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Re: Digital transfer of bird recordings from a MD to a PC ?

Subject: Re: Digital transfer of bird recordings from a MD to a PC ?
From: Walter Knapp <>
Date: Thu, 05 Jun 2003 01:21:44 -0400
 wrote:
> Hi Walt,
> 
 > Thanks for your response. I feel Sony mislead potential customers by 
not making it clear that the recording ability is next to useless.

Having used a walkman MD for a number of years as my primary recorder, I 
can say it's very useful. During that time period I used analog transfer 
and had no problem with it. Just like I would have done with earlier 
recording mediums like cassette or reel to reel.

The Sony system is useful for a specific purpose, and there was plenty 
of info as to that purpose. People assume other uses without reading the 
info. NetMD and MD's bundled with a USB module to output from PC to MD 
are focused on the music sales market. A far bigger market than nature 
recording.

You will find that the transfer to computer is a fairly minor part of 
all that you do in nature recording. Many make a big issue of doing this 
fast, but it works fine to do it at 1X. I still do that transferring 
digitally.

 > What sound cards would you recommend? I have a Toshiba labtop but am 
seriously thinking of going back to a Mac.

I have come to prefer a USB solution. These have the A/D outboard of the 
computer, so less likely that all the electronic noise inside the 
computer will interfere. They are also not tied to a specific computer. 
I use a Roland UA-30, which is a older model, have not really researched 
current choices that completely. The Roland can easily handle my audio 
I/O needs, both digital and analog. In addition to using it's optical 
digital input from my HHb Portadisc to bring in my nature recordings, I 
use it's optical digital output to run to my Sony CD/MD deck for 
recording mp3's and such like to MD, I use it's analog input to provide 
a sound path into my G4 from that deck to use it as a CD or MD player, I 
use it's analog output to run a set of powered speakers, and I do all 
headphone monitoring of both inputs and outputs via it's headphone 
connection with it's own separate volume control. The current version of 
this is the Edirol UA-3D. As I noted there are probably other solutions 
now that work equally well. I've used the Roland for several years.

Walt




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