Topic: Best Mini Disc recorder???

[King Ghidora]

Again I think MD is already obselete for field recording of rock shows etc..  The technology had a long and very useful life but there are new technologies on the horizon that surpass it. 

But there are still good reasons to buy a HIMD recorder.  Recording rock concerts just isn't one of them.  It's still possible to record a rock concert well with MD.  But there are better ways to do it if you are just getting into recording.  When I first got into recording regular MD was among the best ways to record live.  DAT was around but it was ridiculously expensive and hard to find too.  I would still think I got a good recording if I recorded a rock show with HIMD but switching discs is definitely a hassle and can result in a lost section of a show if you aren't prepared.  A second recorder and mic will fix the problem even if the quality drops on a short section of your recording.  But it isn't 24 bit which obviously means it isn't top quality.  It's very good quality but it isn't top quality.  So if you're thinking about buying something really good why not go for top quality.  Unless you have a special need for MD it's really on it's way out.  It's had a great run but it's nearly over.

[nameloc01]

Again I think MD is already obselete for field recording of rock shows etc..  The technology had a long and very useful life but there are new technologies on the horizon that surpass it.  I would still think I got a good recording if I recorded a rock show with HIMD but switching discs is definitely a hassle and can result in a lost section of a show if you aren't prepared. 

well,its interesting to me.one of the top three reasons not to buy a md,is the removable media issus,more specifically flipping discs and losing part of a show.i dont think i have ever lost a part of a show(besides crowd noise)due to flipping discs. with the recent advent of that thing the internet,its not too difficult to do a little reaseach on a group or bands recent concert patterns setlists ect.you can almost predict,with 100% acurracy when there will be a moment pefect for the flip. and really most of the stuff i tape, i am already quite knowledgeable about setlists/patterns ect. and it really isnt a problem.
-like tommorrow for instance,social distortion... i havent looked at anything recently,but i can tell you i am only taking one 1GB disc,b/c i know they wont play over 1:20 minutes at the most.or at the TOOL shows i just did, that there would be a ten minute music free interlude,wher i could flip.
and i could be wrong, but it doesnt seem to me like mdhi-md is being played off as the "best" recording setup,technically its obvious,it isnt.its just a nice easy,DEPENDABLE way of getting a...,i'll as far as to say,generally good to really good recording.i mean its a stealth setup basically.what can really be expected?
i really love taping, most of the stuff i do is stealth. but i am honestly never going to drop any serious$$ on any open rig, i really just dont want to. i am fairly happy with what i have and do now(at least for now)and  i've managed to get several"tapes" that really can make you get up and boogie.
just my $.02

[King Ghidora]

Again I think MD is already obselete for field recording of rock shows etc..  The technology had a long and very useful life but there are new technologies on the horizon that surpass it.  I would still think I got a good recording if I recorded a rock show with HIMD but switching discs is definitely a hassle and can result in a lost section of a show if you aren't prepared. 

well,its interesting to me.one of the top three reasons not to buy a md,is the removable media issus,more specifically flipping discs and losing part of a show.i dont think i have ever lost a part of a show(besides crowd noise)due to flipping discs. with the recent advent of that thing the internet,its not too difficult to do a little reaseach on a group or bands recent concert patterns setlists ect.you can almost predict,with 100% acurracy when there will be a moment pefect for the flip.

I couldn't agree more.  I just bought a HIMD myself and it will be more than adequate for most of my applications.  My point about it being obselete is that there are better technologies available now.  Maybe obselete was the wrong word.  There are other things that are better about the newer technologies including bounce/skip errors not being a problem and uploads to a computer being much easier and far less risk of corrupted uploads.  Basically if I wanted to get the top show taping technology now I would have bought a R-09.  But I didn't need the best.  I paid about a third of what a R-09 costs and I got a recorder that has as much quality as I need at this point.  Some day I might need to do better audio but for now I'm set with a HIMD. 

