Sony MZ-NH1 SonicStage v2.0 User manual

3-267-746-62(1)
SonicStage
Ver. 2.0
for Sony Network Walkman
Operating Instructions
© 2004 Sony Corporation

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•SonicStage, OpenMG, “Magic Gate”, “MagicGate Memory Stick”, “Memory Stick”, “Memory Stick
Duo”, ATRAC, ATRAC3, ATRAC3plus and their logos are trademarks of Sony Corporation.
•“Walkman” is a registered trademark of Sony Corporation to represent Headphone Stereo products.
is a trademark of Sony Corporation.
•Microsoft, Windows, Windows NT and Windows Media are trademarks or registered trademarks of
Microsoft Corporation in the United States and /or other countries.
•IBM and PC/AT are registered trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation.
•Macintosh is a trademark of Apple Computer, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries.
•MMX and Pentium are trademarks or registered trademarks of Intel Corporation.
•All other trademarks are trademarks of their respective owners.
•™ and ® marks are omitted in this manual.
•CD and music-related data from Gracenote, Inc., copyright © 2000-2003 Gracenote.
Gracenote CDDBRClient Software, copyright 2000-2003 Gracenote.
This product and service may practice one or more of the following U.S. Patents: #5,987,525;
#6,061,680; #6,154,773, #6,161,132, #6,230,192, #6,230,207, #6,240,459, #6,330,593 and other
patents issued or pending.
Gracenote and CDDB are registered trademarks of Gracenote. The Gracenote logo and logotype, the
Gracenote CDDB logo, and the “Powered by Gracenote” logo are trademarks of Gracenote.
Program © 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 Sony Corporation
Documentation © 2004 Sony Corporation
•Copyright laws prohibit reproducing the software or the manual accompanying it in whole or in
part, or renting the software without the permission of the copyright holder.
•In no event will SONY be liable for any financial damage, or loss of profits, including claims made
by third parties, arising out of the use of the software supplied with this player.
•In the event a problem occurs with this software as a result of defective manufacturing, SONY will
replace it. However, SONY bears no other responsibility.
•The software provided with this player cannot be used with equipment other than that which is so
designated.
•Please note that, due to continued efforts to improve quality, the software specifications may be
changed without notice.
•The ability to display the languages on your SonicStage will depend on the installed OS on your
PC. For better results, please ensure that the installed OS is compatible with the desired language
you want to display.
—We do not guarantee all the languages will be able to be displayed properly on your SonicStage.
—User-created characters and some special characters may not be displayed.

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Table of contents
What you can do with SonicStage ...................4
Basic operational flow using the Network Walkman ...................... 5
Installing ...........................................................6
Providing the required system environment .......................................... 6
System requirements ........................................................................ 6
Installing the software onto your computer ........................................... 7
Using SonicStage .............................................8
Importing audio data .............................................................................. 8
Transferring audio data from your computer to
the Network Walkman .................................................................... 10
Transferring back audio data from the Network Walkman to your
computer ......................................................................................... 12
Transferring from the Network Walkman back to your computer 12
Importing tracks recorded on the Network Walkman to your
computer ......................................................................... 13
Using SonicStage Help ........................................................................ 15
To display SonicStage Help ........................................................... 15
Understanding SonicStage Help .................................................... 16
Searching for a word inside an explanation ................................... 16
Referring to SonicStage Help .............................................................. 17
Importing audio data to the computer ............................................ 17
Listening to audio data on the computer ........................................ 17
Managing and editing imported tracks .......................................... 17
Backing up audio data .................................................................... 18
Troubleshooting ............................................................................. 18
When you want to know ................................................................ 18
Other information ...........................................19
Uninstalling SonicStage ....................................................................... 19
On copyright protection ....................................................................... 20
Troubleshooting ................................................................................... 21
The software cannot be installed onto your computer ................... 22
Using the Network Walkman connected to your computer ........... 23

