I guess this is basic, and I don’t want to waste time with silly questions, but… I have what I think is the right connector cable, but when I try to play it (my minidisc) through to the editing software (Hyperengine -alas, I don’t have memory/money for PT at the moment), I get nothing.
Has anyone else encountered/conquered this? I know little glitches are common, but I don’t know if it’s my imac being defective, the cable wrong, or the software.
Also, I want deperately to use ProTools, but the memory thing is a problem for now, at least. can anyone reccomend other free, easy, small (!) editing programs — like hyperengine– for macs?
> I have what I think is the right connector cable what cable is it? what md output are you using? and where are you plugging into imac?
> play it (my minidisc) through to the editing software, > Hyperengine, I get nothing.
what the setting on your SoundManager input? were you monitoring input on Hyperengine?
most basic md–>imac config: mini-stereo to mini-stereo cable, run from md analog-out to imac analog-in, w/ ControlPanels>Sound>Input set to "Name: External Mic | Device: Built-in" (will auto switch to from mic to line input).
haven’t used hyperengine in years but it may need to be set to some sort of record-pause to monitor input.
well–I’m pretty sure I’m doing everything as you say, using a 1/8 stereo mini, both ends, and going from the headphone output on the minidisc to the external mic/input jack. And setting the soundmanager to external mic OR input (I’ve tried both–I’ve tried them all!). In Hyperengine, I go to File/ New Play-through document and just click record, then press play on the MD….or vice-versa. It always seems a little weird, but I think this is what I read about somewhere… perhaps in the TAL comic. Anyway, when I do it, I hear nothing, and nothing comes up in the file. I know I got it to work once using the buil-in mic, but that was months ago–and I know it never worked with the sound-input and another tapeplayer. I fear that the imac is missing a vital organ or something.
going from the headphone output on the minidisc to the external mic/input jack
am assuming you’re using the headphone output, instead of a line output cuz your md ain’t got the latter. (if it does have line out, use that instead). have you confirmed that the volume level on hdfone-out is turned up?
next, i’d suggest you have to experiment w/ another software to determine if the prob is w/ the sound-in or the the software. if you haven’t the memory for ptFree, felttip’s soundstudio has a 2wk free trial: http://www.felttip.com/products/soundstudio/
soundstudio’s input monitors are always on so you’ll see immediately if it’s getting sound.
if that doesn’t work, reinstall the sound control panel from the apple discs. experiment and report back. tell me what rev imac you have, w/ clock speed and ram.
What color iMac do you have. Sound doesn’t like certain colors. Don’t tell Tom and Ray that I’ve stolen their logic. Is everyone a Mac enthusiast or is there some other reason why so many people here are using Macs for their sound (I don’t recall one PC tech question in this forum… yet)
strawberry. It’s an older one, too — 266Mhz. With the cd tray that pops out. So the color really matters? I knew it affects resale value, but…man. It’s been finicky from the beginning, but it’s all I’ve got for now. What’s the best color?
I tried to download the Sound Studio program three different times today, but stuffit wouldn’t/couldn’t expand it. I’ve had this problem before, but I’ve also had plenty of successful downloads in between.
So…thanks for everyone’s help, but I think I have to let this go for now. I may try to round up some money, get an upgrade, and get PTfree, which would probably be more worth the effort. I wouldn’t have time to use this for my current project anyway, as it’s due very shortly and I would still have to learn how to use it, even if I got it to work. Unless anyone has any other suggestions…? I really know nothing about this stuff and have no money– so until then, I doubt there’s much that can be done.
The best color is Beige ;-Þ So get some paint… At least you can use your MD to record away, then you can stash those discs until the moons align correctly for your iMac or you upgrade or something.
Author : Michael Poirier Date : 03-16-2001 on 05:34
Is everyone a Mac enthusiast or is there some other reason why so many people here are using Macs for their sound (I don’t recall one PC tech question in this forum… yet)
Well, I could make a comment along the lines that PC users *know* how to use their computers, but that wouldn’t be very friendly now would it? ^_^
Michael Poirier (03-16-2001 05:34): Well, I could make a comment along the lines that PC users *know* how to use their computers, but that wouldn’t be very friendly now would it? ^_^
Good lord, no! I certainly would never imply that (nor would I imply anything about Tanya Tucker or her relationship with ghosts). From the posts I’ve read the Mac people here are quite adept at negotiating their machine of choice. Most of the problems (though not the one in this thread) have had to do with various programs and special hardware running on a Mac, rather than problems with the Mac itself. You can’t blame the Mac or it’s users for problems that software/hardware vendors haven’t worked out.
