Mini Disc To G5; Di To G5 Options

[mpnow]

Two related questions;

1) I have sketches of rough songs I recorded with the aid of a tiny little stereo microphone on a sony minidisc player. I would like to put them onto the hard drive of my G5. How do I do this?

2) I have been trying to start recording these sketches straight onto the mac (into Garageband) using exactly the same little microphone that I used to record onto the sony mini disc, but without any success. I do not understand why not.

I have checked that
(a) the mike still works by using it on the mini disk player again five minutes ago;
(b) in my 'system preferences' I have made sure that the 'input' is on 'audio line-in', that the volume control is up as high as it will go (though it seems to refuse to stay there and become the default volume setting);
© that the tiny little jack of the mike is plugged into the audio input jack on the back of the G5; and
(d) in Garageband, the new track is a 'real instrument' (voice).

Do not see what else I can do (I have not yet tried plugging the mike into the headphones socket on the front as I do not want to damage anything). Anyone any suggestions that will do the trick with the tools I have before me?

[georgie]

Hi mpnow!
I don't have a G5 but you need to select 'mic in' under your sound preferences.
When you plug the mic into the computer it needs a major boost in level for you to hear it which you will not get from just 'line input'.
Alternately, record onto your minidisc and then connect your minidisc to the computer with a double ended stereo minijack cable ((3.5mm))
This input will need to be selected as line input in your system preferences
as it does not need so much of a boost.

Don't try and plug the mic into the headphone jack because the headphones is an output and a mic is an input device. You won't hear anything.
Hope this helps

Dazz

[mpnow]

Thanks for the suggestions Newbie.
The problem is that there is no 'mic in' in the sound preferences'. The only choice it gives you is between:

Line-in (Audio line-in port)
&
Digital-in (Optical digital-in port).

I have set the input volume at its maximum - although it will not stay there. It constantly defaults to the minimum position.

[ullanta]

MiniDisc recorders provide what's called "Plug-In Power" for microphones (kind of a low-level phantom power). It's possible, in addition to everything else mentioned, that your little mic only works when supplied such power. Certainly many of them won't.

I'd suggest, as a quick'n'dirty solution, to either:

1) record to the minidisc and then transfer to the computer at line level, or

2) use your minidisc player as a preamp by connecting the mic to the MD and the MD line out to the computer. Some MD recorders will only pass the mic signal while actually recording, so you may need to record anyway... but you'll save the time of transferring, and have a backup.

Hope this helps,
-Barry

[mpnow]

Thanks Barry.

I think you are right about the mic and the "Plug-in Power".
I have another small mic I also got with the MD, but which requires a small battery. I will try that with the mac.
If that does not work Iwill get a jack convertor for an old PZM mic I have and see if that works.
Failing that I will buy a new mic!

Re your quick n dirty solutions, when you say 'transfer to the computer at line level', via which input, the audio or the digital/optical?

[ullanta]

Via the audio input... unless your MD has an optical output, which consumer devices don't (due to copyright issues). On most MDs, the "Line Output" is the same as the headphone output, with the volume at maximum.

Remember, the line input on the mac wants a much higher level than a mic will put out... does the G5 have a mic input? I have a G5, and would check, except the way it's jammed into my setup that's a major pain. However, the level of the "audio line input" (in speech prefs, anyway) can be adjusted... so it may do something reasonable. Try the battery-powered mic and see what you get... or better yet, get an MBox!

[mpnow]

just for the record, I just checked. MD has Optical line in, but no Optical line out. (On my Sony MD there are 2 lines out. One is marked Phones/Remote.)

The G5 appears to have a mic input. On the back of mine there are two stereo jack connections. One is for the line out (for speakers), and the other, I presume is for line in (it is marked by two black triangles pointing towards each other).

The systems prefs for 'sound' and for 'speech' both allow you to adjust the level of "audio line input", although in my case it keeps defaulting to the minimum.

