I'm Considering getting a Sony MZ-RH1

[Malatesta]

Hey everyone,

Long time MD user, first time poster. I am considering getting a Sony MZ-RH1 recorder. It would be solely for the purpose of copying my 74 and 80 minute discs off onto my Windows PC. They are all recorded in SP mode or LP2 mode. They are all microphone recorded discs. This would be my first Sony unit. My others are Sharp 722, and Sharp 770.

I would like to know if the users here have had any trouble transferring recordings to PC?

Is it correct that with standard MDs it is not necessary to close the write-protect tab (thereby making the disc writable)?

Does SonicStage make any changes to the data on the disc?

Have any of you ever had a previously recorded recording on a disc ruined or made unreadable by SonicStage or the RH1?

"mediageek" stated in his review on epinions...

To upload your MD audio to a Windows PC you plug it in via USB and you hope that Windows recognizes it straight off -- it's about a 75% chance. Then fire up SonicStage, where you have another 75% chance that the software will see it.

Have other Windows users had this problem? Can this problem be overcome by unhooking and rehooking the cable, or by rebooting?

Has there ever been a disc that you could not get to transfer from MD to PC?

Thanks for your help!

This post was both hardware and software related, so I was not sure where to post it. Sorry if it should have been in the software subforum.

Malatesta

[Brfff]

Hello,

I didn't see any other replies so I thought I'd chip in with mine.

My first MD unit was an Aiwa mini-hifi type gizmo - had tape/cd/md/radio built in. Remember it vividly - was living in Finland at the time and bought it duty-free at the airport, so had to lug it onto the flight to Germany and back (just before taxfree stopped)! Used it originally to make "mixtapes" from my tapes and from CDs. Then got a portable (MZ-R90).

Then got an iMac G4 with iTunes (rip/mix/burn) and so kinda forgot about my MDs for a while ... got a 2nd gen 20GB iPod.

My MDs languished for a while - had a few tape transfers but mostly CD mixes from my pre-Mac days. Plus three pre-recorded MDs.

Back to Australia. Picked up a Sony MD deck cheap on Ebay with optical out. Hooked this up to a Tascam CD recorder that I also picked up cheap on Ebay that allowed you to use normal CD-Rs instead of those more expensive audio CD-Rs. Used this initially to copy my MDs to CD and then into iTunes on my Mac.

Then came the RH1. Didn't really know about Hi-MD. Picked one up and have loved using it. I made a post in another thread - am using it to tape Internet radio streams, tape DVD soundtacks (i.e. live concert DVDs). And I take it jogging with me.

Back to your original query. I'm in two worlds - we have four Macs in our family, plus my work Windows laptop. It's good that Sony have released some Mac software - allows you to rename and copy tracks off a Hi-MD disk.

But I finally installed SonicStage on my work laptop and it's been usable. I find it strange to use, but at least I can get it to do what I want.

Since I got my Sony MD deck off Ebay, have been "collecting" pre-recorded MDs from Ebay (54 current count, with a few more in transit). I like them. Same as I like UMD movies. Of course, I don't pay full price for them - a movie for $10 Aussie is a bargain. But I digress.

I've been able to use SS to copy my pre-recorded MDs into WAV format, and then onto CD ... then into iTunes. So format-shifting pre-recorded MDs works well.

Digitally recorded Hi-MDs I've not had much luck with. I recorded a stream off DI.FM onto an 80min blank in Hi-MD mode. Started importing on both Mac & Windows software but they both choked after a while. So I gave up on that - if I want to listen to the stream, I take my RH1 jogging with me (which works quite well). Idea was to copy it onto one of my iPod shuffles. But there is streamripping software that can do that anyway.

I will try some microphone recorded transfers for you tomorrow if you like.

Overall, the RH1 is a fantastic unit. It's a shame that it's the end of the line because it really is a pleasure to use. Well done Sony. Of course, why use a mechanical format when flash memory is so much more reliable and cheaper, etc. But the end-user experience is what counts to me. My RH1 does what I ask of it admirably.

[bobt]

"when flash memory is so much more reliable and cheaper, etc."

Is flash really cheaper than about $6.00 a gig??