My statement was only made because of the obviously greater number of Mac users who have posted here. I wanted to know if there was a reason why so many people chose the Mac over the PC for sound editing.
Sound Managerr under system 9.x often misbehaves. Sometimes you have to open an application like hyperengine, exactly as you have, then go back to the control strip/panel and jiggle the sound input source. bee .. if it’s set on "sound in" when I open hyperengine, I move it to "built-in" and then back to "sound in", an only THEN will my sound play through. This is a very annoying bug in system 9.x — you might try this when all else fails.
On another note — has anyone run any standard soundpass under the new systemII? If so, how do they work? Has anyone encountered any problems?
Is anyone able to point me out to a good resource with detailed (read: for neophytes) instructions on getting sound from my Sony minidisc to my (blueberry) iBook? I’ve downloaded Protools (free) and am ready to go except for, um, a pretty major problem!
I am not sure whether or not I have an audio input (analog or digital) or not, and the Sony and Mac sites have been completely unhelpful to me. Nothing in the Tekserve Web site either, alas. If it matters to your response, I have an external CD burner/recorder, and I’ve heard of people burning files from the minidisc onto that and then transferring them to an iBook–a circuitous route.
Thanks for any help getting me started. – Kristin Espeland, New York City
You should check out the USB audio string (here on transom) if you haven’t already. There’s something called an iMic (made by Griffin Technology) that will let you hook up your minidisc to your iBook. It costs about $35 from Mac Warehouse.
I’m about where you’re at in the process (except I have an iMic now!)
Oh my; So I myself am about to purchase a mac of some sort on which to edit sound and reading through this thread is giving me a big ‘ol headache. I was thinking either an i-mac or the powerbook–Any thoughts on which is better in terms of working with sound?
What is the optimum equipment for getting the process to work smoothly the first time around? (Computer model, amount of memory to run downloaded Protools, type o’ cord to connect to my MD recorder.)
Most any of the new macs can run PTFree or the MBox, if you were thinking of using that program, with one warning: right now… the first week of september 2002…. the ProTools flavors only work with OS 9 (or earlier) and some require 9.1 or 9.2
maybe there will be an OSX version soon!
Most of the new macs ship with OSX as the default operating system and audio editing isn’t likely to work in "Classic Mode".
This is not a big problem, the new machines also ship with OS9.2, so you can choose that as a start-up volume and run ProTools that way.
One of the new models, I think it was a big, fast expensive G4 tower, has an audio input again. the rest require a USB interface in order to input audio. Also, not a huge deal, you can go anywhere from the $35 iMic to a $450 M-Box, and several steps in between.
In the end, an iMac or eMac, or iBook, or TiBook, or G4 will all run audio recording or editing programs, and will accept USB interfaces.
get lots of RAM. 256 megs for sure, more if you can.
I’ve been a Mac’er since the 80′s so I know the particular travails of the system and I’m jumping into OS X with my fingers crossed.
But I need a simple, not-necessarily-digital audio interface that I can use to get sound in through my USB port. I’m real afraid of getting stuff on my system that is going to foul it all up.
I’m hearing/reading here about the iMic (which I don’t know if it has hardware) and the Edirol UA-IA (I believe) but I’m looking for third and fourth opinions.
I’m putting a premium on stability and simplicity, so if anyone has any thoughts about how this all matches up with OS X please let me know.
Also, I am going to audio edit on iMovie for the moment, but I understand that I will need some other software to "capture" the sound. Again, I’m hearing iMic. Is this the most stable for the cause?
All advice greatly appreciated. Please feel free to contact me directly. Regards Jason Nuzzo Brooklyn, NY
Thanks for the input (no pun intended). I’ve scoured those resources and still feel that I’m coming up a little short in my understanding.
I guess what I’m not clear about is
a) Do I need a specific kind of software (other than iMovie 2) to actually ‘capture’ the sound, or is there a ‘record’ function already built in?
and b) I’m looking for any opinions anyone has about the particular products iMic and the Edirol UA-1A.