I needed a really good audio recording device to match up with my video equipment.  I operate on a budget because I'm trying to make money at what I do and so far I've done pretty well at it.  I have a project that I'm working on where I need better audio than I can get with a less than pro level video camera.  The video is great with my cameras but the audio could be better.  So I'm using HIMD.  I already have a distribution setup for my project and they know what they're getting from my company.  I've done several projects (including a concert video) with MD audio uploaded through a decent sound card.  I haven't had a single complaint.  In fact I've had compliments on the sound quality from people who have been pros in the video field for many years.  I'm talking tv production pros not wedding video pros.  Mic placement means a LOT when it comes to recording audio.  If you get that part down then use a decent recording device people are going to like what you do.  I've already proven that.

HIMD is certainly a quality way to record and can easily produce the kind of audio that I need for my project.  That's why I just bought one.

[knoxmallette]

I've made recordings that I am very proud of with Hi-MD- some lossless and some HI-SP (I know that may offend the lossless only crowd). However, I've had upload issues that I hope will be solved by SS 4.0.
I recently purchased an iRiver H120 that offers some features that my M100 didn't- (like 20gb on board) and it is my first line recorder but I believe there are occasions where my M100 may be a better option. In addition, the lossless recordings from both the H120 and M100 are equally impressive- to my ears anyway.

[(((KB)))]

If you're deadset on MD, hi-MD is the way to go... some models are better only because of metering differences and in-put/ out-puts. If those are out of your price range and would settle for a normal MD, I have 2 decks still for sale.

http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=71721.msg962725

PM me if you're interested.

-Kevin

[Carlos E. Martinez]

Anything by Sharp.

But Sharp is not manufacturing any Hi-MD model, are they?

[Carlos E. Martinez]

I have a Sony Hi-MD, type MZ-RH10, which I bought some months ago, and could not use last Saturday because the Record steps are really a pain to go through.   

You have to go into Rec mode, then go into the menu, find Recording Settings, then REC Level, then go to Manual, then set Levels. This you have to do EVERY time you press Stop to wait for the next take. All this because Sony's default mode is AGC instead of Manual. This recording I was doing was not stealth, but going though all these paces was too much.

Is there any other way to handle this routine?

Unfortunately my Sharp 722 was not working well, and it failed to record that concert.

In any case I still find recording PCM in the Sony Hi-MD a good option, because the media is still cheaper than any card. So I think you can mate a card recorder, like the R-09, with Hi-MD as a more practical backup than using a laptop. You can store your recordings better.

If someone else can suggest a better way to handle recordings that you want to keep with pristine quality please do. By pristine I mean better than CD quality.

Carlos 

[flintstone]

"With Sony MZ-RH10...You have to go into Rec mode, then go into the menu,
find Recording Settings, then REC Level, then go to Manual,
then set Levels. This you have to do EVERY time you press Stop..."

Yes, this is truly a pain, and one major reason why Sharp MD recorders
used to be recommended over Sony MD models.

The new Sony MZ-RH1 Hi-MD fixes this issue.  The machine remembers
your settings from one recording session to the next.  It holds the settings
until you remove the internal battery for several minutes.  A quick change
of batteries usually retains the settings. 

This may sound like a little thing, but it makes the recorder a lot friendlier
and more spontaneous to use.

Flintstone

[Carlos E. Martinez]

It holds the settings until you remove the internal battery for several minutes.  A quick change
of batteries usually retains the settings. 

It holds the "Manual" setting too? That would be great.

Perhaps it's something that can be changed through firmware? That would be even better!

Though I don't think Sony uses such customer-friendly resources. Better get stupid us buy the new type.


Carlos

[nameloc01]

why are you hitting stop?? set your rec function(levels) and use the "pause button" this will stop the recording process but not require you to reset level functions.its really not that big of a deal.a little practice and you should be able to do it in the dark.

[Carlos E. Martinez]

why are you hitting stop?? set your rec function(levels) and use the "pause button" this will stop the recording process but not require you to reset level functions.

