I’m usually answering these types of questions, but perhaps I didn’t phrase it correctly for Google.
My Roommate got a Minidisc player, and it has a port for usb, and a optical input as well. He wants to go outside and record things, and wants to get a mic. I’ve never heard of a mic that could plug into a optical input, but these days they make anything. So whats the straight dope, is there a mic or a converter available?
The optical input usually doubles as an audio in, if there isn’t a distinct microphone connection. I have an old Sharp unit that has a record in and a line/optical in.
A line-in and a mic-in are two different things, and most now only have a line-in. They are intended mostly for recording digitally off of a computer, or off of an analog source through a line-in jack. Lots of people who’d never had a portable digital player before asked this about iPods when they first came out, because iPods have a line-in but no mic jack for -easy- portable recording.
You can possibly get some kind of small portable amp setup to put inbetween the mic and the MD recorder, but that’s not nearly as nice as being able to plug a mic directly into it. If he specifically has to do portable MD recording, my best advice is to shop for a cheaper unit that specifically has a mic-jack. Be careful buying foreign models online, MD manufacturers have the charming habit of using the same/or different names for the same/or different models sold in different countries.
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I forgot to note: the tidbit with the iPods was that people have looked for microphones that have powered output for directly plugging into a line-in, and there doesn’t seem to be any made. I have never ever heard of a mic with an optical output, either.
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Sorry to stray off topic, but aren’t you thinking about another HDD MP3 player? The Apple iPod doesn’t have a recording capability (at least mind doesn’t seem to), though Archos Jukebox Recorder and some others do.
Yeah, I’m figuring he’s SOL, because he would need a mic with a A/D converter, or some type of adapter with the same, both of which I’ve never heard of.
The ideal way to go is with a MD unit that has a mic, but since this unit doesn’t have one you could use a mic but you would need a impedance matching adapter that will raise the impedance from the mic to match that of the line in so that you can get a stronger signal.
My SO, Sniffs_Markers is a professional musician who was hoping for just that kind of technology to free her from the studio. She says:
Minidisc players are not designed to record from external sources – you can’t just plug in a mic. They are mostly for recording digital information from a digital source such as a CD or MP3. E.g. You can plug your laptop into the usb or optical port to transfer digital audio from your computer (same way you would with a CD burner).
If he wants something that can record from external sources that he can later plug in to his computer or Minidisc recorder, send me an e-mail. One of our artists just got a portable digital recording device – did lotsa shopping and could recommend something.
This isn’t true. I use a Sharp MD-MS722 with an Audio Technica ATM-35 microphone and have made literally hundreds of recordings of rehearsals and live shows with excellent results. My MD recorder has a mic input and all I needed for the mic was a 1/4 to mini jack adapter to plug the mic into the recorder. I also know other musicians that use the Sony recorders, but the drawback to them is the inability to adjust levels while you’re recording. What I looking at now and will probably wait a while before I buy is the Creative Nomad Jukebox III in either a 20 or 40 Gigabyte configuration.
Easyphil is right. My Sharp 702 unit has a mic input and I have used it to make recordings of live music as well.
All but the more (most?) expensive Sony models do not have mic inputs. That said, my Sony can record in LP2 or LP4 mode, doubling or quadrupling disc capacity, and plays three times longer on one AA cell than the Sharp on four AA cells.
this link has lots of good info, including DIY mic building instructions:
My bad. I just asked Sniffs_Markers to clarify and she said: “No, no, potato-brain! That was ages ago!”
Apparently, she went shopping when recordable MiniDiscs had just been made available (not that long ago, actually). At the time, when she’d gone to the Sony outlets they’d said “NO” to external recording.
I should’ve checked with her first for more current info. Digital recording technology has been progressing at lightening speed. We’ve just invested in a studio console for which the technology just didn’t exist six months ago.
In any case, by the time she could record externally on to MDs, they no longer met her needs.
Instead she got a little portable digital studio that has 32 virtual tracks and includes XLR inputs as well as the 1/4 Mic inputs. She can transfer it to CD, MD or computer and she needed the versatility that came with the basic mixing capabilities.
Anyhoo… Ignore my first post, it’s waaaaaay out of date.