A Mark In Time

Start Here => Technical Help => Topic started by: dustyvalentino on November 06, 2008, 01:39:01 PM

Title: Mini Disc to CD?
Post by: dustyvalentino on November 06, 2008, 01:39:01 PM
I'm having a clear out and I've realised that I've got quite a lot of stuff on mini-disc, which as a format of course is just about dead, including some MK material which isn't widely circulated.

Unfortunately however I don't have a way of transferring it "digitally" - I could use the analogue out on my mini disc player and connect it to the analogue in on my laptop, but this will of course lead to a comprimise in quality.

Is anyone able to do a full digital transfer?

(Currently listening to MK on the Johnny Walker show in 2002 talking about the RPD album, inc live version of Marbletown).
Title: Re: Mini Disc to CD?
Post by: dustyvalentino on November 06, 2008, 01:51:22 PM
After Johnny Walker just discovered a Radio 2 interview with Richard Alinson that isn't on JVT so may not be in circulation at all.  :)
Title: Re: Mini Disc to CD?
Post by: Hoops McCann on November 06, 2008, 03:18:15 PM
Ah, yes, minidiscs. :) I still have my old Sharp MT-90...made a few decent ("lossy") recordings...however it doesn't have an optical output for digital transfers so I can't be of much help.  :(  If I remember correctly, very few MD recorders had that type of output, which was one of the major drawbacks of the format. There were users over at thetradersden.org (http://www.thetradersden.org) and taperssection.com (http://www.taperssection.com/index.php) that were offering free MD optical transfers a few years ago, and it might not hurt to post this same message in the pertinent sections on those sites.
Title: Re: Mini Disc to CD?
Post by: dustyvalentino on November 06, 2008, 03:32:49 PM
Yeah, the portables don't tend to have optical outs, but I might be able to buy a cheap full size deck off ebay. But then I still need some sort of external soundcard for my PC with an optical input.
Title: Re: Mini Disc to CD?
Post by: Pottel on November 06, 2008, 07:29:16 PM
i can get you in contact with a top "transferer" from the floyd world.
he does ANYthing, and is a nice guy too.
from the us though. lemme know if you want his services.
Title: Re: Mini Disc to CD?
Post by: IrisRose on February 08, 2009, 07:28:28 PM
What is the date of the Allison recording.  I may have it.  Would happily share  if I do.
Title: Re: Mini Disc to CD?
Post by: dustyvalentino on February 08, 2009, 08:42:19 PM
Not sure of the exact date, put it was RPD promo, so around September 2002.  :)
Title: Re: Mini Disc to CD?
Post by: Pottel on February 08, 2009, 08:50:02 PM
what is the status on this dusty?
Title: Re: Mini Disc to CD?
Post by: dustyvalentino on February 10, 2009, 04:47:15 PM
I have somebody willing to do it, I just need to sort through all my discs to work out what needs transferred.

