Retro Buyer's Guide: MiniDisc!

[@S31Syntax]

I'm both pleased and terrified you released this because I was already shopping for these and now the price is probably gonna go up lol

[@totaldeparture7848]

lol same here. Especially the NetMD stuff

[@darrenc2721]

I think as the units become super rarer, the prices will change. Love this video! There have been lots of changes to usability and recording options to mindisc in general in the last year or so. This means that people are seeking out more units since there has been somewhat of a revival of minidisc love. The infamous RH1 which had the only download and upload option on minidisc is no more. Most type s netmds can now do both, thanks to some very clever reverse engineers. Secondly Netmd works on most modern operating systems (including deck netmds), thanks to a universal usb driver. Also you can record in better quality these days as well, including raw formats. it is not as limiting as it was 22 years ago. So it is an ideal time to seek one out. There are also three or four different minidisc software options now as well, even one you can use in a browser. You are not limited to sonic stage anymore (unless your in the mood for emulating xp). You can even pull atrac files off minidiscs at last and convert them into various formats as well. it has changed quite a lot in the last year.

[@theumpteenthtime8854]

@@darrenc2721 I have an old Sony Psyc that I used consistently until about 2009. I've wanted to go back to using it, but can't get Sonic Stage to run on my Windows 10 machine, obviously. Do you have any software recommendations for conversion to atrac?

[@Quebecoisegal]

@@darrenc2721 Any links please?

[@darrenc2721]

i dont know why youtube doesnt always seem to post my comments, there is electron md software, platinum md and webminidisc pro. With type s you can now upload as well as download music back to your pc. it is a bit buggy. Note that the sony psyc is a type s. It strangely doesnt list it as such on the minidisc wiki.

[@PrinzMidas]

People who say MiniDisk was a flop, they say it only because MP3 came very fast. Without the possibility to play MP3's on every phone, all people would still use MiniDisk!

[@Spazza42]

That’s like saying people would’ve used 2K screens if 4K hadn’t of come around soo quickly; but the issue is, it did. Even CD’s (whilst from a technical standpoint were perfect), MP3’s followed up too quickly and were immediately rendered obsolete by the iPod.

[@sealwheel]

probably would have. it wasnt bad tech it was just released late. if it had released before cds or something it may have been a lot popular only issue.. it didnt its very cool but i think by most definitions it flopped

[@grrkaa8450]

@@Spazza42 What alternative multiverse timeline are you talking about? HDTV became a new standard in 1996, 4K didn't come around before 2014. MP3 came only one year after Minidisc. And the iPod didn't render MP3s obsolete, it was an MP3-player in the first place... and btw - the iPod came 10 years after the release of MP3 so even if it did something to wipe the MP3 from the market (which it fully depended on the MP3's popularity) then it wouldn't have been quickly after the MP3's release but a full decade later.

[@gkcadadr]

@@grrkaa8450i think they are saying iPods rendered CDs obsolete almost immediately, which is just as bonkers

[@stillsimonsays]

😅p

[@BonkedByAScout]

Minidisc was one of those formats I'd love to have had back when it was mainstream. It would have beat the hell out of having a CD portfolio tossed in my backpack with a huge player in my backpack.

[@hi-friaudioman]

The only problem I ever had with minidisc was the audio quality, I could tell it wasn't as good as CD, now this was relegated to the first two types of minidisc and I'm not sure about its later netMD and other variants. But at least the first two recorded somewhere around 32khz instead of 44.1khz and I believe they were also 12bit upscaled to 16bit instead of true 16bit. So audio quality was definitely an issue if you were an audiophile. Believe it or not the majority of people using the minidisc for a while were broadcast studios, i.e: radio stations. Since flash was so expensive and HDD recorders weren't really a thing minidisc recorders were great for recording live interviews with bands, recording commercials, intros, etc...and for the longest time any radio station you walked into had a few mobile minidisc recorders as well as rack mounted minidisc players in the control room. Just an interesting tidbit.

[@MultiWirth]

​@@hi-friaudioman Audio quality was fine for a portable media. However NetMD will be much worse than direct recording as it´s converting (probably mp3) to atrac at a default low bitrate (LP2, LP4) and this really sounds bad. When using "compatibility mode SP" and converting from WAV, it´s better but still has some artefacts. For standard SP mode, direct recording in real time is the best option in my opinion if you want the best possible sound quality. The official specs are 16Bit 44.1Khz at 292kbps so it´s similar to 320kbit/s mp3

[@enricoself2256]

@@MultiWirth for casual listening and portable media, MD in SP quality is undistinguishable from a CD. LP2 is quite terrible (worse than a 128 kbit mp3) and Lp4 can be used only for voice recording. Atrac pre-dates mp3 and it uses computational power available in the early/mid 90's. If you consider that an average PC from late '90's was barely able to do a real-time compression in mp3, ATRAC must have used much simpler math and transformation. None the less, audio results are pretty good, much better than a compact cassette and comparable to CD for the not-so-demanding listener. I use it exclusively as a portable format and it that regards it is the best physical media format.

[@MultiWirth]

@@enricoself2256 later hi-md models were able to directly decode mp3 files. Also my 1997 Compaq Armada 7770DMT laptop using a Pentium MMX @233Mhz can decode and play 320kbit/s mp3 just fine. It even plays flac audio in VU Player without any issues. I think in the late 90s and early 2000s every new pc with pentium III and such will be powerful enough to handle mp3 both encode and decode. Only disk space was an issue back then. Atrac predates mp3 but they coexisted as it quickly became popular on file sharing sites. The thing about efficiency and maths power was only archieved by improving the minidisc device's architecture just like with mp3 players later. The first ever mindisic recorder from sony was a huge device, it's battery life was barely enough to play a 60min MD. There was a lot of processing power involved as it seems but later models got very efficient by improving the architecture. So there was less intense processing needed.

