Minidisc a "useless gadget"

[Strungup]

Bob and I are one of those who have " Traded " ( sort of) things ..... Eh Bob ?

[bobt]

Bob and I are one of those who have " Traded " ( sort of) things ..... Eh Bob ?

True my friend, as well there have been a few music trades as well, got to love it.

TTFN

Bob

[jpteasy]

Hi I'm 27 and have been an avid user of MD since my 18th birthday, so don't worry you silver-audiophiles you are not alone. I remember visiting an electronics open day where new technologies where being shown off. Digital Television, DVD and LCD/Plasmas TVs were all still babies. VHS and analogue still ruling the day. Then, on a stand was a silver marvel. A Sony MZ-R35. £199.99 of pure audio pleasure. I tried it and loved every Atrac bit that my ears could hear. (oops silly me, it only plays what you can hear ) It was beautiful. Skip, skip. Pause, play. Stop. Record. Edit.

The biggest reason I wanted one was because I hated cassette. Every player I had had would chew my tapes. I hated rewinding and fast-forwarding.

People now would say that MP3 players etc. do the same, but can they move tracks? Delete them? Add track marks? Amend the title? can they be truly personalised?

2008 and my collection has grown with the latest addition to the family being the HiMD MZ-RH710. Cracking little player and recorder. If you ask me 1GB is plenty storage. Approx. 600 songs in HiLP 64bit Atrac3plus is enough. However, what is brilliant is I can opt to use HiSP or even PCM and the quality is stunning. I run out of room, oh I'll make Fave Oasis Disc 2. Every tap of the cymbal and snarl of Liam's voice can be heard.

My wife has a Network Walkman NW-A000 series and is still compatible with Sonicstage. She gets the convenience of flash based memory, but at MD quality. For my 27th birthday she bought me an NWZ-A818 Network Walkman to play videos. I thought maybe I could set aside 1GB of the memory in case I don't have my HiMD with me, however the 'Z' in the name indicates it isn't Atrac compliant. I have put some MP3s on, but to get some kind of enjoyment from the sound they need to be recorded at 256kb/s!

To show how current for me MD still is I am embarking on a massive recording project of all my favourite types of music. because I still use the various players dotted around I do need to make duplicate copies, but I don't mind. The reason why (and its been touched on earlier in the thread) is I make them no more than 80mins in length. A CD-R or SP MDs worth. Perfect for moving them around the various Atrac formats. This is my project;

Dance - 3 MDs @ SP, 3 MD @ HiMD HiSP, 1 HiMD @ HiLP (approx. 60 songs)

Rock - 3 MDs @ SP, 3 MD @ HiMD HiSP, 1 HiMD @ HiLP (approx. 60 songs)

R'n'B - 3 MDs @ SP, 3 MD @ HiMD HiSP, 1 HiMD @ HiLP (approx. 60 songs)

Oasis - 3 MDs @ SP, 3 MD @ HiMD HiSP, 1 HiMD @ HiLP (approx. 60 songs)

Noel G - 3 MDs @ SP, 3 MD @ HiMD HiSP, 1 HiMD @ HiLP (approx. 60 songs)

Michael Jackson - 3 MDs @ SP, 3 MD @ HiMD HiSP, 1 HiMD @ HiLP (approx. 60 songs)

All Time Classics - 3 MDs @ SP, 3 MD @ HiMD HiSP, 1 HiMD @ HiLP (approx. 60 songs)

HiMD Faves - All the above on one 1GB HiMD @ HiLP

I appreciate music. I appreciate holding it in my hands. I appreciate the time taken to lay all the tracks down in a song including the background sounds. I appreciate the continued flexibility and indestructiveness of MD that I can amend my compilations until they are perfect for me...nobody else.

I have read that Onkyo have a HiMD separate...lets get searching.

Long live MiniDisc!!!!!!

JP

PS. I've seen iTunes being used and its crap. Sonictstage is fit for purpose.

[theblueraja]

^Very cool, jpteasy, thanks for sharing. Both your love for MD, and admitting the Michael Jackson collection. I'm a fan too.

