wwp@yahoogroups.com:
Re: Digital recording device to capture speach for VR
Francis Fougere 2007-Feb-10 19:22:00
This doesn't sound like the Sony Mini Disc that I had. Mine was nothing but
trouble. I recorded directly onto it using a Shure SM57 mic and got a great
recording when I played it back through the minidisc listening to it through
the head phones or through my stereo system when connected. The trouble was
getting the digital sound file into the computer. Sony had a very poor
quality driver for the minidisc I had bought and never corrected the
problem. Sony does use a compression technology called ATRAC that they
bought in the 80's and introduced on their minidisc in 1992. I noticed that
they now advertise a lossless version that came out in 2005 so maybe things
have changed. My problem in 2003 was that I couldn't get the computer to
recognize the minidisc. The proprietary compression format would have been
the next problem I guess. The only way that I was able to import the
recording was by analogue through the soundcard in real time into a program
like Adobe Audition and then saving it as a mp3. Sony tech help was
completely useless. They refused to support their product in any way. They
suggested that I buy the latest minidisc and maybe that would work. They
were more concerned about copyright infringement ( although I own the
copyright to any field recording I make ) than they were about getting their
device to work properly. They so annoyed me that I swore I would never buy
any of their products ever again. The minidisc was lost in 2005 in the fire
I sustained in my office that summer, and I too am looking for a device to
replace it for field recordings and interviews. Maybe Sony got better since
my minidisc disaster Bostjan but I doubt it. Sony use to create innovative
electronic products, they had a great corporate culture that fostered
creativity. Sony is now a media company and more concerned about delivering
and maintaining their copyright material. We may hear more from Sony in the
pano world courts as they bought the IPIX patents a week ago so look out.
The big market picture here is for a portable music player and the iPod has
most of the market. Sony markets the minidisc as a music player for their
music and not as a high quality recording device. In Canada the minidisc
has all but disappeared from the store shelves. Blank minidiscs are all but
impossible to find at the major retailers. I won't miss the Sony minidisc
and I actually feel much better after this diatribe.
Francis
> My Sony Mini Disc recorder and microphone ECM-MS907 work well but as DV
> Cameras cost less than MD; I would recommend any video camera with stereo
> recording. The advantage of MD is that the recorded audio is lossless and
> you can connect it directly to your computer and use the recorded track
> immediately. ECM-MS907 is quite cheap comparing what you get with the
> quality it has two 'zoom' modes 90? and 120?. I use it to record concerts
> of my daughters. Quick Time Pro can pick most of the audio formats and
> convert it into *.mov file.
>
> Bostjan