As I said before, I’m trying to minimize crashy behavior on my computer and I’m interested in how the drivers/extensions for those particular products match up with the Mac (as well as how people have found the general use of them).
Any hands-on experience appreciated. Jason Nuzzo Brooklyn, NY
If you have a USB port on your Mac, you need a way to plug in your minidisc. the cheapest way to do that is with the iMic. the iMic seems to work great for most people. I use it, and it worked fine with the minidisc, but I never could get a microphone to work with it. Now I have: iMac, connected to iMic, connected to a mixer, connected to a minidisc or microphone. I am very happy with this setup. You may not need a mixer at all, however.
As far as software, I don’t know if the iMovie have a way to record sound. You can download ProTools for free, and either read the 600 page manual or ask someone how to record. You’ll find all that on this web site. And I think there are simpler software programs which will record your sound, all listed in other sections of the web site.
I hope that helps. Everything becomes so much clearer once you actually do it. Isn’t that always the way…
Most of the USB interfaces i have checked-out: the Edirol UA-1A, UA-1D, and UA-5, the M-Audio Duo, and the M-Box, are all pretty sturdy. The Edirol UA1s are plastic, and have no moving parts, but it’s an audio interface sitting next to your computer, how much abuse are you going to give it?
The one thing I have noticed with all sorts of USB stuff, is that it sometimes locks up the computer if it’s plugged-in during start-up. it’s usually better to have it unplugged, start up the computer, then plug in the USB device, then select it as the audio source, then start up your audio program. And don’t unplug it while you are working, even if you aren’t loading audio any more, unless you need to in order to monitor your audio. The best policy is to quit the program then unplug the device, select a new audio input, then start up the program again.
I haven’t heard of any of the interfaces breaking or being too flakey.
Is there a USB hub that can handle the power requirements of devices like the M-Box? I use a number of USB devices which don’t like externeal hubs either and I get tired of swapping them out all of the time. How hard can it be to manufacture a hub that meets the same specs as on-board USB bus’s?
getting audio from md to g4/did i record it wrong?
hi there,
i can’t get the audio i recorded using my hhb portadisc into pro tools free on my powerbook g4. (i know, a g4 is not an imac, and i am posting in the imac area.). i have done this over and over again using a usb cable, but now, when i have a deadline looming, it won’t work. i’ve got it all connected and i cannot, for the life of me, get a level on pt free when i arm it to record and play the minidisc.
in trying to figure out my current problem, i put other minidiscs into my machine, armed pt to record, and they showed up just fine. so, i am starting to suspect that i did something wrong when i recorded the minidisc in question.
when i play it, only the right track on my portadisc shows up with any level. when i recorded the md, i recorded in mono.
the other minidiscs i tried that worked in pt free were also recorded in mono, but show up on both left and right channels on my portadisc in playback.
does anyone have any ideas? i am frustrated and approaching depseration.
I’ve read through the board and tried to troubleshoot my MD->G4->PTFree setup, but I haven’t been able to figure out this question: Can I get sound directly from my Sony MD to PT Free without something like iMic? I’m using a double mini cable to connect the MD headphone jack to the G4 input and no getting any sound in PTFree. Please help.
Is there any voice recognition software that will recognize an audio file? Would you have to play the sound out loud for the software to work?
My dream software would allow you to click and drag an audio file into the editing window, where you could see both the sound waves AND, underneath the sound waves, you could see a transcription of the words. Is there video editing software that they use for subtitles or something that has that display capacity? How involved would it be to create a hybrid of an editing program and a voice recognition program?
Jake, I agree that what you propose would be pretty cool, but we’re not there right now. All of the transcription programs currently able to translate voice to text, require the speaker to recite a prepared script to the program can "learn" the user’s voice patterns, so it doesn’t do so well with new voices. And even so, I still hear that the accuracy is a bit uneven.
I’ll bet that someday we’ll be able to do what you want, but not right now…
I don’t have an iMac, but I’ve been a Mac user for 20 years. I have heard that some iMacs don’t handle sound input well, and that’s about all I can add concerning that.