My wife actually has the Sony A806 (my influence, of course, to keep her away from iTunes/iPod). I'm seeing a trend how MD fans have had a past of dealing with cassette... and with such background truly it becomes obvious why MD is so appealing. Sad thing is, the Y Generation will have no such comparison or understanding. But that's like saying we don't appreciate the beauties of something from 1940. It's just irrelevant to us.

[Sparky191]

Like a butter churn. Or butter for that matter.

[Levanel]

TBH, I'm beginning to have my doubts with MD. It's pricey and you get what you pay for and the sound quality is excellent.

I just want a portable audio player that I can carry around without worrying about bumps and bruises it sustains during it's lifetime (because of moving parts).

I'm just ranting but unless Sony keeps the MD lineage alive, I'm losing faith.

[theblueraja]

TBH, I'm beginning to have my doubts with MD. It's pricey and you get what you pay for and the sound quality is excellent.

I just want a portable audio player that I can carry around without worrying about bumps and bruises it sustains during it's lifetime (because of moving parts).

I'm just ranting but unless Sony keeps the MD lineage alive, I'm losing faith.

Its ok, brother, these thoughts will pass. Its just a phase. Trust me, I've been there

I gave up on MD over a year ago for about 6 months.... bought the Sony Vaio Pocket (sticking with my ATRAC library) and had fun with it. Well that didn't last long, as one day I grabbed one of my few remaining units (my beat up NH900) and threw a disc in and it was love all over again. I don't plan on making the same mistake again. There will always be MD players around for the rest of my lifetime via some channels.... sure something may come my way to pull me away, but it wont be a general "I want to carry my entire library of 4,000 CDs in my pocket" reason.

Anyway, thanks for sharing your state.... its a bold move in this forum. Take a break from MD. Maybe then you'll realize more what you had to begin with

Edited October 4, 2008 by theblueraja

[Strungup]

Like a butter churn. Or butter for that matter.

Hey ,... I LIKE Butter , ..........

[BIGHMW]

TBH, I'm beginning to have my doubts with MD. It's pricey and you get what you pay for and the sound quality is excellent.

I just want a portable audio player that I can carry around without worrying about bumps and bruises it sustains during it's lifetime (because of moving parts).

I'm just ranting but unless Sony keeps the MD lineage alive, I'm losing faith.

Keep the faith, man.... at least as a digital recording device, MD is still the ultimate, even after 16 years. I still use MD at home as well as in the car and in HMW Studio One for making my custom compilations for use in those as well as on my NW-HD5 (uploaded through my one of my 3 MZ-RH1 units to my PC with SonicStage 4.2 CP).

But if you do go to another playback source, I highly recommend, unless you want to search high-and-low for an older Sony NW-HD series player (I myself use an NW-HD5 for playback, with both ATRAC and SonicStage support), that you go for the new Sony NWZ-A or -S series of units or any other non-iPod device, like Cowon, Sansa, Zune or Creative, just remember what my signature says, and don't become an iSheep.

[tekdroid]

I just want a portable audio player that I can carry around without worrying about bumps and bruises it sustains during it's lifetime (because of moving parts).

I'm just ranting but unless Sony keeps the MD lineage alive, I'm losing faith.

First of all, I beg to differ on some of the opinions here.

It's not a religion, it's not a faith and you don't need to lose any, and believe it or not, MD is not for everybody In fact I'd say it's for the few, nowadays.

It can be pricey for sure, sound is good (tho doesn't drive bigger 'phones well thanks to puny outputs). PSP, if you can live with the size of that thing, is very very very MD-like sonically and it's drag-n-drop (and faster, of course). Can't say I have experience with Sony's far sexier flash-based devices, but some of those might do the trick too.

I like the remotes you get and/or can use with Sony's MD stuff. I like replaceable batteries. I love the format to bits for reasons that would bore you to tears, except the fact that you can't drag-n-drop playable audio on the device without SonicStage, generally-speaking. I also like using optical inputs and in general very much like the sound but there may be very similar devices sonically that are more up your alley and in all likelihood there probably are.

[chadergeist]

I think Britian has something wrong with their heads. For one I don't think the MD is a useless gadget. I love the format and will never quit enjoying them even if it means to buy the blanks in Japan or take everyone's blanks and or devices on Ebay.

