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Old 28-08-2010, 15:54
Gildersleeve
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Maybe a year ago I was having problems with a minidisc recorder and you gave me some advice. I'm back again hoping you can help again.

I have had my separates for perhaps 8 years so they've done well and still sound good but now when I need to eject a disc I have to stand the units on their end, also one unit I have I had to continually press the eject button on the remote many times and eventually the disc popped out.

Well, it did until last night. Now the disc stays stuck in the unit and the code that comes up on the unit's screen suggests the loading mechanism has failed.

Is there any point having it repaired? What is the likelihood that the spare part is available? What on Earth would such a repair cost especially as I am not living near a Sony stockist?

And the old fashioned engineers that used to repair audio equipment seem more likely to want to repair televisions and not bother with audio equipment. A lot of audio equipment is sadly made just to be thrown away.

Cassette tape is virtually obsolete and now the Mini-disc has gone the same way though it appears you can still buy a portable version that does all that the separates did(they may actually have a couple of extra features)

Does anyone have any experiences of the portable minidisc recorder? Is it still being manufactured? Is it worth considering buying? Can I connect such a machine to the mains rather than use the battery? Can I connect an audio line into the portable machine from another source so I can record radio programmes(for my own personal use)as I have been able to do with the separate unit? And an audio line out so I can put them onto my pc and convert them into mp3 files as I do now? I have tended to use phono plugs.(The red and white ones)

Has anything been brought out as recorder to replace cassettes and/or minidisc recorders?

I would have to find suitable software but I know you can record in real time onto hard drive by running an audio line into a computer via the sound card...are there any laptops/notebooks with the appropriate connections as it may then by worth disregarding any mini-disc recorder and buying some inexpensive basic laptop/notebooks and record onto the hard drive in real time in WAV or mp3 format and burn the files onto CD/DVD or transfer the material between machines via a USB connection. This would be like turning the hard drive into a large mini-disc.

Any advice or information would be appreciated.
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Old 28-08-2010, 20:40
mooghead
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I think ebay might be your best friend here. I still have my Sony Walkman personal minidisc recorder from 15+ years ago, still a great little device. Minidisc was a great format but was introduced just before the advent of mp3 and dvd so unfortunately died a death.

Shame.
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Old 28-08-2010, 21:27
pocatello
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Minidisc is obsolete, its time to let go.
For jukebox its mp3 players.
For professional recording there are many dedicated digital sound recorders people use these days.
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Old 28-08-2010, 21:30
pocatello
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I think ebay might be your best friend here. I still have my Sony Walkman personal minidisc recorder from 15+ years ago, still a great little device. Minidisc was a great format but was introduced just before the advent of mp3 and dvd so unfortunately died a death.

Shame.
No, minidisc was introduced long before mp3 became a consumer item or let alone portable. It died its death for good reason, sony gimped its digital player to the point where it unecessarily emulated all the annoyances of cassette tapes in order to please its sony music arm and such. They gimped the sh*t out of it out of fear and greed and murdered a full decades head start on the ipod.
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Old 28-08-2010, 21:38
hatpeg
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I picked up a Sony MD Recorder - full size, in a Cash Converter shop for £25 a few months ago - it works well.
Might be worth having a look in similar shops near you.

Still a useful format, it it works for you, good luck in finding one.
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Old 28-08-2010, 22:04
Gildersleeve
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Thanks for the suggestions...so what we're possibly saying is that there are no longer any basic audio recorders and so being able to record say radio can only be done by putting audio into a computer and either getting it off the web or recording to hard drive and using that like a large tape/minidisc.

I've found an old laptop and I am managing to record audio to the hard drive...unfortunately the laptop does not seem to allow me to alter the input volume level even though I have gone into the sound options so it is too loud but it shows that it can be done.

Now of course the worry is should I buy a new laptop if this still happens I have not gained anything.