[@enricoself2256]

@@MultiWirth decoding mp3 and atrac is much simpler than encoding such files. The algorithm is intentionally designed to be asymmetrical, high processing power for encoding, low demand for decoding to allow portable devices with long battery life. But ATRAC, differently from mp3, was also used in recorders which relied on batteries; battery life on recording is typically half of even less than in playback, partly because of higher demand from the pick-up (higher intensity laser and coils to generate magnetic field) but also the DSP needs more power than in decoding. Surely a dedicated DSP can be made more efficient than a general purpose CPU encoding in software, but it's the 90's, DVD players needed a fan to keep the decoding DSP cool and pocket sized MD recorder run on two AA batteries. I think ATRAC cut some corners to be so power efficient; maybe later revision (type R or type S) improved the math due to improvement in DSP, but still results are remarkable to my ears

[@alextirrellRI]

I got a HiMD recorder in 2006 for recording our college choir concert tour of Italy. I'm very glad I held onto it. I actually didn't use the 1GB minidiscs much -- you could also use the regular minidiscs, so I did that pretty often.

[@danthemainman1]

Yep. Most of the online sources aren’t really clear about it, but you can use the HiMD recording modes on standard MiniDiscs (and it about doubles the storage capacity), or you can use the standard MiniDisc modes (like SP, LP2, and LP4). For that matter, you can record about a half hour’s worth of PCM audio on a standard MiniDisc using a HiMD recorder.

[@guymitchell4784]

I never tried sticking a regular minidisc into the HD player...

[@waltongraham7031]

@@danthemainman1😊

[@IncognitoChild]

​@@danthemainman1 If you format a standard 80 min minidisc for Hi-MD, I think it's around about 305 Mb which is 20-30 minutes of PCM recording (from memory - off the top of my head)👍😎

[@i._.O]

I'm a huge fan, user and collector of the format; blanks, walkmans, decks and I really appreciate all your videos covering the format. Looking forward to more related videos.

[@headwerkn]

Colin: “But a lot of people these days don’t want to record their music in real time” 1980s/1990s me: “Damn millennials and zoomers don’t know what they’re missing!” Also 80s/90s me: high speed dubbing mix tapes 😊

[@kaitlyn__L]

Extremely underrated comment!

[@user-yv2cz8oj1k]

I recorded gigs on minidisc, the amps people used were normally terrible but I was recently able to deal with a lot of the noise using modern software.

[@CurritmoRx]

Thanks for another MD episode and your ongoing appreciation for the theme 👍! I use Sony Decks still, almost daily, even in the studio (for recording sessions or direct monitoring of synths with S/P-Dif etc.). I can’t belive it but it’s for 22 years now. I was never disappointed by this technology and it’s always good to see you knowing the facts about the MD themes. Always thumbs up to your videos!

[@williamschneider3355]

Great video! If you ever find time for a sequel, it would be great to explain ATRAC, Type S and Type R, and their impact on audio quality.

[@ARTofTY-TV]

I would also appreciate a video on that.

[@aaronfitzgerald9109]

ATRAC type R and type S are the exactly the same in SP mode, but ATRAC type S, is better quality in LP2 and LP4 modes

[@wxdfg]

I got the Sony mds-je780 that has got type s on it and it does improve mdlp recordings. Use lp2 for music and lp4 for voices and documentary. 💽👍

[@ArtakaWorksStudio]

I don't own any midiscs and didn't even know they existed up until a few years ago, but man I am in love with their designs. Best way I can describe it is "retro futuristic".

[@acalthu]

I use mine exclusively for ripping my audio tapes and vinyls, and making mix tapes from Spotify, so it's always the real time experience for me. But I simply love the format, and its resiliency. i recently managed to find the factory MD head unit for my older BMW, and i've got a dedicated set of discs on rotation in the car, so far they'e held up to the harshness of hot weather just fine.

[@DuckAlertBeats]

Records!

[@life5161]

@@DuckAlertBeats Thank u. Vinyls....... 🤣🤦‍♂️. What a World we live in today. Calling records Vinyls is about as good as the You Tube phone reviewers saying these phones have great bass. 🤦‍♂️

[@DuckAlertBeats]

@@life5161 I hate to be pedantic but we can't let vinyls become normalised :)

[@svenschwingel8632]

I received a pristine MZ-RH1 yesterday, including two working LiPo batteries and 5 HiMD discs. The OLED display is still bright. It's truly amazing what Sony managed to fit into that small thing. It did cost me 440€, though.

[@CharlesMuccia]

Great Video! I still have 2 home decks, 3 portables and about 300 MDs. I still use it occasionally to copy CDs and record streaming music. It's such a cool format and the technology behind is pretty impressive, even today.

[@catgirl_eva]

The MZ-R3 is a beautiful unit, but my favorite has to be the MZ-R37. Kind of feel like pulling my old portable unit out and make some discs again.

[@matthewjdouglas6471]

Did you ever come across the mz-b100

[@toms5996]

I still have my MiniDisk tower (they made those!) by Sony with all my pre-recorded MDs (around 60) and plentry of recorded ones. MD was somewhat popular in Finland in the late 90s. (The tower had one drawback as you couldn't fit 2 disk releases but the tower itself still looks slick and stylish lol) And I still have my 5MD/5CD changer + portable MD player all in my storage - there is something cool about them.

[@piotrw4091]

Just out of curiosity - 5MD changer? Did you mean car changer? Or there is deck-like changer. I was looking for something like but did not found anything such thing yet. BTW two years ago (or so) I joined to the MD family. Two decks and one portable so far. All the best to those loving the format.