I LOVE YOU MINIDISC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Modernaire]

If you're intention is to enjoy a mix that one, sounds really good and two that is a bit more personal, then MD is very useful. I tend to do special mixes of lossless songs on my iMac with optical out to my MDLP Type-S deck at SP or LP2 and I can really get a sort of carefully recorded personal mix-MD. I did this with Michael Jackson recently, mixing in tributes with his music, old song bits not on CD with another song, the result was touching and enjoyable beyond just a simple menu-selected playlist. My mind was on song selection, what each song meant

Also, for that rare LP or 45(s), slapping that vinyl on a turntable and recording on the fly is on the negative, time consuming, slightly tedious, but on the plus side a somewhat fun process of handling formats like vinyl and MD and getting a kick out of the results! Ultimately its the music, songs that matter, the process if fun and the work in making an MD can be rewarding and you tend to appreciate the final result and music at the end. Thats what made music so good way back, people actually sat down, selected a few LPs and handled stuff, it was like a labor of love, physical and you listened carefully, bought a few LPs, not 10,000 songs all dragged over with little thought or effort and menu-selected. Artists, the music industry most likely knew this, they were really being listened to.

For me its just one way I can take my music/songs with me, my practice recordings for portable review, my critical at remote location/work/gym/walks listening. Its still will be and for the long haul, useful for me.

[theblueraja]

I did this with Michael Jackson recently, mixing in tributes with his music, old song bits not on CD with another song, the result was touching and enjoyable beyond just a simple menu-selected playlist.

Perhaps you'll appreciate my MJ artwork on my mix MD then

[Stuge]

that an intersting label TBR

Nice tribute MJ !

[chadergeist]

According to a <a href="http://www.businessreviewonline.com/blog/archives/2008/04/the_20_most_use.html" target="_blank">blog</a> by Jason Stamper on Computer Business Review, Minidisc (spelled “Mini disk” in the writeup) as number 14 in the top 20 “Britain’s most useless gadgets” Interesting, when the site that supposedly commissioned the survey that led to the list is checked (revoo.com), not much more than a “this place for rent” is visible.

I think the guy who says that MDs are a useless gadget is nothing more than a idiot! I think MP3 and Ipods are useless cause you CAN NOT DO on MP3 Players and Ipods what you can DO with a MD!

[BIGHMW]

I think the guy who says that MDs are a useless gadget is nothing more than a idiot! I think MP3 and Ipods are useless cause you CAN NOT DO on MP3 Players and Ipods what you can DO with a MD!

I wish the two were fully compatible with each other, but knowing how Sony is we will never see MD and Hi-MD would be able to be used with something other than SonicStage. But then again we will also never be able to witness things like a pro/home/car Hi-MD deck, or whether or not you can transfer MDs to other non-Sony/non-ATRAC PMPs/DAPs, because Sony is so paranoid-psychotic about protecting its "rights" or its infamous DRM when it comes to being able to transfer MD/Hi-MDs to more iPod/MP3-friendly software like iTunes or other MP3 software of that nature so you can use those players (even Sony's own NW-Z/X-series DAPs won't work with MD masters) in case of an upgrade.

When it comes to interchangeable media, yes nothing will ever beat MD or its infinite editing and recording capabilities, something no MP3 player will ever have, period, but this is 2010 in less than 2 days from now, but it seems like to too many folks that MD in this day and age is kind of like continuing to download Cindy Margolis when her prime has passed her years ago (I admit, I am guilty of still doing that, as I have legitimate reasons to having gone to high school with her in 1983-84), but I guess if I was to quote an album title of how great MD is/was in its prime, it's kind of like what The Moody Blues would say as them being "Days Of Future Passed", and those times have passed us all by.

Yes, I will still continue to use MD as may master recording source for my mix MDs and other items, but eventually, if my lineup of MD gear ever dies on me (I will prevent that from happening at any cost), I will have to burn CD-Rs of my MD mixes and store the MD masters in my BIGHMW.com media vault and use the CD-Rs to upload for future use on a more widely-accepted MP3 player. But, if anything goes wrong with my player or if it gets stolen, or even if I have a change of heart, will always have the MD masters and the CD copies of them as well.

