Converting digital audio from minidisc to wav format

[sacers]

Sorry if I come late to this forum, but someone has to follow the rest!

I have loads of recordings on MD from live radio broadcasts and from vinyl LP's - being a bit of an anorak I spent hours of time creating track divisions and titles for each album.

I would now like to store this library on my PC, and upload to my iPod (sorry for swearing!).

Have purchased a Creative Audio junction box into which I have plugged a coax interconnect from my Sony MDS JBS 930. The box is connected into the PC Soundblaster card.

Am getting recordings through to my PC (a bit of a chore in real time) - but with no track divisions and titling?

How do I sort this out (Sony were singularly unhelpful) - I really don't want to have to do all the track divisions and titles all over again!

[sfbp]

Your only option is the MZ-RH1. Nothing else will allow you to keep the titling information.

Do tell us what recordings you collect....

Cheers

[kino170878]

The MZ-RH1 is the most elegant solution for copying track marks and track titles. Alternatively you can buy a standalone CD recorder and use the digital out from an MD deck - this will copy track marks but not track titles. Alternatively again, you can buy an MD deck with PC link connection and MCrew software - this WILL transfer the track title and disc information into Microsoft excel on the computer although it won't copy the track audio itself. Good luck.

[sacers]

Thanks to "sfbp" and "kino" for such rapid responses. Just so I am clear, can I take it that MD's recorded on my MDS JB930 will play on the MZ-RH1. Does this kit connect to the PC by USB?

What I will have to do is decide whether moving my MD's - with tracks/titles - to my PC is worth £200+ - I guess the family treasurer/wife will have a view about that! I was rather hoping there was a technical solution which didn't require purchasing another player.

While I was impressed with the MD as a format and used it as my source of choice for recording/playback (I am a classical music fan and fussy about audio quality), the short battery life of my Walkman MZ R55 (even with the extra battery pack fitted) was a real handicap - has this improved with up-to-date MD's ?

[sfbp]

1. Yes

2. Probably

3. Yes - all HiMD units actually power from the USB bus whilst plugged in. The RH1 has a fairly decent LiIon battery, you just need to know how to talk to LiIon to keep it up to snuff (many don't, leave it plugged in all the time and then wonder why the life deteriorates).

I am also a classical fan and very fussy about what gets uploaded. Until very recently I preferred the upload from the digi-out myself, especially if I needed to clean up the sound by FFT, editing out the clicks etc etc (eg from vinyl or cassette tape). But if the recording is clean already, the RH1 is a better way.

Don't make the mistake of using the RH1 as a general purpose player. You can buy one of those for relatively little money on ebay, used or new.

[THIS SUCKS]

you can just use hi-md rendered in the md mode to upload your recordings by analog means with titles and track marks intact! i use it all the time.

you can just use hi-md rendered in the md mode to upload your recordings by analog means with titles and track marks intact! i use it all the time.

[Nate A]

you could buy the RH1, do your transfers and then sell it when your done. keep it all clean and save the packaging so you can sell it as "near mint" as posssible.

or, you could record into your comp via line in and Audacity. this would be analoge and take forever though.

or, copy the MD's to memory stick and play on a Playstation Portable (PSP) which will play ATRAC files.

[Syrius]

Or you can ask anyone with an RH1 to upload those files for you, and send them back, discs and tracks, free of DRM. (Of course, compensation is up to you.)

[sacers]

Thanks to all of you for your advice - I purchased an MZ RH1. With the latest version of SonicStage and the Sony driver downloaded on my Vista PC the transfer of many hours of music from MD (plus tracks and titles) worked like a charm. I was also very pleased with the facility for auto conversion to WAV format. I admit to having had second thoughts about spending money on a new MD device, particularly when I read all the horror stories about bad experiences with Vista - but I need not have worried. All I had to do was a minor bit of work tidying titles.

I am really pleased with my purchase - and will now use the MZ RH1 to record concerts I am involved with.

Thanks again.

[bobt]

You chose Wisely!

Have fun

Bob

[dotty]

You chose Wisely!

Have fun

Bob

Hi, I wonder if anyone is still following this thread? or if indeed this is the right forum, maybe I'll post it in the Software Support forum as well......

For years I've been uploading my MDLP recordings from my MZ NH900 via a Xitel MD port. It works OK and I don't mind doing it in real time because I can quality control the live recordings, but what I DO mind is the loss in quality by the time I get it onto CD.

Is it still impossible to use Sonic Stage to upload an LP recording? Even when it was done on the NZ900? I tried last night for the first time to do that and got an error message.

I thought there must have been a fix for that by now?

Thanks for any advice!

[bobt]

Hi, I wonder if anyone is still following this thread? or if indeed this is the right forum, maybe I'll post it in the Software Support forum as well......

For years I've been uploading my MDLP recordings from my MZ NH900 via a Xitel MD port. It works OK and I don't mind doing it in real time because I can quality control the live recordings, but what I DO mind is the loss in quality by the time I get it onto CD.

Is it still impossible to use Sonic Stage to upload an LP recording? Even when it was done on the NZ900? I tried last night for the first time to do that and got an error message.

I thought there must have been a fix for that by now?

Thanks for any advice!

The RH1 is the only answer to that, and I've heard that it will not upload SS recordings, but not having the unit I can't say for sure.

Bob

[sfbp]

The only way to transfer LP that wasn't made by a HiMD unit, or that was made using SonicStage, is to get an MDLP deck with digital out, and a sound card for your computer with digital in.

Generally LP isn't a good format for transferring arround though; anything you really want to save should be kept in SP, or better on CD at the highest bitrate. Despite all the comments generally about Sony's paranoia, I believe that part of the reason for this is that the quality is not so good, and they(Sony) don't want a second-hand second-rate LP recording held up as example of the MD sound.

Assuming you made the discs from linein or microphone, you should switch to recording in one of the atrac3+ modes if you want to upload from the NH900. However the LP that you already recorded NOT from SonicStage should be fine uploaded from the RH1, albeit you may not like the quality much.