Titling MXD-D400

[sfbp]

I am now the proud owner of an MXD-D400. This amazing piece of equipment has many interesting characteristics, some of them downright odd, but the two most important and positive ones (and good reason for anyone who can snap one up to get one) are as follows:

1. The ability to record direct from CD to MDLP (pick SP, LP2 or LP4) at "high" (4x) speed without using a computer

2. The ability (along with only about 3 other deck models ever made) to playback LP2 using Type-S decoding which makes LP2 actually worth listening to on a decent stereo system. As mentioned elsewhere the encoding doesn't have to be done by the machine that has Type-S, just playback.

I'm sure that some of the oddities**** will come up one of these days, but for now I would just like to find a way around this technical problem.

What I would like to do is to find a way to title such an MD without doing it by hand either with keyboard (the machine doesn't have a PS/2 keyboard socket, but that's no problem, any MD deck that does titling via Keyboard can be used to title LP2 and LP4 even if they cannot play the music tracks), or by SonicStage.

It occurs to me that SS or SB can do just what I want by going to CDDB and looking it up. The reason I prefer the deck for the transfer (especially to SP) is that I may want the best quality, which we all know doesn't exist in SS->MD because of codec restrictions (from Dolby) that end up putting "Fake SP" on the target minidisc.

But how to get them to title a minidisc? TOC cloning somehow?

Has anyone thought of a way?

Please, experts, post your thoughts. I know someone here has TWO of these thingies......

Stephen

**** the biggest oddity is that one cannot erase a SS-created disk.

[KJ_Palmer]

Well, just a thought, but one way to do it could be to use a Sharp MD portable, which, as far as I know all have a 'Name stamp' function. This copies all the titles from one MD to another, as long as they have the same number of tracks. You could create a 'temporary' NetMD (eg. in LP2 mode) with Sonicstage with the titles, and then Name Stamp them to your deck recorded disk. You'll need to acquire a Sharp portable - I got a couple very cheaply from eBay just for this sort of thing.

[sfbp]

That's pretty wild. Model numbers please?

[bluecrab]

I am now the proud owner of an MXD-D400. This amazing piece of equipment has many interesting characteristics, some of them downright odd...

Please, experts, post your thoughts. I know someone here has TWO of these thingies......

**** the biggest oddity is that one cannot erase a SS-created disk.

Stephen

Congratulations on acquiring the '400. I do have two of them, but I almost never title anything. True about erasing SS-created MDs on the '400 - it won't do it. You have to use another unit for erasing those. I don't use SS myself, but now and then come across an MD that was created with it.

You are also correct, IMO, that the Type S LP2 sounds OK when played back through a decent system. And the 4x SP/LP* copying is an outstanding feature. Good luck with the unit - my US-made one has been pretty much perfect.

[kino170878]

The solution (in addition to Barock's inventive idea) unfortunately involves buying more equipment. You actually need to downgrade one model to the MXD-D40 which has the 'PC link' output enabling connection to the PCLK-MN10A external unit. With the latest MCrew CD software this will allow direct control of the MD via the computer. I have this setup and you can perform very quick 2-way copying/pasting of track titles using Microsoft Excel. It's so easy you will wonder how you ever managed without it. I have no idea why Sony took that facility away with the newer MXD-D400.

Edited October 26, 2008 by kino170878

[rosjos]

What I would like to do is to find a way to title such an MD without doing it by hand either with keyboard (the machine doesn't have a PS/2 keyboard socket, but that's no problem, any MD deck that does titling via Keyboard can be used to title LP2 and LP4 even if they cannot play the music tracks), or by SonicStage.

It occurs to me that SS or SB can do just what I want by going to CDDB and looking it up. The reason I prefer the deck for the transfer (especially to SP) is that I may want the best quality, which we all know doesn't exist in SS->MD because of codec restrictions (from Dolby) that end up putting "Fake SP" on the target minidisc.

