Converting Records and Tapes
to MD (Mini Disc) and CD (Compact Disc)
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There is an 80-minute MD (as opposed
to the standard 74-minute minute MD) out now, that seems to be compatible
with most mini-disc recorders/players. Avoid purchasing the older
60-minute MDs unless you can get them at a great price. Remember,
the recording time is in based on recording in stereo. The time doubles
if you record in mono.
If you get a MD player/recorder, buy more
discs than you think you will need, because you will need more! Once
you get started, you be hooked. The pricing of blank MDs in bulk
at both Minidisco.com and Planet Minidisc is very reasonable.
Mini Disc Covers
There are two types of covers (or jackets)
for Mini-Disks. From the early days, MDs were are often sold in slip
cases where the MD can be just pulled or "slipped" out of the plastic case
case. Some of these newer slip cases are with hinged construction
so that you can open them, but they still are open at the top so that you
can quickly remove them from the case. The MDs usually slip out without
a problem. Some of the newer MD packs come in "flip" covers that
are similar to CD "jewel" covers, but are the size of MDs.
Minidisco.com (http://www.minidisco.com)
sells the "flip" covers, but I've been unable to find a source for the
"slip" covers that I prefer.
Plastic Storage Cases
Some manufacturers sell "value" packs of
their MDs in small plastic storage cases that are supposedly "free".
Some of the storage cases can hold anywhere from 5 to 11 MDs in their slip
or flip cases. Some of the storage cases are slotted to hold MDs
individually and without slip or flip covers. I really preferred
the cases from Sony that could hold 11 MDs. I've also seen a double-sized
case that I believe was from a Sony value pack.
Heavy Duty Storage Cases
At one time, I relied heavily on the above
plastic cases, but for storing, transporting and using MDs, I've located
something better. KaraokeCdgs.com (http://www.karaokecdgs.com,
or http://www.djcases.com, (877)-352-2737) sells DJ cases custom designed
for MDs and CDs, etc. NOTE: 05/30/02: KaraokeCdgs.com/DJCases.com
got out of the business of making cases, but fortunately, they sold the
plans for these cases to a company in Canada called PuncHead.com
- http://www.punchead.com, (800)-567-8624,
sales@punchead.com.
These cases are custom designed cases specifically laid out to hold large
quantities of MDs and CDs in slip cases. The cases are of sturdy
plywood construction, carpet covered, with reinforced corners and strong
latches. The MD cases I purchased are divided into three rows and
each row will hold about 59-60 MDs per row in covers. You can get
about 177-180 MDs in covers into one of these cases. The tops are
on breakaway (removable) hinges, so that the covers can be placed elsewhere
while the cases are in use. While the case construction in terms
of sturdiness is great, there is something wanting in terms of manufacturing
standardization. You do have to take care to keep the tops and bottoms
of these cases correctly matched, because the alignment of the hinges and
latches from case to case is not exact. As a result, you cannot
take the top from case "A" and place it on case "B" and vice-versa.
I consider this a minor irritant because of the sturdiness and compactness
of the cases.. I would recommend both these MD and CD cases from
punchead.com.
Another source for MD labels is http://www.connact.com/~eaw/minidisc/part_Labels.html.
Now Sony has come up with several sound card models for desktop PCs that allows you to connect an MD to a PC with the ability to drag & drop xfer between the 2 with software & PC editing of tracks. See http://store.yahoo.com/planetminidisc/accessories.html
At this site you will also see references to a disc/track labeling & editing device w/software that seems similar to Martin Danek's WinRemote, but I don't know how similar it is or how it works.
