Some KZbinrs keep comparing minidisc to CDs but that’s a mistake imo. MD were intended to replace cassettes, not CDs. I had a silver Sony MZ-R70 just like yours that I bought new in I think 1999. Loved it to bits and it was such an upgrade from my cassette Walkman. It was incredibly robust. It survived years of abuse including 7 months working in a freezing fish packing factory in Norway with salt water everywhere and cold temperatures. Then brought on a 9 month backpacking trip throughout Russia, Mongolia and China. It was the ultimate travel machine. I made field recordings with a Sony stereo microphone you could get for it. And I brought a couple cables so I could record music from fellow travellers, from hostels and cafes. I got such a wonderful collection of music that was organically integrated with the journey, part of the journey. Only Minidisc could have pulled that off. CD-RWs were unreliable and didn’t always work. They were bulky and fragile. Minidisc was the best format ever
@CassetteComeback Жыл бұрын
Yes. I believe it was the best consumer recording format.
@nova375211 ай бұрын
They're just opinions you soft manchild
@douglasbrittain7018Ай бұрын
I got a stereo minidisc back in 1999 from AIWA that had a 5 minidisc tray on top that worked as a carousel. I loved that player and worth the $300 I paid for it. I gave it to a friend who in turn gave it to someone else for a boombox. Didn’t like that but I have great memories while I had it
@chilly647011 ай бұрын
Still rock'n the minidisc in 2024!
@grasssnake71903 жыл бұрын
I was gutted when Mini Disc didn't work out, I love them, I really thought they were the future, Mini disc should also make a comeback, great video 👍
@mariuszadamczyk7766 Жыл бұрын
MD comeback is vastly looked forward to… let’s hope Sony or any other well-established music device producer gets this message and follows accordingly… 🙏
@TwinReign4 ай бұрын
@@mariuszadamczyk7766 I doubt that will happen. Most people are just used to streaming,although I will say if streaming services keep begging for money as they are rn,there might be a slight chance
@binarysun_4 ай бұрын
The problem is that the MD technology is still the IP of Sony and anyone with interest in reviving the format would have to pay major royalties and licensing fees to Sony. You don’t have to to that for CDs or tapes. That’s why it’s easy to launch kickstarters and such für new devices. MD is unfortunately special here and Sony not know to give up IP easily 😮
@memriloc10 ай бұрын
Dad bought me a mini disc recorder (came with a portable player) to run my studio recordings off to when I was 17. Still have all the discs and I still love using them. And I agree, there's something really special about physical media like this.
@StrawberryStationMusic5 жыл бұрын
I got convinced to release my album on Minidisc, which admittedly I wasn't familiar with. We ended up selling 30 copies on preorder, so there's clearly some demand still out there! I ended up biting the bullet to have something to play it on and, by sheer coincidence, I got the same blue player you showed in your video. I was pleasantly surprised when my copies arrived - they're gorgeous little bits of kit, especially with the full body printing that the pressing plant offer!
@CassetteComeback5 жыл бұрын
Yeah, tangible media has a charm purely digital will never have.
@sebastianchibrac48774 жыл бұрын
wow i really like your music! i paid attention to it since i read your comment. keep up your music!
@kodacvisualz4 жыл бұрын
Where did you get ur minidisc albums made? I’m looking todo the same
@lc7ineo3 жыл бұрын
Every video I watch about MinDisc talks about how retro-futuristic and how much they look like the future. I agree.
@jtrusick5105 жыл бұрын
I am 52 years old. I saw the dawn of minidisc. I love love love minidisc.
@Jrodsly Жыл бұрын
Watching this reinforces why I love MiniDisc and why I try to get as many people as I can into the format. It's such a great format that I wish had taken off more worldwide. It should've been the future of portable audio. My NetMD machine through Web MiniDisc is my favorite way to record stuff from my collection over to work listening media. The designs are so cool to look at too, even the more plain looking ones.
@supercattelephone3 жыл бұрын
I'm from America and I'm incredibly lucky I found a record shop here that sells blank minidiscs sealed! Just bought a portable player from Japan, I'm slowly acquiring all the parts to make it work!
@chilly64702 жыл бұрын
I've been a minidisc user for a long time. I stopped using them for the last 6 or 7 years but, now I'm back in full swing. I recently bought an Onkyo micro system from Japan which allows USB to Minidisc recording. Very convenient.
@sezaialdal12852 жыл бұрын
@@chilly6470 Sayın Arkadaş Ben Kayıt yapmak için Mini Disc Bulamıyorum Nerede Boş MD Disc Bulabilirim Bi Zahmet Biliyorsanız satış Linkini Yazabilirseniz Çok Menmun Olurum.Saygı ve Sevgilerimle
@Zimmy_1981 Жыл бұрын
@@sezaialdal1285Amazon & eBay has them
@jeppyjep3 жыл бұрын
Im 21. I never had an actual portable player other than mp3 player. I have a CD player at home that ive bought to play some of my thrash metal CDs, but now im thinking of buying the MDs. Those MD players are so beautiful.
@chilly64702 жыл бұрын
They were so underrated. I had 2 beautiful Sony MD Walkman's and I loved them. I still have one in mint condition. I used it in work all week on a single AA battery.
@latchfordlad825 жыл бұрын
I still use my minidisc in 2019 still love them 👍
@pp3124 жыл бұрын
I still use my minidisc in 2020 still love them
@bobthebrick19884 жыл бұрын
@@pp312 I still use my cassettes in 2020 cus I don't have minidisc cus in America they flopped like a fat guy falling from a high dive
@pp3124 жыл бұрын
@@bobthebrick1988 That fat guy was worth knowing, believe me. You'll never know what you missed. Cassettes are...ugh!