But what I can say is that I too was VERY baffled when I first tried to input sound from my minidisc (Sharp MD-DR480) into my Mac (at the time, a dual 867GHz). Anyway, it took some trial and error and some software, but here’s what I do:
I’m not using any special cable, only the cable that came with my MD. One end plugs into the sound input port on my Mac, and the other plugs into the headphone jack of my MD. I also don’t use an iMic, or any other special hardware.
The software I use is all from BIAS — if I’m importing sound, I’ll use Peak. I open a new Peak doc, hit Record in the software, hit play on my MD, and like magic the sound transfers from my MD into the newly-created Peak doc. When it’s finished, I just stop the recording in the file. What’s great is that I can see the waveforms as the sound is transferring to the Mac. I can’t hear the audio, but seeing the waveforms is proof enough to me that the sound is being captured.
I use Peak, but theoretically I would imagine you could do this with any recording software (SoundStudio from FeltTip Software; Amadeus II from HairerSoft are two shareware packages that also work well).
I’m probably not posting this in the right place, but I’ve seen posts where people were having problems transferring sound from their MD to their Mac, and I guess to sum things up, I’m saying that it’s really very easy. I think for me, having been a visual artist for most of my career, not having a GUI in front of me when I was doing the transfer was the weird thing. But I’m used to it now.
I’m in the process of hunting for suitable digital field recording equipment for a university department where many of the grad students do field interviews and would like to be able to edit them on a Mac upon return from the field.
Unfortunately, the more I learn about Minidisc the more they sound like a crippled format – more a testament to Sony’s power and the RIAA’s influence than a genuine step forward for the amateur or low budget professional. ‘Tis sad indeed that in a world awash in excellent digital transfer protocols (Firewire, USB 2.0, TCP/IP to name a few) there is no fast way to move DIGITAL data from a Minidisc to DIGITAL storage on a PC except in real-time by re-recording it. I could easily set up my Mac to re-record in realtime from whatever analog source I wanted but it’s a little too close to defeating the purpose for my tastes. What a farce.
It looks like I’m going to go the route of a portable CD-R recorder from Marantz. Simple, proven, good user interface and inputs/outputs out the wazoo (including balanced mic inputs). Of course, the most important output is being able to pull your ultra standard media out and drop it in any machine you want. Lets compare the audio rip speed of a decent CD-ROM drive with real time re-recording…
How did Sony trick all you people? And if they’re really on the up and up with this rinky-dink format why aren’t they using their Firewire – oh sorry, "iLink" – connection to make Minidisc recorders really useful?
Just sad. I hate what massive conglomerates and copyright lawyers do to technology when they realize its potential.
P.S. I’ve had the same good luck using BIAS’s Peak software for real-time recording through my Mac’s 1/8" sound input.
Protocols do have much to do with the speed of sound transfer from your MDR to your Mac (or PC), but I have to say that since I purchased a dual processor 1.8GHz Mac G5, things do go a lot faster. Of course, I didn’t buy the new Mac just for sound work; the logic board on my dual 867 died. Great excuse for a new machine! I also use USB 2.0., but I think Firewire’s the way to go with most all transfers of any kind, whenever possible.
I do like BIAS’s software, but I’ve found SoundSoap to be kind of iffy. I’ve heard demos of pre- and post-Soaped files — very impressive, but I wish I could see the settings they used, because I don’t seem to have the same luck in cleaning up things like spoken word interviews.
Podcast
Features
Comments
Author : Dair
Date : 03-10-2001 on 20:31
I guess this is basic, and I don’t want to waste time with silly questions, but…
I have what I think is the right connector cable, but when I try to play it (my minidisc) through to the editing software (Hyperengine -alas, I don’t have memory/money for PT at the moment), I get nothing.
Has anyone else encountered/conquered this? I know little glitches are common, but I don’t know if it’s my imac being defective, the cable wrong, or the software.
Also, I want deperately to use ProTools, but the memory thing is a problem for now, at least. can anyone reccomend other free, easy, small (!) editing programs — like hyperengine– for macs?
Author : beedge
Date : 03-12-2001 on 12:56
> I have what I think is the right connector cable
what cable is it? what md output are you using?
and where are you plugging into imac?
