HawkinsTech Posted July 24, 2005 Report Share Posted July 24, 2005 Several years ago I spec'd out a Sony MDS-E12 deck for our theatre's sound booth. Before I got it I was a DAT advocate and leery of MD in general because of the compression issue, but its capabilities, great sound, and ease of use won me over very quickly. It's still working fine, but I've thought about getting another one for the booth. I've been looking in the catalogs and doing searches, but I can't find any MiniDisc by Sony that's in the same class (i.e. professional rather than consumer). Has Sony stopped producing MD products for the professional market? or have I just not been looking in the right places? The Hi-MD FAQ gives me a lot of reasons to find a pro-model Sony Hi-MD, but I haven't seen one listed... I want something with all the bells and whistles that I love about the MDS-E12 - 3-pin XLR, coaxial S/PDIF, and RCA ins and outs, wired remote control, auto-pause afer playing a track, auto-cue to skip any silence at the beginning of a track, PS/2 keyboard i/f, rotary knob to move foward and backward, etc. Any feedback would be appreciated!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MDX-400 Posted July 24, 2005 Report Share Posted July 24, 2005 Has Sony stopped producing MD products for the professional market? or have I just not been looking in the right places? The Hi-MD FAQ gives me a lot of reasons to find a pro-model Sony Hi-MD, but I haven't seen one listed... It seems like Sony have stopped making any new model pro-MD decks. It seems doubtful that Hi-MD will ever "go pro" since it is aimed mainly at MP3-using consumers/the masses. I dunno if Sony still manufacturers pro MD decks like the E12 but there certainly aren't any Hi-MD ones that I've seen nor have I heard about any announcements for any. Hi-MD is on the 2nd generation now and still no pro units. I guess only time will tell if they will, but I wouldn't hold my breath--I don't think Hi-MD was meant to go to the professional market. Furthermore, although more recent pro decks had MDLP, I don't think any of them had NetMD which is pretty much a requirement in Hi-MD. That would seem to further the assumption that they won't make pro Hi-MD units. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Low Volta Posted July 25, 2005 Report Share Posted July 25, 2005 the release of the two adapted 2nd gen models that allow for pcm->mac transfer is aimed at the pro market, so there might still be hope, depending on the uptake by the pro-niche of the two models... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HawkinsTech Posted July 26, 2005 Author Report Share Posted July 26, 2005 Thanks for the comments so far. I wish it were better news, but I recognize that MiniDisc isn't exactly a million-seller (in the USA at least). I had hoped that it had caught on in the audio production arena enough to become a well-adopted media there, but apparently not. I guess there's always eBay if I get serious about wanting a second one... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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