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Convert from ATRAC to Mp3

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Ida

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Hi,

I have a big problem. I have a MD Sony MZ-NH700 and I have recently bought a mp3-player (not Sony). Now I want to transfer music I have in Sonicstage 2.0 (in atrac3plus) to my new mp3 (in mp3). When I put the music into Sonicstage it automatically converted into atrac, is it possible to convert it back in Sonicstage, or how should I do? My first idea was to to burn a MP3 CD to convert, but it was not working with the atrac files. I have search for ripping programs but I don´t find anything suited for my needs.

Please, I really need your help!

Thanks!

/Ida (from Sweden)

ida_k_svensson@hotmail.com

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What was the source of the music you fed into SonicStage (Audio CD, live recording, downloaded mp3s)? CDs can be re-ripped directly to mp3. Live recordings on MD would need to go through SonicStage to be converted.

Also, upgrade your SonicStage to a more recent version, some restrictions were removed and bugs fixed.

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It was from Audio CD. But now I only have the music in atrac3plus in Sonicstage.

Maybe I should upgrade Sonicstage. Where can I find a later version? I think I already have done it once from an even older version. I remember I had a lot of trouble with it. But it is maybe worth it. Should I use a upgrade version or should I reinstall the whole new version. I think I did the first last time and nothing worked out. Maybe I did something wrong.

I also have another question. I have some music in mp3 in Sonicstage. I have tried to move it to another place but I don´t know how to do. I have also tried to find the music through another program but it seems to be hidden in Sonicstage.

I really appreciate your help.

Thanks!

/Ida

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SonicStage likes to be a dead end for music--you can put it in but it's hard to get it out.

I suggest you try Hi-MD Renderer, which is in Downloads for free (upper right, or look at the Hi-MD Renderer forum under Software). It may be able to convert your ATRAC files to mp3.

SonicStage 2.0 is terrible, and you should upgrade to 3.4 or 4.2 if possible--look in Downloads or search the forums for 4.2 and installer. But even with the upgrade, you may not be able to get your files out with SonicStage itself.

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I have now installed SonicStage 4.3 and Hi-MD Renderer. Still I don´t know how to to. In Renderer when I am supposed to browse I can´t find my music. I have tried to find it in SonicStage but I think that is impossible. I have also tried through my MD but still I find nothing.

I am really confused. In SonicStage my music is Atrac3+ If I check what is on my MD (not through SonicStage) the files are ending .HMA If I burn a Atrac CD in Sonicstage and then check the files are ending .APT All is just a mess for me.

With the new version of SonicStage am I still not able to burn a mp3 CD. To burn a Audio CD is working but the quality of the sound is extremly bad.

Still in need of your help...

Thank you so much!

/Ida

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If you haven't changed the default for SonicStage, your music is probably in a folder called Packages. Look under the Tools/Options/General/Location to Save Imported Files in SonicStage to see where it is storing music.

You can also use Windows Explorer to search for Packages.

.HMA files are encrypted music all combined in one big file. Don't touch those files or you may ruin them. There is hidden information that tells SonicStage how to read them, and if you move or alter the files you may make them completely useless.

You are probably burning an Audio CD from ATRAC files, which are compressed. They can't bring back full CD sound.

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Thank you so much for your help. Now I can convert the files into mp3 but the quality of the sound is so bad so this is not working for me. I´m giving up at this point.

I bought my MD (several years ago) to be able to do recordings of my self (I´m a classical musician). I understand now that my music is locked in SonicStage. Of cours Sony wants us to use their products, but I think it´s very bad that they give us no choice.

/Ida

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What bitrate(s) were you converting from and into? I find that 256 or 320 ATRac 3+ TO 160 or 192kbps mp3 is quite listenable to on my MP3 player and hi-fi. I listen to mostly classical music too. Of course the transcoding will result in some degradation but the results from Hi-MD renderer don't seem too bad at all.

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Thank you so much for your help. Now I can convert the files into mp3 but the quality of the sound is so bad so this is not working for me. I´m giving up at this point.

I bought my MD (several years ago) to be able to do recordings of my self (I´m a classical musician). I understand now that my music is locked in SonicStage. Of cours Sony wants us to use their products, but I think it´s very bad that they give us no choice.

/Ida

I'm guessing you probably ripped from the CD to Atrac in very low quality, so they won't convert to MP3 without losing more quality. Thats not Sonys fault, its a limitation of compressing music. You probably have the original CD's so you can re-rip the them to better quality. If not perhaps you can experiment with the bitrates in Hi-MD Render and you might find something thats ok for you.

What bitrate are the original ATRAC tracks you created?

On the issue of locking music. Unlike other companies which only make hardware. Sony is one of the few that makes hardware and publishing music aswell. So the locks (DRM Digital Rights Managment) and the lack of that functionality in SonicStage were an attempt to protect the publishing rights of artists. However it has hit them harder in hardware sales than in publishing. So now they have removed most of the restrictions they once had, on their products.

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Yes, that´s the problem. I used a low bitrate first time I converted them into atrac. The quality of the music in atrac is great but if I convert it back again I have problem. I have tried to change the settings in Renderer but with no good results. I don´t have my music in any other formats left, so convertion is my only way.

I have done some own recordings with mic in SP and with the highest bitrates, but the quality still turn very poor after convertion. So these recordings are useless for me. Any suggestion how to do a recording with mic that will conserve the good quality in mp3?

Thanks!

/Ida

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I have done some own recordings with mic in SP and with the highest bitrates, but the quality still turn very poor after convertion. So these recordings are useless for me. Any suggestion how to do a recording with mic that will conserve the good quality in mp3?

Recordings in PCM or Hi-SP should sound very good (assuming you record from a high quality source/mic) even after upload to SonicStage. Make sure you upload "as is" (no automatic conversion to a lower bitrate), check the transfer options in SonicStage. These recordings can be converted / decompressed to wav (Windows PCM). After these initial steps you should have high quality wav files and be free to do with it whatever you want with any capable external application (SonicStage no longer required).

When recording in Hi-LP you will have a more or less significant quality loss. Use it only if you need the extended recording time.

SP mode recordings are legacy mode compressed recordings, about the same quality as Hi-SP, but use up more space and cannot be uploaded with the NH700.

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