[leon]

Redshifter,
Atrac Type R is the version that came after version 4.5

As a long time MD user, I think it's much easier to record from an external source to MD than to any MP3 player currently available. MD portables are made so you can monitor the incoming sound, adjust recording level so that you maximize volume and quality, pause or add track marks whenever you want. Then you can do some editing afterwards.

I have been looking for an MP3 player that'll let me do that. No luck - even the most feature-rich one I found (an iAudio 4) is far less flexible, spontaneous and reliable than the cheap Sony MD recorder I had. Short of the new Edirol quasi-pro recorder, it seems that I don't have much of a choice and I'll have to use the software on my Mac - for something as simple as recording off TV or radio (built-in radio on MP3 players are typically not as good as standalone pocket ones, but you probably already know that).

You can argue that it's only a matter of time, but MP3 player as a form of portable audio has been in existence for a few years now, yet there's no recording option like the cassette and MD have had in a comparable boom.

I don't have an MD unit at the moment, but I suspect I might have to go back to it soon. So there.

 

[Latexxx]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Oink1 Higher compression (say 48kbs-why would you subject yourself to that though?) takes longer.(to convert to atrac)

Basicly, encoding atrac3plus takes much more time than encoding atrac3. I haven't noticed any significant differences between different bitrates.

 

[redshifter]

Quote:

Atrac Type R is the version that came after version 4.5

whoops. i meant atrac3 type r.

 

[D-EJ915]

Personally, the sexy, and coolness factor was always a consideration in buying something, and MD units have those in spades. A good example being the MZ-E700...

 

[BlindTiger]

How's the analog recording quality for MD's?
I intend to record the soundtracks from some concert dvd's I have. My dvd player only has coax digital out.

 

[redshifter]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlindTiger How's the analog recording quality for MD's? I intend to record the soundtracks from some concert dvd's I have. My dvd player only has coax digital out.

excellent, if you have a md deck. there are some sony es models with very good adc's.

 

[Blue Meanie]

Quote:

Originally Posted by redshifter whoops. i meant atrac3 type r.

Whoops. You actually meant atrac type r. There is atrac version 3 released before version 4, 4.5, not to be confused with Atrac3 (no space) (for mdlp), which was developed AFTER type r. Confusing, isn't it? I think atrac type r is still the best sounding, and is an improvement over such versions as 1,2,3,4,4.5. Whereas atrac3 was devoloped to fit more data on a disc somewhat reducing sound quality.

Jeff

 

[redshifter]

actually we are both wrong.

it is atrac1 type r:
"Sony has chosen a confusing naming scheme for their variations of ATRAC. All Minidisc equipment before the advent of MDLP used ATRAC1 of some generation or another (note the lack of a space between ATRAC and the number 1). We should really be calling the ATRAC of the MZ-1 (Sony's very first MD machine) ATRAC1 version 1.0, and of the MDS-501 (the first high-end MD deck) ATRAC1 version 2.0, etc. By this nomenclature, Sony's current MD decks (ca. 2001) are using ATRAC1 version 4.5 and ATRAC1 Type R. MDLP uses a new and incompatible encoding called ATRAC3 version 1.0, which we shorten to just ATRAC3 (note again the lack of a space between ATRAC and the 3)."
http://www.minidisc.org/mdlpfaq.html#_q58

 

[MartinDF]

I grew up with cassetes, my father gave me a Sony Walkman when I turned 8 and I kept it till I was 15 and got in highschool (yes, I still have it in mint condition). In the new school everyone had a PDCP so I decided to upgrade to a low-end Sony CD player (still no CD Walkman, since there was no G-Protection then, or at least not in Mexico). I got bored with the thing primarily because it skipped too damn much and I commute alot. Fortunately enough, my dad tripped on the DC wire and messed the player up, so we went buying a new one like 3 months after. In the store I saw the all new CD Walkman and I fell in love with them right away. I don't remember the model but it had a round remote and it charged batteries... Anyway, that got stolen after a year or so.

That christmass I decided to get a Samsung CD/MP3 player (SMC-55 I think), there werent many options, it was the time where those were really unlikely to be seen anywhere. The sound was good but not really an upgrade, except for the MP3 reproduction. This year I wanted to get the D-NE900 so I surfed the web for reviews and such (thats how I got to this site) and wasnt truly convinced. Then I surfed some deals on auctions, and saw the MZ-NF610, it reminded me of my cassette days so it was love at first sight...

