hold my hand while i pick my first md recorder

[littlecarrots]

i'm a low techie, but i'm ready to do it! i've searched this site....eeek!

i like to make primitive little home recordings of people, sounds, phone messages, music. i used to use a cheap tape recorder. i need a unit with mic in and pc compatibility (am i forgetting anything?). i wonder if the RH10 is a good one for me. any recommendations? also what do you know about mac compatibility?

i'm low tech and little, so talk down to me if necessary. and thank you kind responder!!!!

littlec

[ Add to Buddies ]

[mercury_in_flames]

go to minidisco.com and they have the m100 which is the rh10 and the m10 which is the rh910, those can be used with mac. If you dont have to have the oled screen just get the rh910. If you just want basic recording and the most basic looks, then you could get an nh700 or nh900. The battery lives vary, the rh10 has a gumstick battery which is removable if i remember correctly. What feautures are most important to you? What's your budget?

Edited December 2, 2005 by GregTheRotter

[littlecarrots]

gee thanks for the excellent info!

i have not checked the minidisco site yet, but while i have you...most important features are:

1. being able to record in the field with standard quaity

2. being able to import recordings into a mac and burn a cd. (what kind of software do i need for that?)

3. maybe use diferent kinds of mics...i have no idea what i'm talking about yet.

4. starting budget under $350

much appreciated!

  GregTheRotter said:

go to minidisco.com and they have the m100 which is the rh10 and the m10 which is the rh910, those can be used with mac. If you dont have to have the oled screen just get the rh910. If you just want basic recording and the most basic looks, then you could get an nh700 or nh900. The battery lives vary, the rh10 has a gumstick battery which is removable if i remember correctly. What feautures are most important to you? What's your budget?

[The Low Volta]

hi littlecarrots (great name!), welcome to MDCF...

1. any HiMD allows this

2. the catch: there are only 2 models that allow this the MZ-M100 (with OLED) and the MZ-M10 (see the minidisco site for more info) and then still only recordings in PCM (CD quality) so maximum 94minutes/1gb disc

3. the models mentioned in 2. have both got a 'line in' and a 'mic in', the 'line in' allows you to record from preamplified sources (like a stereo/tv/...) and the 'mic in' allows you to use cheapish (but often pretty good) electret mics that require 'plug in power' and a pre-amp... for more info about mics, be sure to check the 'live recording'-section of these forums!

4. ah that could be a pickle, as I believe the models are priced a bit higher, but they do come with a basic mic (good for speech, not really for music)... just check the minidisco site and perhaps other sites with the modelnames we provided (Sony MZ-M100 and Sony MZ-M10)... the M10 is the 'cheapest' as it doesn't come with the OLED screen

[littlecarrots]

so helpful, Volta!! thankee kind teachers!

now can you tell me what i'd be missing without an oled screen? (um, what exactly is it?)

also, cd quality is fine I think, but what other options are there?

can't thank you enough for the hand holding! i've been perfectly confused until now.

  The Low Volta said:

hi littlecarrots (great name!), welcome to MDCF...

1. any HiMD allows this

2. the catch: there are only 2 models that allow this the MZ-M100 (with OLED) and the MZ-M10 (see the minidisco site for more info) and then still only recordings in PCM (CD quality) so maximum 94minutes/1gb disc

3. the models mentioned in 2. have both got a 'line in' and a 'mic in', the 'line in' allows you to record from preamplified sources (like a stereo/tv/...) and the 'mic in' allows you to use cheapish (but often pretty good) electret mics that require 'plug in power' and a pre-amp... for more info about mics, be sure to check the 'live recording'-section of these forums!

4. ah that could be a pickle, as I believe the models are priced a bit higher, but they do come with a basic mic (good for speech, not really for music)... just check the minidisco site and perhaps other sites with the modelnames we provided (Sony MZ-M100 and Sony MZ-M10)... the M10 is the 'cheapest' as it doesn't come with the OLED screen

[The Low Volta]

OLED= organic light emitting diode (or something alike) = a newer type of screen that uses bright, light emitting letters/symbols and stuff that sort of look like being projected on the plastic surface instead of those boring LCD screens you see everywhere

the biggest thing is that it is the only lit up screen on the recorder itself as far as HiMD is concerned... other models do offer a backlit remote, but no lit screens on the recorder itself...so could be handy for recording in dark situations

about the qualities:

- PCM (CD-quality, of course limited by the mic you use) is the highest quality and offers 94 minutes on a 1gb disc and 28 min on a standard 80min MD

- HiSP (265kbps) is a compressed format (like MP3) but still good quality and offers 8 hours on a 1gb disc

- HiLP (48kbps) is a much more compressed format that is ok for speech but not really useful for music etc... this offers about 34 hours or something on a 1gb disc... but for recording it really should be avoided in my honest opinion...

so with the M-models you could use all these modes, but only the PCM-recordings will be transferable to MAC (HiSP and HiLP can only be transferred to PC)...but still it's a good thing that the best quality is useable for mac users

PS: if you wish to learn more about the HiMD format, be sure to check the 'HiMD'-section (the pinned threads and faq) here on MDCF and perhaps also the HiMD faq at minidisc.org

[littlecarrots]

yes! OLED, i see (great visual)! ready to fledge now...

Volta, i'm glad you're here.

peace and safety in all seasons,

littlecarrots

  The Low Volta said:

OLED= organic light emitting diode (or something alike) = a newer type of screen that uses bright, light emitting letters/symbols and stuff that sort of look like being projected on the plastic surface instead of those boring LCD screens you see everywhere

the biggest thing is that it is the only lit up screen on the recorder itself as far as HiMD is concerned... other models do offer a backlit remote, but no lit screens on the recorder itself...so could be handy for recording in dark situations

about the qualities:

- PCM (CD-quality, of course limited by the mic you use) is the highest quality and offers 94 minutes on a 1gb disc and 28 min on a standard 80min MD

- HiSP (265kbps) is a compressed format (like MP3) but still good quality and offers 8 hours on a 1gb disc

- HiLP (48kbps) is a much more compressed format that is ok for speech but not really useful for music etc... this offers about 34 hours or something on a 1gb disc... but for recording it really should be avoided in my honest opinion...

so with the M-models you could use all these modes, but only the PCM-recordings will be transferable to MAC (HiSP and HiLP can only be transferred to PC)...but still it's a good thing that the best quality is useable for mac users

PS: if you wish to learn more about the HiMD format, be sure to check the 'HiMD'-section (the pinned threads and faq) here on MDCF and perhaps also the HiMD faq at minidisc.org

[The Low Volta]

just for the record... I eh...borrowed that pic from the Minidisc.org equipment browser which is a brilliant place to get more info on all models... (I do not own the RH10 ...and no RH910 either, I'm still at 1st gen HiMD with a NH900)

also be sure to check out the product reviews and pictorials section as there is about a ton of info on all models overthere as well (with even better pics than the one above)