[vsherry]

MiniDisc is not useless; it's obsolete. There is a key difference. Nothing as multifaceted as a MiniDisc recorder can be said to be useless.

That said, I think that even if Sony had marketed MiniDisc successfully, it would be obsolescent today because its competitors are more feature-rich.

I have difficulty following some of the logic in this thread. MiniDisc and MP3 players both have shuffle functions. It's up to the user whether or not to use them, and absolutely nothing about an MP3 player compels one to do so. It SHOULD go without saying that either is just as capable of playing entire albums chronologically. You're arguing against your perceptions of MP3 users' supposed preferences, which are likely exaggerated and unfounded. The issue was the native functionality of the devices and which better suited the questioner.

I still have my MiniDisc players, though I almost exclusively use my MP3 player (and never on shuffle). I may be returning to reporting soon and thus would use my MiniDisc to record, even though my MP3 player has a voice recorder. I also take out MiniDisc sometimes just for nostalgia.

Whereas many of you are exalting album listening, I actually got into MiniDisc because it facilitated playlists, but now MP3 players do this better because the track need not be re-uploaded to form the playlist. Album listening has its advantages and purposes, but playlists demonstrate the user's creativity and make for great time travel. In my moments of nostalgia, I can call up playlists of the songs that defined eras I miss. It's a beautiful thing.

One of you said you found MP3 players useless because they could not do all the things a MiniDisc player could. That depends on the MP3 player. (Further, it's a bogus statement because any mass storage device that plays music clearly has a twofold desirable purpose.) I actually can edit titles and move files on the go, but let's be honest: It is rare that such an act is of such pressing import that it can't wait until one gets home. My MP3 player is an Archos 5, which, like many MP3 players, has great sound quality, radio, a 250-gigabyte hard drive, a voice recorder, Wi-FI, Web radio and TV, DVR, picture display, and video. Useless because it's an MP3 player? Oh, brother.

Much of this stems from your zeal to vindicate the MiniDisc, which I love. Another example is the citation of an intangible such as "cool factor," which lies in the eye of the beholder. Consider that being in the in-crowd like an Apple user can be said to be cool. Also, cool as in different just means anything opposed to the leading product, and that doesn't necessarily mean a MiniDisc. A lesser-known MP3 player can turn heads, but turning heads is not where the joy in product use lies.

It is also flawed logic to assert that one likes MiniDisc because one prefers to carry around just a few albums. One can choose to listen to just a few on an MP3 player, first of all. The mere presence of all the other tracks you have neatly stored on the hard drive will not weigh heavily on the mind. Second, both MP3 players and MiniDiscs are mass storage devices. That's like one compulsive overeater defaming another because the other is even worse. That does not make you the icon of restraint; rather, you prefer a lesser example of excess.

I do believe there still are real advantages to MiniDisc that relate to its native functionality. It's durable, sounds great, and records. It edges out MP3 in battery life, line-in recording, and usually voice recording. Actually, recording is where its greatest strength is now. Another strength is that different models are tailored to different uses; some have radio, some record and others have a digital amplifier, for instance.

I love that my MP3 player works with Windows Media Player, which keeps track of the tracks you have and have not added to the device. Syncing automatically adds the new tracks. If I went back to MinDisc, I'd have to guess where I left off as I tried to upload all the music I have purchased since then to MiniDiscs. Also, I don't have to be bothered with SonicStage or ATRAC anymore, and I am glad. I don't have a second-generation Hi-MD player, so I can't put MP3s on them.

[baturjan]

Maybe some of the illogical arguments in this thread steam from a subconscious appreciation of a device that restricts uncontrollable cravings to have more.

Definitely recording is the MD's strength. One strength that vsherry didn't mention is the tactile experience of the MD. For those people who like to work with their hands, this aspect is especially appreciated: handling discs, putting in discs, ejecting, labeling, stacking. It's something I appreciate about them, that I didn't realize until exclusively using an MP3 player.

Finally, I feel that the minidisc is obsolete for me since I just purchasing the new Sony PCM-M10 solid state recorder. I just sold all my minidisc equipment. The M10 is smaller sibling to the PCMD50, and is designed as a more affordable recorder for musicians (can be had for $300). Although, I use it exclusively for voice recording.