Just a thought, although I pretty much agree with everything else,

Bob

[Justin42]

I've actually had fewer weird, quirk SonicStage issues using old SP-format MDs with my RH1 than I have with HiMDs. I think the situation in the original post was maybe a bit of an exaggeration although SS *is* a very weird program and you have to wonder what universe the Sony interface programmers came from.

Overall, using the RH1 to upload old format discs has been a great experience... (and many of my MDs were recorded on a Sharp 722..awesome machine, still love the overall design)

[jbdance]

Sometimes when I connect my RH1 to my PC, Windows does not make the "USB device connected" tone. If I open and reinsert the MD, then it works. Annoying, but it will work.

I have a library of old MDs too. The RH1 can upload them ok to the PC. Apparently for patent licensing reasons, SonicStage will not use the original ATRAC/292kbps codec which your "old-style" MDs are recorded in. That means the file is converted when it uploads, either to ATRAC3+/256k or PCM (uncompressed).

Your uploaded file is stored in the SonicStage library as an .oma file, by default in a subdirectory under

C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\SonicStage\Packages

The .oma file has "copy protection" built in so you cannot open it with anything but Sonic Stage. You can do a second step in SS to "convert" the file to another .oma without protection, and that file gets written to

C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\SonicStage\Packages\Optimized Files

You can also specify SonicStage to auto-convert files to standard WAV after upload and put it in a separate directory. That's what I do. The wav file is then available right away for import, burning etc. with other software.

[tekdroid]

Overall, the RH1 is a fantastic unit. It's a shame that it's the end of the line because it really is a pleasure to use.

Beep beep. Don't mistake rumour as fact.

[Anastomosis]

And I have a question as well.

I am thinking of getting an MZ RH-1, mainly to transfer old songs from MDs that I recorded in the late 90s to my computer's hard drive.

My MDs are all 60, 74, or 80 minutes and none of them were recorded with a NetMD or USB cable. They were all recorded from CDs using a DiscMan with an optical out connected to an old school 1st gen MD player (with optical in, of course). Not even MDLP. They were all SP.

So, my question is: can I use the RH-1 to transfer these old files/songs? Or do I still have to do it the analogue way and forgo the RH-1 ?

Thanks, if anyone has any experience here, it would be much appreciated.

[The Low Volta]

@ anastomosis... all these tracks you mention CAN be uploaded with the RH1: ONLY NetMD "PC -USB-> MD" transfers are prohibited

[Anastomosis]

Thanks Volta... Now I gotta start saving!

[timonoj]

@ anastomosis... all these tracks you mention CAN be uploaded with the RH1: ONLY NetMD "PC -USB-> MD" transfers are prohibited

Erm, i think even those are allowed with the RH1...I think it doesn't have any restriction at all

Anyway, i'll check it when i get back home

[The Low Volta]

no timonoj... NetMD downloads (from PC to MD through USB in NetMD-mode) are still non-uploadable as far as all the testers that have posted their results here (including Richyu etc.) have determined... please test such a thing before posting as this could give false hopes to ppl who come and complain afterwards that they got incorrect info from MDCF

[timonoj]

no timonoj... NetMD downloads (from PC to MD through USB in NetMD-mode) are still non-uploadable as far as all the testers that have posted their results here (including Richyu etc.) have determined... please test such a thing before posting as this could give false hopes to ppl who come and complain afterwards that they got incorrect info from MDCF

Ok, ok...sorry...I thought I could.

[tregate]

I"m in the same boat....need to transfer lots of MD songs to my PC (and then play them with my iPod).

Does anyone know of companies/individuals out there who would be willing to convert my MD's (probably only 30) to PC format (WAV) and then burn them to either DVD/CD?

Please let me know if someone could help me out or knows of someone who might be willing to do the MD--->PC conversion.

Thanks!!

Tre

tmccroskey --at-- yahoo -dot- com

[Roamer]

Is it correct that with standard MDs it is not necessary to close the write-protect tab (thereby making the disc writable)?

Does SonicStage make any changes to the data on the disc?

You can write-protect standard MDs (if you want) before uploading, so it is really safe.