help! new to minidisc players/recorders

[mindlessmusings]

Hi, I'm completely new to minidisc players, and I was led here by a friend who recommended them as convenient and high quality recording devices. What i need is something that records instrumental music well because I plan to use it to send CD's of my playing to colleges, competitions, etc. Because most institutions don't take minidiscs, I need to be able to upload the recording onto my computer and burn it onto a CD without any loss in sound quality. I play the clarinet (if that makes any difference) and I want something that will sound rich, clear, and hopefully cover up any improficiencies in my playing (a person can dream ). Price is not too much of an issue, but the cheaper the better. I'm also open to buying microphones if it will help the quality of the recording.

[Strungup]

Hi, I'm completely new to minidisc players, and I was led here by a friend who recommended them as convenient and high quality recording devices. What i need is something that records instrumental music well because I plan to use it to send CD's of my playing to colleges, competitions, etc. Because most institutions don't take minidiscs, I need to be able to upload the recording onto my computer and burn it onto a CD without any loss in sound quality. I play the clarinet (if that makes any difference) and I want something that will sound rich, clear, and hopefully cover up any improficiencies in my playing (a person can dream ). Price is not too much of an issue, but the cheaper the better. I'm also open to buying microphones if it will help the quality of the recording.

For Uploading , are you on Win or Mac , For Mac your choices are narrowed for you , in other words you Have no choice , the RH1 (M200) is the only one you can get that will do that .

MD will record only what you give it , cheap crappy mic , = cheap crappy sound .

You might be better off with the Roland /Edirol R-09 Built in mics , and records in standard formats no software required.

For MD the need for building a collection of Music ,is also needed , not just a singular purpose , I for one am a Hardcore MD fan I use it for everything , Guitar lessons , Daily Jams , Concerts , Ideas < reheasals etc .

So if you see your needs as a little broader , then YES MD , but if it is Mainly to get demos quick and dirty , the the R-09 from Edirol might suit you better on this one . Less investment , Less stuff to worry about . ( and it will play the offhand mp3 as well)

http://www.edirol.net/products/en/R-09/

Edited July 24, 2007 by Guitarfxr

[raintheory]

The MZ-M10, M100, and RH1 (M200) will all upload to Mac.

If you're on a PC, any Hi-MD recorder with Mic-input will suffice.

Have a gander at the browser here: http://www.minidisc.org/himd_table.html (the portables are listed under the decks).

Edited July 24, 2007 by raintheory

[Strungup]

thx for the correction , on the m10/m100

[mindlessmusings]

I use Windows just to clear up any confusion. The only thing I know about minidiscs is that they sort of function like cassettes, of which I like its ease of use. I will use it to do other things as Guitarfxr mentioned: practice aid, lessons, rehearsals, concerts. I have a normal HD mp3 player so I may probably not use it as much as a player and just opt for a device strictly used for recording unless someone can point out any advantages that minidiscs have. I'm entirely new to this format, so I'd be happy to hear any features unique to minidisc or why choose minidisc over _______.

[A440]

A lot of us use minidisc because when we started using them they were by far the best low-cost, high-fidelity, palm-sized recorders, and now we have libraries of minidiscs. We've gotten used to their quirks.

If you are just getting started now, Hi-MD is only one option for recording. They can upload the recordings to your computer, but only through Sony's cumbersome SonicStage program. The recordings on the disc are encrypted, so that if you drag-and-drop them, you have garbage data.

Good points of minidisc: small, high-quality, durable discs, a good built-in mic preamp, track marking--you can push a button during recording or playback to break a recording into separate tracks. Track marking attracted many journalists to minidisc.

Bad points: No drag-and-drop for recordings, capacity limited to 1GB before changing discs (though that is 94 minutes of CD quality, nearly 8 hours of compressed Hi-SP). No built-in mic (which would be bad because it would pick up the mechanical noise of the unit). And the software adds extra steps (and tension, although it's largely reliable now) to uploading.

The basic Hi-MD unit is the MZ-NH700, most easily available here:

http://www.minidiscaccess.com/item.html?PRID=1553219

Don't get their package that has a mic bundled with it--you can get a better mic for the price.

The flagship is the MZ-RH1: cuter, Mac-friendly, slightly less inconvenient recording menus, better sound on playback. (But same recording quality.)

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/4415...3_Minidisc.html

Note that you will have to get an outboard mic with any MD unit: minimum about $50, and don't get a Sony mic. For recording loud sound, you will also need a battery module because loud bass overloads the mic preamp (a common problem, not just with minidisc).

But there are now other options outside minidisc. One is the Edirol R09 pointed out above. Another is the forthcoming Samson Zoom H2, which might end up being my next recording toy--though I'm waiting to read user reviews before rushing out to get one.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/4801...le_Digital.html

Both are flash memory recorders with no moving parts (no noise), built-mics, drag-and-drop interface. They might be better for your purposes. I don't know how their mic preamps respond to loud sound.

You can find some higher-end gizmos discussed, endlessly, at www.taperssection.com , though their emphasis is on concert bootlegging.

Finally, if you don't need a tiny handheld thingie, you could always record directly into your computer with an easy free program like Audacity. http://audacity.sourceforge.net/ Digital recording is the conversion of analog signals to numbers, and digital recorders are little computers doing analog-to-digital conversion. Your computer can do that too.

The quality will depend primarily on your mic, and also on your computer's sound card. Many laptops only have a mono mic input and a soundcard that sounds best making pop and ding Windows sounds, but you can add an outboard higher-quality soundcard--many choices--or just a stereo mic input (via USB) with the Griffin iMic.

[smkranz]

Hi, I'm completely new to minidisc players, and I was led here by a friend who recommended them as convenient and high quality recording devices. What i need is something that records instrumental music well because I plan to use it to send CD's of my playing to colleges, competitions, etc. Because most institutions don't take minidiscs, I need to be able to upload the recording onto my computer and burn it onto a CD without any loss in sound quality. I play the clarinet (if that makes any difference) and I want something that will sound rich, clear, and hopefully cover up any improficiencies in my playing (a person can dream ). Price is not too much of an issue, but the cheaper the better. I'm also open to buying microphones if it will help the quality of the recording.

Firstly, good luck with your college auditions. My older two kids are conservatory students (one is tuba performance, and the other is trumpet/music ed), and if I remember correctly, the audition recordings we sent out were pretty much just for screening purposes to get an invitation for a live audition. Between the two of them, my wife and I traveled to about a dozen schools for live auditions.

Both of my guys either have borrowed one of my MD units, or have their own, for recording themselves rehearsing and at lessons. Once in school, they wind up in quartets or quintets and find the MD easy and convenient for recording themselves rehearse. As for their audition recordings, their private teachers did that on their own equipment.

I would not automatically discount the Sony ECM-MS907 microphone. I have one, and though I don't use it for live concert recordings (mostly for stealth reasons), I do use it for recording myself and friends playing old-time acoustic music, and the recordings I've made with it sound pretty darn good. Also, it comes with a funky little holder which doubles as a small stand so you just sit it on a table or desk if you are recording a lesson or a rehearsal.

[mindlessmusings]

Many thanks to you guys. This is exactly the information I needed.