Newbie trying to Transfer to PC

[olliewigg]

Hi all,

I'm planing on making a radio documentary or two in Indonesia over the next year or so and need some advice on transferring recordings from MD to PC. I have been given a Sharp MD-MT99 and will probably purchase a PC laptop.

I need to know if it's possible to transfer recordings from my MD to a PC without significant quality loss.

Cheers,

Ollie

[bat21]

I'm sorry, but you can't upload from a Sharp MD-MT99. Only Hi-MD recorders do direct uploads. There's a complete list of Hi-MD recorders at http://www.minidisc.org/himd_table.html. Minidisc Access has a couple of Hi-MD recorders for less than $200 (http://www.minidiscaccess.com/generic76.html). I've bought lots of stuff from them over the years and never had a problem. You'll also want to go to Minidisc.org's Download section (see top ^ ) and get the latest software. For Mac: Hi-MD Music Transfer for Macintosh v2.0 or Mac Hi-MD Wav Importer. For Windows: Sonicstage 4.0 and Hi-MD Renderer v.52 .

[bobt]

The other way is realtime thru the soundcard, but in reality the RH1/M200 is the way to go

Bob

[A440]

For a documentary that needs decent quality and reliability you really only have two good MD choices--both Hi-MD. At this point, the Sharp is just about obsolete.

Hi-MD recorders can record in CD-quality PCM--90 minutes on the newer, higher-capacity Hi-MD disc, 1GB. (The Sharp can't use those.) Or they can put nearly 8 hours of Hi-SP, which might be good enough quality for radio, onto a 1GB disc. Hi-MD recorders can also upload their recordings to a PC through SonicStage, and the MZ-RH1 will also upload to Mac.

If I were you, with a PC, I would get the MZ-NH700. It runs on a AA battery, easily replaceable almost anywhere you are. It uploads its recordings only to a PC--not a Mac. It has the minor annoyance that you have to go through five menu clicks to set it to Manual recording levels every time you start to record. But running on one AA--for more than 8 hours of Hi-SP recording on one Duracell--is a major asset.

The other choice is the MZ-RH1 or MZ-M200 (same unit, but bundled with a mediocre Sony microphone, the DS70P). Besides being much better looking, the MZ-RH1 uploads to both Mac and PC and lets you set Manual as the default. Its biggest feature is for longtime MD users: It is the only unit that directly uploads old MD recordings, like the ones you would make with the Sharp (see below), to a PC.

The RH1 uses a thin rechargeable gumstick battery that runs for a long time, but does need to be recharged in the unit. (You could also buy an external 4-AA battery pack for serious field recording--search for Macally in these forums.)

Depending on when you are going, you could also bypass MD and check out flash recorders that capture PCM. The Zoom H2, supposedly to appear this month, promises a lot of wonderful things for just $200, but no one knows yet about build quality or recording quality. MD has its quirks--you have to upload through SonicStage, not simple drag-and-drop--but it is reliable.

The Sharp MT99 is a pretty old piece of equpment.

http://minidisc.org/part_Sharp_MD-MT88+MT99.html

All minidisc recorders from that era recorded only in compressed formats: SP (74 or 80 minutes per disc) or LP2 (148 or 160 minutes per disc) or LP4 (very low quality, 296 or 320 minutes per disc). SP was very good but not studio quality, though possibly good enough for radio. BUT: the only way to get music off the disc was to plug a cord into the headphone jack, plug the other end into a computer and record the analog signal in real time, with some quality loss.

Since you're starting anew, go for Hi-MD.

[olliewigg]

Thanks for your responses. I can afford to wait around and see what happens with these flash recording devices (no moving parts sounds great for field work) and then choose between one of those and an HD MD.

Ollie