Recording from Mini Disc to CD and MP3

red-hot-bassist · #1 09-09-2004, 07:19 AM

My band and I are looking to start making some recordings from our jam sessions straight onto mini disc, as our rehearsal rooms over this facility straight through the p.a.

i have the sony sonic stage software on my computer but it will not allow me to transfer music from a mini disc onto either the harddrive or straight to cd, i dont know why this is and cant get any help from sony unfortunately.

is anyone familiar with this programme and how to overcome the problem or aware of another programme that would allow for this transfer to be made?

any help much appreciated

wulf · #2 09-09-2004, 08:15 AM

Play the minidisc, with the headphone output connected via a stereo minijack cable to an input on your sound card - experiment to find appropriate levels. I use the open source (and free) Audacity software on my laptop to grab the signal from the MD and break it into discrete tracks.

Wulf

Marc Piane · #3 09-09-2004, 08:39 AM

I do the same as wulf. Works like a charm for me. I use Cubase.

brianrost · #4 09-09-2004, 12:37 PM

red-hot,

The MD format predated computer CD-R burning and mp3 use. It was an audio format not designed to allow high speed digital data transfer. This annoys a lot of folks new to MD who assume that since it's digital high speed transfers are possible.

You should think of it more like a digital cassette recorder.

red-hot-bassist · #5 09-10-2004, 06:23 AM

wulf and fingers,

if i have a usb cable that can go straight from my mini disc into my laptop would that run with either of the programmes?

wulf · #6 09-10-2004, 06:32 AM

Maybe on some models. I've got a Sony Net-MD unit - off the top of my head, I think it's a NZ-707; it's a couple of years old (and much used) by now. The USB link gives me some control over playback and makes it much easier to title individual tracks but doesn't facilitate a highspeed rip to the computer hard drive (more's the pity)

I was using a program called WinNMD which allowed me to specify particular tracks to record (albeit still via an analogue connection) but my original machine had a fatal crash and, on getting a new laptop, I discovered (a) that WinNMD was no longer free (and the site didn't inspire me with confidence to invest in it) and (b) the laptop was significantly faster and thus much more suitable for recording and manipulating big chunks of audio directly to disk.

Therefore, I'll normally record a big chunk of music to the laptop and then use Audacity to break it into individual tracks.

Wulf

red-hot-bassist · #7 09-10-2004, 06:35 AM

cheers wulf,

ill have a look out for that programme on the web today and see if i can sort something out

Cheers!!

Lins

brianrost · #8 09-10-2004, 06:38 AM

red-hot,

You CANNOT transfer music over the USB cable from the MD to the computer, ONLY the other direction (computer to MD).

Zlartibartfast · #9 09-10-2004, 08:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by red-hot-bassist

wulf and fingers,

if i have a usb cable that can go straight from my mini disc into my laptop would that run with either of the programmes?

look to see if the MD will support "USB Mass Storage Mode". If so, then Windows 2000/service pack 2 (or later), Windows XP, and Mac OS X can see the MD as a hard drive. One other thing you'd have to deal with is the compression system - the new MD's use ATRAC 5 but PC's do not support it - you would need software that can convert from ATRAC to PCM.

It's a lot easier to just connect the audio cables and copy the recording.....

lbanks · #10 09-10-2004, 10:13 AM

You can't do it digitally on the standard MD's. However the new HD format can. Wulf's method is the only way I could figure. I do run the signal thru a mixer before going into the computer.