> play it (my minidisc) through to the editing software,
> Hyperengine, I get nothing.
what the setting on your SoundManager input?
were you monitoring input on Hyperengine?
most basic md–>imac config:
mini-stereo to mini-stereo cable,
run from md analog-out to imac analog-in,
w/ ControlPanels>Sound>Input set to
"Name: External Mic | Device: Built-in"
(will auto switch to from mic to line input).
haven’t used hyperengine in years but it may need to be
set to some sort of record-pause to monitor input.
Author : Dair
Date : 03-13-2001 on 21:57
well–I’m pretty sure I’m doing everything as you say, using a 1/8 stereo mini, both ends, and going from the headphone output on the minidisc to the external mic/input jack. And setting the soundmanager to external mic OR input (I’ve tried both–I’ve tried them all!).
In Hyperengine, I go to File/ New Play-through document and just click record, then press play on the MD….or vice-versa. It always seems a little weird, but I think this is what I read about somewhere… perhaps in the TAL comic. Anyway, when I do it, I hear nothing, and nothing comes up in the file. I know I got it to work once using the buil-in mic, but that was months ago–and I know it never worked with the sound-input and another tapeplayer. I fear that the imac is missing a vital organ or something.
Author : beedge
Date : 03-14-2001 on 07:54
going from the headphone output on the minidisc to the external mic/input jack
am assuming you’re using the headphone output,
instead of a line output cuz your md ain’t got the latter.
(if it does have line out, use that instead).
have you confirmed that the volume level on hdfone-out is turned up?
next, i’d suggest you have to experiment w/ another software
to determine if the prob is w/ the sound-in or the the software.
if you haven’t the memory for ptFree,
felttip’s soundstudio has a 2wk free trial:
http://www.felttip.com/products/soundstudio/
soundstudio’s input monitors are always on
so you’ll see immediately if it’s getting sound.
if that doesn’t work, reinstall the sound control panel from the apple discs.
experiment and report back.
tell me what rev imac you have, w/ clock speed and ram.
Author : jay
Date : 03-14-2001 on 08:47
And it’s not inconceivable that the cable could have gone bad. It happens. Confirm that it works between two other devices.
Troubleshooting!
Author : A Knight
Date : 03-14-2001 on 09:44
What color iMac do you have. Sound doesn’t like certain colors. Don’t tell Tom and Ray that I’ve stolen their logic.
Is everyone a Mac enthusiast or is there some other reason why so many people here are using Macs for their sound (I don’t recall one PC tech question in this forum… yet)
Author : Dair
Date : 03-14-2001 on 12:14
strawberry.
It’s an older one, too — 266Mhz. With the cd tray that pops out.
So the color really matters? I knew it affects resale value, but…man.
It’s been finicky from the beginning, but it’s all I’ve got for now. What’s the best color?
I tried to download the Sound Studio program three different times today, but stuffit wouldn’t/couldn’t expand it. I’ve had this problem before, but I’ve also had plenty of successful downloads in between.
So…thanks for everyone’s help, but I think I have to let this go for now. I may try to round up some money, get an upgrade, and get PTfree, which would probably be more worth the effort. I wouldn’t have time to use this for my current project anyway, as it’s due very shortly and I would still have to learn how to use it, even if I got it to work. Unless anyone has any other suggestions…? I really know nothing about this stuff and have no money– so until then, I doubt there’s much that can be done.
Author : A Knight
Date : 03-14-2001 on 13:16
The best color is Beige ;-Þ
So get some paint…
At least you can use your MD to record away, then you can stash those discs until the moons align correctly for your iMac or you upgrade or something.
Author : Dair
Date : 03-14-2001 on 22:13
yes, yes. That is my plan.
Thanks for your expert advising.
Author : Michael Poirier
Date : 03-16-2001 on 05:34
Is everyone a Mac enthusiast or is there some other reason why so many people here are using Macs for their sound (I don’t recall one PC tech question in this forum… yet)
Well, I could make a comment along the lines that PC users *know* how to use their computers, but that wouldn’t be very friendly now would it? ^_^
Author : A Knight
Date : 03-16-2001 on 06:11
Michael Poirier (03-16-2001 05:34):
Well, I could make a comment along the lines that PC users *know* how to use their computers, but that wouldn’t be very friendly now would it? ^_^
Good lord, no! I certainly would never imply that (nor would I imply anything about Tanya Tucker or her relationship with ghosts). From the posts I’ve read the Mac people here are quite adept at negotiating their machine of choice. Most of the problems (though not the one in this thread) have had to do with various programs and special hardware running on a Mac, rather than problems with the Mac itself. You can’t blame the Mac or it’s users for problems that software/hardware vendors haven’t worked out.