@amoebavirus15084 жыл бұрын
2020 still going strong 💪
@NITE_SHIFTING4 жыл бұрын
I still use my minidisc in 2054 still love them.
@barneyharding5 жыл бұрын
We are all on the same journey Tony! MiniDisc is awesome... yes, cassettes have a particularly pleasing aesthetic and I will never give up on them... but minidisc (for me at least) will always have a special place in my heart. I always love the underdog in any fight! Great vid as usual.
@mrkaic5 жыл бұрын
I am um, actually writing a modern front end for macs for minidiscs... It's nice to know I am not *totally* nuts/alone in this :)
@CassetteComeback5 жыл бұрын
Let me know when it's usable. I'll do a video on it 😀
@SlinkiestTortoise234 жыл бұрын
Cassette Comeback Did this ever happen?
@kodacvisualz4 жыл бұрын
Is it up yet??
@jeffchastain62023 жыл бұрын
Did you ever complete that Mac front end for MD??? I know many folks that would like to try it.
@mrkaic3 жыл бұрын
@@jeffchastain6202 Archtechture changes around drivers in Catalina beat it down and Big Sur killed it :)
@SergioGarcia-jg3yy Жыл бұрын
The only downside is the lack of parts, for example, magnetic heads like to fail. And I think nostalgia is the key word. I've bought my last MD in 2023, and I bought the first one when it came out. I love the philosophy you put in your videos, it's not about logics, it's about we like to record things in real time, why not?
@skevosmavros5 жыл бұрын
"and right now, they're not expensive"... MOMENTS LATER, EBAY PRICES EXPLODE ;-) I love minidisc too, for much the same reasons you do, and my little Panasonic unit still works fine. Minidisc is further proof, if any were needed, that the better format doesn't always win.
@ianwilson70555 жыл бұрын
It'll be like the "Techmoan Effect" thank goodness I've got all I need!
@BlaBla-jj6sh5 жыл бұрын
I loved MiniDisc in it's heyday, I still have dozens of discs, the recorder and some portables. I still record on them for fun occasionally. What really helps by the way those portables tend to have very good headphone amps, much better than most cellphones have. And the ability to edit tracks down to a fraction of a second is a boon too. Still love cassettes too. The limitions of the format (especially playing time) are actually it's strength, because it forces you to really think what you put on them. It makes for much better mixtapes. And with Spotify you have a perfect source. Used to record a lot of digital satellite radio too.
@svenschwingel86325 жыл бұрын
@DJ Dacha actually, the latest ATRAC versions were pretty good in terms of sound quality. Much more like 224-256 kbps MP3 than 96 kbps.
@grizzlyaddams36064 жыл бұрын
Yeah, it's weird though. Playing through my Sharp 702 I got a much stronger signal than through my Sony NF520D. Never noticed that before. I wonder what causes that?
@BlaBla-jj6sh4 жыл бұрын
@@grizzlyaddams3606 Different headphone amp, with different charasteristics like restistance etc. It's quite common that a given headphone works much better on one device than on another. It's why the current trend where headphones have mini-usb connections rather than an analog one in itself is not a bad thing, as the ampification and D/A conversion is now done in the headphone rather than the device.
@grizzlyaddams36064 жыл бұрын
@@BlaBla-jj6sh I was surprised to say the least. I had been listening to the Sony with the phones in just the night before. Then went to use the Sharp on my home setup but was too lazy to hook in the optical. So I plugged it into the phone jack. The sound was hot, liquid and loud. When I went to the Sony just to compare.... Sad face, like it was a completely different machine when hooked up to a good sound system than with a pair of cheap jacks. 😄 Guess I know what's for what now.
@evertonporter78872 жыл бұрын
Takes me back to the days when I used to record Pages From Ceefax from my VHS video recorder to minidisc. I still have a portable HiMD recorder which I used last night and was pleasently surprised at how good those recordings were.
@Jewellerybybarrie Жыл бұрын
Ive been watching your videos for only a short time after getting back into cassette as I wanted to put something in my classic car and wanted it to be age appropriate. I also found my old walkman. I never really got into mini disc but accidentally purchased one with a couple of broken walkmen. Im impressed with the quality and the fact I have a tiny player/recorder.The only issue is that any spares for a mini disc machine are a lot more expensive compared with cassette...Good video and im now subscribed
@proffessasvids2 жыл бұрын
Lovely vid there dude, thankyou! I've used minidisc almost every day since 1998. I love them xx
@wu175 жыл бұрын
I still use and record with my minidisc 2019
@timwilliams1135 жыл бұрын
Do you use software? Can you get the track titles onto the minidiscs you record?
@angusshaw59544 жыл бұрын
@@timwilliams113 Yes. Platinum MD. It's for Net MD. I have yet to use it but others have already and it seems to operate with no issues. You can use Sonic Stage with varying degrees of success. (i.e., drive signature disabled for later versions of windows) or running SS on a Win7/10 machine on a virtual drive.
@PabloTamburini4 жыл бұрын
Hi. Im looking for the Open MG jukebox software. Can you send me? Greetings from Argentina!!!}
@sebastiansixto12034 жыл бұрын
@@PabloTamburini Creo que el SonicStage es mejor, al menos yo te recomiendo ese.
@christopherdunn317 Жыл бұрын
@@timwilliams113 No software but yes you can get the names on the tracks !
@Spudcore5 жыл бұрын
I love how enthusiastic you are about these things! It's really enjoyable to hear the genuine reverence in your voice. And yeah, I agree, they are amazing! Minidiscs are bloody brilliant.
@RJS35665 жыл бұрын
Beautiful job on those. I thought they were store bought at first.
@andersnilsson79175 жыл бұрын
MiniDisc was a technically awesome format which was basically killed off by Sony's paranoia about copy protection. About the time when Napster popularized digital copying, Sony's clumsy efforts made the format look bothersome in comparison. I still have my two portable recorders, one of them being a NetMD, as well as a Yamaha stationary deck and a Denon mini format deck. And a bunch of recorded material.