Stephen,

Unless I am missing something here, why don't you simply record on your new deck (to obtain the best quality recording you crave), then just use SS or SB to type in the names of your tracks (as you have already mentioned). Simple! It doesn't take that long... the automatic labelling solution being sought doesn't exist, and quite honestly this should not be an issue for 80 mins worth of tracks recorded at SP. Lazybones

Edited October 26, 2008 by rosjos

[sfbp]

Well, I did exactly that cutting and pasting from the same import to SS. But it still takes a while. I just thought you rocket scientists might have figured out a clever way to avoid this.

I don't crave it *that* much, as I say LP2 sounds really decent. It's more a matter of convenience, I wanted to make and send someone a disk and label it too - SP transfer with SS takes forever.

Cheers

[bobt]

Well, I did exactly that cutting and pasting from the same import to SS. But it still takes a while. I just thought you rocket scientists might have figured out a clever way to avoid this.

I don't crave it *that* much, as I say LP2 sounds really decent. It's more a matter of convenience, I wanted to make and send someone a disk and label it too - SP transfer with SS takes forever.

Cheers

forever, for me it takes a lot less time then straight time, so that has to be a bonus, right,??

can't help on the titling though, sorry.

Bob

[bluecrab]

The solution (in addition to Barock's inventive idea) unfortunately involves buying more equipment. You actually need to downgrade one model to the MXD-D40 which has the 'PC link' output enabling connection to the PCLK-MN10A external unit. With the latest MCrew CD software this will allow direct control of the MD via the computer. I have this setup and you can perform very quick 2-way copying/pasting of track titles using Microsoft Excel. It's so easy you will wonder how you ever managed without it. I have no idea why Sony took that facility away with the newer MXD-D400.

The MXD-D40 itself is no slouch. I have two of those, as well. One I use at work to playback CDs, MDS, and occasionally record CD > MD. The one at home is in my wife's office. She is an editor and truly appreciates the 5+ hours on LP4 during her workday. The '40 has no digital out and will copy only SP at 4X: LP at 2X. Still, it is a rugged machine that sounds good, has a lot of features, and can sometimes be found in good condition on Ebay for well under $200. Get one while they're still out there in good shape!

[kino170878]

Well, I did exactly that cutting and pasting from the same import to SS. But it still takes a while. I just thought you rocket scientists might have figured out a clever way to avoid this.

I don't crave it *that* much, as I say LP2 sounds really decent. It's more a matter of convenience, I wanted to make and send someone a disk and label it too - SP transfer with SS takes forever.

Cheers

With the setup I described, you download entire album track titles from an online provider into a spreadsheet, open MCrew, and then copy all the track titles with one single command. It takes about 6 mouse clicks in total. I doubt you would need more convenience than that.

Edited October 27, 2008 by kino170878

[sfbp]

Hmm maybe I got the wrong unit after all - but I did want the Type-S playback. SO will kill me if yet another deck appears (I'm up to 4, and one busted one, at the moment).

Cheers

[THIS SUCKS]

there are sharp md portables that have 4x transfer of fake sp mode. you wont get true sp but . you will be able to play it on any md machine and you will have track titles.

[sfbp]

Thanks.

I was really wondering, since SS is clearly capable of dealing with all these different units, whether one could trick it into putting the CD titles straight onto the MD quickly, followed by some sort of TOC cloning.

I suppose one would have to write some sort of software that emulated parts of MD operation. I'm sure Marc (the MD Renderer guy) knows some of this, but if there was a way to put just the titles onto an already recorded MD, but looking up the title info from CDDB. Exactly as SS does right now, but with something to prevent the actual sound data being recorded over top of the sound already there.

[theblueraja]

I just wanted to add that I too am a recent owner of an MXD-D40 (not the 400), and LOVE IT!! I had similar questions about titling. Every now and then you get a CD that has "TEXT CD" and its like a DREAM lol... but as far as manual texting, locally on the dash is very annoying, the remote is a bit better, but I just do the titling in Sonic Stage.

