMDRenderer FAQ Note that HiMDRenderer will "export" OMA files from your SS library, but you must upload recordings to SS before you can use it to do so.You may also want to install Total Recorder, an $11.95 program that can record both what is going into AND out of your sound card. [for a more technical explanation, see the paranoids' section at bottom]Now you're ready. Make a fantastic live recording. Then upload, convert and edit or burn as you please.</blockquote> Paranoiacs' Option:<blockquote>Please refer to the real-time uploading methods at the bottom of this post.</blockquote> SOME NOTES ON RECORDING, Hi-MD, AND THE OMA AUDIO FORMAT:<blockquote><ul><li>HiMD is a magneto-optical medium; as such, it is susceptible to write errors during recording if you bump or shake the recorder sufficiently hard. SS will invariably fail uploading tracks that have unrecoverable write errors in them, though sometimes they can still be played and at least partially-recovered using any of the real-time uploading methods. I [dex Otaku] have seen SonicStage 3.2 react several different ways to write errors, including: rendering all tracks past the error both unplayable and unreadable for upload; rendering only the track containing the error both unplayable and unreadable for upload; rendering only the track containing the error unreadable for upload but leaving it playable. I have yet to see this occur with SonicStage 3.3, but have also yet to attempt uploading tracks with known write errors in them. If in doubt, listen to the recording directly from the HiMD *first*. </li><li>Always make sure your batteries are fresh when you are going out on location to record. Either charge your batteries just before heading out, or pop in an unused alkaline or other high-capacity battery. </li><li>Using the supplied AC apapter when recording with a microphone is known to cause buzz and hum in recordings if your microphone is powered by the unit. Always check what's going in [monitor!] with headphones before starting your session, or if you are using in-ear mics as I often do, check with headphones before putting them in your ears, or even get someone else to check with headphones for you. </li><li>Recording with a microphone while using a remote with display will record the display updates audibly. If you are recording loud sounds, this may not be an issue. If you are attempting to record conversation [interviews], nature sounds, or other forms of ambience which are relatively quiet, do not use the remote at the same time as your microphone. Line-in recordings should not be affected in this way. </li><li>When recording with line-in, the recorder will auto-trackmark as it goes. There is no way to disable this option. It is also well-known for causing brief repeated sections in the recording at the point where trackmarks are automatically laid. </li><li>If you make a lot of recordings that need to be distinguished by the time of recordings, use Group Mode. By default this setting is turned on; every time you STOP the recorder, and start recording again, a new group will be created with the first track starting as track 1 within the group. This can be very useful for keeping track of when certain tracks were recorded, even without timestamping [which only the NH-1 can do]. </li><li>Editing tracks on your HiMD before uploading has been known to cause issues with uploading with virtually all versions of SonicStage. The lesson here: if you will be uploading your recordings, do not add or remove trackmarks on the HiMD recorder itself before uploading. </li><li>Of extreme importance: The OMA files that SonicStage creates are <i><b>NOT SUITABLE AS A BACKUP MEDIUM</b></i>. Many users have fallen prey to this, so <b>READ CAREFULLY</b>: Your current installation of SonicStage has a unique encryption key. If you back up your recordings by copying the files directly from the SonicStage storage folder, <i><b>THEY WILL NOT BE USABLE FROM ANY OTHER INSTALLATION OF THE PROGRAM</i>. This means if you need to reinstall your OS, or have a hard disc crash, or anything happens that means having to freshly reinstall SonicStage, <i>YOU CAN NEVER READ THOSE FILES AGAIN</i> as they will be encrypted with your old, now non-existent keys.</b></li><li>If you want to back up your files so they are usable, export as WAV and then do what you will with those files, as they are neither encrypted nor limited by any form of DRM. You can also backup your entire library with the SonicStage backup tool, though for most users this will be less convenient than dealing only with a few WAV files.</li></ul></blockquote> PRE-UPLOAD HINTS TO EASE THE PROCESS:<blockquote><ul><li>Name the tracks on your Hi-MD in SonicStage's transfer window before uploading them. This way, SonicStage will name the actual files on your computer with the titles you've given them. </li><li>A suggestion on naming schema: I use date-occasion-group-track number; for example, 2005-11-20-Test Recording-g1-01; this makes for easily distinguishable names that sort correctly by date, group, and track number. I also sort the recordings when exporting them to WAV to be sure everything is always organised well. </li><li>In SonicStage's menus under Tools -> Options, under the "Advanced Settings" tab, check the box beside "Rename Music Files". This makes it easier to find the files with both Wave Converter and HiMDRenderer as the files will be named with whatever their title is in the SonicStage library. It will also rename any MP3s