Helpwith RH-910 Transfer issue

[StevenQBosell]

This is the 1st real frustrating thing that's happened with this otherwise awesome 910

OK, I used a standard 80 min MD. Recording on Hi-LP. Used the disc to record talk radio radio. While at work, heard a commotion outside of work, recorded it via mic in on same disc, with Sony DS70...

When I tried to transfer to via sonicstage, everything recorded via line in transfers, this one track recorded mic in does not, I get this message "Failed to Read the Data."

Should I now keep around 2 disc, one for line in and one for mic out now?

Any suggestions?

[sfbp]

As you've discovered, you can't do that. A disk is formatted EITHER MD or HiMD, never a mixture.

When you record a disk in any HiMD format, it takes up the whole disk. Period.

If you managed to do it with the DS70 (don't know the unit, but it must be non-HiMD, correct?) you should not have been able to do so. Because the HiMD formatted disk should have had enough tracks for the Sharp to know that it couldn't record because of no space.

You can't transfer anything recorded on the Sharp via USB, anyway.

Hope this helps.

[StevenQBosell]

As you've discovered, you can't do that. A disk is formatted EITHER MD or HiMD, never a mixture.

When you record a disk in any HiMD format, it takes up the whole disk. Period.

If you managed to do it with the DS70 (don't know the unit, but it must be non-HiMD, correct?) you should not have been able to do so. Because the HiMD formatted disk should have had enough tracks for the Sharp to know that it couldn't record because of no space.

You can't transfer anything recorded on the Sharp via USB, anyway.

Hope this helps.

Maybe I wasn't clear. The disc is formatted Hi-MD. I was using the standard disc formatted at Hi-LP, with the 10 hour plus setting.

I wasn't using anything by Sharp. The DS70, is a Sony Microphone, plugged directly into the unit. To be clear it's the sony ECM-DS70P

The HI-MD unit, the Sony MZ-RH910 transfers everything recorded via line in but not the one recorded via mic.

The weird thing is, I've done this countless times before, i.e., transfer tracks recorded both via mic in and line. This is the one time it didn't transfer.

Again all my equipment is SONY, nothing by sharp. I was not trying to use a non Hi-MD unit to transfer the files.

I'm fully aware of the limitation of the non HI-LP format.

Hope that clears a few things

[sfbp]

Both microphone and line in should be transferable.

I currently have some issues with my RH910 (actually I have 2 and only one is behaving oddly). So many different people have recently noticed oddities with this unit I am beginning to think something is weird.

Best I can suggest is to find someone with a different HiMD unit and see if the disk is OK. My weird experiences ALL relate to the RH910 not being able to read its own disk (just written perfectly) when the same (just written) disk can be read in other HiMD units. But I had trouble with 1GB disks only. Someone else just this last week had trouble with 80m disks, though. What's really weird in my case is that my 910 always reads ANY disks made by OTHER units just great.

I would definitely put that disk on one side until you can find something else to play it in. Any time you make the smallest operation (even an upload methinks) to a HiMD, the unit may need to alter it and rewrite the TOC. If you have a dubious unit/disk combination, avoid at all costs until you have recovered the data you wanted.

It's just possible the Linux-Minidisc software QHiMDTransfer won't mind if the disk is write-protected. However I am not 100% sure that the write-protect is even noticed by the firmware of the drive, sadly.

If the recording is important to you, you're welcome to send me the disk and I will try to recover it. But the mail these days has been a bit unpredictable. Might take up to month for there and back - or we might be lucky. PM me if interested, I'll try my best.

Stephen

[StevenQBosell]

If it helps, it still plays, just fine in the player from start to finish... Just unable to transfer it, but everything else transers kosher... Very weird... Perhaps just an anomolie, but I will be hesitant to record both line and mic on the same disc

From his iPhone

[sfbp]

"failed to read the data" is the scary observation.

From where I can see, that has NOTHING to do with permissions or capability. It has EVERYTHING to do with a track, or track info just recorded not being accessible to the firmware in certain circumstances. Almost like a Y2K bug, I am thinking. What's weird is that it varies from one unit to the next.

I'd really like to track this down (for my own reasons). Would you mind if I ask 1 or more questions in an attempt to diagnose?

