I've used a Sony Hi-MD MZ-NH1 for about the last 8 months for getting into stealth taping, used old school Sharp MD before that, and have created some nice recordings with it and have always been able to get it into any venue even with a pat down. It has the nicest remote I have seen for recording, backlit w/full levels control and level meter. So the MD is stashed in a pocket and the remote is clipped somewhere that you can check levels easily. The sound quality is quite good. Battery life is outstanding and I've never had an issue with it not lasting through any shows I've been to.
Now the ugly part:
The USB upload works well for the most part, close to real time to transfer, but true digital upload at least. I've run into 2 discs that for some reason the recorder dropped audio while recording, 1 or 2 second losses, and then when you try to upload it fails because Sonic Stage thinks it's already been uploaded. Got around that by using Total Recorder with the MD connected via USB and playing through Sonic Stage. Still had the audio gaps though. And never know when or why it will pop-up again. Sony claims they have no clue.
You also only get to use the USB upload once, then the disc is tagged as uploaded and you cannot re-upload the disc. Using Total Recorder in the same manner as above is the workaround if need be.
Yes Sonic Stage software is a major PAIN IN THE ASS!! I have had an issue with digital rights management and not being able to access my own recordings. I built a new computer and "assumed" I could just transfer the .oma files into the new machine and all would be well...hahahahah was I surprised when I got the new 'puter built and I now could not acces any of my own recordings. YIKES!! So after doing some research I found I had to rebuild the old machine (install previous hard drive) and go through Sonic Stage's backup process to be able to transfer my .oma files and DRM to the new machine. A ROYAL PAIN IN THE ASS!! Took many days to figure out the whole process and get it resolved.
Newest version of Sonic Stage will automatically convert .oma files to PCM after they've been uploaded. I always do that now to save the headache of the .oma DRM issue.
Also with MD if there is any disruption to power while recording you will loose your entire recording as it has to write the table of contents to the disk. Pretty easy to do with the battery door being very close to the eject slider. Battery door doesn't lock. Ruined one recording that way. Total bummer!
If you like PCM recording then odds are you'll be flipping a disk at some point during the show. Most of the time there is an encore break before your 94 minutes are up and that's your chance but other shows that run longer will be more stressfull. One solution is HiSP w/MD or HiMD and you get 2 hours 20 minutes w/std MD or close to 8 hours w/Hi-MD running HiSP record mode and I cannot tell a distinct difference between the two and it's much less stressful to not have to worry about the disc flip. I have missed a few flips and have been quite stressed trying to get the disc to finish writing and get reloaded in time to not miss anything. Takes about a minute but always seems like a lifetime. And in the dark it can be easy to have the disk upside down or sideways. Also missed the end of a show cause it ran a minute longer than the disc and trying to change discs would have been useless.
Also about manually setting record levels. It's a bit of task. It takes a series or steps to get there and you always have to reset those settings after shutting down or swapping discs. Have had a few instances where I forgot to reset and didn't wanna pause during the recording to manually set levels, luckily the results were acceptable but there are going to be some fluctuations of sound and possibly some clipping when it gets loud quick, then volume will drop.
It's a really nice unit when all works well, it's ultra small and can record in high quality PCM mode but it is far from perfect.
I got a refurbished Nomad JB3 since that seems to be the standard around here and I really like the "set it and forget it" option of 3 hours of PCM recording and very fast firewire transfer, no DRM and no Sonic Stage headaches. I've crotched it once for a pat down and made it through but it's not the easiest to stealth with and the level meters can be a bit deceiving. Once you get used to it you may not wanna use the Hi-MD again except for the ultra stealth shows. Also no more $5 discs. That got expensive.
So I feel as if I've had all the bumps and bruises of Hi-MD and appreciate it for what it is but I'm not in love with it. I know Sony could make it a better format by increasing disc capacity, say to 2GBs, allowing easier audio level control and doing away with digital rights management but it's not in Sony's best interest I suppose.
I'm still keeping the Hi-MD around to be able to playback all of my recorded shows and for times when I really want a small recorder for stealthing. It's a very convenient package. If you bundle it with small mics w/batt box and recorder you should be able to get some pretty high quality results and then graduate to something better in quality later on as you get more familiar with the taping scene and the various hardware. So far there is not perfect solution.
I started with Giant Squid Omni Mics w/Bass Rolloff Batt. Box and Sharp MD, then graduated to Sony Hi-MD, then upgraded to Core Sound Omnis w/Sound Pros tiny batt box and now using DPA4060/CSHEB and JB3 or Sony Hi-MD. It's a real fun upgrade path that is far from over. Now I'm in search of some high quality cardioid and pre-amp/a-d solutions.
Love my DPAs and the omni sound quality but hate the distant sound if not close, bass heavy at times and also all the chatter around me being picked up.
I still have much to learn. Hope this was helpful.
Good Luck and Happy Taping,
Jeff
Topic: HI-MD Recorders (Read 7004 times)