[@toms5996]

@@piotrw4091 My player is Sony DHC-MD555 Shelf system with 5-disc CD changer and 5-disc MD recorder/player/changer I bought in 12/1998. I bought it in Finland. Basically a home system. When I bought it, it was quite expensive. I tried checking eBay(fakes etc.) and other sources but couldn't find much info - perhaps it was for our European market - your have to check that yourself? I'm not sure I could ever part from my MD systems. In fact I think in my next apartment I will set up my MD tower, my MD system etc. on display - but to be used. (Did I mention that my systems are almost mint since I have worked allover the globe and haven't had time to use them.)

[@RobiticDuck]

I've never seen a minidis player, I don't know anything about minidisc players. But dang am I interested in minidisc videos from channels like this.

[@hamio48]

I've had minidisc for many years now...3 component decks and 4 or 5 pocket portable units. I still use the component decks to create cut-down, multi-artist collections. Sounds great and I love the hands-on experience of rolling my own.

[@d3dude]

One thing that no one mentions about recording CD's to minidiscc is this. I put 5 CD's in my CD Player, and program a bunch of tracks to play ramdomly over the 5 discs. I then set my MD recorder to Synchro Record and push the record button. It then sits there an waits for the source to be played. I then push play on the CD changer. The MD starts to record automatically. Now here is the best part. When the CD changer is switching between disc's and tracks, the MD will automatically put a 3 second gap between each track, no matter how long the CD changer takes to start playing the next track or disc. I can have the CD changer play songs from a different disc for every song and it still puts a 3 second gap between the recorded songs. So real time recording doesn't really matter. I start it going and then go and do something else for the 74 minutes it takes to do the recording. When I get back sometime later, I look at the last recorded tradk, and if it isn't complete I erase it. This is way way easier than recording from a computer to other media, and doesn't mean I have to spend any effort or time figuring out how much music will fit on the recorde disc, or like I used to do when recording to tape. BTW, thanks for pointing out the two links for Sonic Stage and Web Minidisc Pro. My MZ-R30 stopped working a couple of weeks ago and I'm in the market for a replacment recorder. I can now consider the net MD models.

[@antonio.x22]

I play 1 CD to record MD. I had Net MD and the device is not working any more. The MZ-R30 is excellent and I love it, it records used MDs, while an Onkyo only records new MDs. The good news about the Onkyo: I can record 2x speed dubb, also I can record from its toslink with the 2 seconds of scape between tracks. :o !

[@klaushergesheimer8602]

Wow, Collin did it again. After his very good documentary of Mini Disc now this buyers guide. However you forgot to mention a very cool and important feature of the Web Mini Disc Pro software: You can not just upload music from your computer to a MD device, you can also download (copy) music from your device back to your computer with a lot of NetMD devices. This is especially important for people who want to archive their old discs without having to record them back to a computer in real time.

[@ThisDoesNotCompute]

I actually went into the option for downloading from MDs, but ended up cutting the segment for time - I figured it wouldn’t be very relevant to those new to the format. But for those with old recordings it’s very exciting that it’s available now!

[@MacCrafter707]

I still have all the minidiscs and players I bought back in the 90s. Love them.

[@rmt74358]

You said a lot of people called MD a failure. I 100% disagree. If it was a failure is because it was not known by many looking for that market. Up until 1999-2000 I never knew it existed and I got into the format just as it was dying. I showed it to many people and they loved it. They just could not afford it.

[@Synthematix]

Just bought a sony MDS-JB930 recorder, f**king hell it sounds good, real good.

[@soundguydon]

I love MD. I've loved the format since my freshman year at college (1995). I worked with MD and DAT at the same time & although DAT was technically better (uncompressed), nothing could match the portability and convenience of MD. For me it was the literal replacement for cassettes, since I could record, erase, re-record, etc.etc. I still have a home deck and a portable. I don't use them as much as I used to anymore, but I still love the format. In college, we used a professional deck for sound cues and such; The pro deck would cue up the next track at the instant of the first sound, and would buffer it into memory, so when I hit the play button, the sound was instant. LOVED it. If you didn't live through the era of going from analog to digital, you really can't understand the magic that was the MD. Digital audio recording was virtually unobtainable for the average Joe until MD came out. It was (relatively) affordable, easy to use and just plain awesome. Thanks for the video!!

[@reminiz]

You’re the reason I got back into MD Colin!

[@antunkatona5674]