As for those MBoxes, is it mainly size that makes them a better alternative to getting a small mixing desk?

[citypigeon]

hi,

i agree with the recording to minidisc then recording to the mac via line level.... if you're happy with the sound on the minidisc and not bothered about the extrfa time it will take to transfer to the mac. you could actually use the minidisc as a pre-amp and put the mic into it, have it on record-standby and get a line out into the mac and record in one go.

You want to be recording straight into the mac if you're multi-tracking audio

.....an mbox is really good for this kind of thing because its got powered mic preamps on it for running condenser mics (which are usually much better for recording anything but drums and percussion) you also get protools...... its worth it


i don't think there's much point getting a mixer unless you're recording more than one signal at a time (two mics or more)

[mpnow]

thanks again.

the protools that comes with the Mbox - is it the entire thing, or some watered down version?

[citypigeon]

its protools LE- the same that comes with the 002 systems...... but its not TDM (the full version that only comes with the multi thousand pound protools hardware setups)

its a full program in its own right though

[ullanta]

That's Optical/Line in... a jack with two functions.

A mixing desk doesn't generally get audio into a computer readable format... for that you need some kind of computer interface (which connects USB, FireWire, or PCI Card, usually). The Mac has the line input, but the sound quality is generally much less than what you would get with even cheap external equipment. The Mbox (and many other devices) provides high quality mic and instrument preamps and A/D conversion, along with some monitoring and insert functionality; it also provides digital input.

ProTools LE is not at all a crippled version... it has a limited track count (32 + MIDI), but otherwise provides all the functionality of a TDM system, and has the benefit of being completely compatible, so you can easily bring a drive over to someone who has a TDM rig to take advantage of their expensive plug-ins and such... The main difference between TDM and LE is that TDM allows you to take advantage of very expensive DSP hardware wherer LE does everything natively. Suffice it to say, ProTools LE is used in all facets of professional production, and has even pulled many people (especially mobile people) away from TDM.

The MBox has really nice mic preamps compared to similar devices (and even compared to the Digi002 systems), and ProTools on a well-maintained system is extremely stable and reliable. The Mbox handles only two simultaneous inputs and outputs. If you want to record more tracks at once, or play back more, there are currently many firewire devices which will handle that, from PreSonus, Tascam, M-Audio, as well as the Digi002 and 002R ProTools systems. I can't vouch for their software stability. Or, you can get a mixer and an Mbox-type device and rercord stereo mixdowns. Or get one of the new computer-connected mixers (Mackie Onyx with firewire I/O for quality and $$, or Alesis USB Mixers for low price, etc.).

Right now, there's a bewildering array of options. My personal experience has been that ProTools LE systems (MBox and Digi002) have the most stable software (I've done many OS/computer/ProTools version changes without problem), have the most commonly used (at the professional level) software and the high-level of support that it entails, and very nice, reliable (except for the pesky 002 power harness) hardware that's all well worth the price premium....

[bjarnidagur]

Hi.- mpnow

I use Logic Silver for recording and mixin radio ads.

To record a voice you must have a mixer; I do have YAMAHA Mixingconsole G10/2 and a microphone NUEMANN.
This mixer is not expensive but very small and nice to work with.

You can also plug in guitars and keyboard if you wish to !!

It´s easy to see on the G4 tower where to put IN the mixer and where to take OUT for perfect listining in your stereo-amplifire.

A straigt microphone in to the IN input does not give you a good sound. You can mabe use e-box to boost up the microphone.