So much stuff, so little time. For example I transferred my VHS of the Sky presentation of the Montserrat show to DVD the other day, just need to edit it and up it.  :)
Title: Re: Mini Disc to CD?
Post by: Pottel on February 10, 2009, 06:21:11 PM
you mean the whole montserrat thing not just the one that was released? i got that from Allen in the hub, wonder how different your version will be...
Title: Re: Mini Disc to CD?
Post by: dustyvalentino on February 11, 2009, 12:50:28 PM
Ah, OK I saw it on JVT but didn't know it was being freely circulated. My one will be pretty much the same, might not bother then.
Title: Re: Mini Disc to CD?
Post by: Pottel on February 11, 2009, 01:22:52 PM
nono, do bother, we never know, might be different
Title: Re: Mini Disc to CD?
Post by: dustyvalentino on February 11, 2009, 03:31:57 PM
I'm quite cerain it's the same show. Has anybody tried to up it to the tracker?
Title: Re: Mini Disc to CD?
Post by: ustas on August 24, 2009, 12:23:39 AM
May be my reply is too late, I was not memeber of this forum in February, by the way -is your player NET MD - I mean does it have mini USB switch? I had 3 generations of SONY MD players, including HD-MD SONY 910. I do not use it now but if I remember - latest Sonic Stage software for MD allows to copy atrac files to PC over USB and transfer it to WAV. It is strange but SONY does not support it more and Sonic Stage is not available to download more. But you can try the minidisc.org forum to find it.   
Title: Re: Mini Disc to CD?
Post by: Hoops McCann on August 24, 2009, 02:07:04 AM
Interesting, ustas, I keep meaning to look into that as it's not the first time I've heard of it. I too have three mini disc players/recorders, two of which have a USB port. But I don't keep up on the latest Sonic Stage software, nor do I use the format that much anymore, so I don't know what you can and can't import. Maybe I did read something about an atrac import, but I thought it was only for atrac data written to a HiMD disc with a Sony recorder. I could very well be wrong.
Title: Re: Mini Disc to CD?
Post by: dustyvalentino on August 24, 2009, 10:05:02 AM
Hi. I do have a Hi MD, I think it's the NH1. As I recall the very latest Hi MD allows transfer of old "standard" MD to computer (I think this was a last ditch attempt t osave the format), but my model doesn't have this capability, sadly. :(
Title: Re: Mini Disc to CD?
Post by: Hoops McCann on August 25, 2009, 12:23:00 AM
Yes, I was very surprised at what I found last night. As it turns out, the third generation RH-1 is the Hi-MD unit that allows the uploading of ATRAC files via USB/Sonic Stage and it just happens that the RH-1 is the model that I have. So I need to get a hold of the last version of Sonic Stage and try it out as I don't have a clue if this is a third generation unit or not. Pretty cool stuff.
Title: Re: Mini Disc to CD?
Post by: dustyvalentino on August 25, 2009, 08:56:28 AM
Cool. You may be receiving a package full of mini discs in the near future. :)
Title: Re: Mini Disc to CD?
Post by: marky49 on August 25, 2009, 09:06:43 AM
I've so many MD and HI-MD discs of MK at home, but won't have the time to work through this stuff. Anyone? Pottel? ;D
Title: Re: Mini Disc to CD?
Post by: Hoops McCann on August 26, 2009, 02:27:25 AM
Wow!  :o It worked- I'm really surprised. Used Sonic Stage v3.4 to extract some crappy Minidisc recording I made 3 years ago on my old Sharp mindisc recorder. It even converts it to wav format for you so you don't have to convert it from atrac on the disc. Very cool. I'm really surprised that this happened as I recall years back when I first started out with Minidisc recording, uploading atrac files from a regular MD disc back to a computer was a big issue, and Sony refused to release any software or hardware that would allow for this. I think they claimed it wasn't technically possible or something like that? Guess not.

Anyone need some minidisc to wav transfers done?
Title: Re: Mini Disc to CD?
Post by: dustyvalentino on August 26, 2009, 09:00:13 AM
Cool stuff. Are you eing serious by the way? I have quite a few MK bits and bobs that it would be great if you could transfer so we could get them up on the tracker for everyone to enjoy. :)
Title: Re: Mini Disc to CD?
Post by: Hoops McCann on August 27, 2009, 02:26:25 AM
Sure, I don't see why not. Send me a PM whenever you want, and I'll convert them to wav and send them back to you on a DVD. Then all you would have to do is cut the tracks (use CDWave to split on sector boundaries!), and flac them.
Title: Re: Mini Disc to CD?
Post by: dustyvalentino on August 27, 2009, 08:31:31 AM
Cool stuff. I'll sort through my discs then give you a PM. :)
Title: Re: Mini Disc to CD?
Post by: IrisRose on August 29, 2009, 01:18:29 AM
I have a Sony MD, same model as yours, Ustas.   I bought it in '06, and it was dead by '08, with batteries impossible to buy except online from Sony or huge online store,certainly not on the the drive from Berkeley to Jacksonville, betweeen venues.  That is why my Jacksonville recording is lossy.   Emergency purchase.
 It does not have a usb port. 
I don't know if your minidiscs will fit into it.   Almost every thing  of Sony's is incompatible with everything else.    I'll be happy to send it to you, Matt,  along with cables and stuff if you want to try it.   
In the meantime, I've got to buy a decent recorder and new mic for next year.   Suggestions?     Edirol for the recorder, I think.  Any particular model?   Little concealable mic?