Another superb MiniDisc video! Thanks, Colin! Mind you, I would like to point out a few things you may have missed 😉 First, NetMD was indeed equipped with MDLP functionality as standard, but MDLP was actually introduced two years earlier. The first portable recorder to use it was the Sony MZ-R900. Next year there was the MZ-R909 and only then came the MZ-N1, the first NetMD recorder. Second, Europe was probably as big of a market for MD as Japan. The online data doesn’t really show it but in Japan, MD was predominantly a portable format, mostly due to Japanese lifestyle and the need to miniaturise everything, whereas in Europe, it was equally popular as both a portable and home recording format. In Europe, MD reappeared in 1998 and while it was way out of reach for a 15-year-old kid like me, I used to find it so exciting to visit authorised Sony and Panasonic centres (and steal a bunch of catalogues while no one was looking!). One thing I’d like to point out to any new potential MD user is that it probably makes more sense to buy a recorder than just a player, even if you don’t intend to record any discs. The reason being is that manufacturers typically made only higher-end players. To an MD consumer, “higher-end” means smaller, lighter and made from metal. That also means more expensive which is also true today so it isn’t uncommon to pay less for a recorder than for an equivalent player. One other thing to point out is that mostly ALL recorders, no matter if they’re entry-level or high-end, have full MD editing capability. That means you can divide a single track into multiple tracks, join tracks together, rearrange track order, delete and add new tracks as well as enter track and disc titles. You do not need to go higher than an entry-level recorder to do all of this. A higher-end model will typically have a microphone input and more accessories than just headphones but it will be the same machine more or less. A high-end model will be typically made from metal (aluminium or even magnesium alloy), come with even more accessories and have longer battery life. There might be variations in feature set across the line-up but nothing that would make a more expensive machine “so much better” than a cheaper one. That really is the beauty of MiniDisc. Regarding reliability, I have found MiniDisc devices to be flawless. Providing you take care of your machine as you would a modern smartphone, it can last for many years and certainly longer than just about any piece of electronics you can buy today. One thing the user should be mindful of is not to shake (or drop) the recorder while it is recording. Just treat it as a smartphone! This is turning into one long post and I apologise but I must say one more thing. I think it’s probably fair to say that MiniDisc is possibly one of the most reliable formats of data storage. Aside from the fact that the discs themselves are nearly indestructible, the actual error-correction system employed is so advanced that there is zero chance of incompatibility between different machines and discs, irrespective of make, model or generation. As we know, CD has never been so reliable. It is because Sony spent significant time and resources into MiniDisc development, as if someone’s life depended on its perfect operational record. Unfortunately, this was also the downfall of MiniDisc because upon its release in 1992, even the fastest home computers couldn’t cope with the computational demands of the format, let alone chips that were designed for battery operation. The truth of the matter was, MD was just too advanced and too demanding on the semiconductor industry. It wasn’t until 1995 or so that chip manufacturers started to catch-up in terms of computational speed, miniaturisation and power efficiency. While taken for granted today, implementing a mathematical coprocessor for floating point operation was basically science fiction in 1992 and it wasn’t until 1999 that they managed to implement it into the MiniDisc format. Sony named the technology “DSP Type-R”. So, there’s a lot more than meets the eye, even if you own an entry-level machine. If one wanted to look at a cross-section of advancement in modern computing and component miniaturisation, MiniDisc is probably one of the best examples. Whew… In case anyone is interested in what a good entry point into the world of MiniDisc is, these are my two recommendations: Sony MZ-N707 and Sony MZ-N710. Both are NetMD, fairly common and therefore relatively affordable, will be simple to use for an MD newcomer and have a great array of features. The “coolness” factor is guaranteed and you’ll be able to discuss your toy with your work colleagues during a coffee break. Colin, thanks again! Cheers everyone!

[@spaceted3977]

My Sharp and Sony Minidisc Recorders are advertised on Amazon for £300 each !!!! I really dont think they are Worth That Much !!!! My Tascam Multi Track Recorder was about the same Price !!!! A lot of songs can't be Copied today !!!! My Tascam won't copy any Music even through Speakers and Microphones !!!! So I don't think you will be able to copy any new Music on a Mini Disc !!!!

[@kayjay7214]

Thanks for this amazing video. I picked up a mint Sharp MT190, boxed and unused with all accessories, and this video helped me to understand where it fits into the progression of minidisc technology.

[@FireSharkFury]

Was always interested in the format and thanks to your video I knew what to look for. I bought a Sony MZ-N710 NetMD unit today that came with caddy, remote and 30 disks for an absolute bargain price of €100! Great video as always!

[@Markimark151]

I used Minidiscs in high school, it was fun to record music, but I wish there’s more production of new blank minidiscs, because it’s expensive. The players are not too hard to find, especially when Techmoan has dozens of players!

[@nickvickers3486]

Yes, Techmoan going through those mountains of Minidisc players was very compelling viewing! And now This does not compute too. I knew one guy at uni that had MD and that was about, it but they do look very cool

[@Markimark151]

@@nickvickers3486 Techmoan should sell some of those minidisc players, he would not only make money of fixing broken ones, but also making it easier for people to get one in working condition!

[@retromario6130]

That era of Sony MD and MP3 players from the early 2000’s really solidified how I “collect” music. I don’t like physical and I don’t like streaming. So my favourite way to “own” music is through MP3 files that are stored on a hard drive and I can transfer them to any device.

[@nmcinturf]

I loved my minidisc player back in the day. It was and is still such a cool format. I was thinking of getting back into it before I realized it was "a thing". Thanks for making this buy guide so clear.

[@noahderrington5156]

I love MiniDisc, I worked in HiFi retail at the time in the UK and sold / swapped them constantly. I owned so many different players and recorders and still have a huge collection of MDs and several high end decks. Obviously the format doesn’t make sense anymore but I find it so nostalgic and love the designs.

[@abdelali9279]

I do remember there was an ad of a man going into a drive thru that got this Tron Legacy looking women uploading music to a minidisc, selling the idea how easy and practical the medium was somewhat like fast food takeout, and I was always fascinated with that tech, although I think in my country they never sold, my mum got a Sony Walkman and then out of nowhere MP3 players were coming out of nowhere to stay, and eventually I got my first iPod a nano, but the retro future of magneto-optical media, that was a mixture of the convenience of MP3 but with the involvement of an old cassette player, where you have to create your own mixtapes, and especially I like those Net MD units as they still have that early 2000s aesthetic that I always love.

[@jolebole-yt]

Your channel is pure gold for this type of retro stuff!

[@Daijaga]

I cannot believe how easy it was to run the Minidisc wiki converter!!! I bought a new sony MZ a decade ago and was scared off by Sonic Stage. So unbelievably thrilled to be able to FINALLY use this!!!!

[@kaitlyn__L]

I had no interest in NetMD since I experienced SonicStage’s awfulness with a Sony MP3 player, so these new softwares are very intriguing.

[@minidiscwiki2232]

Thank you

[@davebaker3256]

I use my Hi-MD every to record a radio show and I upload it with Sonic Stage. It is a pain but I've gotten use to it. I may have to try that other one soon.

[@joeblankenship377]

I only have one prerecorded MD-“The Sky is Crying” by Stevie Ray Vaughan. It’s not easy to find albums on discogs that you would actually want to own and listen to, and when you do, they’re crazy expensive. I’ve got an R37, R50, 410, and N707. I like having physical media when I discover new music, so I can grab stuff from streaming and flip through a tray of all the new stuff I’ve been getting into lately. Helps me retain the music in my head too.