I had mentioned a product (hardware and software)
called MD-Mate by Protac International that allows you to record MD or
CD tracks to a PC and to record MP3 or WAV files to MD: http://www.protac.com.tw/news/mdmate.htm
(see Mini Disc to Computer Interfaces
below)
If you have a desktop PC with PCI slots, click here: MD Mate - Digital/Analog Sound Card
If you have a notebook or desktop PC with
a USB port, click here: Roland
UA-30 - USB Audio Interface
(MD
Mate - Sound Card) [03/01/2001]
(back
to MD index)
The MD-Mate product (hardware and software)
is actually a very nice PCI sound card (audio controller) for a Desktop
PC. The product consists of traditional analog signal functions,
digital signal functions as well as the "Audio Rack" software. Through
hardware connections and software controls, this product provides the user
with the capability to:
The system comes with a user manual and an installation CD. The installation is straightforward and easy. The CD contains a more expansive version of the user manual, however, I did not find either manual very useful, except as a reference, once I figured out how to really make the card work! (If only they would write them in English!!!). Once you understand how this works, it's easy to use. I had the card sitting on the shelf for several months before I installed it. I wish that I hadn't procrastinated so long.
- record MP3 or WAV files from the input of a Mini Disc player (or internal/external CD player) to the Desktop
- record MP3 or WAV files on a Desktop to a Mini Disc or (internal/external CD) recorder
I'd recommend this product for anyone who has a Desktop PC and a Mini Disc (or CD) player/recorder and who has a desire to transfer files between the units.
Hardware: (Requires 2 slot panels, but only one PCI slot)
A ribbon cable connects an Optical Module (Fiber Optic) in a second slot that contains:
- an analog input connector (mini plug)
- an analog output connector (mini plug)
- a game/midi connector(25-pin)
- a microphone input connector (mini plug)
- a second analog output connector (mini plug, for 4-speaker operation)
- a digital optical output connector (mini optical plug)
The Audio Rack Software contains:
- a digital optical input connector (Toslink plug)
- a digital optical output connector (Toslink plug)
- a dip switch (important to set correctly - see manual)
MD to PC
- a CD player
- a MIDI Player
- a MP3/WAV File Player/Recorder
- a System Mixer
PC to MD
The "Audio Rack" software allows you
to select the input source from a variety of devices, so you can play from
sound files or from your computer's internal CD and record to an MD.
When recording from the CD or MIDI player, "Audio Rack" provides a synchronization
option so that when you start the recording, the input device begins to
play. Connect the digital (or analog) output of the MD-Mate to the
digital (or analog) input of the MD. Use the "Audio Rack" software
to play the sound file while recording it on your MD.
When you install this card, be careful to turn OFF the "Monitor SPDIF In" option when you are recording a sound file from the Desktop PC to an MD. That is, unless you like the sound of digital feedback. Hint, it's worse than analog feedback. Also, if the card does not seem to work correctly, make sure that the dip switch settings on the Optical Module are correct per the settings in the manual on the installation CD, not the hard copy manual in the product packaging.
If you are trying to record digitally and the MD indicates that digital recording is locked, see SCMS (Serial Copy Management System) - Digital Copy Protection below.
Related websites:
MD-Mate/Audio Rack: http://www.protac.com.tw/news/mdmate.htm
Driver Updates: http://www.excelseries.com [this link currently not working - I'm looking for a currently active link]
(Roland
UA-30 - USB Audio Interface) [05/01/2002] (back
to MD index)
The Roland UA-30 is a digital to analog
and analog to digital audio converter and limited function mixer.
The product has optical and coaxial digital input/output connectors, analog
input/output jacks, a phono jack for mixing in microphone and guitar input
and works with sound recording software such as "Windows Sound Recorder"
(comes standard with Windows) or Syntrillum's "Cool Edit" ( http://www.cooledit.com
).
Through hardware connections and software controls, this product provides the user with the capability to:
The system comes with a user manual and an installation CDs and a USB cable and is powered through the USB port. The installation is straightforward and the manual is pretty easy to read.