I really can't complain about the player itself, I can only say SonicStage is buuuuuuuullllllsheeet. It's small enough, the blank media is sexy and the headphone output isn't bad at all. It drives my FC7's like cake and it's not expensive like a HD player...

A HD player with 20GB cost like 400 bucks here (unless of course you buy through the Internet, which I do) and the MD cost me less than 150. The guy that first posted said why not get a HD player instead of MD, you can't get a decent HD player at 150, and if you do, it won't surpass the 512MB capacity. Which is... LOW.

The SP compression is good enough for me and many people; an audiophile has money to support his hobby, but regular people don't give a damn about lossless and such things, we just want a player that sounds decent and its cheap enough. I won't get an iPOD just because it can play music better and sacrifice 140 dollars for quality. I just plug the optical cable to my Audigy 2 and start recording to DVD's; it doesn't get better than that for me. It's like saying: "Why buy a pair of E2c if they sound worse than full sized cans?", well, the answer is right there... Its just a matter of taste AND budget.

 

[Kirosia]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MartinDF The guy that first posted said why not get a HD player instead of MD, you can't get a decent HD player at 150, and if you do, it won't surpass the 512MB capacity. Which is... LOW.

Not completely true. I'm pretty sure you can find a HD player for around that much. I've see name brand 20 gigs go for approx. $250/$200 (new/used), 10 gig players can be probably found for around $150 if you look hard enough. (a lot of people tend to unload their older or smaller spaced ipods on ebay, for example)

 

[fr4c]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kirosia Not completely true. I'm pretty sure you can find a HD player for around that much. I've see name brand 20 gigs go for approx. $250/$200 (new/used), 10 gig players can be probably found for around $150 if you look hard enough. (a lot of people tend to unload their older or smaller spaced ipods on ebay, for example)

yes very true. dont run away just because HD players are expensive. with newer models of units coming out, like the iPod, older versions(not necesarily bad) can be bought at much cheaper prices. i've seen people sell their 3rd generation iPods at around 160 dollars.

 

[Blue Meanie]

Quote:

Originally Posted by redshifter actually we are both wrong. it is atrac1 type r: "Sony has chosen a confusing naming scheme for their variations of ATRAC. All Minidisc equipment before the advent of MDLP used ATRAC1 of some generation or another (note the lack of a space between ATRAC and the number 1). We should really be calling the ATRAC of the MZ-1 (Sony's very first MD machine) ATRAC1 version 1.0, and of the MDS-501 (the first high-end MD deck) ATRAC1 version 2.0, etc. By this nomenclature, Sony's current MD decks (ca. 2001) are using ATRAC1 version 4.5 and ATRAC1 Type R. MDLP uses a new and incompatible encoding called ATRAC3 version 1.0, which we shorten to just ATRAC3 (note again the lack of a space between ATRAC and the 3)." http://www.minidisc.org/mdlpfaq.html#_q58

Well, crap, Redshifter, you're RIGHT, we are both WRONG!

But I still think I was less wrong than you were.

But seriously, I was trying to recall that stuff from my memory, so I figured I wasn't completely accurate. But I don't recall EVER knowing that it all started with atrac1 version 1. I thought it was just plain atrac version 1. Shows how much I know...

Thanks for educating both of us!

Jeff
P.S. But atrac1 type r is still the best version, sound quality-wise, right?

 

[leon]

blue meanie,
Now there's ATRAC3plus 256kbps. It's possible that that's equal to or better than ATRAC(1) Type-R...

Quote:

Originally Posted by redshifter whoops. i meant atrac3 type r.

Honey, how can I say this, there's no such thing *wink wink*

Type R may be "bundled" in every LSI that does atrac3 encoding/decoding, but it's technically not related to nor used in atrac3

 

[redshifter]

leon,
i already corrected myself, thanks dear.

i use both atrac r and atrac3+ 256kbps and can tell you they are different, but close in quality. to my ears, atrac r is warmer, and more musical than 3+, which can sound at times compressed dynamically in comparison. still 3+ has an edgier quality, more forward and aggresive which is sometimes good in portable applications.

Quote:

Originally Posted by blue meanie But I still think I was less wrong than you were.

yeah, but i was right first.

 

[nassaubusrider]

Problem is finding a Minidisc recorder with a line in is not that easy these days. Most major stores like Best Buy, Circuit City, and Target sell the units that only have a USB connection, totally defeating the purpose of what minidisc is, a superior replacement of the cassette tape.