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What you can do with SonicStage
SonicStage allows you to import audio data to your computer from music sources such as
audio CDs and the Internet, and then transfer the audio data stored in your computer to the
Network Walkman.
•This manual describes how to install the SonicStage software and explains its operations for use
with the Network Walkman.
Before you start, please also review the instruction manual of your Network Walkman.
•The display contents that appear in the illustrations in this manual may differ from the actual
contents.
•The explanations in this manual assume that you are familiar with the basic operations of
Windows.
For details on the use of your computer and operating system, please refer to the respective
manuals.
Audio CD Network Walkman
Internet Music files in the
MP3,WAV formats
Import Transfer

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Basic operational flow using the Network Walkman
Providing the required system environment (page 6)
Installing the software onto your computer (page 7)
Importing audio data to your computer (page 8)
Connecting the Network walkman to your computer (refer to
the instruction manual of your Network Walkman)
Transferring audio data from your computer (page 10)
Listening to the tracks on the Network Walkman

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Installing
Providing the required system environment
The following system environment is required in order to use the SonicStage Ver. 2.0 for
the Network Walkman.
This software is not supported by the following environments:
•OSs other than the indicated above
•Personally constructed PCs or operating systems
•An environment that is an upgrade of the original manufacturer-installed operating system
•Multi-boot environment
•Multi-monitor environment
•Macintosh
•We do not ensure trouble-free operation on all computers that satisfy the system requirements.
•The NTFS format of Windows XP/Windows 2000 Professional can be used only with the standard
(factory) settings.
•We do not ensure trouble-free operation of the system suspend, sleep, or hibernation function on all
computers.
•For Windows 2000 Professional users, install Service Pack 3 or later version before using the
software.
System requirements
Computer IBM PC/AT or Compatible
• CPU: Pentium II 400 MHz or higher (Pentium III 450 MHz or higher
is recommended.)
• Hard disk drive space: 200 MB or more (1.5 GB or more is
recommended) (The amount space will vary according to Windows
version and the number of music files stored on the hard disk.)
• RAM: 64 MB or more (128 MB or more is recommended)
Others
• CD drive (capable of digital playback by WDM)
• Sound Board
• USB port (supports USB (previously USB 1.1))
Operating
System Factory installed: Windows XP Media Center Edition 2004/Windows XP Media Center
Edition/Windows XP Professional/Windows XP Home Edition/
Windows 2000 Professional/Windows Millennium Edition/Windows
98 Second Edition
Display High Color (16bit) or higher, 800 ×600 dots or better (1024×768 dots
or better is recommended)
Others • Internet access: for Web registration, EMD services and CDDB
• Windows Media Player (version 7.0 or higher) installed for playing
WMA files
Notes

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Installing the software onto your computer
Before installing the software
•Make sure to close any virus-check software, as such software usually demands a large
amount of system resources.
•When you use the Network Walkman, make sure to install the software with the supplied
CD-ROM.
— If OpenMG Jukebox or SonicStage is installed already, the previous software will be
overwritten by the new version. The new version retains the functions of the older
version, but with new functions added.
— If SonicStage Premium, SonicStage Simple Burner or Net MD Simple Burner is
installed already, the previous software will co-exist with the new version.
— You will still be able to use music data registered by an older software version even
after SonicStage Ver. 2.0 has been installed. As a precaution, we recommend that you
back up your music data. To back up the data, refer to [Backing Up My Library] –
[Backing Up Data to a Disk] on SonicStage Help.
1Turn on your computer and start up Windows.
2Insert the supplied CD-ROM into the CD drive of your computer.
The setup program starts up automatically and the installation window appears.
Depending on the region, a window may appear asking you to select your country. In
this case, follow the displayed instructions.
3Click [Install SonicStage] and then follow the displayed instructions.
Read the instructions carefully.
Depending on your region, the buttons other than [Install SonicStage] may differ from
those in the illustration above.
The installation may take 20 to 30 minutes, depending on your system environment.
Make sure to restart your computer only after the installation is completed.
Was the installation successful?
If any trouble occurs during the installation, see “Troubleshooting” (page 21).
Click [Install SonicStage]

