MD: Drag and drop interface (or something similar) for PC to MD downloading

[Eric Woudenberg, Minidisc.org Editor]

Hi Dan,

I'm responding to MD-L as well.

>I was wondering if there was a product to record mp3 files to my portable
>minidisk player/recorder (sony mz-r700) that would allow me to just "drag
>and drop" and then write the data to the MD.  I've had the player since may
>and have recorded a total of 3 disks just for the simple fact its a pain in
>the ass.  

I agree, the lack of speed and convenience in PC <-> MD audio transfers
is silly and really hampers the fun you ought to be able to have with
Minidisc. Recently Sony announced NetMD, a facility that many of us
hope will address these problems head-on by allowing audio to be
downloaded rapidly from PC (see
<http://www.sony.co.jp/en/SonyInfo/News/Press/200106/01-037E/>). This
won't help you today however.

Sony's own "drag and drop" PC-to-MD solution is the MDS-PC3, a PC
"integrated" MD deck. Some people (including me) feel that Sony still
hasn't provided sufficient PC integration through this unit, and there
is already one shareware alternative to Sony's PC control software for
the deck; see
<http://www.ripnet.co.uk/pagetemplate.php?pagecontent=freeware.php&progdir=ripmdspc3>

As for doing something with your current setup, have you considered
the Mironics MD Suite?  (See http://www.mironics.com/). It's a new,
$60 hardware/software solution that Mironics claims will do pretty
much what you are asking and connects to your MZ-R700 though a
parallel port adapter.  The Minidisc T-station recently had a review
of it, see
<http://www.minidisct.com/cgi-bin/rms/equipment/do/display_reviews.cgi?product-sku=minidisc_accessories_mironics_mdsuite&product-info-routine=installed>

>Especially since the track marking system isn't that accurate ( I
>get many trackmarks in the middle of songs) and when I take one out there is
>a noticeable "blip" in the playback. 

This is strange and something seems wrong here. Are you using a
digital or analog link? I have sometimes seen flakey digital sources
cause unwanted track marks, so you might see if the same problem
occurs with another MD or DAT recorder. If you are using an analog
link, you should not get track marks except during silence.

In any case, there should be no "blip" from a track mark, either when
present or after removal! Adding or removing tracks on all MD gear is
simply a directory operation that has no effect on the audio
stream. If you cannot seamlessly add or remove a track mark then
something is wrong with your machine.

> With recording, editing the recording
>and labeling the recording the whole process is just too time consuming.
>I'm thinking of going and getting a MP3 jukebox, but really want to give the
>MD a chance.  Is there any device that would give me hope?

There are also some homebrew alternatives for titling (see
http://www.minidisc.org/part_hacking.html#Titling_Filing) but my guess
is that the Mironics unit is probably your quickest and surest fix. Do
let us know how it works if you get it!

Best of luck,
Rick

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