Sony NetMD...

Libertine

I can't seem to transfer files recorded via mic back to my PC (Sony MZ-N710 NetMD), it just says "Check-in failed" - I'm using the SonicStage 1.5 software. Any ideas?

Guy:Incognito

sonic stage is one way (out) u cant record to the pc thru the usb unless its sumting u already checked ot of the pc first

RicardoSmith

You'll have to record it back in Analog into the sound card on the PC and record it that way. Bit awkward but it works.

SteM

You're not the first to be caught out like this. Was gonna get a NetMD but think I'll wait for Sony's new HI MDs due out in April - 45 hours of music on one disc and you can transfer from MD to PC too.

Edited for typo

Libertine

Yeah, I figured that out after reading some documentation online. Very annoying.

450 Hours of music on one disc

Minutes surely?

SteM

Sorry that was a typo, it should have been 45 hours of music per disc.

http://news.sel.sony.com/pressrelease/4270

John R

Originally posted by SteM
Sorry that was a typo, it should have been 45 hours of music per disc.

http://news.sel.sony.com/pressrelease/4270

$200 for the entry level would be probably €400 here.
$7 per disk so €12-14 here
with 1gb per disk that 45 hours would be lousy quality, I would guess 20hours of good cd quality audio.

The md-pc feature should have been included in the first netMDs.

I think this will be a competitor to mp3cds more than hdd devices and although md's are much more compact the price of the disks will have to fall considerably.

SteM

They're fairly wild currency conversions! It's impossible to tell the price before they're launched so who really knows.

For $250 I'd be happy to buy one over the 'net from the States. You'll be able use the discs to store data on so that might be handy for data transport. MD to PC should have been included before but I guess Sony were trying to stop music piracy.

RicardoSmith

Originally posted by SteM
You're not the first to be caught out like this. Was gonna get a NetMD but think I'll wait for Sony's new HI MDs due out in April - 45 hours of music on one disc and you can transfer from MD to PC too.

Edited for typo

Are they really going to allow you to upload to PC? I'd be very surprised.

John R

Originally posted by SteM
They're fairly wild currency conversions! It's impossible to tell the price before they're launched so who really knows.

For $250 I'd be happy to buy one over the 'net from the States. You'll be able use the discs to store data on so that might be handy for data transport. MD to PC should have been included before but I guess Sony were trying to stop music piracy.

Piracy was never really an issue in transferring from md to pc as very few copyrighted material is released on md, of course the piracy obsessed nuts in sony probably didn't consider that.

One thing I really hope they improve over the current models is the pathetic amplifiers in the units, the unit I have (and others I tested) is too low in a quiet environment and gets drowned out in public places. I believe they reduced the output to improve battery life, a lousy tradeoff imo.

Guy:Incognito

Originally posted by John R
Piracy was never really an issue in transferring from md to pc as very few copyrighted material is released on md,

maybe not, but if u rewcord from cd 2 md and give the md to your friend who then uploads it to his pc that is copyright infringment so its stopping an offline p2p network (best way i could think of to describe it)

SteM

Originally posted by John R
Piracy was never really an issue in transferring from md to pc as very few copyrighted material is released on md, of course the piracy obsessed nuts in sony probably didn't consider that.

One thing I really hope they improve over the current models is the pathetic amplifiers in the units, the unit I have (and others I tested) is too low in a quiet environment and gets drowned out in public places. I believe they reduced the output to improve battery life, a lousy tradeoff imo.

Stekelly hit the nail on the head. It's to stop me converting the 3 new CDs I bought to MD, giving the disc to you and then you uploading them to your PC and then you doing the same with your mates.

It's all a bit pointless really when practically every new PC you buy has a CD writer which makes it even easier for people to pass on music to each other.

Guy:Incognito

AAh Yes but theyre still being SEEN to do something about piracy. thers not tmuch they can do about cd burners excetpt the horrible "this cd wil not play on cd/mac"

Pacifico

Does anyone knbow where you can get sonicstage , i lost my disc........ oh and the drivers. Ive looked but cant find em anywhere:o

John R

I'm not disputing that that was what they were probably thinking, just that it was stupid and bad for sales. Besides they could have easily stopped the upload of 2nd generation digital copies using the scms system that stops cd-md-md digital copies being made. I am sure the lack of an upload facility hurt net md sales much more than md basd piracy ever would have cut into cd sales.

SteM

It seems from reading other forums that you'll only be able to upload content recorded through the microphone with the new HI MDs so there's still going to be a lot of copyright protection there.

Henry_14, PM me if you still need sonicstage.

John R

Originally posted by Henry_14
Does anyone knbow where you can get sonicstage , i lost my disc........ oh and the drivers. Ive looked but cant find em anywhere:o

http://www.my-minidisc.de/index.php?action=download.html

41mb for sonicstage, I hope you've got broadband.

BTW if you haven't used it already I thoroughly reccomend the simple burner software available on that site it's great for quick cd-md transfers or when sonicstage refuses to transfer some mp3's just burn them to an image file in nero or other cd burner, load the image in nero imagedrive or a similar program and use the simple burner to copy them from the image. There is no checking in/out with it either so once the tracks are on your md you can edit or delete them using the recorder alone.

Pacifico

Thanks for the link john R. Oh and i have broadband:D

RicardoSmith

Its all a bit stupid the copy protection. As once you can hear it, you can copy it via an analog I/O. I've an early Sharp MD and I have to copy everything on/off it in realtime via the analogue I/O or optical in. I generally listen to the same few albums for ages so its not really a problem. I just hook it up the PC, TV or Stereo and leave it recording while I do something else. If I want something I have recorded on MD back on the PC or a CD, I just record it back inot the PC and burn it back out to CD. If I need more music I have a CD Portable that plays MP3's from CDRW.

Sure none of this is CD Quality, but its decent quality, better than a low bitrate MP3, and you won't notice the difference unless you have a decent HI FI or are listening in a very quiet enviroment. Sitting on a bus or walking around down theres so much ambient noise anyway that it doesn't matter.

Guy:Incognito

anything can be copied through analogue, u cant stop that, and the only reason they would release an upload option would be for the live recordings, because if your looking to upload music from md->Pc you are obviously looking to breach copyright cos if u owned the cd youd just record from that as it quicker and easier.

RicardoSmith

Some people use their MD's as voice recorders, for meetings and lectures in college etc. So that would be another good reason why you might want to pull them on to the PC. When recording analog I use a piece of software called CDWave to record the MD into one huge wave and then it can split it based on the silences. Most of that doesn't require any user input so you just leave it running and go do something else.