[Dave Computer]

you only need the preamp part of the mixer (the part that boosts the mic signal)- the mixers actual function of mixing signals is irrelavent if all you're doing is recording a single microphone

these days you can get perfectly good pre-amps on soundcards- the two that come with the mbox are designed by focusrite and are much higher quality than any of the yamaha mg desks preamps. You are therefore getting everything you need to record high quality audio into the computer without having to buy superfluous items like a mixing desk you wont use (everything except the mic that is)

only get a mixer if you are mixing more than one audio signal

[bjarnidagur]

you only need the preamp part of the mixer (the part that boosts the mic signal)- the mixers actual function of mixing signals is irrelavent if all you're doing is recording a single microphone

these days you can get perfectly good pre-amps on soundcards- the two that come with the mbox are designed by focusrite and are much higher quality than any of the yamaha mg desks preamps. You are therefore getting everything you need to record high quality audio into the computer without having to buy superfluous items like a mixing desk you wont use (everything except the mic that is)

only get a mixer if you are mixing more than one audio signal

Hi ..Dave is right: IF you are just recording á voice... but I didi go the mixer way.- because I would like to take in more that just one mic.

And more: I have just bought this "T-RackS 24 Maserting Suite" .- that gives a state of art mastering to you final recording.
When I have mixed final mix: on my radio-ads play thme in the T-Rack and have a body-como-pressed sound for FM-radio or TV-broadcasting.. just pick the sound youlike.
Fantastic toy... !!!

See all about it on : www.ikmultimedia.com

by bd[B]

[imhookt1]

Two related questions;

1) I have sketches of rough songs I recorded with the aid of a tiny little stereo microphone on a sony minidisc player. I would like to put them onto the hard drive of my G5. How do I do this?

2) I have been trying to start recording these sketches straight onto the mac (into Garageband) using exactly the same little microphone that I used to record onto the sony mini disc, but without any success. I do not understand why not.

I have checked that
(a) the mike still works by using it on the mini disk player again five minutes ago;
(b) in my 'system preferences' I have made sure that the 'input' is on 'audio line-in', that the volume control is up as high as it will go (though it seems to refuse to stay there and become the default volume setting);
© that the tiny little jack of the mike is plugged into the audio input jack on the back of the G5; and
(d) in Garageband, the new track is a 'real instrument' (voice).

Do not see what else I can do (I have not yet tried plugging the mike into the headphones socket on the front as I do not want to damage anything). Anyone any suggestions that will do the trick with the tools I have before me?

Two related questions;

1) I have sketches of rough songs I recorded with the aid of a tiny little stereo microphone on a sony minidisc player. I would like to put them onto the hard drive of my G5. How do I do this?

2) I have been trying to start recording these sketches straight onto the mac (into Garageband) using exactly the same little microphone that I used to record onto the sony mini disc, but without any success. I do not understand why not.

I have checked that
(a) the mike still works by using it on the mini disk player again five minutes ago;
(b) in my 'system preferences' I have made sure that the 'input' is on 'audio line-in', that the volume control is up as high as it will go (though it seems to refuse to stay there and become the default volume setting);
© that the tiny little jack of the mike is plugged into the audio input jack on the back of the G5; and
(d) in Garageband, the new track is a 'real instrument' (voice).

Do not see what else I can do (I have not yet tried plugging the mike into the headphones socket on the front as I do not want to damage anything). Anyone any suggestions that will do the trick with the tools I have before me?

[mortalengines]

Your mini disc player probably has a built in preamp and therefore automatically boosts an incoming signal to an acceptable level. Have you tried the outputs of the mini disc player into the input of the mac (I don't know anything about the mini disc outputs but you may just have to find the proper adapter cables)? I don't know if that will work or not (I've never tried). However if that doesn't work you will need some kind of interface that will accept the output of your mini disc player (I am assuming RCA jacks) and possibly one that will have a microphone preamp. As cheap as some mixers are, you may want to just go the route of buying a small mixer that has a microphone preamp and then using its output to go into the mac's. There are some microphones with a built in preamp but, most have a very low output and therefore need to be amplified prior to going into your computer. Another possibility is buying a USB microphone....those are fairly inexpensive (around 100 dollars, US).

Good Luck!

www.myspace.com/mortal_engines