Here's the first:

Did you AT ANY TIME (after using it to record as HiMD) erase tracks by any means (computer or by "erase track" or even "format", both the latter 2 functions by using the unit's own buttons), before trying the microphone recording?

Stephen

[StevenQBosell]

^^^

I'm very much hoping that this was just an anomolie with a bad disc (maxell, clear fyi)

After I got home from work that night, I plugged my 910 into the PC, started Sonicstage.

I did delete a few files that were recorded much earlier (2 or 3 weeks or so)... after those were deleted, I then tried to transfer the one track recorded via mic, and got the "Unable to read..." error message.

I ran a few other test, recording at hi-lp and Hi-Sp on other MD's (Standard, Hi-MD formatted, Sony colored) and both transfered just fine. I'm strting to think it might have been

a: disc anomolie, as stated earlier

b: like you said a possible issue regarding a TOC writing error...

I just hope this doesn't happen anymore, because if it does, that PCM-M10 will be #1 on my Xmas list.

[sfbp]

OK. Just as I suspected.

Question: were any of the tracks you deleted (had they been) transferred FROM a PC?

Stephen

[StevenQBosell]

No, I don't use my hi-md for anything other than recording. Line or mic In to 910 ->>> out to p.c. ->>> erase disc or archive if it's important.

Surprisingly, the iPod is a great player for converted atrac files, gaplessly (don't flame me :-) )

Do you have a PCM-m10? Any known issues with the device?

[sfbp]

Increasingly it looks to me as if the Second+ Gen (RH10, RH910, DH710, not sure about RH1/M200) have a quirk. The quirk is that they write deleted track headers to the disk even when a disk is "formatted". Then SonicStage attempts to recover the rights the next time that disk is connected. I think it is THEN that things mess up.

I need to re-check tomorrow, but it looks as if 1st generation HiMD do NOT do this.

Anyone?

[StevenQBosell]

Would it be safe to assume that certain manufacture's disc are more prone to the issue?

The disc in question was a Maxell... Did anyone have the problem on something other than a Sony manufactured disc?

The seemingly arbitrary nature of it is quite alarming.... Now I don't automatically trust that my content will be transferred... :-(

That was the whole purpose of me getting the Hi-MD - ability to digitally transfer the HI-MD recordings...

[sfbp]

Sorry, Steven. I just spotted what it was you did that caused this catastrophe of yours. I think you managed to invoke a reasonably-well-documented bug in SonicStage caused by deleting multiple "untitled" tracks (see your post #7). I now take the precaution of labelling everything that I might want to delete. Just a single letter for the track title will do, call them "a" "b" "c" etc.

Stephen

[StevenQBosell]

Sorry, Steven. I just spotted what it was you did that caused this catastrophe of yours. I think you managed to invoke a reasonably-well-documented bug in SonicStage caused by deleting multiple "untitled" tracks (see your post #7). I now take the precaution of labelling everything that I might want to delete. Just a single letter for the track title will do, call them "a" "b" "c" etc.

Stephen

Yeah after that fiasco, I got way more careful with labeling and deleting.

Lets say I'm naming 50 tracks. The process goes something like this:

1. Area 51

2. Killed His Own Father

3. Crazy Naked Guy Story

4. DELETE

5. DELETE

6. Suge Knights 1st Rolex

As opposed to how I did it before, deleting untitled tracks at will, I even forgot about making sure a track is atleast 10 seconds before you delete it. Not waiting the 10 seconds fragments the disc I've found.

However, now I have my PCM-M10, I think I'm going to use my Hi-MD as a backup of of the M10 (just split the signal, most of the time, it's talk radio), and record to the Hi-MD simultaneously along with the M10.

And since the M10 doesn't have an optical in, my Hi-MD will always be in my arsenal, as I do frequently use the op in particularly if I dont feel like messing around with track marks

[sfbp]

After months of messing around, I finally figured out my RH910 problem.

I'll bet it's the same as your problem, too. And the 3 or four others who posted the same thing on here. Some complained it applied to 80m disks, I had a problem with 1GB disks (only). But I am relatively sure I've nailed it.

Please contact me by PM or email to talk about how it gets fixed. I don't wish to publish just yet because some poor person out there might get mad if they mess up their machine.

But it works!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy New Year

Stephen