[@gglidd]

That sharp 702 on the table is hitting me right in the nostalgia

[@williamboyd56]

Great video! Super informative and a delight to watch! Just got myself an MZ-N707 and can’t wait to dig into it!

[@Pommster]

I loved Minidisc! I had a MZ-R55 with the sidecar battery holder. I transferred music over optical from a portable Sony cassette/CD “boombox” which I cannot remember the model number of, but that was fantastic too (it was silver and there was a little flap at the front that revealed the optical and line out ports; CD player was in the top).

[@GannDolph]

Bought in to minidisc in 1995 in college. Great for mixes and live recording. For high quality digital &portable, the only choices were minidisc or DAT (DCC was clearly dead on arrival). By 1999 most all of my NYC friends working in finance, advertising, consulting etc. had minidisc portables. Anyone who didn't used discman, as cassette was 100% dead mainly due to lack of random access. Minidisc was huge until the mp3/ipod/hardDisk/flashMemory player wave thoroughly washed MD away --just like that 2004 tsunami... great format for its time and for what it offered ....

[@DeFi-Macrodosing]

My hobby is to find broken units and fixing them. My worst enemy is battery leakage on the motherboard, which you mention; luckily, it is easy to spot before you buy. Every time I open these units I marvel at the miniaturisation - Sony was great at solving complex challenges with simple solutions, like flexible ribbon cables. My favourite unit is the MZ N910, however the most robust unit I have ever worked on was the MZ R50 - solid build! Fantastic video, Collin, your storytelling skills are second to none.

[@matthewjdouglas6471]

Do you purchase working devices, I have two very nice working and tested Sony mz-b100 models

[@guymitchell4784]

Hey! I own 5 of these players. One MZN505 type R, two Mz-NE410 players, One MZ600D (used) and One MZ600D NEW IN PLASTIC PACKAGE (never opened). My daughter's BF stole another MZ600D from me (also unopened) and I never found out what he did with it...probably sold it. I have maybe 30 disks. The only HD disks I have are the two that came with the MD600D's and one of them is still wrapped up with the unopened player. They ALL look and play like new. I take the HD player with me everywhere and I love listening to hours of music with a AA battery. I would like to get rid of some music that I don't listen to and add some more albums I never did transfer. I need that SONIC STAGE work around.

[@Pro-gressive]

I used to record my DJ sets onto MD from my vinyl decks - was good for handing out as demos for booking and such. I’m really warmly nostalgic for MiniDisc.

[@headwerkn]

MiniDisc wasn’t a failure here in Australia but it was arguably a bit late to take off. It wasn’t until the late 90s that prices became tolerable and the small size offered a compelling alternative to portable CD units, especially for exercise. I got an MZR55 like yours in 1999 which was great for a time, but started failing barely 3 years later. A person at a local Sony Shop admitted later to me that model was a bit notorious for drive mechanism failures. Conversely my brother had an MZ-R90 that was still working perfectly fine by the time I sold it in 2014 (for $50 - now worth 4x as much!). I also had a Japanese market Alpine combo MD-CD head unit that was pretty darn sweet.

[@csx4402]

I still have mine and love it. It's the blue one with the ability to record. I glad to be watching this video.

[@papitoredmusic1]

I once create a mixtape cassette out of a live concert which was recorded on MiniDisc. I loved how I was able to bookmark, swap out and move tracks around quicker and then bounce the final mix to a retail cassette format. These were at the final days of my cassette adventures. Something tells me I'll be revisiting the cassette tape world in the near future.

[@jredacted]

I’ve been going to goodwills and thrift stores for over 2 years just to find one of these and I’ve never seen one in the wild. They day I do, I will cherish it for life

[@nakkistromberg3946]

During watching this, I bought myself a MZ-R37 online. So thanks Colin for the video! Have been meaning to get back to MiniDisc for a long time, but have only owned an entry level Sony playback-only portable, which I purchased on the whim when I was something like 10yold and these things were already on outlet sales. Just to realize that I can't have any music on it. So I had to buy a recording unit, MDS-JE510 (used, from a local music enthusiast). That I still have and It's working OK, does have the "Eject/NoDisc" symptom however, need to fix it some day. I also own a NetMD MZ-N505 but that has seen some life, and does skip and keeps horrible noises, so barely usable. Can use it to record though...

[@LaurenGlenn]

Thank God.... :) With people getting into records and cassettes again, MiniDisc deserves a bit of attention because it was amazing back in the day. I loved mine through the 90s.

[@clevelandkeith]

Techmoan did great cover of this topic too, worth a watch.

[@myownalias]

I had a Sharp 702 for years, and continued using it well into the iPod/mp3 times, it finally died in 2008, and wouldn't power on anymore. I don't think I could go back to physical media now, I could not imagine having to carry another device other than my phone now. But its great to see a new generation discovering the wonders of legacy media devices.

[@growingup15]

I recently got into Minidisc. a friend of mines from the UK sent me one out here to the US. I love it so much. I'm planning to record my Album onto it soon and is planning to buy a bunch of new Blanks to record more music onto it. feel like this format is the best when it comes to owning your music. the disc is protected in a case and is not easily damaged like CDs or Tapes are. if anything I can see Minidisc truly living out well into the future

[@kaitlyn__L]

I think they’re pretty ideal for archival, except for the data density of course. The recordings are much more stable than a CD-R, since it’s magnetic instead of dye-based, but also much more stable than tape since it can’t be rewritten without being heated-up first.

[@zerazerazerazerazerazerazera]

Techmoan has some really nice videos looking at a bunch of different minidisc players from Japan.