or WMA files you have imported into your SonicStage library if you change any of their metadata, however - so be aware. If you enable the "Rename Music Files" option, and either forget or don't bother to title tracks on the disc before uploading, you can still have files with usable names by titling them in your library. </li><li>I do not recommend using SonicStage's default naming system for large groups of files, as they do not sort correctly by filename alone and will prompt the need to manually rename files if you want them to sort sensibly. </li></ul></blockquote> TO UPLOAD:<blockquote><b>If you are using SonicStage 3.2 for the first time:</b> <blockquote><ul><li>go to Options/Transfer. Under Set Transfer Mode, click Hi-MD and make sure Standard Transfer Mode is checked. </li><li>In the same dialogue, click Advanced. Under Import Settings check "Leave the Tracks on the disc"; note that SonicStage 3.3 lacks this option, so if you have enabled it during first-run or first upload, you can't disable it afterwards. </li><li>Still in the Advanced dialogue, click "Save in WAV format when importing". </li></ul>Note from dex Otaku: I personally shy from using "Save in WAV format when importing" as I like to tell my computer what to do and when, as opposed to having it go ahead and automatically do things on its own, which often as not turns out to be a great way to find more bugs in the software. I also prefer to export recordings to a different folder every time I export, so that things stay organised. Be warned that having this option on will repeatedly dump all of your recordings in the same folder, leaving you to sort them out later. This is a matter of personal preference, of course.</blockquote><ul><li>You will need 10 MB of disc space per minute for uploaded PCM tracks *and* exported .wav files, so make sure there is sufficient space on your hard drive. </li><li>Connect your recorder via USB. Open SonicStage (v.3.2 or above). </li><li>Note that with Sonicstage 3.2 or newer, you can upload unlimited times. Please make sure you have the most recent version. If you have previously uploaded from a disc with SonicStage 3.1 or earlier, those tracks will not be uploadable again with any version. </li><li>Click Transfer at the upper right in SonicStage and from the pulldown menu click Hi-MD (DRIVELETTER:). The contents of your Hi-MD will appear in the transfer window. </li><li>Select the tracks you wish to upload, then click the red arrow pointing left [mouseover reveals the legend, "Transfer to My Library"], title a new album folder if it asks you to, and SonicStage will start transferring the selected tracks on your Hi-MD into your SonicStage Library. </li></ul> Important: Use AC power to both Hi-MD [if the model allows it; the RH910 and RH10 do not] and computer so that the transfer is not interrupted by a dying battery. Average upload speeds are limited by the actual medium HiMD uses. PCM recordings on 1GB discs upload at between 2.5 - 3x realtime on my Athlon 2500+; HiSP and HiLP recordings will upload correspondingly more quickly as they are at lower bitrates. Uploading from HiMD-formatted legacy MDs will be slower, as that medium both reads and writes more slowly than 1GB discs. Note also that the more tracks you have to upload, the longer it will take - 100 tracks totalling 60 minutes will take significantly longer than 2 tracks totalling 60 minutes, due simply to the increase in disc activity.</blockquote> PRE-CONVERSION AND BURNING HINTS TO EASE THE PROCESS: <blockquote><ul><li>You can combine and split uploaded tracks in the SonicStage library, but only after deleting them from the original HiMD. Note that combining tracks recorded via Line-In will leave the afore-mentioned repeated sections in the combined recording. </li><li>To maintain gapless playback on burned CDs, see the Gapless Burning HOWTO. </li></ul></blockquote> TO CONVERT: <blockquote>Note that if you have enabled "Save in WAV format when importing" this section is more or less superfluous to you. This is basically the "manual" method. It can also be used to re-export tracks when needed. <ul><li>Go to your library within SonicStage </li><li>Look for the album named, "Transferred from Hi-MD" and enter it </li><li>Select the tracks you wish to export, right-click on the selection, and select "Save in WAV Format.." from the context menu. </li><li>It is also generally a good idea to give your uploaded tracks an album name that reflects their source [again, I use something like "2005-11-20 - Test Recordings" as an album name] and to even edit the date tags in SonicStage so the albums will sort by the date of recording. </li></ul></blockquote> TO BURN:<blockquote>The new .wav files are yours to do with as you wish, unencrypted with no DRM. Edit them with a nondestructive sound editing program [like the free program Audacity], Kristal Audio Engine [also free], Protools, Sony Vegas, CoolEdit, or Adobe Audition to name a few examples. Burn them to CD with your choice of burning program [Windows Media Player, RealPlayer, MusicMatch, Nero....], or compress them to .mp3, .ogg, .flac or other formats with a program like the free dbpoweramp. If you use Marcnet's HiMDRenderer, mentioned above, you can convert the .oma [My Library] files to various compressed formats [flac, mp3, etc] directly without exporting as WAV.Yes, it would be better if self-recorded audio files were simply drag-and-drop. But with only a little inconvenience, your original Hi-MD recordings are now yours to play with.