@bakokat69824 жыл бұрын
Anders Nilsson I agree, I have many Sony mini discs and even a beautiful Sony computer that had a mini disc drive, but it was crippled by Sony’s paranoia about copyright. It would actually record off the built in fm radio in the computer but would not let me upload recording I my of myself playing my guitar. How stupid that was. But interesting that Sony mini disc deck in my stereo set up would allow me to transfer my recordings to a teac recording deck that burned CDs. How dumb was that! Yes Sony killed off their brilliant MD format. Glad I kept all my mini discs and players , and my teac deck.
@warlockboyburns4 жыл бұрын
does your net md still work properly with sonic stage?
@andersnilsson79174 жыл бұрын
@@warlockboyburns Don't know, haven't used them for a while. I suspect that they would have issues with anything later than Win XP since Win 7 changed the driver interface.
@oliviaoleo80404 жыл бұрын
my EZ-N707 work fine with sonic stage 4.3 on windows 10.
@David-lr2vi2 жыл бұрын
13:30. It’s always amazed me how Sony managed to make the portable MD players so energy efficient. The playback time on my MZ-R900 is 30 hours off a single AA battery! The recording time is still a respectable 7 hours despite having to heat up the disc with a laser and then write to it. To my mind the portable minidisc players are the absolute pinnacle of consumer electronics miniaturisation and won’t ever be surpassed now we are in the digital memory age where everything is just stored on a computer chip.
@averageenthusiast56895 жыл бұрын
I became a MiniDisc user shortly after NetMD came on the scene. I could not afford one of those new fancy iPod things all the cool kids were showing off. But I could get a Minidisc with 160 min of music per disc (LP2 mode). All in a much smaller form factor then portable CD players or cassette players. The player and a hand full of discs provided plenty of listening time. I am now a second time MiniDisc user (as well as cassettes). I seem to have a soft spot for outdated/obsolete audio formats. No doubt I am in good company.
@steveg51224 жыл бұрын
Hey, platnium md is now available for Windows and there's a chrome based app for it as well. It will transfer your MP3,flac,wav,etc over as a pcm file, using the Internal dsp at full quality.
@CassetteComeback4 жыл бұрын
Yeah. Great that someone made it!
@steveg51224 жыл бұрын
@@CassetteComeback It is worth taking a look at for the channel. Your style of video would benefit showing off this project.
@bobcobb24295 жыл бұрын
Minidisc changed my life!This was pre-PC for me and suddenly I could record my demos in almost perfect digital quality,utilising the old Les Paul 'Sound On Sound' technique and for the first time not having to worry about generational degradation.I fn**ing LOVED minidisc
@bobcobb24295 жыл бұрын
And it was possible to make seamless edits,almost nano-second perfect and,man,was they ever a big help!
@CassetteComeback5 жыл бұрын
At the time, there was no more flexible recording format.
@bobcobb24295 жыл бұрын
The ATRAC would start to get a bit glitchy /artifact-y by the twentieth bounce but it was only a slight (and not unpleasant) gurgling sound and I could live with that.
@notsorandumusername2 жыл бұрын
I couldn't resist a smile early in the vid when you threw a bunch of MD's up - amongst them 'Brothers In Arms' by the Dire Straits. Brothers In Arms was one of _the_ albums from the eighties and it was responsible for the final breakthrough of the CD to the masses. Millions and millions of copies were sold. I think it even became the second-best sold album of the decade, behind only Michael Jackson's 'Thriller'. I believe it spend a staggering 5 years (!) in the Album Top 100 at the time. The thing is, that album became so popular not just because of it's music, but also because of it's superb sound quality. Mark Knopfler decided to go all-in on digital recording, trying out and experimenting with everything to see how digital would react. Then he created a sonic masterpiece that to this very day is amongst the pinnacle of digital CD quality and can still be used as a reference recording. Because of this, Philips - which had Dire Straits under contract - used this album extensively as promotion for the CD format. They did the same some years later when their digital DCC deck came out. The fun part is: even though Philips tried to take all the credit and used it extensively to promote the superior audio quality of the CD format and the DCC digital cassette system, the actual recorder on which Brothers In Arms was recorded, was a _Sony_ 24 bit PCM recorder! So that's why I had to chuckle a little when I saw it presented as a MD recording. Philips may have tried to take the credit, but that's some awesome Knopfler/Sony sound you're hearing there.
@andreasbechtel88365 жыл бұрын
I loved MiniDisc from the first day on! Great to catch sounds while traveling or to record ideas. Sure I put some of my favorite records on them an listen to them in the car to protect the expensive CD's. Thanks for your video! (PS: I also was a big cassette user before MiniDisc)
@donnellwilliams62726 ай бұрын
Long Live the mini disc! Still using and enjoying in 2024! Actually added a few more home decks to my collection.
@fbatista19735 жыл бұрын
I love having the possibility of physically having the music in my hands. Listening to my music through my phone does not bring me the same enjoyment I used to have when using my walkman.
@CassetteComeback5 жыл бұрын
That's part of the appeal, right there. An internet connection isn't needed, an update can't take it away and you don't have to pay for it monthly, and never own it.
@NeonluxDJWorks5 жыл бұрын
This is by far one of the most comprehensible videos about this subject I've ever seen. 10/10
@hundun5604 Жыл бұрын
2:35 Looks like a 3½ inch floppy disk to me. Not that there's something wrong with it. I still do enjoy my retro PSP that uses UMDs.
@douglasbrittain7018Ай бұрын
I think around the early 2000s Sony had a minidisc for their computers instead of floppy disc drive.
