Sonic Stage Not for the Mac?

Subject: Sonic Stage Not for the Mac?
From: GUEST, Eb
Date: 04 Dec 11 - 10:56 PM

I am seriously taken aback. I've been using a Macintosh lent me by a friend who is a Mac man; I've been hoping to become a convert to his way of thinking.

One of the things I require from a computer is the ability to create CDs from a Sony Minidisc Walkman. I like the quality of the product and the ease of it.

But now...! It appears that Sonic Stage is not available for use in a Macintosh!

If that is true, is there an alternative to Sonic Stage?

Subject: RE: Sonic Stage Not for the Mac?
From: Ross Campbell
Date: 05 Dec 11 - 12:01 AM

Sony never created a Mac version of Sonic Stage.

You could connect the audio-out from the Walkman to the audio-in on the Mac, but results could be less than you would hope for. To get the best out of your recording, you may need a device to convert the signal to digital for input via USB. There are various options (discussed in various home-recording threads here), the one I use is the Griffin iMic. £15 from Amazon-UK here (click) .

Either way, assuming your Mac has iTunes (free download if it's not there) you connect up, play your recording, iTunes records in the format you require (WAV, MP3, etc) and you have a file (called a "playlist" in the iTunes library which you can then burn to CD as and when required.

I have to say that the Apple "Help" facility for iTunes will probably not be much use, and if you can find an iTunes manual (Missing Manual series are good) on eBay, definitely worth a couple of pounds.

If you need to split up your recording into separate tracks, Apple's Garageband can do this - it's part of the iLife package, also available cheap on eBay.

Ross

Subject: RE: Sonic Stage Not for the Mac?
From: GUEST, Eb
Date: 05 Dec 11 - 12:39 AM

"Either way, assuming your Mac has iTunes (free download if it's not there) you connect up, play your recording, iTunes records in the format you require (WAV, MP3, etc) and you have a file (called a "playlist" in the iTunes library which you can then burn to CD as and when required." Ross Campbell

Hmmmmm. That sounds do-able, don't quite understand the difference between it and Sonic Stage?

Let's see if I'm understanding it: Are you saying that I can use an USB port to connect to iTunes, play/record into a playlist and then use cuts on that playlist to make a CD? If I understand it correctly that is precisely what I have been doing with SS.

I have already 'tracked' the minidisc recording I made last night so that is not a problem.

Thanks, Ross. I'm open to more information.

Subject: RE: Sonic Stage Not for the Mac?
From: Ross Campbell
Date: 05 Dec 11 - 11:36 AM

Yes, Eb, as far as I could tell from the Sonic Stage website, it was designed to do for Sony portable recording devices the same thing that iTunes will do for any music input.

I had forgotten that you could mark "tracks" on a Mini-disc recording ( a while since I used mine - I still have loads to archive).

iTunes is available for PCs as well, so you could possibly try it out on a familiar machine.

The USB route requires the signal to be converted from audio to digital before it reaches the computer. The device I use is this one: Griffin iMic . A friend uses one of these: Behringer audio-usb converter or similar. They appear to do the same thing. You might have preferences between mini-jack and phono-type connectors.
Ross

Subject: RE: Sonic Stage Not for the Mac?
From: Ross Campbell
Date: 05 Dec 11 - 12:04 PM

You can also use USB/audio converters to connect tape/cassette recorders or record-players to your computer. Also usable with a microphone or mixer for live recording.