</blockquote> dex's OPTIONS FOR PARANOID USERS:<blockquote>The premise here is to always make a backup first. Many users have experienced and reported trashed uploads with SonicStage 2.x, and some users have reported damaged tracks with 3.x. Sometimes it is better to be safe than sorry, especially if your recording is in doubt in any way - see the note above re: unrecoverable write errors. Note also, again, that SonicStage 3.2 and newer allow unlimited uploads, while previous versions will only upload recorded tracks from HiMD once, and never allow them to be uploaded again. If you have run into this issue, the realtime methods are the only remaining way to get those tracks off the original disc again.In any case it's a good idea to back up the original WAV files of your recordings after converting and before editing. A CD or DVD burner and a stack of blanks are good for this, as is converting to lossless-packing formats such as FLAC or WavPack in order to save space without losing any quality.The analogue upload method: <blockquote><ul><li>Note that this is also the only way to transfer audio from an MD / MDLP disc to your computer from any MD / MDLP / netMD / Hi-MD portable. </li><li>Connect your HiMD to your computer using a 3.5mm stereo male-to-male cable going from your headphone output to the sound card's line input [NOT the mic input] </li><li>Turn off all processing on the HiMD, including AVLS, EQ, and virtual surround if your unit supports it </li><li>Set the HiMD's volume control to 28/30 [note that european/UK models will put out a much weaker signal, and turning the volume up high will only cause the Hi-MD to limit or compress the signal; note that this is less of a problem with units featuring digital amps.] </li><li>Set the record levels on your computer so that the loudest passages in your recording do not exceed the record meter's [in whichever application you're using] maximum level. It's a good idea to leave at least 6dB of room above the loudest parts you can easily find, just in case. You can normalise the recording in your editor later if need be, but you can't undo distortion from improperly set levels. </li><li>Start recording in whichever editor your prefer on the computer, and press play on the HiMD </li><li>Stop recording when it's done </li></ul></blockquote> Digital upload method [sans Total Recorder]: <blockquote><ul><li>Check if your sound card's recording mixer has a “WAVE” source listed. Please note that this is not guaranteed to be a digital source with every sound card [or driver version]. You can get to the recording mixer from the normal windows volume control – go to the 'options' menu, hit 'properties', then under 'Adjust volume for' click on 'recording' and click 'OK'. </li><li>If you have “WAVE” as a source in the recording mixer, select it and increase its volume slider to full. </li><li>Now open your preferred sound-recording application </li><li>Connect your HiMD recorder via USB </li><li>Open SonicStage and go to the Transfer window </li><li>Hit record in your recording app, then hit play in the HiMD half of SonicStage. </li></ul> It should be recording [digitally] directly from the HiMD to your computer over USB, <b>if your sound card's drivers support this properly.</b> Not all do.Note that different sound cards and driver versions will sometimes use "full" as full in the recording levels control, and sometimes amplify the incoming signal if the slider is set to anything above the default value. Check with the meters in your recording software before proceeding; if the incoming signal appears to be pinning the meter to its top, turn the recording level back down or set it back to the default.</blockquote> Digital upload method [using Total Recorder]:<blockquote>This method requires that you have Total Recorder, a utility from High Criteria; the basic version is available for $11.95USD and is well-worth paying for.These directions assume that you already have Total Recorder installed. <ul><li>Plug your HiMD recorder in via USB. </li><li>Open SonicStage and go to the transfer window </li><li>Open Total Recorder and press record </li><li>Press play in SonicStage on the HiMD half of the screen </li></ul> It should now be recording directly in Total Recorder. You can choose to do this a track at a time, or by copying all of your tracks into one long file. SonicStage does not, at this point, support gapless playback over USB, meaning that there will be track-gaps to clean up later if you rely on this method.Note that Total Recorder has features for scheduling when to start or stop recording, so you can start your copying and walk away to find the WAV file safely saved when it's finished.How does Total Recorder work to make digital recordings?Total Recorder installs a driver that appears to Windows as though it's another sound card. It acts as a proxy between whatever program you're playing audio from and the sound card's drivers; audio goes from the program used to play to the Total Recorder driver, which then routes it to your sound card. It works transparently and allows digitally recording the stream from any program to a WAV file while simultaneously sending it on to your sound card for normal playback. When you are not using Total Recorder itself, Windows uses your sound card's drivers directly.</blockquote></blockquote> Edited November 9, 2006 by Ishiyoshi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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