@mattyboywalker90944 жыл бұрын
Wow what a treat this was. I used my sharp mini disc player (just to listen to stuff on my dad made up the discs for me ) from age 14_17 I loved it I absolutely took it every where with me along with a couple discs in pocket to change over if one ran out. But then of course I went to MP3 player then iPod then Spotify but....when I want a device souly for music without any Interuptions from.emAils texts apps or mp3 players playing up I decided to go to my mum's loft where my childhood things were and route out the player with ally discs again ....to hold it in my hand put the disc in and out again pop those earphones in and listen to that crystyl clear sound was just so so satisfying I forgot how much I loved it so now I use it again regularly and infact have just purchased a second player. This time a Sony one . It honestly is for me the best way to listen to music on the go no problems no tech faults sound is amazing . I would highly recommend this to any music lover . So glad to have mini disc back in my life again. One positive thing about this shitty year You did a great job with this video sir well done
@CassetteComeback4 жыл бұрын
They still look like the future to me...
@tm-jz5ge4 жыл бұрын
omg minidiscs are the future. totally want to get into them now!
@miguelque91025 жыл бұрын
I first saw MiniDisc back in around 2005 on a train. Ten years later, I spotted a wild Sony NE410 at the flea market in Barcelona, and that marks the beginning of my journey of discovering MiniDisc.
@maddog3902 Жыл бұрын
I love this channel.. and didn't expect this video to pop up in my feed less than 48 hours after scooping up my first mini-disc Walkman (an MZ-R50 which I now know to sell and pick up for the upgrade version so I can have a digital output for the AAD masters produced in my recording studio which uses only pre-Y2k equipment) Thanks again, Tony.
@maddog3902 Жыл бұрын
I tell you what; Dang minidisc is awesome. I'd been sitting on an original 'High Fidelity Cassette' recording of The Beatles 'Magical Mystery Tour' that I lucky picked a while back. It was released by Mobile Fidelity some time in the 1980's and is the only analog version of the album released that was copied directly from the original studio master tapes. With a fancy minidisc on the table I decided it was a great time to finally make my copycats. I popped the tape into a Yamaha K-33 (My favorite playback deck, which once made a cameo in the film Boogie Nights) dropped a nice metal tape into a TEAC rx888, and with a little cable adaptation worked the MD player into the mix and, I tell you what; this minidisc sounds fucking FANTASTIC! Even listening through mediocre Presonus studio headphones (all that I have at home right now for some reason) this is easily the best sounding cut of the album I have ever heard. If anyone is on the fence about these little units I urge you to hop right on over it already.
@CassetteComeback Жыл бұрын
I love cassettes, but the Mini Disc is the pinnacle of consumer recording formats IMO.
@ianlimbert13424 жыл бұрын
I stumbled on this youtube video after watching an entertaining Techmoan one and I must say I love the passion here. So I love cassettes and I am one of those people that skipped the mini disc period. I can't remember the reason but at the time the recorders were expensive and there was some kind of restriction on recording artists content which put me off. However, i see this is not a problem so i think I will have a dabble and buy a recorder.
@Am3n0ph155 жыл бұрын
My story with Minidiscs started 3 years ago in a carboot sale....a lady sold me a fully working MZ-N505 for £2...and now I own more that 8 . Love them..more than my hi-fi flac player
@CassetteComeback5 жыл бұрын
Solid state audio players are disposable and characterless. These aren't.
@alextirrellRI5 жыл бұрын
I got into MiniDisc a bit late. Some of the clubs my band would play at would give us MiniDisc recordings of our shows. My college radio station was using them for some of their underwriting. And I essentially got paid to buy one to record my college choir's concerts in Europe in 2006 and 2008. It was seriously the best device for the job at that price point and even today most of the solid state devices I've seen are larger. My MD is a Hi-MD--more capacity and lots of other cool features. You could even use one like a portable hard drive and store data on it.
@TheMagicStar805 жыл бұрын
i bought one meanwhile i was travelling to Osaka Japan back in the 90s and loved it for the time being. The design, the compact size and all the features it offered it also came with a stereo microphone and bought 100 MD disks all for about 150 US dollars. I already had several thousands of audio cds and hundreds of audio cassettes and getting into another format was going to be a bit too much. Therefore i had decided to sale it after some years of using it. Now i am back to audio cassettes and reel to reel tapes as i feel that somehow analog sound is unique.
@christianholmstedt87705 жыл бұрын
Great video. How about DCC?
@CassetteComeback5 жыл бұрын
I've no nostalgia or love of DCC.
@christianholmstedt87705 жыл бұрын
Thx. Just curious. I remember back in the day when these came out and I thought it seemed like a great format. It really never took off.
@dantevortex2 жыл бұрын
I kind of skipped the minidisc age when it was at its high time. I was still using cassettes, because they were good enough, and mostly.. cheap. I didn't have much money, so I didn't do anything that costed a lot. What I did got eventually was a MP3 compatible CD car radio at the time. And burning CD's was just started to get popular. A blank writable CD costed about the same as a minidisc. Expensive, but also could hold a shitload more than a minidisc could. So I skipped Minidisc. MP3 was fine, and I got roughly 10 hours of music on one CD. All arranged in folders to separate albums easily. Or just a pile of files for endless shuffleplay. I didn't need minidisc. But roughly 25 years later I did got into minidisc because someone gave me a box full of them, with recorders and everything. So the flame ignited anyway albeit a little late.
@chilly64702 жыл бұрын
10 hours of very bad quality music on a CD though. The best thing about MD was that you could erase at any time.
@mohammedisaa9952 Жыл бұрын
I take your point, but them "C.D's" now have micro bubles inthem and alot of what i burnt and baught legally are unplayable anymore, especially on a medium that was guaranteed to last atleast 50 years.... M.D's may not be exactly the same audio quality as cd's, but they have stood the test of time, dont suffer from disc rott and are far more reliable... M.D all the way for me for trusted backups that actually might last longwr than 50 years lol.....