[@Riccardo_Mori]

I have vivid memories of MiniDisc players and blank discs being readily available in electronics stores in the late 1990s when I lived in Italy. And I don't mean the occasional unit, but rather an entire shelf with, like, 20 different models from Sony, Aiwa, Panasonic, Kenwood, etc. In my case, I didn't turn to MiniDisc then because it was an expensive format compared to CD, and portable MD players generally cost twice as much as CD players. But yeah, I agree with you when you say that MiniDisc was less of an obscure format than people tend to think or remember. Today I'm definitely into MiniDiscs. I have a non-portable Sony recorder hooked to my iMac (to record all kind of audio), plus a couple of portable players which are rather compact and a pleasure to carry around. Anyway, great video, Colin! Cheers! //Rick

[@Paulo_5002_]

I got the portable Sony MZ-R55 in 1999 or 2000. And still works. Great gadget.

[@FranticPixel]

I really appreciate this video! I still have my players and disk. I loved this technology so much!

[@hundun5604]

I still use my Sony PSP, that use UMDs. The UMD has 1.8GB storage. I can't record with it though, but it does play mp3/4, WAV, WMA, AAC, AVI and ATRAC.

[@marcusa.rivera6377]

Evolved from cassette! Record a million times. Digital Sound quality was superb!

[@ianz9916]

I'm in the UK and I have about 40 MiniDisc machines including a couple of home decks and a mini system with radio, cassette, CD and MiniDisc. Maybe HiMD models are hundreds of dollars in the U.S. but I have 4 of them and I didn't pay over £100 for any of them. The most recent HiMD purchase was January last year and that set me back £87 which is only a little over $100. I guess I must have been lucky with my home decks, both of them are MDS-JE330 models and both work perfectly. One of them was a freebie that the seller threw in with a job lot of unopened blank discs that I bought and the other one was only £50. I found the Vapex gumstick batteries to be pretty reliable and they're available new for £6. I would also recommend the MyVolts ripcord leads. They do both 6V and 3V varieties and allow you to charge your MiniDiscs from any 5V USB port including your computer with the added benefit that they are much smaller than the AC power bricks and the cable is far less likely to degrade than the supplied bricks. If you are recording old mono vinyl to MiniDisc, setting the record mode to mono will double the playback time on a standard MD but still be playable on the non-MDLP models.

[@rosemarysandcastle]

doublepow batts are better and cheaper

[@ianz9916]

@@rosemarysandcastle In what way better? They're 50 mAh lower capacity and 5p cheaper. I've used loads of Vapex ones with no problems at all and no deterioration over several years.

[@rosemarysandcastle]

@@ianz9916 iv had loads of vapex die out fast and they dont hold half the charge they say on them. i use doublepow in md cd and tape walkmans. vapex wont even outdo sonys from 20 years ago

[@ianz9916]

@@rosemarysandcastle Not my experience but I'll keep an eye out for it. I suppose it also depends who you buy them from and how long they've been sitting in stock too.

[@ianz9916]

@@rosemarysandcastle I've ordered a couple of doublepow batteries so I can do my own comparison. You can never have too many gumstick batteries anyway. I've been using the Cellonic LIP-12 batteries for my MZ-R2, MZ-R30 and MZ-R35 as they come with a 3 year warranty so hopefully they will last.

[@jairtzinio]

I got a nedmd player in highschool. Best gift i ever got.

[@marioalleyne8559]

I worked for Sony during that time and I still own a mint MZ-R 55 and I absolutely love it. Sony used to be a company that innovated light years ahead of other companies I loved working there in the day I managed to salt away a few gems like early model portable CD players. Sony glasstrons an the star of my collection is an Aibo ERS-210A

[@Patchpirate]

I have just came across this video. We purchased one of these brand new and ours also has a digital TV tuner module on it. I checked and almost forgot about this item and we also have 16 discs that are still in the rapper and never opened. I purchased it for the wife at the time. She never got to hardly use it at all due to loss of vision. She could not read the little digital display at the time. I tested the TV tuner portion on it and it was kind of nice to be able to listen to live TV.

[@erices5252]

had a really nice portable MD player by Sharp that lasted from 98-2015...also had an 8 track mixer/MD recorder from Yamaha that I would record demos for bands in Seattle back in those days.

[@Gerkozielman]

Great video Colin, Thanks. At a local radio station, back in the nineties. we used the Sony MZ-R3 portable recorder a lot. Good solid recorders! And what a great re-use tip you gave at 26:10 !

[@DrKJPalmer]

Great guide. I've been into MD since the early 2000's and MDLP times. Never really left the format, though like most went down the MP3 player route. Now their batteries are dying, have come back to MD with a vengeance! All my older MDLP portables are still working perfectly - mostly AA only units. I also have several HiMD recorders and I actually would recommend them. I mostly use the bog-standard MZ-NH600 which may be affordable and has great sound quality. They can still use 'standard' MDs if you can't get/afford the 1GB disks and benefit from higher capacity than MDLP. I'm using MD every day now and loving it!

[@theelectronage]

Awesome documentary man. Happy minidisc anniversary everyone.

[@ZXRulezzz]

TL,DR; - if you're getting an Aiwa AM-F75/80, be sure to get its original AC adapter too to avoid problems :^) The real pain with that Aiwa (I have almost the same AM-F80) portable isn't the custom battery - if one knows their way around a soldering iron, it can easily be replaced with an ubiquitous "pouch" LiPo cell of similar dimensions, bypassing battery contacts and wiring it into the points on the board directly; in my experience, those hinged contacts don't perform well after 20 years. The real pain with that Aiwa is the AC adapter. It's probably somewhat unregulated, current-limited 4.5...6V, despite being marked as 4.5V. I don't remember the exact specs of the original, but my unit will operate fine with any old 5V, and it'll absolutely refuse to charge if it doesn't get approx. 6V first. It then starts charging, and voltage drops down to around 4.5V. Maybe my unit was somehow faulty in that regard, but that's my experience with it. (also see the service manual/schematic for proof that the DC input on the unit accepts a bit more than 4.5V) Mine was missing an original AC adapter, so I had to make my own - I initially thought I could just get away with an USB cable and a dropper resistor. And that extra AA attachment - it's just an extension - it only complements the internal battery runtime, but the unit doesn't seem to operate on the AA alone. And there's also extra battery inside that keeps the clock ticking, which may or may not need a replacement - it is used for an alarm and timestamping its own recordings.

