My journey steers towards MD

[ratbagradio]

It's strange that there are all these communities "out there' in the world approaching audio recording from very different perspectives. I began from a level of total audio ignorance when I became interested in podcasting. So I have had to learn as best I can by negotiating a very sharp learning curve.

But because podcasting has been so much a computer based activity -- both to create,edit, upload and download -- its potential and creativity can become limited by its own hardware and software which function also as a blinker. The focus is on creating a Mp3 file and sharing it --so there's supposed to be a straight line in the DIY.

But I decided early on that I didn't want to create audio sitting at my computer -- I think thats' sterile and uninspiring. I wanted to at least walk and talk --and explore different ambient contexts.

So I explored various ways I could record on Mp3 'players' -- initially with an iRiver T30(using a battery powered mic) and now with a iRiver ifp 795. The advantage with the ifp is that it has plug in and play power -- so I got myself a Sony microphone, the ECM-DS30P --and had to be a bit creative in the way I employed a jack to attach it to the ifp which won't allow the mic to sit flush on the line in port.

But then it struck me that I've had my head in the wrong place: Mp3 is a listener's medium and not a creator's. That may seem obvious -- but I fear that a lot of newbie podcasters, like me, fall into this trap so they'll be stuck at their computers talking into the screen making up the time of day.

When I started out with web audio in mind I didn't know what a minidisc was, but when I began a broadcaster's course at my local community radio station -- I was introduced to the wonders of MD for the first time.

The station has an audio setup which isn't computerised just yet --so it relies on non HD MD technology. This hands-on stuff was very impressive as it was very flexible even though audio sourcres came from CDs,LPs, cassettes and MDs.Being a panel operator is quite an exercise as you switch from format to format and que your playlist.

The station has to edit on the MD players themselves -- but after employing Audacity & WAV formats on the PC I miss the ready ease to cut, paste and fiddle which the computer editing programs offer so easily.

I understand that with High MD I can edit my audio on the computer because HMD allows me to upload the stuff I record via my computer's USB port. That's right, isn't it?

But once my audio file is in the computer how can I edit it? Can I use Audacity --which handles Ogg Vobis, Wav and Mp3 (at least) -- to edit the audio and convert it to Mp3?

OR...Do I have to use this Sony program -- to facilitate the business? If I upload to the pc and am forced to use an Mp3 format to do that (with compression less than 128kbps)I'm not ahead of what I can get from my iRivers. While some trade off in compression is to be expected -- all I'm after is a looser format (such as Wav)* with which to do my editing.

Can I get that from HMD?

At the moment I have my eye on a Sony MZ-NHF800 Mini Disc Player --- thats' not going to disappoint me in thsi regard is it?

With a MD as my core recording device the iRivers can be my backup --and I'd then be real happy with that setup.

dave riley

*There are traps in editing Mp3 files in Audacity if you compress each time you save the file -- you can loose a lot of quality if you move out of "Project" mode.

[ermine]

yes, you can use Audacity or any other PC program capable of editing WAV files.

Record in PCM mode on a HiMD for about 90 mins, or you can record in Hi-SP for several hours. Transfer to PC. Edit. Use Audacity to convert to MP3, Publish. Sorted

You only need Sonic Stage to transfer your recording to the PC.