In my continuation of noding every cool gadget I own, I shall write about the Xitel DG2. The Xitel DG2 is a USB to Optical converter, for use with things like a MiniDisc recorder.

The DG2, is the latest offering from Xitel. The earlier version, the DG1, had problems with several brands of minidisc players, but that has been solved this time around with the DG2.

The DG2 has two recording modes: continual and discrete. The continual mode is for those MD recorders that require a continual digital stream to iniate their recording mechanisms and automatically track mark. The discrete mode works with certain models by playing tracks as individual blocks, thus supporting automatic track marking on those MD recorders that operate without a continual digital audio stream. If you are using a late model Sony or Aiwa (Aiwa's products are the same as Sony, with small cosmetic differences. Cheaper though.) portable recorder, you can use either mode. For Sharp and JVC owners it's recommended using the continual mode. For recording to home MD decks, the continual mode is also recommended. For all other recorders, try both modes to see what yields the best results.

The DG1 doesn't have these features, and used only the discrete mode. It comes with MusicMatch Jukebox, but I rather prefer Winamp. If your using Winamp to record to your MiniDisc player, there are several plugins that insert 4 second delays between songs, so your recorder can automatically mark tracks. "Pause Between Songs 2.0" by Urban Sandström is my personal favorite.

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