[sfbp]

I'm disappointed that the "wide" remotes don't work, too - I didn't get around to trying that until last night. Back to cell phone h**l.

For now I'm just happy I have a simple way to make a CD (many of which I manufactured via MD!) into a MD quickly, and a way to hear LP2 play decently on stereo.

The possible loss of DRM keys at some point in the future is more disturbing - I don't really understand why Sonic Stage goes to the internet when problems arise, especially when the site in question (Connect) isn't even there.

[theblueraja]

I'm just curious if you know if the D40 also has this LP2 "Type S" benefit... if CD to MD in LP2 will sound any better on this deck versus a SS LP2 rip, I'd like to know. Thanks.

[sfbp]

The source of the LP2 rip never makes any difference AFAIK. Type-S is a playback technology, only.

So if the deck has it, the sound will be enhanced. Won't matter whether SS or deck put the LP2 there.

I actually bought in in part because only the JB980, the JE780 and the JE480 (which needs a mod to get optical out from it) have the Type-S feature aside from the D400. I don't think it's there in the D40, which is one generation previous. I can easily tell the difference between JE640 and the newer deck when playing LP2.

[theblueraja]

oh ok... I never use a deck for listening, so no difference for me

[sfbp]

I thought I'd tack this one in here, rather than start a new thread.

D400 owners, can you confirm the following: quality of sound when copying from CD to LP2 is a bit compromised when running at "high speed", relative to copying at normal speed, or copying to SP.

I was cursing because it seemed that I didn't get good results, only on stopping to think, the poor thing has to do real time compression (x4 if you do it using the HIGH button) and it's not surprising that this might be the case.

Anyone?

[JOSHUAFORMAN]

I recently bought the mxd D40 and it has the PC link capability but when I bought it off of eBay it did not have the external unit trying to find it or someone that has it is damn near impossible looking for suggestions on what can I do get the transfer from PC to MD vice versa. I did purchase a (behringer u-control uca222) Works to some degree but there's so much it's just a overload on information on how to transfer and receive. I'm still working with it. I just rather have this simple solution.

[bluecrab]

That's a tough one (PCLK-MN20). They do turn up on Ebay now and again; you have to keep watching.

[sfbp]

Your MXD-D40 will not transfer to the PC, except at playback speed and using a special modification to give an optical out jack which I worked out (pretty simple actually).

Try here if you want a PCLK:

https://buyee.jp/item/search/query/pclk-MN20?translationType=1

[bluecrab]

I think what sfbp says is true. The PCLK allows MD titling, control, and editing functions from your PC—not upload. Here's a decent description of what it does:https://www.hifix.co.uk/sony-pclkmn20-usb-pc-link-kit

Doing a real-time transfer from PC to MXD-D40, that's somewhat simpler. You'll need either a sound card with optical out OR a device that converts USB to optical (like this one [DG2]...there are others): http://www.dansdata.com/xitel.htm

Note too, that getting digitally recorded files off an MD and into a computer has always been a pain, unless you're using Hi-MD. It's not clear to me how the UC222 would be used to route a digital signal from the D40 to a PC....but I suppose it could be possible, given the necessary H/W I/O.

My own situation is that I go from MD > CD-RW > iTunes. This is time-consuming but works well for me. FWIW, I have an MXD-D40 & an MXD-D400. The latter has optical out.

[JOSHUAFORMAN]

Thanks for that really didn't help the situation either way one send me to Japan for item I was not allowed to buy or even begin to purchase and the other one was in Australia with other options that weren't unable to possess off of their site. And I've been watching eBay and if so few far and in-between I just looking for a northern American dealer that may have something similar to that device that will transfer the relay from PC to MD cuz it doesn't look like I'll be able to ever find one

[sfbp]

You have to register for the Buyee site. You will have no problem bidding on the PCLK that's there right now. If you can't make Buyee work, there is also FromJapan which does the same service.