Notes on Hi-MD to PC upload of PCM tracks

[antiorario]

Yesterday I bought a Sony MZ-NH700. Only one store around Bologna (Italy) had it in stock, and it was the only one they had, for €315,00.

I am impressed. The features are as anticipated, but I have a few words to say about uploading PCM tracks to PC.

First, I've read a few negative comments here and there, due to the fact that when you upload a PCM track, SonicStage turns it into a (PCM) .omg file. What did we expect? Wave? Come on. By the way, OMG is the only way to preserve extra track info (such as artist, date [on the MZ-NH1], etc.) I've read that some people use Total Recorder to record it back into wave, but I'm not sure whether that creates a perfect digital copy or just a good analog one (any knowledge is welcome). My solution (and I know it's a bit more time consuming, but it's what assures a perfect digital copy) would be to use the newly created .omg file(s) to record a CD from SonicStage, then rip the CD into wave. Extra info is lost, but you have your editable tracks. Until, of course, someone writes some plug-in for, say, Adobe Audition, that allows to edit OMG directly.

Second, and probably more important, is the rights setting on the original Hi-MD PCM track. I didn't find any info on this before buying, but maybe I didn't look closely enough. Things are very simple: once you copy your PCM tracks to SonicStage, the tracks are still on your Hi-MD, but you can't copy them again. So be careful what you do with your OMG files. This is also a good reason to put them on CD right away. The next time you try to transfer them to SonicStage, they simply get erased from the Hi-MD, so having an extra copy is definitely a good idea.

Personal opinion: considering the (currently) high cost of 1GB Hi-MD blanks; considering the fact that they are impossible to find (eBay has some for a ridiculously high price, so... no way); I'd say that very few people will actually keep their PCM recordings on the Hi-MD itself, so making a CD sounds like what I'll do anyway. But maybe, for those who'll do otherwise, (a question follows, rather than opinion) is there any chance that Chris Klukas's WinNMD be updated to support Hi-MD? It would be of great help.

That's all for today.

[Rumz]

It's silly that I haven't tried myself as I have an NH1, but from what I've been reading people aren't able to burn those PCM tracks to CD. Have you tried it?

[antiorario]

I should avoid posting stuff too early in the morning. I assumed SonicStage would let me do it simply because when it doesn't, the source- track area is grayed out, while in this case it gives you only the illusion that it's going to burn the CD.

So, my apologies to all those who had tried it already for my being so sure of that.

And, about my previous note on WinNMD, we'd still need a deck with digital out to make a digital copy. And maybe even that wouldn't work.

I am starting to feel that someone (Sony, namely) is seriously making fun of us.

[dex Otaku]

First, I've read a few negative comments here and there, due to the fact that when you upload a PCM track, SonicStage turns it into a (PCM) .omg file. What did we expect? Wave? Come on.

Yes, that's exactly what most people are expecting. For several reasons:

* What I record from an analogue source is -mine-, first and foremost. Not Sony's. If I want to edit and distribute it, that's my perogative. Sony have essentially taken "fair use" rights and thrown them out the window.

* What are the chances that people are going to go around with their Hi-MD recorders and dub copyrighted material, like CDs, with them? Pretty low, I'd say - there's an optical in there, for one thing. There's also that nice USB cable that lets you rip straight from your computer to Hi-MD. I would assert that the majority of analogue-source recordings are not going to be copyrighted materials, or are going to be for personal use only. Sony's take on DRM has basically run with the assumption that every user in existence is a criminal who wants to mass-distribute copyrighted recordings, which is a steaming crock of caa-caa.

* Sony's advertising for Hi-MD has suggested this capability from the beginning, not the closed-chain version that exists now and is so limiting as to make your personal recordings next to useless.

By the way, OMG is the only way to preserve extra track info (such as artist, date [on the MZ-NH1], etc.)

The wave format has had common extensions that allow pretty much any tag information to be added to it for years. The only reason to use .omg is for the encryption and DRM info it carries.

I've read that some people use Total Recorder to record it back into wave, but I'm not sure whether that creates a perfect digital copy or just a good analog one (any knowledge is welcome).

Total Recorder acts as a proxy to your sound card's driver, meaning that whatever bitstream leaves the program you're playing from gets captured exactly as it left that program.

As long as there is no DSP of any kind being done by the program used for playback [enhancement, EQ, and even volume control count as DSP] what you get from TR should be a bit-for-bit copy of the source.

My solution (and I know it's a bit more time consuming, but it's what assures a perfect digital copy) would be to use the newly created .omg file(s) to record a CD from SonicStage, then rip the CD into wave. Extra info is lost, but you have your editable tracks.

As you've already digressed on, this doesn't work. It is important to note, however, that if [and only if] you're using a Sony VAIO computer, burning to CDs is permitted.

Until, of course, someone writes some plug-in for, say, Adobe Audition, that allows to edit OMG directly.

I would say that is highly unlikely to happen. Whatever application the plugin would be written for would also have to be able to access SonicStage's database. Perhaps a future version of Sound Forge [since Sonic Foundry was purchased by Sony] could include this, but I doubt anyone else would be willing to pay the liscensing fees to Sony just so people can edit tracks from what is officially a consumer device, not a professional one.

Second, and probably more important, is the rights setting on the original Hi-MD PCM track. I didn't find any info on this before buying, but maybe I didn't look closely enough. Things are very simple: once you copy your PCM tracks to SonicStage, the tracks are still on your Hi-MD, but you can't copy them again.

Indeed. I knew about this before I got my NH700 but it didn't mean much to me, as my practise has always been to dump footage/tracks as soon as I get home, duplicate them for backup, and erase the original media to be reused.

Personal opinion:  ...  I'd say that very few people will actually keep their PCM recordings on the Hi-MD itself, so making a CD sounds like what I'll do anyway.

I'd say you're right.

But maybe, for those who'll do otherwise, is there any chance that Chris Klukas's WinNMD be updated to support Hi-MD? It would be of great help.

There are problems with that. Among other things, Sony's DRM software and methods are most certainly NOT open source or public domain. This means that whoever makes such a utility would be legally obligated to pay liscensing fees for the software or methods required to interface with Hi-MD units. Which means charging a lot more for their software.

One should also note that Sony have stated they will be releasing a wave convertor utility to go with SonicStage that will enable exporting of analogue-source tracks in an open WAV format for editing. It has been promised to be released "this fall."

Cheers.

[antiorario]

Thanks dex for your notes. I still have so much to learn :-|

Meanwhile, I've tried Total Recorder, and it seems I could be happy with it. Time consuming, yes, but we don't really have to watch our PC while it works ;-)

Only thing, I do have a Vaio but I still can't burn CDs. Maybe that's because my Vaio was shipped with a previous version of SonicStage? I'll try to see what I can do. Again, ideas very welcome.

[dex Otaku]

Hmm. Interesting about the VAIO. It's quite possible that my understanding about it is wrong.

As I understood it, SonicStage as it came with the VAIOs was branded in some way - slightly different from the public release, and only for the VAIO computers.

Or maybe I'm out to lunch on that.

[sxc]

I also have a VAIO.

When the CD Walkman version of SS 2.0 came out, it was not possible to burn CDs unless you had a VAIO. There is a registry hack available which got around that.

However, that hack is no longer necessary as the Connect version of SS 2.0 allowed CD burning on non-Vaios.

But it seems that burning of uploaded tracks is still not possible regardless of the fact that I am using a VAIO.

Would love to hear if anyone else has a different experience.