Has anyone tried recording audio on a pc/laptop?
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Old 28-08-2010, 22:11
pocatello
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? Every other mp3 player can record audio. Smart phones certainly can. There are dedicated digital voice recorders as well. Pc's have been able to record audio for ages. What are you worried about, a pc can record almost indefinitely these days.
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Old 28-08-2010, 23:12
Gildersleeve
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Well that's a start Pocatello and gives me hope I have proved tonight that a laptop can record sound from the audio feed of the satellite receiver but the sound is too loud and where I could alter the input/output on the minidisc recorder I have tried going into the volume options on the laptop and I cannot turn it down so it is too loud and the computer will not allow me to go into the advance area/recording section to change settings so that has me wondering why. The radio sound is louder than the tv sound.

So I hope this just a problem with this particular laptop.
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Old 28-08-2010, 23:25
chrisjr
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Well that's a start Pocatello and gives me hope I have proved tonight that a laptop can record sound from the audio feed of the satellite receiver but the sound is too loud and where I could alter the input/output on the minidisc recorder I have tried going into the volume options on the laptop and I cannot turn it down so it is too loud and the computer will not allow me to go into the advance area/recording section to change settings so that has me wondering why. The radio sound is louder than the tv sound.

So I hope this just a problem with this particular laptop.
Have you got separate mic and line audio inputs or are they combined into one physical connector? Or does the alptop only have Mic in and no Line In?

If you are using a Mic input that will make everything loud. In fact so loud it probably distorts horribly. Some laptops have combined inputs and sense when you plug a jack into the socket. Then pop up a box asking you to select mic or line. You should always select Line. You should also be able to do this from the Mixer application or maybe the Control Panel Sounds option.
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Old 29-08-2010, 00:17
Gildersleeve
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Thankfully, I have tried out recording directly from DAB into a sound card on a desktop and that has worked but some programmes are not available via DAB/FM/AM/LW and are only carried on the satellite platform. It also was handy if something clashed as I could record here and downstairs.

I thought of using a pc downstairs in the lounge next to the tv but I need a monitor to see what I am doing so that's why I thought a laptop might offer a compromise. I did not want a full blown PC with monitor cluttering the lounge.

Chris what you suggest is worth telling me in case I am doing something wrong. I cannot access some of the options in the volume mixer it mentions Realtek but something about a rear connection(but the laptop does not have any)

It really was white elephant this laptop, it never really worked when I purchased it but I know some years ago it did record audio when I played the minidisc line out into it, but of course the minidisc recorder has a facility to change input/output levels.

I even discovered that I could play radio/audio through it without having a minidisc in the machine so acting like an amplifier but because the loading mechanism has failed the machine is dead so I cannot do that anymore.

I can see a line in and line out and headphone connection but little else but I can see loads of controls in the mixer but nothing seems to change anything
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Old 29-08-2010, 01:03
Kodaz
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Minidisc was a great format but was introduced just before the advent of mp3 and dvd so unfortunately died a death.
No, minidisc was introduced long before mp3 became a consumer item or let alone portable.
The strange thing is you're right- MiniDisc came out in the early-90s, almost a decade before the iPod- but I can see why mooghead thought that. From what I remember it did little on the UK market on its launch... yet several years later in the late-90s/early-2000s (shortly prior to the iPod) it seemed to experience a burst of minor popularity.