- record MP3 or WAV files from the input of a Mini Disc player (or internal/external CD player) to the Desktop
- record MP3 or WAV files on a Desktop to a Mini Disc or (internal/external CD) recorder
Hardware: (Requires USB port)
MD to PC
- an analog input connector (RCA phono jack)
- an analog output connector (RCA phono jack)
- a digital optical input connector (Toslink plug)
- a digital optical output connector (Toslink plug)
- a digital coaxial input connector (RCA style phono jack)
- a digital coaxial output connector (RCA style phono jack)
- a microphone input connector (phone jack)
- a stereo headphone/speaker output jack (mini plug)
- a sample rate select switch (44.1 KHz/48 KHz)
- digital input select switch (optical/coaxial)
- recording input select switch (digital/analog + Guitar & Microphone/Guitar & Microphone only)
- Guitar & Microphone input select switch (Guitar/Microphone)
- Line input adjustment slider
- Guitar/Microphone adjustment slider
- Line output volume
PC to MD
Connect the digital (or analog) output of
the UA-30 to the digital (or analog) input of the MD. Use software
such as "Windows Sound Recorder" (comes standard with Windows) or Syntrillum's
"Cool Edit" to play the sound file while recording it on your MD.
If you are trying to record digitally and the MD indicates that digital recording is locked, see SCMS (Serial Copy Management System) - Digital Copy Protection below.
Related websites:
Roland Corporation: http://www.rolandus.com
Syntrillum Corporation/CoolEdit: http://www.cooledit.com
In order to record this such a file to an
MD, you will have to switch from a digital input source to an analog input
source. That will get rid of SCMS. There is some loss of quality
in copying from an analog source, but if you are not an "audiophile" you
may not notice it.
MD & CD units are designed with different combinations of analog and digital input and output connectors. Consult your specific MD user manual and also look at the unit to see what connectors are on your unit(s). Sometimes the user manuals are different from reality.
On Deck (Shelf/Table) MD & CD units, analog connectors are generally of the "RCA" plug type (dual stereo plugs), while digital connectors are of the "Toslink" plug type (see table below).
On Portable MD & CD units, analog connectors are generally of the the "Stereo Mini" plug type, (single plug) while digital connectors are of the "Mini Digital" plug type which are the same size as the Mini plugs, but are non-metallic (see table below).
|
|
to Mini Plug Converter |
Stereo Plugs --------- Digital Coaxial |
|
On some MD portables that I've seen, the input
jack accepts both digital and analog signals. (They're the same size).
However, on the portables with which I'm familiar, I have not seen
a combination digital/analog output jack. Let me know if you see one.
Recoton Corporation of Lake Mary, FL is one of the reputable manufacturers of both optical digital and analog cables (http://www.recoton.com). There are other good brands. Best Buy, Circuit City and other retail stores that carry home or professional entertainment equipment should stock both optical digital and analog cables. You will generally find digital optical cables of 3ft and 6ft lengths. If you buy the 3ft cables, you must place the MD unit much closer to the PC and the cost differential is a between $3 and $5 - So get the 6ft cables! Some cables will have Toslink connectors on both ends and will have "Mini Digital" converter plugs that fit over the Toslink end to form a Mini Digital plug. Other cables will have a Toslink plug on one end and a Mini Digital plug on the other end (usually for portables).
BE CAREFUL OF DIGITAL OPTICAL CONNECTORS! These connectors emit a beam of light which can damage the eyes if held directly in front of them. So if you want to find out whether or not you have a digital optical signal coming through, instead of directly looking at the end of the cable, point the cable at something that will reflect the beam - i.e. a white sheet of paper. The light beam is red, so I wouldn't use red paper.
ANOTHER NOTE! Don't forget to remove the
protectors from the ends of the digital optical cables before you try to see
if you're getting a digital signal and especially before you attempt to insert
them into a digital jack.
WinRemote consists of a software program that creates a PC based remote control (via infra-red signals) that works for many MD units, and an infra-red transmitter unit with extension an cable. WinRemote is essentially the software implementation of a remote control unit that sends MD commands via Infra-Red (IR) signals to the MD Player/Recorder through a transmitter. It is designed specifically to work with Sony machines, but can be programmed to operate the different models of other manufacturers. Periodic updates keep to the software up with newer Sony MD models so that you can configure the program to work with any model that can be operated by an IR remote.