My statement was only made because of the obviously greater number of Mac users who have posted here. I wanted to know if there was a reason why so many people chose the Mac over the PC for sound editing.
Sound Managerr under system 9.x often misbehaves. Sometimes you have to open an application like hyperengine, exactly as you have, then go back to the control strip/panel and jiggle the sound input source. bee .. if it’s set on "sound in" when I open hyperengine, I move it to "built-in" and then back to "sound in", an only THEN will my sound play through. This is a very annoying bug in system 9.x — you might try this when all else fails.
On another note — has anyone run any standard soundpass under the new systemII? If so, how do they work? Has anyone encountered any problems?
Thanks,
MattGerryy
Check my website y’all!
this website mangled my previous msg.
For one thing, my name’s Matt Perry — not … um whatever it put …. anyway. Thanks.
-Matt PERRY
Is anyone able to point me out to a good resource with detailed (read: for neophytes) instructions on getting sound from my Sony minidisc to my (blueberry) iBook? I’ve downloaded Protools (free) and am ready to go except for, um, a pretty major problem!
I am not sure whether or not I have an audio input (analog or digital) or not, and the Sony and Mac sites have been completely unhelpful to me. Nothing in the Tekserve Web site either, alas. If it matters to your response, I have an external CD burner/recorder, and I’ve heard of people burning files from the minidisc onto that and then transferring them to an iBook–a circuitous route.
Thanks for any help getting me started. – Kristin Espeland, New York City
Hi Kristin–
You should check out the USB audio string (here on transom) if you haven’t already. There’s something called an iMic (made by Griffin Technology) that will let you hook up your minidisc to your iBook. It costs about $35 from Mac Warehouse.
I’m about where you’re at in the process (except I have an iMic now!)
Good luck!
Oh my; So I myself am about to purchase a mac of some sort on which to edit sound and reading through this thread is giving me a big ‘ol headache.
I was thinking either an i-mac or the powerbook–Any thoughts on which is better in terms of working with sound?
What is the optimum equipment for getting the process to work smoothly the first time around? (Computer model, amount of memory to run downloaded Protools, type o’ cord to connect to my MD recorder.)
MANY thanks!
Kate
Most any of the new macs can run PTFree or the MBox, if you were thinking of using that program, with one warning: right now… the first week of september 2002…. the ProTools flavors only work with OS 9 (or earlier) and some require 9.1 or 9.2
maybe there will be an OSX version soon!
Most of the new macs ship with OSX as the default operating system and audio editing isn’t likely to work in "Classic Mode".
This is not a big problem, the new machines also ship with OS9.2, so you can choose that as a start-up volume and run ProTools that way.
One of the new models, I think it was a big, fast expensive G4 tower, has an audio input again. the rest require a USB interface in order to input audio. Also, not a huge deal, you can go anywhere from the $35 iMic to a $450 M-Box, and several steps in between.
In the end, an iMac or eMac, or iBook, or TiBook, or G4 will all run audio recording or editing programs, and will accept USB interfaces.
get lots of RAM. 256 megs for sure, more if you can.
have fun!
Hello everyone.
I’ve been a Mac’er since the 80′s so I know the particular travails of the system and I’m jumping into OS X with my fingers crossed.
But I need a simple, not-necessarily-digital audio interface that I can use to get sound in through my USB port. I’m real afraid of getting stuff on my system that is going to foul it all up.
I’m hearing/reading here about the iMic (which I don’t know if it has hardware) and the Edirol UA-IA (I believe) but I’m looking for third and fourth opinions.
I’m putting a premium on stability and simplicity, so if anyone has any thoughts about how this all matches up with OS X please let me know.
Also, I am going to audio edit on iMovie for the moment, but I understand that I will need some other software to "capture" the sound. Again, I’m hearing iMic. Is this the most stable for the cause?
All advice greatly appreciated. Please feel free to contact me directly.