The editing features on the M10 is very much like an MD, and it's interface with the computer is dead easy and simple. For those reasons, I made the switch. And, it can record in 96/24 quality to boot!

[chadergeist]

Yeah, these people don't know how much we venerate our <b>Holy MD...</b>

We should try to convert more people to the Holy MD faith!

HOLY MD FAITH????????????

[theblueraja]

HOLY MD FAITH????????????

Indeed, I have that faith as well. So what's your question?

[darrencouch]

I do not think the question was "is minidisc obsolete", it was whether or not it was useless. On the obsolescence front, well, of course it is to some extent, the main builder/designer has abandoned it and us. We all know this, it just is what it is. When I listen to music, I listen to music. I'm not ADHD, where I have to have a little movie screen so I can scroll through "album" art, play a game of pong, tweet my vapid friends with wifi what crappy boy band I'm listening to right then. For the purpose of listening to music, minidisc works absolutely fine. Not just fine, but better than any alternative for me. Of course, it's an older system built for us old fogies who remember taping our favorite songs off the radio (and not that satellite radio crap) and listening to them under the sheets on crappy quality headphones late at night, probably while reading a comic book. Or building a mix tape for your girlfriend or road trip. 90% of the pleasure derived was the careful song selection, cueing up the records or cds just right, labelling the cassette box and cassette. It wasn't just turning on "genius" mode in iTunes and copying that playlist to your ipod. Ever see an old Tube driven AM radio? Solid copper base, simple gates, usually a custom built wooden cabinet housing one speaker. Those radios are still going. I hold onto minidisc for the idea of permanence in a disposable world. What is an iPod nano at the end of its life? just more piece of recyclable 200 dollar crap. When your MD player goes bad, your music is fine. Jut buy another player. Well, at least that is the plan.

Morning rant over, assume your regular programming.

[bluecrab]

If you try to introduce logic to analyzing love, infatuation, or passion, it's not necessarily going to apply. I suppose I could (any of us could) give reasons why we love MD.

I'm not going there. I'm happy enough just to be in this blissful state with it. Why do I love MD? Because I do. I just do.

[Hungerdunger]

If you try to introduce logic to analyzing love, infatuation, or passion, it's not necessarily going to apply. I suppose I could (any of us could) give reasons why we love MD.

I'm not going there. I'm happy enough just to be in this blissful state with it. Why do I love MD? Because I do. I just do.

I completely agree with your sentiment, but here are a couple of things I do with my MD equipment which make it so convenient:

1) With a few button presses I can set up my deck to record radio programmes for me while I'm away from the house. If they are speech based programmes, then using my RH1 or NH1 I can play them back at much-faster-than-real-time speed if I'm pushed for time. The recording also comes divided into handy sized tracks, rather than one long mp3. If I want to save the recording I can easily transfer it to my PC via my RH1.

2) I can set up one of my portables to record nearly 8 hours of music from an internet radio station overnight at Hi-MD quality. I can then play this back over the next couple of days while I'm working, and if there's a song I particularly like, I can put track marks at the beginning and end of it; transfer it to my PC; and then edit the resulting WAV file for fade in and fade out if necessary.

I'm not saying that these things can't be done using other equipment, but with Minidisc it's so easy.

[vsherry]

I completely agree with your sentiment, but here are a couple of things I do with my MD equipment which make it so convenient:

1) With a few button presses I can set up my deck to record radio programmes for me while I'm away from the house. If they are speech based programmes, then using my RH1 or NH1 I can play them back at much-faster-than-real-time speed if I'm pushed for time. The recording also comes divided into handy sized tracks, rather than one long mp3. If I want to save the recording I can easily transfer it to my PC via my RH1.

2) I can set up one of my portables to record nearly 8 hours of music from an internet radio station overnight at Hi-MD quality. I can then play this back over the next couple of days while I'm working, and if there's a song I particularly like, I can put track marks at the beginning and end of it; transfer it to my PC; and then edit the resulting WAV file for fade in and fade out if necessary.

I'm not saying that these things can't be done using other equipment, but with Minidisc it's so easy.

Well said.