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introduction : recording decks to pc : editing sound files for CD : recording to minidisc :

Decks too far from the PC?

If you can't directly connect your Mixer to the PC (they like me maybe situated in different rooms in your house) does not mean you can't record anything, ever. There are means and ways but you will require one other piece of equipment in addition - the portable Minidisc Player/Recorder.

Now that you have your trusty Y-connector and cable (or purpose built cable if you can afford it) as mentioned in the earlier tutorials, instead of outputting the sound directly to your PC you can record (using the same principal) directly to portable MiniDisc. Instead of attaching to your PC, you record to the portable minidisc player. A good Sony MiniDisc Recorder can be purchased now for relatively little money (approximately £25-50) or you can buy one new if funds are flowing!

It is relatively an unused media by the majority so most second hand electronic places (dare I say it Cash Converter and the like) are likely to have a few to choose from.

When making your selection ensure you buy a MiniDisc Recorder not just a MiniDisc player. Also wherever possible ensure you get one (as you do with some Sony's) that has an Input channel for sound to be recorded (not the red Mic but the optical input - white) and an output Channel (so you can record from the MD to the pc in the later stages) that is SEPARATE from the headphone socket. The newer versions appear not to have this output that isn't the headphone socket but its better if you can use this as it is a designated output with all bands of frequencies outputting at one volume with no amped signal.

The headphone socket has a boosted/amped signal which if you use this to output the sound to your PC the bass level will be overpowering meaning the soundcard won't know what's hit it. Your recording levels will be clipping beyond anything your s/card has witnessed before making your levels all over the place. This will most likely result in an unusable final audio file on your PC that is exceedingly bass heavy.

This separate output channel is an absolute must and may be not available on all minidisc units by all manufacturers. I've always used Sony (as if I'm not mistaken) they invented the format, then sold the rights to other manufacturers further down the line. MD's aren't so popular now so get one while you can! I picked up a top condition one in Feb 05 for £55, recording, 2 or 4x long play. Yep, approximately 240 mins per Minidisc.

Recording the Mix from decks to MD

On your decks, plug the 3.5mm end of the lead/Y-connector to the Input of the portable MD and the phono/RCA ends to the recording output of the mixer as normal. If you are just reading this page a handy piccy is available in the recording decks to pc tutorial earlier in this chapter.

Set the levels on your mixer as described then adjust the MD recorder's recording level to an appropriate volume so clipping doesn't occur. If your mini disc player doesn't have a separate Output and you need to use headphones, consider removing a little bass on the EQ's of the mixer. This will automatically be boosted when you transfer to PC as a headphone socket is amped and sends a boosted signal via the headphone socket. If you have to use the headphone socket (as I now have to on my new one) remember the higher you have the volume on the minidisc player the more bass you'll get. Set to about two thirds then use software to boost it later.

Set the recording level as you would as outlined in the software although on from my experience so it peaks at a maximum level of 75%. This is adequate as recordings to MD are usually audibly louder for reasons I can't explain. Once you are happy continue by recording your mix.

Sampling MD to PC

Once you have finished mixing you can simply un-hook the portable MiniDisc, take it to where your PC is and using a normal lead with 3.5mm jack plug on both ends
If you don't want to have a new lead such as this you get the RCA lead you have just used and attach a second Y adaptor to the two free red /white RCA leads. Both ends of the lead now look the same.
Plug one end into the output channel of the MD player (preferably not the headphone port remember, but if this is the case ensure all bass boost settings are OFF) and one end into the Line In port on your soundcard. Set the levels as described previously on the software setup tutorial.

When recording it onto the computer, start the PC recording slightly before playing the MD (or use Recording Sync if your software allows) to prevent chopping off the beginning of your mix and you manically pressing buttons. You can always tidy it later if you wish during the editing stage of boost the volume then through normalisation.

Also remember to switch AVLS (Auto Volume Limiting System) to OFF otherwise you will notice a big difference between when a beat is playing with the tune and when its not on the recording. This only occurs when using the headphone port to record from. Any time there is no beat the MD will play it louder and you'll notice a swift reduction as the beat drops in. this will mean the final files sound level will be up and down more often than a pogo stick which in turn will waste an hour of your time recording essentially, useless rubbish.