[@dutchbachelor]

I still have my MZ-G750 (R700 with a radio in the remote) and it still works like a charm. I will try to keep buying that style if it should break. MDLP is all I need and that it runs quite some time on a single AA

[@cornelbaluta]

Cool video, thanks for sharing your experience with the MD. I have ignored this format because from where I am and lived in Eastern Europe it was very expensive. Now living in the UK I have access to all the amazing gadgets ever made. This year a friend of mine was kin to give away for free his Sony sound system with two faulty units: a SACD and a Minidisc MDS JB940. Got them for free, spend some money and time on belts and fixing all the issues. But I became addicted by the Minidisc and I enjoy recording and playing music on one of the best format ever. I have bought a Sony MD walkman MZ-N520 which I 've connected to a Bluetooth transmiter and now I can play minidiscs on my car sound system even that I have all the known music apps on my phone . 😂

[@PaulN504]

I had an MZ-R37 that I used back in the late 90s and early 00s (still have it actually and it still works). It was great for listening in my car using a tape adapter or for walking around campus when I was in college. While it definitely was not as common as some other formats I do remember seeing some other students with an MD player back then. Even in the early days of MP3 I got good use out of it, I'd just create a playlist on my computer, plug the MD into the audio out, and let it record. It was such a useful music player, though once I got an iPod I used it less. I still play around with it every once in a while, been thinking about getting a NetMD machine at some point so I can do a bit more with it.

[@GibusGang]

Yes but which one TASTES the best???

[@instography]

I've kept using minidiscs since they were introduced, mostly through a hi-fi deck. I've picked up 6 MZ-R30 / R35s on ebay for about £20 each, usually because they were sold as 'for parts / not working' and that was usually because the battery wouldn't hold a charge. It's a bit of a risk but in every case I've cut the old battery casing open (carefully, with a scalpel) and replaced the old (worn out, 30-year old) cell with a new 18650. They all work perfectly and I use them to record compilations through an optical link from my laptop (the headphone jack is also an optical out).

[@botapase]

I use my minidisc players with a Bluetooth transmitter. This way I can use my wireless headphones. It makes the user experience much better in 2022.

[@dirkg3343]

Being a big fan of MiniDisc myself ever since, It was fun to watch your video! Concerning the reliability of MD Decks, I would generally recommend not to by all Sony Decks using the MDM-3 mechanism inside, like MDS-JE510 and -JE320. That mechanism is built quite cheaply and very prone to failure of position detection switches due to contact oxidation. Decks like MDS-JE520 and -JE530 using the MDM-5 or later mechanism are much more reliable. For portables. I would not recommend the Sharp MD-S701 and -S702 as they often fail with "UTOC Error" due to defective laser units and new replacement units are hard to find. If small dimensions are not a must for a portable, I can recommend the older Sony MZ-R30 and -R35 as well as Sharp MD-MS200, these ones are built very sturdy and reliable, the Sonys were often used for field recording by radio stations back those days. Replacement Li-Ion batteries are still available or the original batterie housings may be retrofitted with a new 18650 cell.

[@rebeccaschade3987]

Minidisc was not a failure. My Sony MZ-R500 still works perfectly, after 22 years. Sure, I don't currently use it a lot, but a couple of years ago, a local band who had some old recordings on minidisc, but no way of getting them off there, borrowed my Minidisc player, and problem sorted. Great format, sounds excellent, and very, very durable.

[@therealgaragegirls]

Love your channel. IDK I just love your calm voice and geeky projects. I collect old Apple computers, too. 💙

[@therealgaragegirls]

I lived in Japan through 1995. MD was really growing there at that time. I always thought it was a really cool format, but never got into it. But being into the whole retro futurism aesthetic, I've been interested in getting into it for the past few years. After watching this video, I think I'm going to go down this rabbit hole now. Thank you. ☺️

[@ThalassTKynn]

I've been getting into this again. I really regret getting rid of my one back in the day. One nice thing is the wiki does have pretty comprehensive manuals, including repair diagrams with part numbers and all that. I really wish the standard was open, though. An open source minidisc machine would be awesome!

[@23ofSeptember]

I just started collecting minidisc albums just over a year ago. So far, I have about 25 minidiscs. I recently found a Beatles Collection 3disc album at a used CD store for about 20 dollars.

[@Minionz]

You can import 10s-100s of these for dirt cheap from Japan. They are always listed as junk, but many/most work. The best way to go about acquiring them.

[@AlexanderLong]

So excited to see a video dedicated for the minidisc 30th anniversary. Had multiple device in the past, (2 of them unfortunately stolen, including the ever first Hi-MD) now still have the NH600D and the latest M200, and tons of recorded discs and brand new discs too. Would love to get a tower / desk unit someday too.

[@FintanMoloney]

I was a big fan of Minidisk back in the day. I was introduced to it from working in the production department of a radio station. We found them very handy for quick voiceover recordings, out on the field recordings and so on. We would then send the audio into Cool Edit Pro (now Audition) for editing. Side note - I had that same full size deck and it had that exact problem so I ended up scrapping it :( I also had a couple of portables but they all stopped reading disks and eventually they went also. I regret that now knowing it was a quick fix for the full size deck. This of course was around 2000 so I didn't think to look up a fix online.

[@GooieGreen]

I was always jealous of my older cousin that was all in on MiniDisc very early on. The amount of cables and decks that he had to use to rip music in the early days (or get something from a file share server on it). Unless you were really into tinkering or were in deep on BBS, I'm not sure how most people figured that stuff out back then.

