15 votes

Any MiniDisc fans here?

Posted by oxyacetalyne
Tags: ask.survey, formats, minidisc

Minidisc has to be one of my all time favourite music formats! I believe it has all the benefits of CD and cassette. Such a shame it never reached it's full potential.

Anyone here who enjoys the format? Feel free to share what player(s) you have too!

24 comments

  1. [9]
    caliper
    Link
    Definitely was a huge fan. When the discman was popular, I was rocking my Sony MD! I had gone through many walkmans before my first MD and it was such a huge step up. Multiple CD on a single disc,...

    Definitely was a huge fan. When the discman was popular, I was rocking my Sony MD! I had gone through many walkmans before my first MD and it was such a huge step up. Multiple CD on a single disc, multiple discs fit in my pockets, it was perfect. And they were so neatly constructed and felt very sturdy. I think I ended up having two MD players before buying an iPod Video in 2007. I’m still using that: it’s 80GB and has a great DAC!

    4 votes
    1. [8]
      oxyacetalyne
      Link Parent
      Cool! I never really understood Discmans (Discmen?). Who would buy a portable music player that can't fit in a pocket? May I ask how you got multiple CDs on one disc? I didn't know you could do that!

      Cool! I never really understood Discmans (Discmen?). Who would buy a portable music player that can't fit in a pocket?

      May I ask how you got multiple CDs on one disc? I didn't know you could do that!

      1 vote
      1. [3]
        caliper
        Link Parent
        Don’t underestimate pants pocket sizes of the early 00s! But I agree, it definitely felt cumbersome to take all that with you. And they also skipped with the slightest shake. To me the MD was way...

        Don’t underestimate pants pocket sizes of the early 00s! But I agree, it definitely felt cumbersome to take all that with you. And they also skipped with the slightest shake. To me the MD was way more useful.

        I’m now not sure how/if multiple CDs fit on one disc. I do feel like it was possible to pick different bit rates, but I’m second guessing if that was really possible.

        4 votes
        1. [2]
          oxyacetalyne
          Link Parent
          Was it MDLP? I have a vague recollection of that but all my current players are too bad to use it.

          Was it MDLP? I have a vague recollection of that but all my current players are too bad to use it.

          1. caliper
            Link Parent
            You are absolutely right, that was it. Putting it into DuckDuckGo, I’m even getting one of the players I owned! Nostalgia https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/zzYAAOSwu-ljVtQu/s-l500.png

            You are absolutely right, that was it. Putting it into DuckDuckGo, I’m even getting one of the players I owned! Nostalgia
            https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/zzYAAOSwu-ljVtQu/s-l500.png

      2. [4]
        elguero
        Link Parent
        They are talking about MiniDiscs. Those had/have a capacity of multiple hours. So you could fit various CDs onto one MD. At the same time, the MD is in a plastic casing and thus very resistent....

        They are talking about MiniDiscs. Those had/have a capacity of multiple hours. So you could fit various CDs onto one MD. At the same time, the MD is in a plastic casing and thus very resistent. Similar to a 3 ½ floppy disk.

        1. [3]
          oxyacetalyne
          Link Parent
          all mine are 74 or 80 mins

          all mine are 74 or 80 mins

          1. [2]
            elguero
            Link Parent
            I had to go and look it up, because I didn’t think about MD for almost two decades… From Wikipedia: So it was another codec that gave more playtime, not the disc itself. I remember that I had a...

            I had to go and look it up, because I didn’t think about MD for almost two decades…

            From Wikipedia:

            In 2000, Sony announced MDLP (MiniDisc Long Play), which added new recording modes based on a new codec called ATRAC3. In addition to the standard, high-quality mode, now called SP, MDLP adds LP2 mode, which allows double the recording time – 160 minutes on an 80-minute disc – of good-quality stereo sound, and LP4, which allows four times more recording time – 320 minutes on an 80-minute disc – of medium-quality stereo sound.

            So it was another codec that gave more playtime, not the disc itself.

            I remember that I had a number of audio books and long form radio documentaries on those long formats. Was pretty neat. In addition, I used that to record jam sessions with my band back then.

            1 vote
  2. [2]
    Mak
    Link
    There was something immensely satisfying abour slotting a minidisc into the player and snapping it closed. If MP3 hadn't come along I think they'd have been challenging CDs in time.

    There was something immensely satisfying abour slotting a minidisc into the player and snapping it closed. If MP3 hadn't come along I think they'd have been challenging CDs in time.

    3 votes
    1. oxyacetalyne
      Link Parent
      True. I think the iPod was really what killed them off. MP3 was mostly computer-based or on cheap feeling, low capacity portables until that came out.

