Hi,

I own a netMD (Sony MZ-N10) and have been using it for awhile. It has always recorded in LP2 format from the pc and I was wondering if you can record off the computer in SP. If so, where can you change the options or whatever? (Using sonicstage 1.5).

Also, if I were to record a cd using an optical cable linking a portable cd player to my MD, would the quality be the same as the CD itself?

Thanks

I don't know what I'm talking about (haven't used a minidisc for ages, and i'm not sure i know what an netMD is), but if it is not possible to record in SP, i would find that strange.


No, the audio will be compressed in the lossy format ATRAC.

I think the only way to do sp on a netmd is as you said, with an optical cable and realtime recording.

As long as you use the netmd functions with simpleburner or sonicstage, you are forced to use lp2 or lp4. I was really dissapointed with this after I got a netmd after some good memories of the Sharp MD recorder I got from Japan 7-8 years ago..

And no matter what you do, it's gonna be atrac. SP basically just means that the track will play (correctly) on a non-netmd md player. It's still lossy.

You can get a lot of good md info at this md specific board:
http://www.t-station.net/forum/index.php

I wouldn't bother registering as I never recieved a reply when I tried to do so

1) Dubbing from CD -> MD via an optical cable to standard ATRAC sounds "like a CD" for a lot of average users, but even regular ATRAC (SP) is not without its faults. Going the optical -> SP mode route will give you the best sound MD is capable of; the ATRAC3 codec (LP2/LP4), which you are limited to when using NetMD, will sound worse.

2) If you have to dub to SP in realtime via an optical connection, you do get the benefit of the track marks being transfered through S/PDIF if your CD/DVD player supports it. Not all do...my DVD player does not transfer track marks, for example. Just make sure to have your recorder set to "sync" mode.

MDs would be so good if they supported other formats...

Are lossy codecs codecs which cancel out sounds you can't hear?

theoretically yes, that is the basis of lossy codecs.
but of course, at some point / bitrate (being different for different people and playback setups) you will begin hearing a difference between the original and the encoded file.