MiniDisc vs. Mp3

[spodek]

Hey Folks

You have all clearly decided that minidisc is your tool of choice. Maybe you can

help me out. What I need to do is to get a great quality recording of a few concerts here and there and create CDs(for personal use) out them. Ease of creating the discs would be a plus. The cost of discs or memory cards is not a factor.

Is there a clear cut reason to go with either medium.

thanks for your opinions!

Spodek

[Sony_Fan]

Hey Folks

You have all clearly decided that minidisc is your tool of choice. Maybe you can

help me out. What I need to do is to get a great quality recording of a few concerts here and there and create CDs(for personal use) out them. Ease of creating the discs would be a plus. The cost of discs or memory cards is not a factor.

Is there a clear cut reason to go with either medium.

thanks for your opinions!

Spodek

In my opinion, you would be better of with Minidisc. Most Minidisc units record, most MP3 players do not. You can also upload your recording from minidisc to your computer and burn them onto a CD. I suggest you get a Hi-MD unit, either RH910 or RH10. Both record with Line In and Mic In.

[greenmachine]

There are also a handful of semi-pro flash recorders like Edirol or Microtrack but they seem not fully mature yet. Most Mp3-payer's recording functionality is considered more like a bonus then a serious quality function. They also mostly lack microphone inputs.

[spodek]

There are also a handful of semi-pro flash recorders like Edirol or Microtrack but they seem not fully mature yet. Most Mp3-payer's recording functionality is considered more like a bonus then a serious quality function. They also mostly lack microphone inputs.

Have they eliminated the inability to make a copy of your CD or minidisc off the copy you make. I hear this was a downside to the sony minidisc in previous years?

[The Low Volta]

if you install SonicStage version 3.3 (available from the downloads section here) you can upload your own recordings (digitally through USB) without any limits...if you have a PC at least! (otherwise look for the M-models MZ-M10 and MZ-M100 as they allow PCM recording to be transferred to mac)

then you have the option in SS to convert your recording to wav, which is a plain old wave-file, so no DRM or other copyprotection stuff. This wav can be edited (with for example audacity which is free), downloaded to HiMD, burned to CD or even played

so yeah, since the coming of age of SS and the advent of HiMD there really is no limit to DIY-recording and distributing

just make sure you get a HiMD and read the 'HiMD' and 'live recording' faq's/pinned threads before you have a go at it, as that can save you a LOT of grief

If you decide to choose HiMD: welcome to our outcast world

and even if you decide not to... welcome to MDCF, hope we helped you along the way

Edited January 6, 2006 by The Low Volta

[spodek]

There are also a handful of semi-pro flash recorders like Edirol or Microtrack but they seem not fully mature yet. Most Mp3-payer's recording functionality is considered more like a bonus then a serious quality function. They also mostly lack microphone inputs.

Have they eliminated the inability to make a copy of your CD or minidisc off the copy you make. I hear this was a downside to the sony minidisc in previous years?

[bobt]

Have they eliminated the inability to make a copy of your CD or minidisc off the copy you make. I hear this was a downside to the sony minidisc in previous years?

As Low Volta said with Sonic Stage 3.3 you have the ability to upload recorded material into your computer, once in and coverted to wav,(again what Low Vota said) you can burn to your hearts content.

Again, get a good Hi-MD, you will be happy, don't worry (song there somewhere if so inclined)

Welcome to the machine,

Bob

[pata2001]

"Minidisc vs MP3," a classic misconception. MP3 is an audio codec like Atrac, WMA, etc. Minidisc (MD) is a medium/hardware, in comparison to hard-drives, flash memory, etc. For live recordings, HiMD units with mic-in are the preffered choice. Classic NetMD units don't have the capability to upload via USB. As for MP3 DAPs, most (if not all) consumer DAPs out there don't have mic-in. Only expensive pro devices do. Some MP3 DAPs do have built-in mic (Zen micro, many flash based MP3 players), but the quality won't be as good as an external mic.

[littlefox]

Ah... I remember being in more or less the same situation almost a year ago.

As has been said, if you need to do good quality recording, go for Minidisc, preferably Hi-MD for capacity and USB upload ability with the latest SonicStage for looser DRM. If all you're after is music playback, go with a HDD MP3 player.

Another reason to pick Minidisc over an MP3 player is capacity. Minidisc players have practically limitless capacity in 700MB or 1GB portions while your basic flash memory MP3 player is limited to whatever internal memory it has. With HDD MP3 players, you've got a helluva lot of space but, again, you're limited to the capacity of the HDD itself. In both cases, once you hit the limit, you'll need to delete it off of the player to store new MP3s while all you have to do with Minidisc players is just buy some more discs. Some flash memory MP3 players have the ability to take in SD cards for expandable capacity, but SD cards are still mad expensive compared to Minidiscs, so you can't just afford to buy a new card just like that, not unless you're loaded.

One downside to Minidisc right now: Sony's support for it is dropping after the market-based restructuring it did sometime late last year. Depending on where you are, it might be hard to get the discs themselves and impossible to get new players.

I should also note that there are consumer MP3 players out there that do have line-ins intended to plug into a CD player for encoding to MP3 on the fly. You can probably stick in a microphone into these (assuming you have an adapter to get it down to the right jack size) but I don't know how good the encoding will be.

Edited January 11, 2006 by littlefox

[Sparky191]

I use my HiMD to record. But I then transfer/convert the tracks to my MP3 player to play them. Sometimes I use the HiMD as a player, and its sounds great. Its just as a player, the MP3 player is a lot easier. If I had to record, and couldn't afford a seperate MP3 player. I'd be happy just having the HiMD.

[alrose312]

I use my HiMD to record. But I then transfer/convert the tracks to my MP3 player to play them. Sometimes I use the HiMD as a player, and its sounds great. Its just as a player, the MP3 player is a lot easier. If I had to record, and couldn't afford a seperate MP3 player. I'd be happy just having the HiMD.

This pretty much sums it up for me too.

[Syrius]

I can't believe no one has mentioned that HI-MD 2nd Gen can play MP3s.

[Sparky191]

I can't believe no one has mentioned that HI-MD 2nd Gen can play MP3s.

I think most people try to ignore it in disgust at the cynical way it was implemented on HIMD.

[jonny mac]

This sounds like the ideal use of MD, where it's greatest strength really shines - excellent recording quality. I have numerous MD units and an iRiver MP3 player (generally considered as one of the better flash-based MP3 players) and the HiMD is better for recording quality, playback quality, capacity and most other things. The iRiver wins out on battery life, small size and speed of up/downloads. MD coupled with Sonicstage 3.3 is the best for recording.

A HiMD unit will do everything you have listed here.