Why this was, I'm not sure. Perhaps its popularity in Asia drove down prices to the point where it became affordable to the youth market?
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Old 29-08-2010, 01:13
pocatello
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Japanese are more tolerant of sony bs behavior.
Westerners were put off by the price and the crippling of functionality. It was neither cheap nor convenient..and most sad of all those limitations were completely artificial. By the time the price came down it was effectively obsolete from lack of market share and wide spread adoption of mp3/naptster. Kids quickly picked up on the utility of ripping cds to mp3 and even though storage was limited, burning cd mixes became common very quickly, it was a killer app. Sony spent all their effort in those days trying to lock down their content, they really didn't care about much else which is why they let apple slap them upside the head with the ipod, which upon release cost 500 dollars i believe. If attrac were easy to copy from and to pc's from the start, and ripping and copying had always been possible, the minidisc would have been the ipod from day one. Instead it was the crippled and expensive proprietary digital tape cassette recorder, and thus a dead end. They were trying to force people to record stuff at 1x tape cassette style when people were burning cd mixes. Sure they loosened their grip very slightly at the very end, but it was too late. And even then sony with its horrific sony sonic stage software managed to make that a nightmare anyways, I think they actively tried to keep even their early mp3 players from using mp3 for some bizarre reason, they were so desperate to promote attrac, everything had to be converted and copy proteced. They were so out of touch it was amazing. Should be a case study for business students of how a company can have everything it needs to succeed, but shoot itself in the foot.
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Old 29-08-2010, 06:17
Chris Frost
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Can't help thinking there's a kind of "Can't see the wood for the trees moment" going on here

Gildersleeve,
If it was me then I'd be tempted to just buy a s/h MD deck and have done with it. Personally I've found the quality of recording and playback of decks better than portables.

IMO DAB is a much poorer source than FM, so I's always choose FM for quality.

Computers are useful tools of course. But they do have a habit of eating time and also falling over at the most inconvenient times A dedicated device is often the safer bet when it comes to making a recording of a one-off event.

If I was going to buy a portable of any sort then I can recommend a Philips HDD120 It's an MP3 player/recorder. It is easy to use, has decent battery life, and it can record at up to 192kbps from optical, line and mic sources. I've seen them go for peanuts on Eblag.
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Old 29-08-2010, 08:12
cp2
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I used minidisc as it was a significant improvement over cassette tape but I agree that is now obsolete. Which is why I have a Sony minidisc recorder deck, a portable player and quite a few discs gathering dust...
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Old 29-08-2010, 10:02
Gildersleeve
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Chris that might be a good alternative an mp3 recorder with a line in especially if it could be run on the mains rather than battery and having to be charged all the time and then plugging it into a pc and transferring, trimming them and burning them to CD/DVD or storing them on the pc to listen to.

I will have hundreds of discs cp2 that will be of no use and not enough time or effort to transfer waht's on them so what's on them isn't lost. The machine that still works would probably pack up before I could finish the task anyhow.

Isn't technology wonderful. 192 kps is the usual spec I use.

If I could get the loading mechism replaced/repaired it might still work for many years ahead.
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Old 29-08-2010, 10:13
mikeydb
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I abandoned mini disc in 2001, I don't miss it.
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Old 29-08-2010, 10:50
Gildersleeve
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What do you use instead. If you just download from the net(music and the like)people probably can manage but for the ordinary guy who wants to record ordinary audio, you are not left with much choice.
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Old 29-08-2010, 12:52
Tassium
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What a cluttered thread! What is being asked?

The loading issue is likely easily repairable, but finding a person to do it might be tricky.
Perhaps a slipping rubber belt.


Recording audio is far away from playing audio, very different things. Some people don't understand the distinction.

If MD works then stick with it I say.


Recording to a computer is a pain. Sound level control is there, on the WIndows desktop at the bottom right is the volume control, a double click will bring stuff up.

Go into options if recording levels are not there.

But it's a poor experience, Mini-Disc is a far superior user interface for recording and much better quality compared to most laptops.


I would either get a 2nd-hand MD deck or attempt to repair the existing one. Worth a go at least isn't it? Obviously unplug from the mains and leave for several hours before opening the case.
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Old 29-08-2010, 13:04
Tassium
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Incidentally what model MD deck/s do you have? Have you looked on Ebay for a replacement?

Don't listen to some people on here, they don't get the distinction between playing music and recording music for which MD is the superior method at reasonable cost.
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Old 29-08-2010, 15:51
Nigel Goodwin
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But it's a poor experience, Mini-Disc is a far superior user interface for recording and much better quality compared to most laptops.
Use an external USB sound card (which are low cost), Audacity (free) and you've have a far higher quality recording sysyem than MD.

