I have some WAV files that I created with  MD player and then copied to a computer. I'm wondering what people do for an editor? I can't even see what the bitrate is or anything, so I'd need something that allowed me to do more than "make a wav" 

Any suggestions?

Wave editors:

Free (pretty good, and available for windows, linux and mac): Audacity

Cheap: Goldwave

Expensive: Adobe Audition (or Cool Edit Pro - if you can find an old version on Ebay, it's basically the same program before the Adobe acquisition - great for stereo files, but misses the 5.1 part)

Other programs:

Ableton Live (it's NOT a wave editor) - useful for composition and live sets

Note: If your MD allows it, record in PCM mode (lossless)
in any case save as 32 bit floating point while editing and then dither to your final rate (16-44 or 24-44 or whatever) as the last step

Thanks, I never looked at bitrates or anything before I just made recordings and listened to them. Now I need to see what it's doing. I probably have some old editor somewhere but I just wanted to start in the right direction.

MD is essentially the same as CD quality except it's rewrite digital. MiniDisc was another one of those advanced technologies that got run over by direct to SD and other digital recording. That was fast? Sony doesn't make the little internal gumstick battery for my nice pocket recorder and hasn't for years, which means as a portable it's unsupported and dead. Kind of upsetting.

Quote from: RacePhoto on January 21, 2012, 05:42

Thanks, I never looked at bitrates or anything before I just made recordings and listened to them. Now I need to see what it's doing. I probably have some old editor somewhere but I just wanted to start in the right direction.

MD is essentially the same as CD quality except it's rewrite digital. MiniDisc was another one of those advanced technologies that got run over by direct to SD and other digital recording. That was fast? Sony doesn't make the little internal gumstick battery for my nice pocket recorder and hasn't for years, which means as a portable it's unsupported and dead. Kind of upsetting.

I don't have an MD but I guess it's the same as CD quality in terms of bit depth (16 bit) and sampling rate (44.1 KHz) but older models can only save as a compressed (lossy) format, while some newer models can save as PCM (lossless).

Regarding battery, if not genuine Sony, have you looked for replacement? this one?
www.amazon.com/Hitech-Prismatic-Gumstick-Portable-HHF-AZ01T/dp/B00067EBIE?tag=msp0-20

Or you can always re-wire it yourself with an external battery... not very elegant but may work.

Yes there's a plug for external power, intended for transformer to put in 3v DC and there's an external battery clip. In their wisdom (usual Sony blackmail to use only their battery, memory Etc.) The internal battery must be charged and working for the Aux. battery to work. On mine even full, fresh charge, the Aux. battery doesn't work. So I can wire an external through the Power Plug. Point is, it's pocket size and I have a little lavalier stereo Mic. for live recording live music.



Time to upgrade to a digital pocket recorder that saves to SD and be done with this.

What started this all is a girl singer from one of the bands said she moved and, lost her cassette tape of the band. (we're talking tapes I made in about 1986) I was going to record to CD and dump to the computer. Then I found some MDs of "sound effects" so I thought, hey IS audio?   Meanwhile, got the tape player working last night, MD routed into the mixed, CD recorder working... This morning I was going to dump the cassettes to CD and have something to work with. Well, guess what? The cassette player from the old studio, is now deciding to be ornery and only play 5 seconds only rewind 5 seconds, some sensor or belt, broke overnight.

Curses Foiled Again!  

Plan "B" about to go into effect. Not as Hi-Fi but boom box with line out, into the MD recorder, and make masters from that. Same limits as CD, 74 minutes, while the original tapes are SA-90s.

Also no problem, because I have plenty of blank MDs and I don't use that recorder anymore. So making use of old technology, recent obsolete and some modern digital, I can make a cleaner mess of things.  

Thanks for the help. I found Audacity on cnet free download.

http://download.cnet.com/1770-20_4-0.html?query=audio+editor&searchtype=downloads&rpp=10&filter=licenseName=Free|platform=Windows&filterName=licenseName=Free|platform=Windows&tag=pe-searchFacetsTile;navForm

Also something called Expstudio, which I may get just in case. I have some audio thing that I bought years ago, not installed on any recent computers. Magicx which I may be able to find. For now, Audacity and Thank You.

What I need is some simple A/D, RCA to USB device and I can eliminate all the intermediate steps. Probably should just look on eBay and order one from China...

Quote from: RacePhoto on January 21, 2012, 14:24

Time to upgrade to a digital pocket recorder that saves to SD and be done with this.

...

What I need is some simple A/D, RCA to USB device and I can eliminate all the intermediate steps. Probably should just look on eBay and order one from China...

I bought a digital pocket recorder indeed (Olympus LS-5) to record live music, and found out - unexpectedly - that it also has a mini-jack line-in, at usual RCA level. Now I'm using it to convert my old tapes and vinyls and results are pretty good. Before, I was looking into RCA to USB devices as well, but I'm a bit worried about the quality of the A/D converter which could be just a cheap soundcard.

Might be I have one already since the sound cards on my old computers all have Line In.  I don't need a USB converter.

Got Audacity installed, now I need to see what I have. Hmm, already 32 already 44mhz. I guess it's fine. That's what I wanted to see if I was at the right standards. Of course getting rejected after that will be easy, but at least it's not for the wrong format!