What is wrong with my discs ?

[silverclaws]

Hallo, I have not been here for a while, but am still into the minidisc, lovely music from them, music I find better than CD, even when music is recorded from a CD, it seems the MD throws out stuff not heard on the CD.

Anyways, I am having a problem with some discs, TDK MD RXG 74 and MAXELL MD 74 GOLD, when I record to them, and play back, I get sound drop outs, bits were the music goes silent and sometimes a squeal as if the disc is momentarily moving too fast.

Is this a problem known on recordable discs, or is it my recording unit. I am inclined to think it is the discs, because using new or newer TDK MD 74 and 80, I rarely have a problem, but what could go wrong with a recordable disc ?

Oh, I should add, I am recording real time, not 2x or 4x

My recording set up, is a SONY D-EJ955 cd player optically linked to a SONY MZ-R700 minidisc recorder and sometimes a laptop computer linked to the MD recorder via audio jack running between the MD recorder line in and the laptop headphone socket. The latter method not ideal, but it provides satisfactory reproduction for me.

I have just got hold of a SONY CMT M100 MD hifi, which I have yet to work out the recording possibilities due to the lack of instruction manual.

Anyone any ideas on any of it ?

[netmduser]

I believe there is a fracture in the reocrding ribbon, others on the board might be able to confirm...

[sfbp]

I have a fair amount of trouble with non-Sony disks. Completely inconsistent between units. At least one machine (all Sony) is always playing the disk perfectly. No Sony disk (touch wood) is ever seeming to give me this problem.

[bluecrab]

Hallo, I have not been here for a while, but am still into the minidisc, lovely music from them, music I find better than CD, even when music is recorded from a CD, it seems the MD throws out stuff not heard on the CD.

Anyways, I am having a problem with some discs, TDK MD RXG 74 and MAXELL MD 74 GOLD, when I record to them, and play back, I get sound drop outs, bits were the music goes silent and sometimes a squeal as if the disc is momentarily moving too fast.

Is this a problem known on recordable discs, or is it my recording unit. I am inclined to think it is the discs, because using new or newer TDK MD 74 and 80, I rarely have a problem, but what could go wrong with a recordable disc ?

Oh, I should add, I am recording real time, not 2x or 4x

My recording set up, is a SONY D-EJ955 cd player optically linked to a SONY MZ-R700 minidisc recorder and sometimes a laptop computer linked to the MD recorder via audio jack running between the MD recorder line in and the laptop headphone socket. The latter method not ideal, but it provides satisfactory reproduction for me.

I have just got hold of a SONY CMT M100 MD hifi, which I have yet to work out the recording possibilities due to the lack of instruction manual.

Anyone any ideas on any of it ?

When you say you "rarely" have a problem with the newer MDs, is that literal? IOW, do you sometimes have a problem even with the newer MDs? Does the problem occur with both sources? Of the many, many MD blanks I've used, I think I have had maybe two problems with any MD of any kind, whether recording or playing back. And that includes use of some ill-reputed Memorex MDs.

However, you never know, any batch of media could produce some bad ones. Still, where your problems includes different brands of MD, I am inclined to think it's not that. When you do figure out how to record with the CMT M100, that should help provide an answer. Perhaps it's the MZ-R700. I do not have that unit, but I do have several of the related MZ-R500, and these can be quite flaky, especially during playback.

[PsychoPimpKiller]

I just recorded a live show on Wednesday night and my MZ-R700 did the same exact thing. And I used a Sony 74 minute disc (dark blue color collection). I've had my MZ-N505 do the same thing while recording once through the soundboard (a Sony 80 minute red color collection). One of my Hi-MD units (MZ-RH910) did it to me over the summer while I was recording a live show (a Hi-MD disc which I was recording in PCM), but it hasn't done it since and I've recorded about 6 or so shows since then (in Hi-SP setting). I don't know what causes it to happen. I hope someone can shed some light on this problem for us.

[TypeR]

There should be a manual on the net for the CMT 100 MD, but I have the system myself. It's a little fiddly to use I guess but relatively easy. If you are manually recording just select your source as the current playing source, insert an MD and press the red record button (behind the front panel thats under the CD player) - then pressing pause begins the recording. There is also a CD-Synchro button that I think its a one touch CD record button IIRC....I still use the hifi but the cd player died years ago - apparently that model were made with crappy laser assemblies

[Odyssey]

This is an interesting phenomenom....

I have recorded with SONY disks off of my stereo to my MD walkman and had the drop outs. BUT I Have recorded from different sources and had none.

For awhile I thought it was the disc but now I am thinking it is the source, perhaps a mismatch in source or clipping during recording.

I use both line in or mic for recording. The clipping seems to occur during line in recordings.

I have tried lowering the source level with some good results.

There had been some talk over the years about some manufacturer discs having problems more than others but I never experienced any of it. So could it be true that there were problems, maybe, or there could have been a problem with a batch of discs that got out.

All manufacturers have quality control but it goes so far.

anyway, right now I will say the cutout problems sounds like a mismatch or maybe the level too high for the recorder, it could happen! There may be a much better answer but this is where I am pointed to so far....

Keep us informed....

Odyssey