Topic: Digital recording from Mini Disc deck
I am engaged in transferring from MD archive to the hard drive. Sony's MD-player is connected to RME via optic cable. The ADI-2's interface describe the incoming SPDIF signal as 24/44. I made a USB recording to my laptop in the same dimension 24/44 using Wavelab and ASIO. ADI's clock was set from the deck (SP opt). The 24/44 files obtained in this way, during playback from laptop, shows 18 bits only (via DIGIChek).
When I do the same except clock (switch to Internal), the recording files shows the full 24-bit scale on DIGIChek already. Of course, the pairs of rips do not match.
I know about different generations of MD recorders used 20- and 24-bit algorithm for recording both, but I never received enough information, what happens on the digital output from that decks. And how to make the correct bit-perfect copy from the mini-disc today, when MD data encoded between 16 and 24 bits? As I understand it, the first way to transfer is "correct." But where do the extra bits come from in the second method?