That is if you are recording one thing after another, like a musical concert or similar. But most portable units are fed with batteries, so you need to go into Stop on location recording, which is what I am planning to use it for.

It's not only the audio I am dealing with, but also video synced to it. Between one take and the other there might be long pauses, where  the battery would run down and the unit itself would shut-off.

Sony using automatic level as a default, set by a menu, is completely twisted. None of the Sharp MD recorders (don't know about the others, like Aiwa or Panasonic) were designed like that. If you want to put that into a cheaper model, where people might accept that, I can understand. Like on cheaper video cameras. But to put AGC as default on a top model costing more than $300?

On the Sharp you pressed REC, then PAUSE, and you were recording in Manual. Same levels and all. As you did even on a home cassette deck in the past.     

[(((KB)))]

why are you hitting stop?? set your rec function(levels) and use the "pause button" this will stop the recording process but not require you to reset level functions.

That is if you are recording one thing after another, like a musical concert or similar. But most portable units are fed with batteries, so you need to go into Stop on location recording, which is what I am planning to use it for.

It's not only the audio I am dealing with, but also video synced to it. Between one take and the other there might be long pauses, where  the battery would run down and the unit itself would shut-off....    

Just an FYI, with any DC powered device you can run an external battery pack. With this, pausing it for long lengths of time really isn't an issue. These can be fabricated w/ normal d-cell batteries, a consumer battery pack, or a professional battery pack. For instance, my battery pack (14 ah 12v SLA) would run a MD for about 24 hrs straight. A typical 7 ah 12v SLA it would be like 12 hrs straight. If you have issues w/ using aa batteries, this would be something ideal for you to look into.

-K

[Carlos E. Martinez]

Just an FYI, with any DC powered device you can run an external battery pack.

Of course I am aware of that. But the portable units don't!

Try leaving a video camera or a DAT or an MD in pause: it will shut-off after a few minutes.

What I am saying is perhaps waiting 5, 10, 15, 30 minutes or more for the next take.

That Sony design has that flaw, no way to walk around it. Going into record mode in a flip is not something you can do with it. Pity.

[(((KB)))]

Just an FYI, with any DC powered device you can run an external battery pack.

Of course I am aware of that. But the portable units don't!

Try leaving a video camera or a DAT or an MD in pause: it will shut-off after a few minutes.

What I am saying is perhaps waiting 5, 10, 15, 30 minutes or more for the next take.

That Sony design has that flaw, no way to walk around it. Going into record mode in a flip is not something you can do with it. Pity.

ALL MD units can be run this way unless power is interupted... check out the photo.

EDIT: If the unit shuts off running something like this or off of AC,  it is because of excessive heat to the unit. This Will shut off the unit.

-K

[taper420]

When changing discs, the unit MUST be stopped, not paused, in order to write the TOC....this mean on all units, but the new RH1 (and the old sharps), the manual settings must be set again...in addition to waiting for the TOC to write, and changing disc time, this means any SERIOUS taper, must have two units. Now I say serious because amongst the trading community, having a 30 second gap isn't usually acceptable, and if your recording lossy so you don't have to flip, it surely isnt acceptable. Now if your just recording for yourself, and your not trading, then thats one thing, but for serious tapers that actually want to share their recordings, two units is the only way to do it. Now if your thinking optimum setup for hi-md, its would be two rh1's, so you don't have to worry about the default settings, and no gap to worry about (just some minor cut and paste in post). Two Rh1's will run you $640. And that's 16 bit remember. Even a lesser setup with an Rh1 and first gen-unit (cause you have time setting up for the gap, so why worry about default settings on your patch unit) will run you around $420. The only way to do it cheap and serious is to get two first gen units for $200 and say screw the defaults.

So what was the questions...best md recorder?
Best HiMD with no money in mind = 2 X Rh1 = ~$640
best value HiMD = 2 x first gen units ~$200
best recorder for the money without all the headaches with patches and uploads (and how are the defaults?) and 24 bit= R09 ~$350