There are both advantages and disadvantages to using MiniDisc as a recording media. These are as follows:

Disadvantages are:

1. The signal passes from the vinyl through the stylus to the mixer, the mixer outputs the sound through the lead. This is then passed from the lead through the Y adaptor (if you don't have a manufactured lead, then finally into your soundcard. The more times the original sound is broken by passing through various connectors leaves more potential for sound quality to be lost as a result.
2. More time is taken as you have to mix for 70 minutes to MD. You then have to wait another 70 minutes while it records to your PC, so using the Direct to PC method saves time and reduces the chance of sound quality loss.
3. You have to record to your pc in real time - if your mix is 55mins, it'll take a full 55 minutes to sample it. There is currently no option I'm aware of to allow quick file transfer of sound from minidisc to pc, even using the newer NetMD functions. NetMD allows you to transfer files from your pc to the minidisc but recording from minidisc to PC has to be completed in real time.

Advantages are:

1. You now have a portable MD so when you play out you can take it (and your lead and Y-connector) to wherever you happen to be playing. All in your pocket. It can be quickly plugged into the recording output of their mixer and you can record yourself playing live. The levels will be set already on their mixer for clipping etc.(as it feeds the main sound system) already so you won't need to adjust the recording level etc. on the MD recorder. (It should be set to 75% anyway) I wouldn't recommend changing these levels anyway as you will have to calibrate it again once you get home to set it up again for your system.
2. MiniDiscs now have Long Play functions etc so you can fit up to three of four hours on one MiniDisc, enough to record the longest of sets. You can then take it home and record what you want to your PC in part or as a whole. Newer minidisc players (mostly those with NetMD capability) have what are like removable hard drives with up to 1 gig (at present) storage available. That's a lot of music.
3. MiniDisc are easily edited afterwards to include track marking etc. You can then sample it all in one go then chop it on the PC, or sample it in individual tracks to save editing it later.
4. You can title all tracks and label the MD itself so you will always be carrying a tracklisting if you label it once you've recorded it. You'll never need o go poking through your records trying to remember which of the new twenty tunes you bought that week was the one on the mix.
5. If you don't like the Mix you've done the Disc is erased at the press of a button ready to be reused again. None of this one-use-and-dispose so a pack of ten will last you ages.
6. Keeping MD's is better than clogging up your PC Hard Drive with huge sound files, which may result in general slower performance of your PC. Big files on the HardDrive means the computer still has to index and map the drive to remember where it is physically located on the hard drive. This complicates and slows your pc as it has to accommodate and manage unnecessary files. this is however true to all unused files. Back them up to cd (anything in My Documents is safe to back up and remove)
7. Minidiscs are reusable and (currently) easy to get hold of.
8. Small and compact making them easy to store.
9. Tracks can be added at any time if there is available space on the minidisc too

Summary

One thing to remember that is once the software and hardware's levels are set giving you the results you want, you won't need to do it again. Plug in the minidisc player, record, transfer and sample into the PC. It's a doddle. If you are using a headphone socket just remember what volume you have the Minidisc set at otherwise you may get clipping. Full is always a good option but can produce bass heavy recordings. You need to account for this either on the PC or my altering/reducing the bass EQ to allow for this increase during audio transfer.

On a more general note this brings us to the end of the WAV handling section. I appreciate that this section of tutorials is probably more hefty than the actual mixing was to explain (and probably anything else on this site) but the effort pays off in the end. I hope this has allowed you to burn your mix to CD in the format you want whether simply put it on the PC and burn as one track or if you wanted it explained in sufficient detail to get a professional sounding CD.

If you went for the more advanced option, the final product you now have in your hand is exactly as you would expect it to be if you bought the CD from a shop.

The reason I have included so much detail is that promoters/club owners etc. will be impressed first off that its been properly edited. If a promoter receives a CD with one 75 minute track that means they have to listen to the whole thing in one sitting. For busy people this often is not plausible or quite frankly not very likely they will. They probably receive CDs everyday of the week. This will put them on the back foot before they've even heard one beat of your mix and you've then got ground to make up already compared to other DJs who have also submitted a properly edited CD.

They may wish to skip through it to see if the feel of the CD is what they are looking for. They don't have time or in many cases the inclination to press F/Fwd for 10 minutes to see how your mix is progressing. They simply won't bother in most cases, opting for (dare I say it) someone else's disc that has been properly processed.

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