Regards
Jason Nuzzo
Brooklyn, NY
iMic is hardware, not software. All of your questions are addressed in the Tools Column archives, the Tools FAQ and/or the Gear Guide.
Andy:
Thanks for the input (no pun intended). I’ve scoured those resources and still feel that I’m coming up a little short in my understanding.
I guess what I’m not clear about is
a) Do I need a specific kind of software (other than iMovie 2) to actually ‘capture’ the sound, or is there a ‘record’ function already built in?
and b) I’m looking for any opinions anyone has about the particular products iMic and the Edirol UA-1A.
As I said before, I’m trying to minimize crashy behavior on my computer and I’m interested in how the drivers/extensions for those particular products match up with the Mac (as well as how people have found the general use of them).
Any hands-on experience appreciated.
Jason Nuzzo
Brooklyn, NY
Hi Jason,
If you have a USB port on your Mac, you need a way to plug in your minidisc. the cheapest way to do that is with the iMic. the iMic seems to work great for most people. I use it, and it worked fine with the minidisc, but I never could get a microphone to work with it. Now I have: iMac, connected to iMic, connected to a mixer, connected to a minidisc or microphone. I am very happy with this setup. You may not need a mixer at all, however.
As far as software, I don’t know if the iMovie have a way to record sound. You can download ProTools for free, and either read the 600 page manual or ask someone how to record. You’ll find all that on this web site. And I think there are simpler software programs which will record your sound, all listed in other sections of the web site.
I hope that helps. Everything becomes so much clearer once you actually do it. Isn’t that always the way…
Most of the USB interfaces i have checked-out: the Edirol UA-1A, UA-1D, and UA-5, the M-Audio Duo, and the M-Box, are all pretty sturdy. The Edirol UA1s are plastic, and have no moving parts, but it’s an audio interface sitting next to your computer, how much abuse are you going to give it?
The one thing I have noticed with all sorts of USB stuff, is that it sometimes locks up the computer if it’s plugged-in during start-up. it’s usually better to have it unplugged, start up the computer, then plug in the USB device, then select it as the audio source, then start up your audio program. And don’t unplug it while you are working, even if you aren’t loading audio any more, unless you need to in order to monitor your audio. The best policy is to quit the program then unplug the device, select a new audio input, then start up the program again.
I haven’t heard of any of the interfaces breaking or being too flakey.
Is there a USB hub that can handle the power requirements of devices like the M-Box? I use a number of USB devices which don’t like externeal hubs either and I get tired of swapping them out all of the time. How hard can it be to manufacture a hub that meets the same specs as on-board USB bus’s?
hi there,
i can’t get the audio i recorded using my hhb portadisc into pro tools free on my powerbook g4. (i know, a g4 is not an imac, and i am posting in the imac area.). i have done this over and over again using a usb cable, but now, when i have a deadline looming, it won’t work. i’ve got it all connected and i cannot, for the life of me, get a level on pt free when i arm it to record and play the minidisc.
in trying to figure out my current problem, i put other minidiscs into my machine, armed pt to record, and they showed up just fine. so, i am starting to suspect that i did something wrong when i recorded the minidisc in question.
when i play it, only the right track on my portadisc shows up with any level. when i recorded the md, i recorded in mono.
the other minidiscs i tried that worked in pt free were also recorded in mono, but show up on both left and right channels on my portadisc in playback.
does anyone have any ideas? i am frustrated and approaching depseration.
thank you very much,
amy
I’ve read through the board and tried to troubleshoot my MD->G4->PTFree setup, but I haven’t been able to figure out this question: Can I get sound directly from my Sony MD to PT Free without something like iMic? I’m using a double mini cable to connect the MD headphone jack to the G4 input and no getting any sound in PTFree. Please help.
Thanks!
Is there any voice recognition software that will recognize an audio file? Would you have to play the sound out loud for the software to work?
My dream software would allow you to click and drag an audio file into the editing window, where you could see both the sound waves AND, underneath the sound waves, you could see a transcription of the words. Is there video editing software that they use for subtitles or something that has that display capacity? How involved would it be to create a hybrid of an editing program and a voice recognition program?