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Using SonicStage
Importing audio data
This section explains how to record and store audio data from an audio CD to My Library
of SonicStage on the hard disk drive of your computer.
You can record or import music from other sources such as the Internet and your
computer’s hard disk. Refer to SonicStage Help for details.
•Only audio CDs with a mark can be used with SonicStage.
•We do not guarantee normal operation in the case of the copy-controlled CDs.
1Start up SonicStage.
Select [Start] –[All Programs]*–[SonicStage] –[SonicStage].
∗[Programs] in the case of Windows 2000 Professional/Windows Millennium Edition/Windows 98
Second Edition
SonicStage starts up and the main window appears.
z
You can also start SonicStage with double click ([SonicStage] icon) on the desktop.
2Insert the audio CD that you want to record into the CD drive of your
computer.
The source indication in the top-left of the display changes to [Record a CD].
3Click [Music Source].
The contents of the audio CD appear in the music source list (on the left side of the
screen).
Notes
Source indication
[Music Source]
[CD Info]
[Format/Bit Rate]

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4If necessary, click to uncheck tracks you do not want to record.
If you unchecked a box by mistake, click it again to restore the check.
To check all boxes, click .
To uncheck all boxes, click .
5If necessary, change the format and bit rate for audio CD recording.
When you click [Format/Bit Rate] on the right side of the screen, “CD Recording
Format [My library]” dialog box will appear. The dialog box will ask you to select the
format and bit rate for recording the audio CD.
6Click .
The recording of the tracks selected in step 4 starts.
To stop recording
Click .
z
If CD information such as album title, artist name, and track names could not be obtained
automatically, click [CD Info] on the right side of the screen. When you do this, your computer must be
connected to the Internet.

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Transferring audio data from your computer to the
Network Walkman
Audio data stored in My Library of SonicStage can be transferred to your Network
Walkman an infinite number of times.
1Connect your Network Walkman to the computer.
After making the connections, “Network Walkman” is displayed in the Transfer
Destination list on the upper right of the screen.
For details about connections, refer to the instruction manual of your Network
Walkman.
When using a device supporting “MG Memory Stick”, insert the MagicGate-
compatible “Memory Stick” media into the device before connecting to the computer.
Do not remove the USB cable, battery, or “Memory Stick” before the transfer has
completed.
2Select the device/media for transfers (“Network Walkman (Internal)*” or
“Network Walkman (Memory Stick)*”) from the Transfer Destination list on
the right side of the screen and click [Transfer].
∗Select “Network Walkman (Internal)” to transfer to the built-in flash memory or select
“Network Walkman (Memory Stick)” to transfer to a “Memory Stick”.
The screen is switched to the Transfer (Network Walkman) screen.
3Click the tracks you want to transfer in the My Library list on the left side of
the screen.
To transfer more than one track, hold down the [Ctrl] key while selecting the tracks.
To transfer all tracks of the album, click the album.
Transfer Destination list
[Transfer Mode]
[Transfer]
The My Library
list

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4If necessary, change the transfer mode.
Click [Transfer Mode] in the middle of the screen to display “Transfer Mode Settings”
dialog box (for Network Walkman) and select the transfer mode.
5Click .
Transfer of the tracks selected in step 3 begins.
To stop transferring
Click .
•A transfer will fail and an error message will appear in the following cases:
—When there is no enough free space on the device/media for the transfers.
—When the track is subject to playback restrictions.
•During the transfer, the system suspend, sleep, or hibernation function will not operate.
•Depending on the type of the text and number of characters, the text entered by SonicStage may not be
displayed on the connected Network Walkman. This is due to the limitations of the connected
Network Walkman.
Notes