WinRemote allows you to control an MD unit from a PC, but for me what was MOST IMPORTANT was the batch labeling feature that allowed for the update an MD's table of contents (disc title and track titles). The batch titling function takes between 2 and 5 minutes per MD (45-60 minutes manually), depending on the number of tracks and the amount of data to be transmitted. There is additional software/hardware available for controlling multiple MD units from a PC.
I've gotten WinRemote to work on several desktop PCs and Notebooks. Earlier, I had trouble getting the batch labeling function to work from a Notebook (a DigiBook 1200C). The control functions all worked fine, but in the batch titling function dropped characters sent to the MD recorder. However, the latest version (v 5.7, 04/27/2000) does work fine on a Compac Presario Notebook. I tested the new version of WinRemote from the old Notebook (DigiBook) and found out that it still does not work there. So we might infer that the brand of notebook might make a difference. There may be a reason....
Martin Danek says that Notebooks may not supply enough power to the transmitting unit through the COM Port. You can ask him for a schematic to wire up an external power supply for the transmitter. I've got his notes on that and I may try that sometime in the future, but the new version is working find on my "main" notebook and I'm delighted.
I did discover one very interesting thing. The batch titling function will not work properly if the PC (either desktop or notebook) is connected to a Local Area Network (LAN). I'm a running on a Novell network using Ethernet 10-base-T cabling and I did not test any other network type or cabling system, but my educated guess is that this will also happen with other network configurations. This may be a shielding/interference issue.
When the PC is connected to the network, the batch titling function both inserts and drops characters on the MD Table of Contents (TOC). The function to erase existing titles does not seem to work so the MDs TOC eventually gets filled up and labeling stops. By re-booting the PC and not logging onto the network, the batch labeling function works fine.
Using the standard Sony remote, labeling the disc title and tracks takes anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour. This is after splitting the disc into tracks. The manual splitting and labeling was not a job that I looked forward to. I had done some of the MDs manually and it was tedious and discouraging. I've got about 220 discs and just about 150 of them are divided into tracks now. With WinRemote, I labeled all 100+ of the unlabelled, divided MDs in less than 2 hours. Now, granted that my index (library) was already in place, so I just had to setup the database to produce the text files formatted for WinRemote. But what a relief. Now, the only real major job of transferring now is dividing the tracks.
In addition to WinRemote, Martin Danek has developed AudioLib which is a library program for music on CD & MD and could be used for Cassettes & Records as well. I bought both for $74 (or $55 for WinRemote only) which I feel is a VERY reasonable price - considering the time and aggravation I saved from manual updating of the table of contents. I may or may not use Audio Lib. I'll have to assess whether my custom database does more of what I want or whether AudioLib can do even more.
I heartily recommend both of these products. Contact Martin Danek: mdanek@czechin.cz or http://www.czechin.com/minidisc
There's lots more information on the Mini Disc
Community Website - see above.
Pitch problems with cassettes and
reel to reel tape
A cassette (or reel-to-reel tape) recording will
reliably play back in tune on the deck it was recorded ... However, put the
tape in another machine and you'll probably you'll hear a descrepancy in pitch
-- in other words, the music will playback out of tune. The descrepancy occurs
when the capstan (motor) speed of the recording machine varies from the speed
of the playback machine. A change in playback speed causes a change
in playback pitch. You might not notice a small pitch shift when listening
casually, but when playing along even a .5% deviation is enough to produce
an unfulfilling experience! A pitch descrepancy is virtually guaranteed
with cassette decks. Out of the box cassette players are considered
within industry specification if the motor speed is within 1.5%! This
is why many professional cassette decks have a speed-control dial that allows
the user to correct the pitch. Although there is some variance in capstan
speeds between reel-to-reel tape recorders, the industry standards for these
machines (especially the higher quality ones) were tighter, so tapes played
back on a different machine, in good repair, will probably not have
a noticeable shift in pitch.
