TECH: Help: MD to PC

Subject: MD to PC
From: Mudjack
Date: 29 Sep 02 - 05:23 PM

Has anyone recoreded on their Walkman MD recorder and then process the MD into their PC? I know Jen Ellen and Amos have MD recorders but don't know if the MD was ever made into a CD by using their PC's.
If there is a perma thread describing this process, please advise this PC dum dum.
Thanks for any help,
Mudjack

Subject: RE: Help: MD to PC
From: BanjoRay
Date: 29 Sep 02 - 05:57 PM

I've had various failures at trying to do this, but I've finally cracked it. I now use a program called Total Recorder, which is downloadable from the net and very useful for recording streaming music or any other music on the computer. You plug a cable into the line in socket on your soundcard, and plug the other end into the phones socket on the minidisc (NOT the line out socket). Start the total recorder program, then start the minidisc playing. The whole disc will be recorded by the Total Recorder, which you can then use easily to break it up into tracks, which you can save separately. The tracks are saved as WAV files, which can easily be put on to a CD-ROM disc using a program like CD-Creator. The final CD sounds just like the minidisc.

I expect other people will use different methods - I hope this helps.

Cheers
Ray

Subject: RE: Help: MD to PC
From: Amos
Date: 29 Sep 02 - 06:12 PM

Jack:

I do it all the time. The MD player in my configuration is connected from "Line Out" to an "iMic" USB hub which has a jack for sound in. This in turn is plugged into a USB port.

The software for recoreding I use is called "Sound Studio" -- it is configured to accept the iMic USB device as the source for Sound in, and the normal speakers for sound out.

The recording software plays what it is recording through the speakers so you can monitor the sound. Once the sound recording software has recorded the file, you can see a graphic image of the sound patterns and can filter them for normalization, dampening, reverb or echo or a dozen other things which i don't even comprehend. I find on transfers from audio tapes to MD I have to filter out frequencies in the 50-150Hz range to reduce tape hiss sometimes.

Once I have tweaked it as well as I can, I save the file as a Quicktime AIFF file which is readily picked up for CD burning by Toast (Roxio) or iTunes or any other similar CD burning software.

Hope this helps, despite being from the uptown operating system! :>)

A

Subject: RE: Help: MD to PC
From: Mudjack
Date: 29 Sep 02 - 06:23 PM

Thank you BanjoRay and Amos,
This is good for starters and if anyone else can toss their ideas at me, they are most appreciated,
THANKS,
Mudjack

Subject: RE: Help: MD to PC
From:
Date: 29 Sep 02 - 10:23 PM

Hi!

I have a Sony MZ-700.

I took the 3.5mm stereo plug to 3.5mm stereo plug cord and into the Line-In of my sound card.

I used Real-One to record it into a file. With Real-One, I can save it as MP3 or WAV or RA/RM files.

Have a look at Real-One.

Subject: RE: Help: MD to PC
From: Dave Bryant
Date: 30 Sep 02 - 08:21 AM

I use a similiar hookup via my soundcard into a recording program called AUDIOTOOLS which you can find HERE.

The unregistered version will only record up to 10mins at a time (enough for most single tracks) but it only costs $20 US or £13 UK to register a copy. It comes with many different plugins for De-noising, Removing Pops, Limiting etc and gives really professional results. I then copy the WAV files straight to an audio CD.

What would be really useful is an MD reader that would fit into a PC like a CD reader via an ATAPI interface. It would then be possible to read tracks strait from the disk, edit it and then write it out.

BTW Does anyone know if it is possible (and if so how) to write CDs which contain both audio and PC data tracks. They seem to be produced commercially.

Subject: RE: Help: MD to PC
From: treewind
Date: 30 Sep 02 - 08:42 AM

Mixed audio and data CDs are certainly possible.
cdrecord (for Linux) does it but I've never tried using it that way.
All you need is software support, and I'm sure that some of the standard Windows CD burning programs must be able to do it.
You'll doubtless find the technicalities explained (and possibly software advice) in the impressively large and comprehensive CDR FAQ site.

Anahata

Subject: RE: Help: MD to PC
From:
Date: 30 Sep 02 - 11:15 AM

I believe the Nero CD Burning software can do mixed mode CDs, and would assume other such programs would be able to.

Subject: RE: Help: MD to PC
From: Amos
Date: 30 Sep 02 - 12:21 PM

Roxio's Toast does mixed CDs with data and music on them.

A

Subject: RE: Help: MD to PC
From: Lane
Date: 30 Sep 02 - 12:40 PM

Mudjack,

Some of this depends on whether you are simply trying to copy from you MD to PC, of whether you also want to edit, add effects, etc. I'm not an expert but...

If you have Windows Media Player, you can simply copy the MD to PC, then CD, with that program. It's fairly easy and Medial Player is free.

If you also want to edit, etc. you will need one of the programs mentioned above or one of several others. It also get's kind of complicated trying to edit and add effects - but makes me sound a lot better (and I can use that, as you know!)

If you want to get really serious, you can record directly to your PC, leave the MD out of it and then manipulate your stuff on the computer. I have a program called N-Tracks that enables me to do way more stuff than I can comprehend.

The other question is your sound card - often the basic ones that come in the computer are fairly limited. If you want to get good quality recording in you PC you may want to upgrade.... then a mixer, good mics, pickup in your guitar.... .... can get expensive....

L

Subject: RE: Help: MD to PC
From: GUEST,Mudjack
Date: 30 Sep 02 - 12:43 PM

Thanks everyone, I have Nero and Juke Box, and will try the sound card aproach or iMic USB. adaptor, another $35.00 at this point can't break me.I appreciate all the good inputs and Thank You All for the help.
Mudjack