Kirby Kirby Kirby Posted August 8, 2004 Report Share Posted August 8, 2004 Hello, This is my initial post, and unlike others with "Hi I'm New" posts, I decided to ask a question about MDs... But first, let me just comment on the site for a moment. The entire site including the forums is the most informative source on MiniDisc I have found online, and it managed to answer all of my answers I had about the medium, and I have found out why you are all fans of it... Now onto my question, I want to get my first MD (portable) unit.. Basically, I want a recorder... I really don't see the use of a player if the artists I want aren't available on pre-recorded disks (or if you don't multiple MD units)... I don't really have a budget right now since I have 36$ CAD, which won't get you anywhere. Right now, I condider myself saving. But here's the details: - I'm really looking for a unit with Line In for recording since I have a Mac, and obviously Sony doesn't care about fighting the iPod on the Mac market... - That being said, I don't really know if I need a NetMD unit, since it only seems to be allowing people to upload songs using SonicStage (correct me if I'm wrong). - Design-wise, I'm looking for something that can fit well in a pocket, and that is somewhat durable, since I'll be bringing it to school often. Mainly, it will be my form of entertainment during the daily bus ride... Basically, I'm looking for a unit that is both great for recording music from a Line In, since that's the way I'll input songs to the unit from all of my sources: my old cassette/radio Walkman, my computer, and from a microphone (since some stupid things people (like teachers) say could be captured and reported... :wink: ). I have read a lot from these forums and know what to expect as an answer (quality-wise) from the users, and I hope that you can help me find my ideal MD portable... K^3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaotic Posted August 9, 2004 Report Share Posted August 9, 2004 I would suggest you ditch the MD entirely, and stick to Ipod or Ipod mini. Here is why, - I'm really looking for a unit with Line In for recording since I have a Mac, and obviously Sony doesn't care about fighting the iPod on the Mac market... - Basically, I'm looking for a unit that is both great for recording music from a Line In, since that's the way I'll input songs to the unit from all of my sources: my old cassette/radio Walkman, my computer, and from a microphone (since some stupid things people (like teachers) say could be captured and reported... :wink: ). Current generation of NetMDs (N420D, N520D) don’t even offer “Line In”. low end unit of previous generation of NetMD (NE410) don’t have it either. What other options left for you. (N510, NF610, NF810, S1) they do offer “Line In”. with exception of S1, I bet you will have hard time finding the first three models in stock at your local stores. Since you would like to record from microphone (rarely), then you would either need a model with “mic in” (ie NF810) and a mic; or obtain a battery powered mic to be used with last generation of NetMD models (ie N510, NF610 thru their "line in"). - That being said, I don't really know if I need a NetMD unit, since it only seems to be allowing people to upload songs using SonicStage (correct me if I'm wrong). Unless Sony release the “wav”converter proggie, afaik, it is impossible for any NetMD to upload songs “Digitally” via usb > sonicstage. At this point, if you still prefer NetMD over Ipod. Your best bet is Ebay, coz, you might get a good deal on last generation of NetMDs (New or hardly ever used) for cheap. Now move on to Ipod. (Since you have a Mac) Numero uno… Xfer speed. we all know that usb1.1 just can’t compete with firewire. Both “Line in” and “Mic in” can be had as adapter, and it is accessory for the Ipod. So the recording from your old cassette/radio walkman, class lecture should have no problem with Ipod. - Design-wise, I'm looking for something that can fit well in a pocket, and that is somewhat durable, since I'll be bringing it to school often. Mainly, it will be my form of entertainment during the daily bus ride... Design wise, Ipod sure can fit into your pocket, and look much cooler than MD..bar none. As far as durability goes, if you babied it pretty much, and not let it drop out of/from (your hand/table/desk). Otherwise, Ipod will be just durable as any MD. The only thing you won’t like about Ipod is it’s battery life on the unit. Other than that, I think Ipod outperformed MD in terms of ease of use, huge capacity for songs or files, and fast Xfer speed. IMHO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aeriyn Posted August 9, 2004 Report Share Posted August 9, 2004 Don't listen to that guy. He doesn't know what he's talking about. xD Just kidding. There's nothing wrong with iPods, but you sound like you want an MD unit. Since an iPod can't record from a line-in, but only from the PC, it would not be able to record your cassette tapes. Moving right along... If you want to do everything you talk about in your post, but don't really care about NetMD or SonicStage... I suggest one of the earlier pre-NetMD Sony or Sharp