Copying Cassettes
Thus, when you copy a cassette from one machine
to another or even on a dual deck tape recorder, you are probably recording
the tape copy at a different pitch form the original. And later, when
you play that tape on someone else's machine, it will probably play back at
a different pitch from the original. Thus second and third generation
cassette copies (and even first generation copies) can be vastly different
in pitch from the original cassette. When copying from a cassette to
an MD or CD, there is no really easy and accurate way of knowing whether the
tape is playing the music back at the correct pitch.
Pitch problems with records
The same issue of motor speed that plagues cassettes
can also be problematic for record players and turntables. The age and/or
condition of a machine's belt or drive wheel or condition of the machine's
lubricants can affect the speed at which the turntable rotates. Professional
quality turntables with continuously variable speeds (such as Hiltons) have
a built in strobe light and hash marks for calibration and adjustment.
Consumer quality turntables with fixed settings can be checked for the correct
speed and can be cleaned, lubricated and have their belts or drive wheels
replaced, but if the turntable rotation speed is off, there is little that
can be done for that machine.
Noise problems with tapes and records
Analog music on tape and record comes packaged
with noise issues. Here are some of the issues and some options on how
to deal with them.
Tape Hiss
Once a signal is recorded by the tape head, the
random variation in magnetization from the oxide granules on the tape produces
a random noise signal in the background called "tape hiss". On the unmagnetized
tape, the oxide granules in the tape are almost completely random, but still
have enough magnetization to give you a high pitched "frying" sound if you
play the blank tape with the volume up high. Many tape recorders/players
have noise reduction systems such as Dolby and dbx. Use these
systems when playing tapes for conversion.
Record Scratches, Pops & Clicks
Records are subject to normal wear and tear as
well as to surface damage from dropped needles and foreign objects such as
dust particles getting in the grooves. A needle plays always in the
same spot of the groove, usually deep inside the groove. A good needle
will simply wear out the inside of the grooves. A bad needle will damage
the inside of the grooves. Through use and accidents, records will develop
scratches. When the needle and tonearm combination hits the edge of
a scratch, they hit it with the combined mass of the tonearm and cartridge,
with the corresponding "thump". Vinyl and shellac used in record pressing
are grainy materials and they produce noise when played back. Even "virgin"
material has thousands of clicks imbedded in the surface.
Inexpen$ive Solution
When playing music from analog equipment such as
tape (reel, cassette, etc.) or record (78, 45, 33), save the music on your
computer, then use sound editing software such as Syntrilium's Cool Edit or
Roxio's Sound Editor to clean up the background noise such as hiss, scratches,
pops and clicks. If you don't have time to invest in figuring out how
to do this, you might try to ask some young neighborhood computer wiz to give
you a hand with it. This might make a good weekend or summer project
for a teenager with a lot of energy and curiosity. On the other
hand, if you don't mind doing the conversions again later, then you can skip
the editing and go straight to digital. Remember, if your converting
to MD, then you can always re-record the discs (or the individual tracks)
at a later time. If you're converting to CD-R discs, you've just
wasted a disc. But since they're pretty cheap these days, all you're
wasting is your time. I'd avoid converting to CD-RW discs because
other CD-ROM drives will probably not be able to read them.
Expen$ive Solution (for records)
If you really want super quality digital recordings,
there is a company that provides what they call "Extreme Quality" audio transfer
service by using a "Laser Turntable" to make digital copies of records.
The Laser Turntable does not have a needle. It reads the surface of
the record using a very special form of light: laser beams. The laser
beams read EXACTLY and COMPLETELY the information stored on the vinyl (or
shellac) record. The laser beams do not sense scratches that are perpendicular
to the grooves. Other types of scratches make less impact on the sound
of the Laser Turntable, as there is no mass involved. With a Laser Turntable
it is possible to select precisely the area inside the groove where the laser
beams read thus avoiding the spot on the groove that was heavily worn out
(or damaged) by the needle. A laser turntable can extract the best possible
playback from a record. For information or to satisfy your curiosity
check out Audio Conversions at: http://avconvert.com/laserturntable
Some Recording Guidelines
Converting Records and Tapes
to MD (Mini Disc) and CD (Compact Disc)
Another Audio Journey
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