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Transferring back audio data from the Network
Walkman to your computer
Audio data that has been transferred from your computer to the Network Walkman can be
transferred back to My Library of SonicStage on your computer.
1Connect your Network Walkman to the computer.
After making the connections, “Network Walkman” is displayed in the Transfer
Destination list in the upper right of the screen.
For details about connections, refer to the instruction manual of your Network
Walkman.
When using a device supporting “MG Memory Stick”, insert the MagicGate-
compatible “Memory Stick” media into the device before connecting to the computer.
Do not remove the USB cable, battery, or “Memory Stick” before the transfer has
completed.
2Select the device/media for transfers (“Network Walkman (Internal)*” or
“Network Walkman (Memory Stick)*”) from the Transfer Destination list on
the right side of the screen and click [Transfer].
∗Select “Network Walkman (Internal)” to transfer from the built-in flash memory or select
“Network Walkman (Memory Stick)” to transfer from a “Memory Stick”.
The screen is switched to the Transfer (Network Walkman) screen.
Transferring from the Network Walkman back to your computer
Transfer
Destination list
The My Library list
[Transfer]
List of tracks on
the Network
Walkman

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3In the Network Walkman list on the right side of the screen, click to select the
tracks you want to transfer to your computer.
4Click in the middle of the screen.
The transferring of the tracks selected in step 3 starts.
To stop transferring
Click .
Tracks transferred to the Network Walkman from another computer cannot be transferred back to My
Library on your computer.
Tracks that have been recorded on the Network Walkman* can be imported to My Library
of SonicStage on your computer only once.
∗Only the recordable Network Walkman
1Insert “Memory Stick” into the Network Walkman, and connect the Network
Walkman to your computer.
2Select the device/media for transfers (“Network Walkman (Internal)*” or
“Network Walkman (Memory Stick)*”) from the Transfer Destination list on
the right side of the screen and click [Transfer].
∗Select “Network Walkman (Internal)” to transfer from the built-in flash memory or select
“Network Walkman (Memory Stick)” to transfer from a “Memory Stick”.
The screen is switched to the Transfer (Network Walkman) screen.
3Click the tracks you want to transfer in the Network Walkman list on the right
side of the screen.
To transfer more than one track, hold down the [Ctrl] key while selecting the tracks.
To transfer all tracks of the group, click the group.
Note
Importing tracks recorded on the Network Walkman to your
computer
continued

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4Click in the middle of the screen.
The “Import” dialog box appears.
5Specify the transfer destination in the dialog box.
To import tracks to a new album, select “Import to a new album” and enter the desired
album name in the text box.
To add the tracks to an existing album in My Library, select “Import to an existing
album” and click “Browse” to select the album.
6Click “OK”.
The importing of the tracks selected in step 3 starts.
To stop importing
Click .
Note

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Using SonicStage Help
SonicStage Help provides further details on how to use SonicStage. SonicStage Help
allows you to search easily for information from a list of operations, such as “Importing
Tracks” or “Transferring Tracks”, or from large list of keywords, or by typing in words that
might lead you to the appropriate explanations.
Click [Help] – [SonicStage Help] while SonicStage is running.
z
You can display SonicStage Help by selecting the following:
[Start] – [All Programs]*– [SonicStage] – [SonicStage Help].
∗[Programs] in the case of Windows 2000 Professional/Windows Millennium Edition/Windows 98
Second Edition
•In SonicStage Help, “Device/Media” is the general term for the external device such as the MD
Walkman, the Network Walkman, and the CD Walkman.
•Follow the instructions of your internet provider regarding such things as recommended system
environment when using EMD services.
To display SonicStage Help
Notes
[SonicStage Help]