@allenpamscofield3 жыл бұрын
Nice video! I loved the MD format as well. I bought the Sony MDS-JE520 in 1998. Sold it a few years later (wish I hadn't). Came upon a MDS-JE500 a few years ago and still have it. I just acquired another MDS-JE520 deck that will replace it. It'll be hooked in to my rack system. I hate that the MD format didn't take off. It was/IS a great format....I mean, how can you not love the little discs? Same amount of music as a 5 inch cd!
@Ginger30161 Жыл бұрын
I still have a bunch of blank unused MDs. I wonder how much I could get for them.
@jdtseventyfour Жыл бұрын
I bought a Sharp MD MT170 personal minidisc recorder back in 2003 and mainly it was to record CD's to play on my Sony minidisc car stereo. In the last year I've got my sharp recorder back out of the loft and I'm listienng to all the music I recorded back then as well as a few new discs I've recorded too. Don't tell the wife but I've just bought a Sont net MD machine off ebay so I can finally but all the track titles on my discs :-) I always thought the format was great. I think many people call it a failure but in reality it was big in Europe and Japan but not the USA as the record company's didnt like the idea of digitaly recording music. Interest has grown in the States now though. I'm going to enjoy it as well as my vinyl and my cassettes too!!
@_LYH_5 жыл бұрын
Not sure if I'm correct, but I noticed on my old Sony recording MD Walkman, there is only one optical pickup head that during recording applies a higher power laser onto the magnetic surface until curie temperature and switches to lower laser power to write information to the magnetic surface while still hot. During playback, the pickup block emits a much lower laser to read the magnetised particles for playback. All record/erase/playback all done on a single pickup head, not two pickups like floppy disk...
@CassetteComeback5 жыл бұрын
There may be different ways of doing it, but I was always lead to believe there is a write head on top, hence why there is a door there on recordables and not there on pre recorded.
@_LYH_5 жыл бұрын
@@CassetteComeback OK, I guess you are right, having inspected in closer detail on the MD walkman, the top of the disc has a small electromagnet record head that is energised to write the music data to the heated surface applied by the high power laser at the bottom. Also, there appears to be some mechanical flaps to prop up the record head when playing back prerecorded commercial MDs, so the record head be damaged from traversing over the closed door of the MD.
@bFOURdwZEROlf5 жыл бұрын
BRING MINIDISCS BACK!!!
@wojiaobill Жыл бұрын
what's interesting is that the R37, which you show, was my first MD recorder/player back in high school, and the R70, which you also show was one of the later units I bought in high school, and also the one I bought off eBay earlier this year when I got back into the format
@markphilpot49815 жыл бұрын
No worries Tony! This is a format I have considered just because of it’s small form factor. Highly portable, high resolution and great sounding, can’t lose on this!😊💖
@jokubrik65972 жыл бұрын
Love the format! I do a lot of recording of my own music onto MD. Have four Sony decks here, and now inspired to pick up a portable after watching this.
@sputumtube5 жыл бұрын
I wonder what happened to DAT's (Digital Audio Tapes)..?
@mohammedisaa9952 Жыл бұрын
There still going, although the tapes are getting hard to find, DAT, the mini VHS for audio reproduction, i think they are even better than reel to reel for audio reproduction........ techmoan did some good videos on DAT
@npartridge125 жыл бұрын
Excellent video and one of the best pieces I’ve seen on Mini-disc. I’ve been using Mini-disc since the mid 90s an£ still using them. It’s such a flexible format and I agree it sounds really great. I am a musician and for years used a Mini-disc deck to record musical ideas to and also at one time to record basic mixes of songs, so I could then carry them around with me to live with the mixes so I could go back and tweak them later. I also agree the technology is just so cool and just so well engineered. I still use my Sony hi-fi Mini-disc deck to record any new vinyl to, just like I used to with cassette. Anyway thanks for a brilliant overview of my favourite audio format. Long live Mini-disc!
@RJS35665 жыл бұрын
Your "simple explanation" was plenty technical for me thanks.
@dustinhasselbach6378 Жыл бұрын
I had a friend who went to college in Germany. When he came back to the States, he had all mini disc. I never heard of it at the time. I tried to get into it, but there was no way to buy them locally.
@oliviaoleo80404 жыл бұрын
What is the DAC model? Does it need any additional software on the android device?
@CassetteComeback4 жыл бұрын
Behringer UCA222 and my tablet didn't need a driver
@ClaudioGomboli5 жыл бұрын
I can relate, that's also why I love the Sony UMD, and love collecting for it, both movie and game ones.
@peter_aka_hamamass5 жыл бұрын
Still have all my minidiscs, and players/recorders (portable and standalone). Have not used them in years, but never got rid of them. Now that i my own room for music, with all my equipment, i am going to use it again. Just for the fun of it. Because that is what it is all about, having fun with music and its media. Tapes too. Quality may be less or maybe not, but that does not matter, it is all about having fun with your hobby! So hats off to you, and keep having fun with all these audio media 👍👍👍
@CassetteComeback5 жыл бұрын
Enjoy all for what they are. Perfection is boring and the pursuit of it is futile.
@peter_aka_hamamass5 жыл бұрын
Wise words indeed 😉
@gwEmbassy5 жыл бұрын
Minidisc was a total game changer for me when it came out due to the editing features and also since the portable players could record in the field with excellent quality. Good tribute and explanation for the format here. I have recently used minidisc as a master for producing a little run of mix tapes :)
@8BitNaptime Жыл бұрын
I can't believe it's been like 30 years since I was in NYC and walked from one store to another until I found the right price and blew all my student savings on a MZ-1. When I came back to Montreal I was insufferable, I was carrying it around with me everywhere (most of the time not playing a thing because of the miserable battery life) and making sure a minidisc was visible in the little pouch of the carrying case...