[@leon_mnl]

great video!! i love these vintage audio ones the most i got in to minidisk in the late 90’s and eventually sold all of my portable audio (walkmans , discmans and minidisc) and always regretted it , now decades later i started to collect the models i use to have and actually restore (if needed) and use them , for that nostalgic feel , people are really surprised and some reactions are very positive and some are negative, but it is a conversation starter , some like to buy the refurbished items , so i might just find some quality items and fix them and re sell them … as for the gumsticks i found that the Pisen ones are of decent quality

[@darrenwells2277]

Have been a Minidisc user since the start. In my opinion it was the perfect format, you could record, wipe, move tracks around with ease. Even easier with NetMD. Still use it today and love the format

[@miroslavseda9136]

You have a pretty good collection of minidiscs. Currently, I just have a Sharp micro system with MD, but back then, I had a MD deck and two MD Walkmans. I'm thinking of buying one right now, but their prices are going up and up every day.

[@Onion_Knights]

always love minidiscs, will surely buy one again when i have the chance

[@ku-1500]

This video is perfect! Just got a VAIO desktop with a MD drive built in, and was looking to find some MD discs and player to go with it!

[@midimoog]

I've been into MiniDiscs since 1992 LOL. I had many of the recorders/players that were introduced in the video until they were lost (more likely stolen) during my moving to the new house. (I lost all my portable DATs too, including a WMD-DT1 that I loved and modded with an optical output jack and increased amp gain. -sigh-) This video brings back the memories and nostalgia of all that.

[@NOTuNOTme]

I was lucky enough to get a whole lot of units and used disks many years ago. Once the supply of new old stock discs dried up prices jumped a lot. When I was growing up MD units (new) were way out of my price league, somehow decades later they’re returning to that.

[@BenjiDalton]

I got my first md player in 2003. I used it so much! I lost it several years later when I moved. I was so gutted!

[@astyfoo]

*prices on eBay suddenly spike again* Oh well, I hope more people become interested in the format, I love Minidisc.

[@SunnysideViews]

Long live minidisc!

[@BanazirGalpsi1968]

I like physical media. " Extra stuff" he calls it. Accessories. But that's part of the fun! Swap out a physical accessory with one playlist for a different one with another playlist on it. So satisfying. And even more fun is the documentation and artwork that comes with the disc or tape or whatever. I'm a visual artist who gets into home publishing so that's also part of the appeal. Love the packaging.

[@BanazirGalpsi1968]

I had the one that he showed off as the premier recorder. What bug me about it was that the controls were on the bottom which was kind of awkward and stupid. But other than that I really enjoyed it. And I really enjoyed doing physical recordings in real time with it.

[@BanazirGalpsi1968]

Mzr37

[@jguo]

What I use my MD recorders the most: As DAC for my Macs. Just a mini toslink cable and anything you play off the Mac will be played back by the MD. Massively convenient than recording on discs.

[@TonyBanks21]

I used to love Minidisc !! Beck in the early 2000s I invested in both a Sony minidisc hi fi,and a minidisc Walkman,it is in my opinion the best format one could use for recording and playback-both the recording and playback quality is excellent,as well as the excellent editing facilities that surpass that of the cassette tape !! Nowadays I use Apple Music for downloads,but still have my Sony minidisc hi fi !!

[@FoxRivers778]

I was good with MD for many years and find this video quite informative. I did better with the portable MZ-N models vs. the home decks. I went through at least 2 Sony and 1 Tascam. The Tascam well outlasted the Sony models. The Sony had a problem of discs not loading or ejecting, and sometimes getting stuck, and or not reading the data on the disc. Just recently I found my Tascam now no longer can read the disc and will just eject it after trying for a few minutes. Otherwise, MD was great for recording music, especially radio programs that would last and hour or two and the LP format would allow me to record an entire 4 hour radio morning show every day and take to work to listen to. I would record on the Tascam and take the portable player in the car and to work.

[@markreed9853]

I had the Kenwood one which was basically the clone of the Sharp you showed. I got it in a clearance bin in a store for £92 - reduced from over £200 in the 90's I think. It had optical in but you had to label tracks manually which was a pain so I hardly used it and bought a portable CD player. Sadly sold it for £10 I think years later not realising the value now!

[@murenorocha]

I've got an MZ-R70. It's a nice little unit, not Hi MD, NetMD or anything fancy, but the fact it uses regular AA batteries holds it in high regard to me. No weird, proprietary batteries or bulky battery cases!

[@minty_Joe]

I still have my Sony MZ-N707 I bought in 2002. Still works great, although I need to get new discs and a new remote. The best part is it uses standard single AA batteries or I can use one of the 3 volt DC power supplies (one for home and one for my truck) to power it up. I'll have to check out that Web MiniDisc Pro and see if I have any luck with it.

[@cinemojoe]

Man I’ve had a HI-MD Sony Minidisc player laying around for years. Bought it around 2004/5. I had no idea people were getting into these, and even new albums being made in the format! That’s crazy. I actually bought mine mainly as a way to record lapel mic audio for wedding videos. They were small enough to hide in the groom’s coat pocket. Of course I did end up using them to play/store some mp3 albums as well but didn’t use them much after things like iPods and those Sansa clip mp3 players came out.

[@Junkman444]

nabbed my Sony MZ-R55 from Goodwill last year for $3 which included the AC adapter and had a home recorded MD in it. Works fine and has the optical in port for recording. need to really explore the format more.

[@slembcke]

Ahh! I should try and fix my old portable recorder. That thing was so great! I pulled it out of storage last time you posted a MD video, and it fails to read any discs. :( Best guess is it needs a cleaning and relubrication.

[@Error_4x5]

Daft Punk's Homework on MiniDisc is my holy grail. One day it will be mine.