recorders. Either the Sony MZ-R900 (a very nice unit, I own one myself) which has MDLP mode, a mic jack, an optical/analog line-in, is pretty small, uses a NiMH rechargeable battery and looks pretty cool. Conversely you could go with the Sharp MD-DR7, which is a bit larger than the R900 in thickness, but it's equipped with the Auvi 1-bit digital amp, which is so awesome (I'm waiting on a Sharp MD-DS8 player-only unit and I can barely contain my excitement :happy: ) that you really just have to listen to hear the difference between "sounds like mud" Sony and the Sharp units. The DR7 has all you need and a bag of chips, and it's also pretty cool looking. Nice big LCD display on the main unit as well (a big step up compared to the R900's one-line display). Check the different models out! http://www.minidisc.org/part_Sony_MZ-R900.html http://www.minidisc.org/part_Sharp_MD-DR47...+DR480+DR7.html Conversely, I own a Sony MZ-N10 recorder that I am willing to sell. It's very small and looks great, but I'm not needing it once my DS8 gets here. I'd be willing to let it go for a good price. PM me if interested. :grin: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaotic Posted August 9, 2004 Report Share Posted August 9, 2004 Don't listen to that guy. He doesn't know what he's talking about. xD Just kidding. what the?!?!?!?! hahahaha... ok. There's nothing wrong with iPods, but you sound like you want an MD unit. Since an iPod can't record from a line-in, but only from the PC, it would not be able to record your cassette tapes. I beg differ from above statement. check out link below.. aeriyn Italk - an Ipod accessory as I said in my post, with that accessory, Ipod can do just as well as any MD, either voice recordings or recording from other devices. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christopher Posted August 9, 2004 Report Share Posted August 9, 2004 as I said in my post, with that accessory, Ipod can do just as well as any MD, either voice recordings or recording from other devices.Eh, no. That device records in 8kHz, 16 bit mono WAV files, much different [not to mention less] than the capabilities of a Hi-MD or even MD unit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaotic Posted August 9, 2004 Report Share Posted August 9, 2004 @Kurisu; maybe my statement is too general, and you probably misunderstood. anyhoo, I was trying to prove that Aeriyn's statement is incorrect. she's saying Ipod can only "download" songs from PC, and can't "RECORD" from line-in. the keywords there is "Ipod can't record", is the area where I have a different opinion with it. as recording sound quality goes. I think that's whole another issue. Since the thread starter...stating he wants a "RECORDABLE" (portable) unit. hope this clears up. :cool: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aeriyn Posted August 9, 2004 Report Share Posted August 9, 2004 Oi. I've nothing against iPods, mind you. And yes I know they CAN, when hacked, record voice (badly). But iPods are not designed to record high-quality (MD) or lossless (Hi-HD) audio. So please, don't confuse the poor man. ^.^ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christopher Posted August 9, 2004 Report Share Posted August 9, 2004 That being said, I don't really know if I need a NetMD unit, since it only seems to be allowing people to upload songs using SonicStage (correct me if I'm wrong). In a response, Unless Sony release the “wav”converter proggie, afaik, it is impossible for any NetMD to upload songs “Digitally” via usb > sonicstage.This feature is only available with Hi-MD units, as NetMD units do not facilitate playback through USB. --------- I hope Kirby^3, that you've been able to navigate through our maze of posts and formulate an opinion. If you are still utterly confused, or have any additional questions, feel free to ask. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirby Kirby Kirby Posted August 10, 2004 Author Report Share Posted August 10, 2004 Yes, that was fast and confusing, kurisu. Fast, nonetheless. Kaotic, I am not looking for an iPod... Not only are they overpriced, but they are not convenient for older Macs like mine (OS X 10.1) and ones without Firewire... (Stupid Beige G3) aeriyn, yes I don't care about SonicStage or NetMD, because we remain a Mac-only household, and well, these features seem to be unsupported on the Mac.... I'd like to thank you for listing units that could fit me very well, now I just need about 300$ CAD (for those units anyway). I just have a few more questions, this time on the play modes.... I can't seem to understand SP, LP2, and LP4... If I understand correctly, SP is the most quality, least songs per disk, least battery life, LP2 is mid-range quality, mid-range amount of songs, and mid-range battery, and LP4 is worst quality, most amount of songs, and most battery life... If I'm terribly wrong, let me know... I'll PM you aeriyn... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christopher Posted August 10, 2004 Report Share Posted August 10, 2004 You got your MD modes right, Kirby. :happy: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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