kkconnell Posted November 28, 2005 Report Share Posted November 28, 2005 i'm new to the forum and need some help. i am a musician and am looking to purchase a MD to use as a scratch pad for ideas. I saw a friend of mine using an older model and he said that his takes "real time" to download into his computer. After researching them a little, I am still confused as technical things are difficult for me. I just want a decent reasonably priced minidisc that has a line in to connect a microphone to record with and then to upload to my computer at something faster than real-time. I would like to then be able to email the file as a mp3 or wav file to co-writers, etc.Do anyone have any suggestions. I've been through the faq section, but this is all new to me... any help would be great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishstyc Posted November 28, 2005 Report Share Posted November 28, 2005 The NH700 is the cheapest model that would fit your needs I guess.It has line in/mic in/optical in.Headphones out (no line out).You can use a regular AA battery (I think this is the only model like that), so it's easy to buy a new higher capacity battery, or to carry a spare battery.Pricier models have some more options, like maybe radio or the possibility to pitch shift songs, but that's luxury if you just want a simple recorder.Recordings can be uploaded and instantly converted to wav (and then to mp3 as needed) with any model.(Use Sonicstage 3.2 or higher) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bogon07 Posted November 29, 2005 Report Share Posted November 29, 2005 Depending on where you live you might considerhttp://www.minidisc.com.au/default.php?cPa...google.minidiscMinidisc Australia who are selling MZ-NH900 & MZ-NH1 at reduced prices with the Hi-MD bundle packs as these two include the ECMDS70P stereo microphone which is very sensitive and clear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A440 Posted November 29, 2005 Report Share Posted November 29, 2005 Grab those Minidisc Australia deals if you live someplace they ship to. On model numbers: Anything that is not Hi-MD (with an H somewhere in the model number) will not upload digitally to your computer. No Net MD (MZ-N###) or older models. Look at the Browser tab on the http://www.minidisc.org homepage for lots of details. THe Hi-MD models are really the only ones that suit your needs. Last year's Hi-MD models--the NH700, NHF800 (a NH700 with radio) and NH900--are getting harder to find. I prefer NH700 or NHF800 because it runs on an AA battery; the others have a rechargeable gumstick and outboard AA pack. If you're out of Minidisc Australia range, you can find the MZ-RH910 for $170 here and probably elsewhere. http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller...oughType=searchI'm in New York and go to BH Photo, and it's reliable. But you may be able to find something closer to where you live. Use Google's Froogle to search. A little terminology: Line-in requires an amplified source: a stereo, a mixer, etc. Mic-in has a preamp to take a mic, which has a much weaker signal. You don't want just line-in--you need Mic-in as well. Don't get MZ-NH600D or MZ-NH600. Anything with a D only Downloads from your computer, for use as a portable player. The MZ-NH600 only has line-in, not good for mic recordings. And don't get the MZ-NH1 because it's got a hard-to-find battery and connector, not to mention a high price. Oh, and you can get a better mic than the Sony DS70P. You probably already have one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparky191 Posted November 29, 2005 Report Share Posted November 29, 2005 HiMD would be great for what you want. The other option is to use a computer/laptop instead. But assuming you want a portable device, a HiMD unit is the way to go. I'd agree with everthing said so far.A NH700 NH900 or RH910 would be the models I'd pick. The offer from Minidisc Australia is the best around. Wish I could get one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rei-gouki Posted November 29, 2005 Report Share Posted November 29, 2005 As a side issue that you may need to think about - the discs themselves. For a musician's quality, you're likely to want PCM. An 80 minute MD holds about 28 minutes of PCM (basically like what you get of a CD - no compression). Should be enough for a scratch pad. Maybe carry a few if you want to make a few recordings before uploading. Or you can get the HiMDs which hold 94 minutes of PCM.Oh, and the NH1 does not allow for an external AA battery, in case you misread A440.And you surmised, help would be more focused if we had an idea about the region of the world you hail from, not that you are required to tell us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kkconnell Posted November 29, 2005 Author Report Share Posted November 29, 2005 Thanks for all the great help. I'm from the seattle area. I'm pretty much lame when it comes to this technical stuff.... just a singer/songwriter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gerjane3 Posted December 1, 2005 Report Share Posted December 1, 2005 As a side issue that you may need to think about - the discs themselves. For a musician's quality, you're likely to want PCM. An 80 minute MD holds about 28 minutes of PCM (basically like what you get of a CD - no compression). Should be enough for a scratch pad. Maybe carry a few if you want to make a few recordings before uploading. Or you can get the HiMDs which hold 94 minutes of PCM.Oh, and the NH1 does not allow for an external AA battery, in case you misread A440.And you surmised, help would be more focused if we had an idea about the region of the world you hail from, not that you are required to tell us.Hello,I've question about how long could I record (mic rec) on 1GB disc, only 94 minutes? Is it possible to record longer by mic?g. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparky191 Posted December 1, 2005 Report Share Posted December 1, 2005 94 minutes uncompressed @ CD Quality. If you reduce the quality to HiSP (256kps) you'd get 8 hrs if your batteries lasted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gerjane3 Posted December 1, 2005 Report Share Posted December 1, 2005 (edited) 94 minutes uncompressed @ CD Quality. If you reduce the quality to HiSP (256kps) you'd get 8 hrs if your batteries lasted.Thanks. And I hope that I can reduce the quality to HiLP also. Edited December 1, 2005 by gertson3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Low Volta Posted December 1, 2005 Report Share Posted December 1, 2005 yes you can... but for music, you won't want to Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gerjane3 Posted December 1, 2005 Report Share Posted December 1, 2005 yes you can... but for music, you won't want to OK, thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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