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Trying to get back in to Minidisc

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jmetal88

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Back in '04 I bought a NetMD MZ-NE410 and used it over one vacation. After that I kind of tossed it in a box somewhere and forgot about it.

When I found it again recently, I had forgotten why I stopped using it, although as soon as I tried uploading some songs to it, I remembered.

The first problem I encountered was the CD that came with it wouldn't install on Vista. I thought I could fix the problem by downloading Sonic Stage 4.3. Unfortunately, this version would just crash after I had uploaded about 10 songs.

So, I gathered some spare computer parts I had laying around and cobbled together a Windows 98 box. Once I had Sonic Stage 1.5 and Simple Burner 1.1 installed on there, I could upload songs to my Minidisc player again. Simple Burner usually finished the upload without any problems, but when I tried Sonic Stage, it looked like the USB kept cutting out or something, as every once in a while PC->MD would disappear off the display and it would complain about a failed upload. This behavior was happening when the player was new, as well.

Now comes the annoying bit, the songs uploaded successfully with Simple Burner will be perfectly OK most of the time, but occasionally the last tracks will have gaps in the audio. I don't mean between the songs, I was impressed by how seamless the song transitions were, but I mean just randomly placed gaps in the audio, and usually in a different place every time I re-recorded the track. Sometimes I got lucky though.

Anyway now I'm using Sonic Stage 3.4 with Simple Burner 2, and Simple Burner 2 seems to be more reliable than Simple Burner 1.1, but Sonic Stage still won't finish its uploads.

I really like the concept of the Minidisc, so I don't really want to give up on it. I'd like you guys to recommend a player that produces reliable uploads every time, and that I could preferably record to from Linux (weren't there some Hi-MD players open source programmers have been able to make drivers for?).

Thanks!

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I'm guessing USB problems, with the USB going down. Is it shared? Are there hubs? NetMD is known to fail when the connection is shared, you need the full bandwidth of a USB 1.1 connection.

Recommend XP, the USB drivers are probably more stable. I have used my NE410 with Windows 2000, though.

Steer clear of SonicStage 3.4, you should get 4.3 (get the one from links here if you have any doubt).

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I agree, get SS4.3, and invest in a new mz-NH1 or if you can afford it, an mz-RH1 (the ultimate MD), or like me, get both. RH1 for home use connected to PC using XP, NH1 goes on tour!

Then you can start to use the Hi-Md format,normal and 1GB discs.

I haven't used an mp3 player for over 2 years now. I am stockpiling my blanks and getting more Hi-MD machines as I go along, just bought 2 blue mz-Nh600's for general usage. £40 for both off ebay

I only hope windows 7 will be usable with SonicStage for when I absolutely have to change from XP or buy a new PC.

Edited by bridb
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IF O.S incompatibility then:

Use VMWare Player, if you have license to another OS (XP,2000,98). Recently, I got a laptop with Vista 64-bit and there was no way NetMD drivers would work for Sonicstage. So, I installed XP using VMWare and got USB to work along with drive sharing for songs.

BTW, Sonicstage works fine on Vista for Hi-MD & NEtMD. But on Vista 64-bit only Hi-MD drivers work.

Edited by gujarati
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I'm guessing USB problems, with the USB going down. Is it shared? Are there hubs? NetMD is known to fail when the connection is shared, you need the full bandwidth of a USB 1.1 connection.

Recommend XP, the USB drivers are probably more stable. I have used my NE410 with Windows 2000, though.

Steer clear of SonicStage 3.4, you should get 4.3 (get the one from links here if you have any doubt).

There aren't any hubs, and the only other thing I have plugged in to the computer's USB ports is a set of speakers that only draw 5v and don't actually communicate.

SonicStage 4.3 crashes after I transfer about 10 songs, I mentioned this in my first post.

I do not have a copy of XP available for use.

Also, the missing chunks of audio, for some reason, only occur in the last track of the CD I'm trying to copy, it copies the first 11 without any trouble, but the recording skips in track 12. Other CDs have the skips recorded more randomly. I've also tried it on multiple Minidiscs with the same result, so I don't think the discs are the problem, like I've read on here, unless the box of Minidiscs I bought were all defective.

About the only thing I can think to try is a different USB cable, but as I seem to only have an outright USB failure when using Sonic Stage and not Simple Burner, I'm not sure that's the problem either.

IF O.S incompatibility then:

Use VMWare Player, if you have license to another OS (XP,2000,98). Recently, I got a laptop with Vista 64-bit and there was no way NetMD drivers would work for Sonicstage. So, I installed XP using VMWare and got USB to work along with drive sharing for songs.

BTW, Sonicstage works fine on Vista for Hi-MD & NEtMD. But on Vista 64-bit only Hi-MD drivers work.

I've been trying Windows 98 under VMWare Player in Linux, but the reliability is worse so far than on the old hardware I tossed together running Windows 98 natively. I don't have access to a copy of XP so that's out of the question.

Well I finally got my Windows 98 VM to transfer a song using Sonic Stage 4.3, although it took two tries before it got past 10%. I'll give it a listen and see if it still has those gaps.

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Try disconnecting them :)

I might later, I'm trying to see if I can get my VM working right now. Trust me when I say the speakers aren't using any bandwidth, all I did was solder a USB lead to the battery terminals.

Actually I just transferred my track 12 from the VM and it's on here without any gaps now. Interesting. I had to try twice though before the device would accept more than 10% of the song. I'll have to try a full CD next and see if I can get the same result.

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My MZ-NH900 has been a very reliable downloader.

Shouldn't take much to get back into MD, its very addicting and satisfying. I left it for about 6 months then came back full force.

Thanks for the suggestion. :)

Here's something interesting:

I've figured out I get the most transfer errors when I leave the unit sitting flat on its back. When I hold it on it's edge with the USB port tilted forward, I get much more reliable transfers. Weird. :huh:

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Well, I've evaluated the players a little more and it seems the MZ-NH600D is really the only one that's in my price range at the moment, so I'll probably go for that one once I get around to getting a new player. For now, my MZ-NE410 will hold me over.

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I might later, I'm trying to see if I can get my VM working right now. Trust me when I say the speakers aren't using any bandwidth, all I did was solder a USB lead to the battery terminals.

I wasn't thinking of data, I was thinking of power.

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Any chance the NE410 is broken (usb port), and was a deflective unit from the get-go when you bought it back then, or the usb cable you are using? I have the same one as a backup player, at times when i forget to charge my N710's batteries, or they are running low...but i'm running Vista and using SS 4.3 with it, without any problems at all, though i never have anything else plugged in on my usb ports other than the NetMD i'm using when i'm running SS

Allthough i don't know if it works with Linux, i'd say if you don't need recording capabilities (mic, line-in) and just use it to listen to music, go for the NH600d...Should get you back onto the Crazy train :lol:

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