@gustercc5 жыл бұрын
You've basically said everything I've felt about MD's. Lost mime on the divorce, but I still have some of the discs work loads of songs I wrote in the early 00's. You're totally convinced me to buy another.
@SuperScottCrawford4 жыл бұрын
Lol. Bet your ex doesn't even use the player you "lost".
@nickwallette62015 жыл бұрын
I'll never forget seeing the first Sony MD portable recorder on display at a store. So so cool. Finally got that same model a couple years ago, complete with the demo disc that came with it. :-D I'm a little late, but I totally agree - they just look like the future and I'm going to get my turn enjoying them whether it makes any sense anymore or not. :-)
@sidvicious31295 жыл бұрын
I still have the Mzr-37 the first silver one you picked up and some blanks and prerecorded Disc. I also had the Black mdp-je 510, I believe it was, which I purchased at Best Buy. Mini Disc was extremely good for recording and editing. You could record a whole item and break it up into individual tracks later. You could move tracks around on the disc, name tracks, rename tracks, erase tracks (and bring them back after you erased them as long as you didn’t turn the player off). It was a great format and Sony did advertise it in stores with posters and a place in showrooms and even Best Buy had their own Mini Disc section with a display and headphones for you to listen to. Mini Disc did have protections built in that would see the optical to optical and wouldn’t let you make multiple copies of a copy. To do this you would have to use the RCA inputs. The lower end ones or first gen, didn’t sound as good due to compression as the later models and HiFi stores didn’t like them and didn’t go out of their way to promote. Sony learned their lessons from DAT, which is why it did better in the consumer market. I can tell you that no other format before Mini Disc and since it had the overall editing capabilities of Mini Disc and it should from that standpoint been the format that took over Cassettes and challenged CD and should have still been around. It was a true technical marvel. Thanks for doing this Tony. You are bringing back fond memories and I will go to eBay and I might search out one of the highend units. Tony for the hiend, I’m also looking at a Teac Da-3000, it uses sd, compact flash and usb sticks, I know all still sd tech, but it has a great Dac built in and should make exact copies MQA, the masters of Tidal, which I subscribe to up to 96. It is currently used for some mastering by some bands, check it out.
@gerritw.rougoor663 Жыл бұрын
I agree with you the MD should come back
@aimeeali69752 жыл бұрын
2022 and still using it in LP2 mode could squeeze 2 album in 1 disc. My SHARP MD from 1996 works fine till now. 😊
@drssexy2142 Жыл бұрын
you got lucky; i bought several different machines and they all died within 18 months. Wouldnt recognise a disc.
@cfc39722 жыл бұрын
can i use the behringer to connect my sony mz-r700 to my amps phono sockets?
@mohammedisaa9952 Жыл бұрын
I think so, the behringer is not so expensive and an excelent converter....
@thundercy5 жыл бұрын
Love Miidisc ,still using them today together with cassettes . Great video btw.
@RadiantDuck5 жыл бұрын
I had a few MD players in my teens and I loved it. I was swayed into MP3 players and phones etc. But recently I’ve had the want to get back into MD and take more time to enjoy my music, so on the look out for new equipment! I think by not having all known music available all the time, I will take the time to enjoy each track and really get to know my music again, like I did when I was 14. Great video!
@ChuckRowe12 күн бұрын
Where did you get those cassette-style cases? Those are beautiful.
@veespa_3 жыл бұрын
I’ve been looking at going back to minidisc and found your channel. Insta-subbed when I read the channel name! Great video. Thanks for sharing.
@purplesabbath90575 жыл бұрын
The best thing about Minidisc: you can't scratch them. You can leave them out of the case and stack them and there's no need to worry about them skipping as a result.
@CassetteComeback5 жыл бұрын
They are probably the hardiest digital format ever.
@GOGGLETUBESUCKS4UIC5 жыл бұрын
@@CassetteComeback Don't forget about DAT. There is also a huge supply of tapes and portables around. Tapes are DDS or DAT labeled. You can also have up to four hours or even more of high quality uncompressed raw PCM digital audio on one tape. They are built like little VCR's. Being that it's a tape it forces you to listen though it although you can still skip tracks you make but in a linear way unlike a disc. You can also edit on the fly or after. You can't do that with CD. I have a portable and a home deck. I have been using then for years now. They are my best sounding pieces of equipment. I never had a problem with tape wear or with the players itself. I think it's the best of both digital and analog player worlds as a long term storage format.
@CassetteComeback5 жыл бұрын
I don't disagree, well, I can't really as I've only ever used DDS as a backup target. Never used it as an audio format.
@michaelturner44575 жыл бұрын
@@GOGGLETUBESUCKS4UIC problem with DAT portables now, is finding one that's actually still working, and keeps working. There's a lot of precision moving parts in a very small size, and in the long term like 20 years, are basically too fragile. Techmoan did a feature about DAT, and the pocket sized machines he had were broken, and making horrible noises. The mechanics of a Minidisc are actually quite simple compared to DAT, so I guess that's why many of the portable players are still working
@neochumanta4 жыл бұрын
How did you do your own labels? Those home made ones look terrific.
@CassetteComeback3 жыл бұрын
Photoshop on to adhesives photo paper.
@neochumanta3 жыл бұрын
@@CassetteComeback Excellent, thanks. It's way more elegant than the actual minidisc printer, which while quaint is nowhere near as nice a finish.
@sometimesuk5 жыл бұрын
I used to love my mini disc. I used to plug a microphone into it and had great fun recording my mates at school. Would have liked a radio in one though and be able to record off air, not sure if that ever was a thing
@CassetteComeback5 жыл бұрын
Yeah, I don't recall one with a built in radio.
