[HANASHIR:15155] Re: Mini Discs for dummies "How To Copy to the Computer &

[Freedabet <Freedabet...>]

I'd like to give a recommendation for sound recording in Windows -- "Quartz 
Studio Free" is very nice freeware for up to 4 channel recording.  You can 
re-record using 'punch in/punch out' which is very powerful.  It can also 
automatically separate tracks by listening for spaces on the input.  They also 
have a 
freeware sequencer which looks pretty good.  And, if you need more capability 
than the freeware, you can purchase fancier versions.

And, on the hardware end, there is a neat-looking line of products from Pogo 
called Ripflash.  These devices are designed for near-CD recording (MP3 or WMA 
depending on the model) and have memory cards (varying by model) so you can 
have unlimited recording and listening ability.  The memory cards are more 
expensive than MDs, but you can easily dump them to your PC quickly and without 
losing quality.  I'm considering one that uses the same cards as my digital 
camera so I don't have to buy a whole new set of cards.  And, these things are 
non-mechanical and tiny! Practically credit card size.  Take a look.

Michael





-------- REPLY, Original message follows --------

> Date: Friday, 22-Aug-03 01:51 PM
> 
> From: Ros Schwartz             \ Internet:    (ros_schwartz (at) yahoo(dot)ca)
> To:   Hanashir Mail Server     \ Internet:    (hanashir (at) shamash(dot)org)
> 
> Subject:  [HANASHIR:15139] Re: Mini Discs for dummies "How To Copy to the
> Computer & Bur
> 
> Sender: owner-hanashir (at) shamash(dot)org
> Reply-to:       hanashir (at) shamash(dot)org
> To:     hanashir (at) shamash(dot)org
> (I apologise if this question has already been addressed.  I just got 
> home from CAJE & there were more than 50 Hanashir posts awaiting, so I 
> might have missed the answer ... )
> 
> TO COPY FROM MINIDISC TO COMPUTER & BURN CDS:
> 
> 1.  Use the appropriate connector to plug the minidisc "sound out" into 
> the "microphone in" jack on your computer.  (In theory you could play 
> the minidisc through speakers, and record onto your computer with a 
> microphone.  Don't do this!  You will _significantly_ lose sound 
> quality.  If you don't have the right wire, go & buy it.)
> 
> 2.  Then use whatever software package you like to record the sound from 
> the minidisc onto the computer.  There are many many recording software 
> packages out there, depending how fancy you want to get & how much $ you 
> want to pay.  I use Audacity, which I downloaded free from the web, only 
> because my son recommended it.  (It's probably at Audacity.com, or do a 
> websearch for it.)  I've seen other people using Cool Pro & Cool Pro 
> Edit, but I don't know anything more about them.
> 
> ***If others have recommendations for other software, free or purchased, 
> I would be most interested in hearing them***.
> 
> 3.  Note that many software programs restrict the way you can save 
> files, because of copyright issues.  For example, if you want to record 
> mp3s, you may have to download a special extra program as an add-on to 
> the main program.  (Also available for free.)  If you need more info, 
> let me know & I will have my son write up how to do this!
> 
> 4.  Open the computer program.  ***Make sure you have fresh batteries in 
> your minidisc player, or plug it in*** ... it's really frustrating if it 
> dies, halfway through a long recording.  Press "record" on the software, 
> then "play" on your minidisc.  (If you do this in the reverse order, you 
> may miss the first few seconds of your recording.)  You can do this 
> track by track, or the whole minidisc at once.  Do a few trial runs, to 
> check out the correct volume settings, noise reduction, etc.  You can 
> usually alter the settings on _both_ the minidisc & the software, so you 
> might want to play around a bit in order to figure out what sounds best.
> 
> 5.  You can save the file in various formats, some of which will easily 
> allow further editing, others of which will not.  It's usually not hard 
> to edit out segments (e.g. audience clapping, etc.) but it may be harder 
> to edit out background noise (e.g. coughs, audience rustling, etc.) 
> This depends on the software.
> 
> In general, the larger the file, the more information is retained, and 
> the more easily you can edit it later.  I don't have time to do much 
> editing, so I just save as mp3s, which are reasonably good quality and 
> comparatively small size.
> 
> 6.  If you intend to keep your recordings on your computer, think of a 
> logical way to name & file them, so you can find them easily.  I have a 
> folder called Music, then a subfolder called Hava Nashira 2003.  I name 
> the files using the "metric date" format:  yyyy mm dd hhmm, so they show 
> up in order by day, within in the folder: e.g. "2003 05 31 1030 
> Children's Songs"
> 
> 7.  Once the files are on your computer, it is comparatively simple to 
> burn them to a CD as files, in the usual fashion according to your 
> particular computer setup.
> 
> 8.  As Jeff puts it, you have to do the transfer in "real time", meaning 
> that a two hour session will take two hours to copy.  You can just set 
> the machines to copy & then leave ... but this is risky, since assorted 
> glitches can occur.  I usually listen in as the copy is being done - 
> either through the computer speakers, or through a headset plugged in to 
> the computer.  If the recordings are of importance to you, & you plan to 
> erase the minidisc, I would strongly recommend listening through the 
> copy either on your computer or on the CD that you have burned, to make 
> sure it came out correctly, before you erase the original.
> 
> 9.  Anyway, the aggravation of this whole thing is why I decided to 
> bring my laptop & record directly onto it!  I bought a good-quality 
> external mike, which I plug into the computer, & use Audacity to record 
> directly to the hard drive.  It's harder to shlep around than a minidisc 
> recorder, and takes more room to set up, but it's way easier once I get 
> home.
> 
> Hope this outline helps ...
> 
> - Ros
> 
> 
> Jeff Klepper wrote:
>  >
> 
> Subject: [HANASHIR:15098] Re: Mini Discs for dummies
> Date: Thu, 14 Aug 2003 14:34:21 -0400
> From: Jeff Klepper <jeffklepper (at) yahoo(dot)com>
> Reply-To: hanashir (at) shamash(dot)org
>  >
>  > You can copy files from a CD to minidisc (MD) but not the other way
>  > around.  Right now the only way to transfer files from MD is to record
>  > them onto your hard disc in real time.  (At some point someone will
>  > invent software to do it...)
>  >
>  > jeff
>  >
> 
> Gail Nalven wrote:
> 
> Subject: [HANASHIR:15083] Mini Discs for dummies
> Date: Wed, 13 Aug 2003 13:22:01 EDT
> From: Golda18 (at) aol(dot)com
> Reply-To: hanashir (at) shamash(dot)org
> To: hanashir (at) shamash(dot)org
> 
> >>I have files on minidiscs that I want to transfer to my PC and then onto a
> >>cd.  They were recorded on a Sony MZ-N707, and I've installed their
> >>(frustrating) software, where the tracks do show up, but I can't drag them
> >>into another (burner) program to get them off the Sony MD and onto my hard
> >>drive.  But I understand this is done all the time. 
> 
> 
> 
> 

-------- REPLY, End of original message --------

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