      True. I think the iPod was really what killed them off. MP3 was mostly computer-based or on cheap feeling, low capacity portables until that came out.

  3. [2]
    bd_rom
    Link
    Im still using the classic N505R with NetMD almost daily, using PlatinumMD to keep it alive on my Macbook. I'm actually planning a MD format release of my own music later this year too. There's...

    Im still using the classic N505R with NetMD almost daily, using PlatinumMD to keep it alive on my Macbook.
    I'm actually planning a MD format release of my own music later this year too. There's dozens of us still rocking the MD!

    2 votes
    1. oxyacetalyne
      Link Parent
      Awesome! I'd love to get a NetMD player someday! Sadly both my deck and player (MDS-JE520, MZ-E62) are both a bit too old.

      Awesome! I'd love to get a NetMD player someday! Sadly both my deck and player (MDS-JE520, MZ-E62) are both a bit too old.

  4. [9]
    lou
    Link
    A fan would be a stretch, but 20 or so years ago it was a pretty respected medium for high quality audio recording in production houses.

    A fan would be a stretch, but 20 or so years ago it was a pretty respected medium for high quality audio recording in production houses.

    1 vote
    1. [8]
      oxyacetalyne
      Link Parent
      Really? I thought the compression would have put them off.

      Really? I thought the compression would have put them off.

      2 votes
      1. [7]
        lou
        Link Parent
        I wasn't an audio guy, but I assume it was better or just as good as other alternatives at the time. Maybe it was mostly used as a transport medium. I'm not really sure. I'm talking video...

        I wasn't an audio guy, but I assume it was better or just as good as other alternatives at the time. Maybe it was mostly used as a transport medium. I'm not really sure.

        I'm talking video production here. Not music recording studios or anything like that.

        1 vote
        1. [6]
          oxyacetalyne
          Link Parent
          ah, that would make a bit more sense. basically, minidisc used ATRAC compression to fit the same data as a CD onto the physically smaller disc, making the audio sound slightly worse. Not really...

          ah, that would make a bit more sense.

          basically, minidisc used ATRAC compression to fit the same data as a CD onto the physically smaller disc, making the audio sound slightly worse. Not really noticable for home use, but it might have annoyed audiophiles.

          1. [2]
            lou
            (edited )
            Link Parent
            If you're outputting to a DVD that would play on a regular TV of the time, I don't think that compression would make a lot of difference in the end result.

            If you're outputting to a DVD that would play on a regular TV of the time, I don't think that compression would make a lot of difference in the end result.

            1 vote
            1. oxyacetalyne
              Link Parent
              Makes sense! I thought you were talking about music recording studios at the start.

              Makes sense! I thought you were talking about music recording studios at the start.

          2. [3]
            oidar
            Link Parent
            You might find this interesting: https://www.minidisc.org/multitrack_table.html . I had a multitrack recorder - I thought the compression sounded way more musical than the mp3's of that era.

            You might find this interesting: https://www.minidisc.org/multitrack_table.html . I had a multitrack recorder - I thought the compression sounded way more musical than the mp3's of that era.

            1 vote
            1. [2]
              oxyacetalyne
              Link Parent
              They're cool! Always loved the look of pro audio stuff. Wasn't MD-Data a totally different thing though? that's what most of them take

              They're cool! Always loved the look of pro audio stuff.

              Wasn't MD-Data a totally different thing though? that's what most of them take

              1 vote
              1. oidar
                Link Parent
                I don't recall the multitrack format specifically, but I did mix down to regular mini discs via an optical cable and that was the compression that I thought had a good coloration. I wonder if I...

                I don't recall the multitrack format specifically, but I did mix down to regular mini discs via an optical cable and that was the compression that I thought had a good coloration. I wonder if I still have the multitrack recorder in a closet somewhere.

                1 vote
  5. MrFahrenheit
    Link
    I loved MiniDisc. As far as portable music goes, it was such an improvement over both CDs and cassettes. If there had been a bigger gap between it and the iPod, we'd have probably seen a good...

    I loved MiniDisc. As far as portable music goes, it was such an improvement over both CDs and cassettes. If there had been a bigger gap between it and the iPod, we'd have probably seen a good percentage of albums released on MD.

    1 vote
  6. boredop
    Link
    I wasn't exactly a fan, but they were a convenient way to record my band's shows for a brief window in the '90s and '00s. I have a stack of them that I need to convert to flac files at some point.

    I wasn't exactly a fan, but they were a convenient way to record my band's shows for a brief window in the '90s and '00s. I have a stack of them that I need to convert to flac files at some point.