@mev20998 ай бұрын
I’m wondering if anyone can answer a question for me. I would love to make my own collection of albums on MiniDisc with full artwork on the disc itself as well as the case it’ll be stored in. If I use a recordable MD and setup my album and then carefully transfer the actual disc into a replicated “pre-recorded” style casing, would it theoretically play properly?
@idontsmile6664 жыл бұрын
iv'e only just started using minidisc as i only just fixed my machine. a year to figure out the record head was misaligned. it's still broken in a way as it doesn't eject properly and is beyond repair but still records and plays fine.
@phillipsstanley5 жыл бұрын
I spent about 2 or 3000 dollars on MiniDisc. It was the best. I still have heaps. Now I want a player and recorder again.
@CassetteComeback5 жыл бұрын
Do it. They're not expensive and the beauty is all your old discs will still work.
@kennethdarby67833 жыл бұрын
I am a fan and record all my music onto minidisc, i play it back in my two cars, my garage, my big garden shed, and in my Conservatory. I have a very large collection of songs i like on many discs, and haven't listened to a radio for a long long time because as far as i am concerned music died circa 1980.
@TheVideoLounge2 жыл бұрын
Some of the best music came out in the 80's my friend, even carrying on into the 90's, it actually died at the millennium.
@mohammedisaa9952 Жыл бұрын
I agree..... 2,000 is my cut off point for all media unless its really special.... No radio and no T.V now for atleast 10 years, and i live in my own "bubble" watching and downloading utube 60's thru to 90's music and films...... Anything else from 2,000 is either a poor re-release (film or music) or is of no value to me..... im happy where i am and keep the memories associated with my media contwnt.
@mohammedisaa9952 Жыл бұрын
#content.
@conundrum1125 жыл бұрын
Hi Tony, great site. Any idea where I can get a copy of MD Simple Burner/ Sonic Stage from ? I am in London UK. I have a Sony MZ-N520 Type-S. When I put a disc somebody erased for me in I get ERROR then all 000's Is this normal ? Thanks. ps. It plays back recorded discs perfectly. Can I use a standard analogue 3.5 jack to record as I do not have the correct optical disc yet.
@CassetteComeback5 жыл бұрын
Sure, you can use analogue to record. You don't need a special disc to record digital or SonicStage. Just an audio interface with an sp/dif output.
@conundrum1125 жыл бұрын
That's great, so the digital jack will also take an analogue jack ?
@CassetteComeback5 жыл бұрын
Yeah, it's a 2 in 1 3.5mm analogue jack or digital.
@conundrum1125 жыл бұрын
Brilliant thanks. It's my first Mini disc player, 30 years too late, oh well, lol. ps. I get an ERROR when I put a certain disc in, then 000 or say's blank, any idea's ? could it be a faulty disc ? waiting for some new ones too arrive.
@craigavonvideo5 жыл бұрын
@@conundrum112 Sounds like a faulty disc to me.
@christopherross83582 жыл бұрын
Can I plug a guitar in to the MiniDisc recorder? Would be worth it just for that if its a cable to cable connnection with no mic.
@mhmrules4 жыл бұрын
Not gonna lie, you're correct in saying that your favorite MiniDisc player is beautiful, and those J Cards and labels you made for your Minidisc are badass
@seand674 жыл бұрын
I still have my Sony MDS-JE 500 unit. Great sound after all these years. Love the way you customized your MDs
@sezaialdal12852 жыл бұрын
Mini MD Discleri Nerede Bulabilirim Satın almak istiyorum Sizin verdiğiniz linkte bulamadım satılmıyor orda.
@nicomeier80984 жыл бұрын
Two years ago I bought a used (of course...) Tascam MD 350 Minidisc recorder and started playing my "old" minidiscs from the 90's. Surprise, surprise, they sounded much, much better then back in the day, played on the same Sony minidisc recorder I recorded them with. So, the Tascam has a much better A - D / D - A converter then my old Sony. TheTascam makes them sound fantastic so I bought a bunch of TDK RXG discs - not only for use on my home stereo but also for on my Sony Minidisc Walkman. Fantastic sound for "on the move". I love this format, completely agree with you on the best discs still looking like the future of recorded sound.
@wleon40685 жыл бұрын
I have a Sharp Recordable Minidisc {MD-MT821H}, which I bought years ago, and which I love to this day. It still plays like a dream. Crystal clear and everything. It really is like technology from the future, rather than old technology. To get music for my minidisc, I connect it to my android phone and simply record music.
@Phaser1x2 жыл бұрын
Just bought my first player/recorder. And some blank disks. Hurrah
@TighelanderII4 жыл бұрын
Some discs I bought won't play on my home deck. I have to put it in one of the "Net MD" players to listen to them.
@philrenwick57374 жыл бұрын
They are probably recorded in Long Play mode. The NetMD players generally support LP. You could always erase them and record over in SP mode.
@TighelanderII4 жыл бұрын
@@philrenwick5737 Since then, I put a MDLD/CD/Aux/Tuner in my car. It's a Japanese model. The sender didn't pack it right and the push part (Source) of the Volume button didn't work. He tried to deny it, saying that I wasn't doing it right, but I bought a remote and showed him it was broken. He refunded half of the price.
@mac113804 жыл бұрын
I am buying 3 Sony units next week, have minor issues that I can fix. I will keep one and sell 2. Where is a good source to buy disks reasonably? Thank you
@MsJinkerson5 жыл бұрын
thanks a million showing me how to record on mini-disk you are the only one that had the right type of info video you are great no one I asked would help me thank mate
@grizzlyaddams36064 жыл бұрын
13:31 yep... ...and I just played mine NF520D all night. The battery bar still reads full. ...and I only listed to ONE MD. Love this format.