Jake, I agree that what you propose would be pretty cool, but we’re not there right now. All of the transcription programs currently able to translate voice to text, require the speaker to recite a prepared script to the program can "learn" the user’s voice patterns, so it doesn’t do so well with new voices. And even so, I still hear that the accuracy is a bit uneven.
I’ll bet that someday we’ll be able to do what you want, but not right now…
I don’t have an iMac, but I’ve been a Mac user for 20 years. I have heard that some iMacs don’t handle sound input well, and that’s about all I can add concerning that.
But what I can say is that I too was VERY baffled when I first tried to input sound from my minidisc (Sharp MD-DR480) into my Mac (at the time, a dual 867GHz). Anyway, it took some trial and error and some software, but here’s what I do:
I’m not using any special cable, only the cable that came with my MD. One end plugs into the sound input port on my Mac, and the other plugs into the headphone jack of my MD. I also don’t use an iMic, or any other special hardware.
The software I use is all from BIAS — if I’m importing sound, I’ll use Peak. I open a new Peak doc, hit Record in the software, hit play on my MD, and like magic the sound transfers from my MD into the newly-created Peak doc. When it’s finished, I just stop the recording in the file. What’s great is that I can see the waveforms as the sound is transferring to the Mac. I can’t hear the audio, but seeing the waveforms is proof enough to me that the sound is being captured.
I use Peak, but theoretically I would imagine you could do this with any recording software (SoundStudio from FeltTip Software; Amadeus II from HairerSoft are two shareware packages that also work well).
I’m probably not posting this in the right place, but I’ve seen posts where people were having problems transferring sound from their MD to their Mac, and I guess to sum things up, I’m saying that it’s really very easy. I think for me, having been a visual artist for most of my career, not having a GUI in front of me when I was doing the transfer was the weird thing. But I’m used to it now.
Hope this helps somebody!
LL
I’m in the process of hunting for suitable digital field recording equipment for a university department where many of the grad students do field interviews and would like to be able to edit them on a Mac upon return from the field.
Unfortunately, the more I learn about Minidisc the more they sound like a crippled format – more a testament to Sony’s power and the RIAA’s influence than a genuine step forward for the amateur or low budget professional. ‘Tis sad indeed that in a world awash in excellent digital transfer protocols (Firewire, USB 2.0, TCP/IP to name a few) there is no fast way to move DIGITAL data from a Minidisc to DIGITAL storage on a PC except in real-time by re-recording it. I could easily set up my Mac to re-record in realtime from whatever analog source I wanted but it’s a little too close to defeating the purpose for my tastes. What a farce.
It looks like I’m going to go the route of a portable CD-R recorder from Marantz. Simple, proven, good user interface and inputs/outputs out the wazoo (including balanced mic inputs). Of course, the most important output is being able to pull your ultra standard media out and drop it in any machine you want. Lets compare the audio rip speed of a decent CD-ROM drive with real time re-recording…
How did Sony trick all you people? And if they’re really on the up and up with this rinky-dink format why aren’t they using their Firewire – oh sorry, "iLink" – connection to make Minidisc recorders really useful?
Just sad. I hate what massive conglomerates and copyright lawyers do to technology when they realize its potential.
P.S. I’ve had the same good luck using BIAS’s Peak software for real-time recording through my Mac’s 1/8" sound input.
~ bitter
B&W G3,
Protocols do have much to do with the speed of sound transfer from your MDR to your Mac (or PC), but I have to say that since I purchased a dual processor 1.8GHz Mac G5, things do go a lot faster. Of course, I didn’t buy the new Mac just for sound work; the logic board on my dual 867 died. Great excuse for a new machine! I also use USB 2.0., but I think Firewire’s the way to go with most all transfers of any kind, whenever possible.
I do like BIAS’s software, but I’ve found SoundSoap to be kind of iffy. I’ve heard demos of pre- and post-Soaped files — very impressive, but I wish I could see the settings they used, because I don’t seem to have the same luck in cleaning up things like spoken word interviews.
BTW, which Marantz are you getting?
Of course a CDR recorder will work, but it’s going to be a bit delicate in the filed, don’t bump it!!
You might want to look at the Marantz PMD 670, records to flash memory, transfers audio via USB.
Jordan Anderson, "Review of Marantz PMD-670 Solid State Recorder" #1, 10 Nov 2003 1:40 pm
It helped, cheers LL