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1Double click [Overview] in the left-side frame.
2Click [About This Help File].
The explanation will appear in the right-side frame.
3Read the text.
Scroll the display if necessary.
Click underlined words to jump to their explanations.
1Click [Search] to open the “Search” window.
2Type in the words.
3Click [List Topics].
A list of the words that were searched is displayed.
4Click to select the desired item among those displayed.
5Click [Display].
An explanation of the selected item is displayed.
Understanding SonicStage Help
Searching for a word inside an explanation
The right side frame
The left side frame
An explanations of the
selected item
“Type in the keyword
to find” text box
[Search]
List Topics
The list of the words
that you searched
[Display]

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Referring to SonicStage Help
Click [Contents] on the left side of the Help window to view a list of items for each
operation. Click on any items for details.
Importing audio data to the computer
To SonicStage Help
Import audio data from the
Internet [Importing Tracks] – [Purchasing Tracks from a Music
Service Site]
Import audio files on the
computer in SonicStage [Importing Tracks] – [Importing Music Files]
Transfer from “Memory Stick”
to your computer [Transferring Tracks] – [Transferring Tracks to a
Device/Media] – [Using an MG Memory Stick] –
[Transferring from an MG Memory Stick Back to My
Library]
Listening to audio data on the computer
To SonicStage Help
Listen to audio data from the
CD drive or My Library [Music Playback] – [Playing Back an Audio CD] or
[Playing Back a Track in My Library]
Listen to audio data on the
Network Walkman connected
to the computer
[Music Playback] – [Playing Back a Track on a Device/
Media]
Managing and editing imported tracks
To SonicStage Help
Change information related to
CD information downloading [Changing SonicStage Settings] – [Changing Settings
for Getting CD information]
Edit an album
Delete the tracks [Managing Tracks and Albums] – [Creating/Editing
Albums]
Change the destination directly
for track storage [Changing SonicStage Settings] – [Changing the
Location for Saving Recorded Files]

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We recommend that you back up your music data as a precaution against hard disk crashes
or computer replacement.
Backing up audio data
To SonicStage Help
Back up audio data in My
Library [Backing Up My Library] – [Backing Up Data to a
Disk]
Look up about SonicStage
backup [Backing Up My Library] – [FAQ-About SonicStage
Backup Tool]
Troubleshooting
To SonicStage Help
Look up troubleshooting
procedure [Additional Information] – [Troubleshooting]
When you want to know
To SonicStage Help
Look up unknown words [Additional Information] – [Glossary]
Look up the kinds of audio data
that can be managed by
SonicStage
[Overview] – [Content Handled Within SonicStage]
Look up the kinds of functions
that can be used with
SonicStage
[Overview] – [Features]

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Other information
Uninstalling SonicStage
To uninstall SonicStage, follow the procedures below.
1Click [Start]–[Control Panel]*.
∗[Settings]–[Control Panel] in the case of Windows 2000 Professional/Windows Millennium
Edition/Windows 98 Second Edition
2Double-click [Add/Remove Programs].
3Click [SonicStage 2.0.xx] in the “Currently Installed Programs” list, and then
click [Change and Remove]*.
Follow the displayed instruction and restart your computer. The uninstallation is
completed when the computer has restarted.
∗[Change/Remove] in the case of Windows 2000 Professional, [Add/Remove] in the case of
Windows Millennium Edition/Windows 98 Second Edition
When you install SonicStage Ver. 2.0, OpenMG Secure Module 3.4 is installed at the same time. Do not
delete OpenMG Secure Module 3.4 since it may be used by other software.
Note

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On copyright protection
The OpenMG technology allows you to enjoy digital music, while maintaining the
copyrights of its holders. SonicStage encrypts audio files in OpenMG format and stores
them on the hard disk of your computer to prevent unauthorized distribution.
Restrictions on audio content
High-quality digital audio content is widely available through music distribution services
on the Internet. To protect the copyrights of its holders from unauthorized distribution,
some audio content is distributed with certain restrictions on recording and playback. For
example, the playback period or playback count for the data may be limited.