@Surreallistic794 жыл бұрын
Verry informative! I currently have an issue with my cd/md deck while in writing mode. I think I understand now what actually happens when its writing music from a cd. The MD is heated up (curie point) and gets written. Is their any explanation why my md doesn’t record properly thanks to that explanation? When i record a cd to MD, sometimes the music isnt written properly. It stutters when playing form md afterwards. Is it the heat, or the writing? When i record only 1 song, wait a while and record another one, there is no stutter at all.
@CassetteComeback4 жыл бұрын
If it plays a known good MD well, there's a problem with the recording laser.
@batteryman28525 жыл бұрын
this was worth watching while i was eating dinner. even if i know most things about MD, its always nice to see other reviewing something myself has a nostalgic feeling for. i feel less lonely then :D.
@plooopymops5 жыл бұрын
What did you have for dinner?
@mohammedisaa9952 Жыл бұрын
@plooopymops When did you last go to the toilet?
@moviebod4 жыл бұрын
I also love Minidisc but I didn't own a player until 2008 when I bought an old BMW which had a minidisc player. I have reverted to cassettes with my old car. I would love to be able to download your template for the card inserts on your discs. I have printed a few stickers but they are a bit lame.
@lesrogers73105 жыл бұрын
Nice one Tony, I love Minidisc. Are you planning on doing a video on home CD-R recording? I have one of those Pioneer PDR-W839 3CD Changer + CD-R deck machines that I've refurbished. The discs for these are so-called 'Pro' ones, marked as 'Audio' or 'Music' discs (you cannot use computer CDs) and used to carry a hefty premium. However, these days you can get unbranded ones at a very good price indeed.
@CassetteComeback5 жыл бұрын
Not really. I think most know how to record a CD-R and there's no real sonic differences and little character to the discs.
@juncastillo23715 жыл бұрын
im still using my MD collection and i never listen to mp3 anymore specialy when im infront of my sound system set-up
@TheRetroBen5 жыл бұрын
I love MiniDisc also, I have a bunch different players and discs that I have recorded. I have one question though how did you get sonicstage to work on windows 10 and where did you find the download for it? I have been trying to get this to work for some time now.
@CassetteComeback5 жыл бұрын
This should help forums.sonyinsider.com/topic/29620-guide-to-getting-your-net-md-walkman-working-on-windows-10/
@TheRetroBen5 жыл бұрын
@@CassetteComeback That's great thanks for the help. I even have a MiniDisc changer for the car it holds 6 discs made by Pioneer.
@technodazed4 жыл бұрын
I have always loved all of my minidisc players. The only problem is that I can't seem to find any drivers for my windows 8.1
@johnr44595 жыл бұрын
i went to minidisc about 20 years ago from cassette, i still have an mds jb980 and use it from time to time, i have shed loads of discs some still unused, i found it more handy than tape, performed just as well and unlike tape it takes a lot to knacker a disc. i dug out the old tape deck recently sony 870, left pinch roller shot, to be replaced,otherwise all ok still have a few tapes mostly tdk ma about 7 of them, i will get the deck right before i see whats on them because i cant remember. i got 2 maxell vertex tapes off a guy i knew years ago, i read they are worth a bit. in about 2007 i bought a mz-r909 for next to nowt it came with some discs, it still is working to this day. overall i preferred minidisc all round, and good decks have very good dacs in them. to finish, back in the day i went to buy californication by the chilli peppers, originally on vinyl, they took the vinyl albums off the shelves for some reason, so ended up buying it on minidisc, the only shop md i ever bought.
@derekporter76584 жыл бұрын
I still have and use minidisc, I love the format and recently played a few discs for my toddler daughter to dance to!
@jaimehudson7605 жыл бұрын
Nice vid.There is no reason MD or the ATRAC compression format should be retired to the scrapheap of obsolete tech/software! I initially got into MD, Net MD first actually to be precise, in order to record, and then retire all my CDs that were taking up way too much space! A bit of archiving one could make a case for I suppose was the reality of it. I decided that I would cram as many CDs onto one disc as humanly possible so I opted for Lp4 mode, using the MD simple burner as opposed to sonic stage initially, I preferred it if I remember correctly, and it seems it is no longer available to download! I never finished the project completely, as I continued to buy CDs for a few years after, and still do on occasion. But I did achieve what I set out to do, archive my CD collection up to that point, then storing them away. That was many moons ago, Lp4 was far superior to Mp3 IMHO, without a shadow of doubt. I use Mac now, so cant use the Net MD, so use Toslink on the MacBook or with my CD player sometimes. Other uses have been recording Vinyl, Recording my own performances as a creative word artist when I am on the radio.... I am going to utilise my sons older windows 10 gaming PC and get sonic stage on it one of these days very soon and finish the archiving. Also might use virtual box on my MacBook. On a side note for you, I now use Sharp non Net MD (still MDLP) units as the Sony ones always get a fault with the headphone jack. I kept one of my Sony Net MDs though as a recorder even though the headphone jack is broken, to use with USB and Sonicstage. HIMD was/is a whole other story, I bought and used one, but I hated the sound quality and sold it on. Had decks in the past too, and always check eBay to see if I can a bargain deck. Well, I could go on, and on, and on.....LOVE MD, it will never be beaten and will never really die!
@thundercy5 жыл бұрын
have you ever tried to record from a Minidisc to cassette ? And if yes what results did you get?
@CassetteComeback5 жыл бұрын
Yeah and it was superb.
@craigavonvideo5 жыл бұрын
I've also done it the other way many times!
@paulr09115 жыл бұрын
Loved your video, have 7 recorders myself. 2 Hi-MD portables, 2 NetMD portables, 2 MDSP models and a mini Hi-Fi with an MDLP deck built in. Always been my favourite digital format. Cheers.