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Questions concerning ATRAC SP Monaural recordings

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Guest Anonymous

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Guest Anonymous

I am quiet taken by ATRAC SP Monaural recording!

Though Stereo perspective is dismissed I find Music that I enjoy is shown in new perspectives. Solo piano gains certain isolated, direct charms, Pop Rock's lyrics are made out ....

Can someone please tell me, for I have looked, what goes on when I:

- Record through optical digital into ATRAC SP Monaural

How is the Stereo Opt. digital signal combined to form Mono digital? Does this have positive or negative impact on sound [info lost/less info loss]?

Is 'reading' easier for laser on playback? Better track separation overall on disc?

Thanks

Any other insights welcomed! :?:

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Guest Anonymous

Well, it is simple: Both channels are simply mixed together. Like switching a FM-Stereo-Radio to Mono. *

'Reading' isn't easier for the laser nor is anything else on the disc different as the physical properties won't change.

The only thing, that changes is the data rate, it's reduced to 50% as mono means one channel instead of two - hence the double recording time...

With best regards

Jadeclaw.

*) For historical completeness: The first few Decks didn't mix, they recorded only the left channel in mono mode.

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Guest Anonymous

Yes, I knew before both channels are, my word, "combined" together.

I am interested in how it is done. Thus, your FM analogy fails to explain what occurs within MD Deck!

To restate my question: If uncompressed CD optical signal is recorded into ATRAC SP Monaural, what occurs, scientifically, between original uncompressed data into compressed ATRAC SP Monaural data? How is this different to ATRAC SP Stereo, knowing stereo has Left & Right track, whilst Mono only one?

I imagine the transformation to be different between the two recording methods in that, Stereo, taking more space, downsizes original L & R data separately, yet for Mono, space halves, L & R optical data is combined, or "mixed" if you like, into one.

How is the data transformed between the two methods, if it is differently?

Does Mono gain a 'unified' sound-stage-image whilst losing valuable data in downsizing more?

Also, if Mono is a thinner track, does the laser focus better? Is there still the same space between the data spiral, in Mono as in Stereo?

I am interested in the details, not generalities of "Both channels are simply mixed together".

Thanks anyhow, I did not explain myself well before, I hope I did better this time :?

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As far as I know, mono records both left and right signals to only one of the 2 available channels usually set aside for SP recordings. It's only data space on the actual MD, so there's no additional compression relative to SP, and in playback both left and right outputs are sent the same one track information. It's all decoded by the MD software. Slightly non-techy, but I'm pretty sure that's what goes on.

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Guest Anonymous

Yes, I knew before both channels are, my word, "combined" together.

I am interested in how it is done.  Thus, your FM analogy fails to explain what occurs within MD Deck!

Not really. as exactly that happens in the recorder.

But instead of placing a wire between the two channels, the mix down is done digitally. The result is identical...

To restate my question: If uncompressed CD optical signal is recorded into ATRAC SP Monaural, what occurs, scientifically, between original uncompressed data into compressed ATRAC SP Monaural data?  How is this different to ATRAC SP Stereo, knowing stereo has Left & Right track, whilst Mono only one?

Atrac SP stereo is in reality Atrac SP Dual-Mono.

Both channels are processed completely separately.

When recording in Mono, one of the channels is turned off and only the data from the remaining channel ends up on the disc.

But since we had the downmix before, it of course contains the sonic information of both channels, although they cannot be separated again.

I imagine the transformation to be different between the two recording methods in that, Stereo, taking more space, downsizes original L & R data separately, yet for Mono, space halves, L & R optical data is combined, or "mixed" if you like, into one.

How is the data transformed between the two methods, if it is differently?

Only one channel is processed, therefore half the amount of data on the disc.

Does Mono gain a 'unified' sound-stage-image whilst losing valuable data in downsizing more?

The positional information is gone, everything comes straight out of the center...

Also, if Mono is a thinner track, does the laser focus better?  Is there still the same space between the data spiral, in Mono as in Stereo?

Mono isn't a thinner track, the disc stays the same.

In fact, the MD is very similar to a computer disc with a fixed number of blocks to store data in.

And since the Mono mode only produces half of the data, the playing time doubles...

I am interested in the details, not generalities of "Both channels are simply mixed together".

Thanks anyhow, I did not explain myself well before, I hope I did better this time  :?

Hope, you're satisfied now.

Jadeclaw.

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Guest Anonymous

"The result is identical..." - jadeclaw

Iris visited me by public transport, the result was identical - she visited - whether she travelled by bus or train.

I would like to know more about what goes on digitally, concerning the 0s & 1s, similiar to asking Iris, if she came by bus, about road conditions and driving tendencies of motorists - train information being less helpful, no roads or motorists to be seen.

So, my question would be:

If uncompressed CD optical [data] signal is recorded into ATRAC SP Monaural, what occurs, scientifically, between original uncompressed [0s & 1s] into compressed ATRAC SP Monaural [0s & 1s]?

Is this digital to digital transformation different between MD manufacturers or models due to 'chips' or 'algorithms' used? ('digital to digital' should exclude talk of DACs and ADCs)

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