It's not as easy to use, but otherwise it gives many advantages over MD.
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Old 29-08-2010, 16:14
Gildersleeve
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I've never been able to get away with Audacity Nigel, well not the part that you use to convert files to mp3.

But that external USB sound card sounds interesting...if it can put audio from say a hi-fi, radio etc...into a laptop pc that's more important than the other way around.

That old laptop is working except I cannot get the sound down and it clips the sound but it's not noticable when edited later and it's not distorted so it's a compromise for now, I would hope a newer laptop may allow me to change levels(and has a suitable connection)what ever I do on the volume mixer has no effect and only one connection works regarding getting an audio feed into the laptop.

The volume mixer will not allow me into the recording area either only playback, if I could access the recording area of the mixer I bet I could reduce the levels so the clipping doesn't happen. Satellite radio is louder than the sound on the satellite tv channels which doesn't help either.

At least for now I am kind of managing...its not ideal but...

Tassium, both decks are MDS-JB980 models...
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Old 29-08-2010, 16:47
Gildersleeve
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A quick search on the USB extrnal sound cards suggests that some have a facility to change input/output levels via the card and that would get around the problem of the sound being too loud or quiet

Thanks for all the help you are giving it's really appreciated.
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Old 29-08-2010, 16:51
cp2
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I got the MD to record plays off the radio. It was so much better than cassettes - over 4 hours on one disc without having to turn it over.
But MP3 is much better for this - direct to the PC recording, MP3 on a CD or in a portable player. I eventually either re-recorded my plays or transferred them.
My obsolete deck is an MDS-JB940 which must be similar to the JB980. The internals are probably quite similar too. Last time I checked mine still worked.
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Old 29-08-2010, 16:59
Nigel Goodwin
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I've never been able to get away with Audacity Nigel, well not the part that you use to convert files to mp3.
Ignore the MP3 bit then, convert the files to MP3 using something else, just record and edit using Audacity.

By daughter has used her old Toshiba laptop, a USB sound card, and Audacity for recording a couple of yearly musical 'extravagansas' - which each act recorded on individual tracks. Direct out of the mixer to the USB card, she was also sound engineering the extravagansa as well..


But that external USB sound card sounds interesting...if it can put audio from say a hi-fi, radio etc...into a laptop pc that's more important than the other way around.
They do it both ways, and are simple to use - just line level in and out via phono sockets.


That old laptop is working except I cannot get the sound down and it clips the sound but it's not noticable when edited later and it's not distorted so it's a compromise for now, I would hope a newer laptop may allow me to change levels(and has a suitable connection)what ever I do on the volume mixer has no effect and only one connection works regarding getting an audio feed into the laptop.

The volume mixer will not allow me into the recording area either only playback, if I could access the recording area of the mixer I bet I could reduce the levels so the clipping doesn't happen. Satellite radio is louder than the sound on the satellite tv channels which doesn't help either.
You usually need to enable the recording controls in the Volume Mixer.
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Old 29-08-2010, 17:31
Gildersleeve
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I got the MD to record plays off the radio. It was so much better than cassettes - over 4 hours on one disc without having to turn it over.
But MP3 is much better for this - direct to the PC recording, MP3 on a CD or in a portable player. I eventually either re-recorded my plays or transferred them.
My obsolete deck is an MDS-JB940 which must be similar to the JB980. The internals are probably quite similar too. Last time I checked mine still worked.
That's sounds a bit like why I had my minidisc decks, I could leave it running overnight instead of having to keep changing tapes etc...and you are doing similar transferring items.

Nigel I can move the faders in playback mode but it has no effect and I cannot get into the other options or advanced area...on the other pc's(desktops)I can do everything and alter levels in playback and record mode.

I hope the problem about the mixer is just with this old laptop and a new one would not have this problem...

The USB External sound cards seem low in price but this one looks quite expensive but might have it's own way of changing volume levels...It has many connections too

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:US...aster_Live.jpg
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