Topic: Help with minidisc

[Industrial]

So late last year I purchased a Sony MZ-R70 off of eBay.  As you may already now, it is as annoying as hell to buy minidiscs.  Normally all I can find are Sony (The colored ones).  I noticed when I was recording concerts I would check the minidisc player and it would be off.  I always put it on record, make sure it is recording, keep all the cables tight and then put the hold switch on.  When I am done and it is still on, I wait for all the processes to end before I shut it off.  It is extremely annoying, as I missed tonnes of concerts because of it.  A little more than half the concerts I recorded came out right.  The other half are cut, or they never recorded.  On Friday, I was recording some band and then I saw what was happening.  The cables didn't come loose, the hold was still on, it didn't say it stopped it said something like "minidisc error".  I tried to ignore it and record again, but then it started doing it around every 5-8 minutes.  I ended up getting two songs from the whole thing recorded and the worst part was, the audio quality was flawless! 

Pretty much I want to know if this is because the minidiscs I am using, or if it is a problem with my recorder.  Any help would be greatly appreciated and possibly assist in the release of some really good future recordings from good bands!

[bobt]

You could have a record head ribbon start to go on you. If that is the case, it will eventually start randomly randomly erasing discs as well. If I were me, I'de go with a Hi-md unit, an MX N-8-- can be got relatively cheaply, and it will let you upload recordings done on it to your puter, or go whole hog, get an RH-1 and you can digitally upload all your recordings.
HTH
Bob

[boojum]

I have an RH-1 and have used it to record in PCM (WAV) format.  The RH-1 has an excellent, low noise pre-amp and works well with the available electret mics.  And you can upload your files via USB to your computer.  You can also upload all your legacy MD's this way.  You cannot upload copies of commercial CD's, though.

If you are unhappy with the platform this will not solve your problems, however.  I still use mine form time to time.  I did move on to more expensive equipment.  But for recording in a very discrete manner the Hi-MD is good.  There are other options in this price range. 

[nameloc01]

There's a MZ-M100 HI-MD in the yard sale right now for $200, which is a very good deal. I've been using mine for several years now and have had *0* problems all the while making great recordings.

[Industrial]

Yeah I was looking at that.  Right now I still have a camcorder I am hoping to use more though so I am not sure.  Perhaps if it is still there when I make the money I could try to get it.  So it looks like this a problem with the minidisc player itself?

[Falconidave]

I'd say it is definitely a problem with the recorder.  I have an MZ-RH1 and never had a problem with it, 2 years now.  I had a MZ-M100 before that which gave me flawless service for over a year.  I only had issues with the crappy battery life in it.

[jacobmyers]

 The degenerative "DISC ERROR" issue has turned every MiniDisc device I've owned into a paperweight (mostly because repairing them is prohibitively expensive). As far as I can tell, it's something to do with the laser focusing/tracking mechanism. The device becomes progressively more sensitive to vibration and, eventually, just the vibration from spinning the disc up makes it impossible for the laser to "find a groove". Before this, it'll randomly stop recording (and turn off) or just refuse to read "certain" discs (giving the DISC ERROR message). It (generally speaking) has absolutely nothing to do with the disc itself (because it'll play back on a good machine).

 After three units failed (MZ-R700, and 2 x Tascam 564) I decided that MiniDisc wasn't worth the trouble of having to replace the device (because it's less expensive than the repair) after a year or two of use. I even went so far as to buy the service manual for the 564 but it treats the MD "drive" as a unit (to be replaced rather than repaired). I've had no luck finding that part (and I'm sure that it doesn't help that it's been discontinued for years).

 The transient-killing ATRAC compression was always a bummer. I know that there are HiMD devices that record PCM (and even considered the MZ-RH1 but decided against it because I don't want to deal with 1/8" inputs and proprietary battery). But HiMD means buying all-new discs (or extremely limited recording time on the "old" discs).

 Basically, I came to the conclusion that MiniDisc (as a medium) isn't worth the headache involved with recording with moving parts. I still have a JRE440 deck to transfer my backlog of MD recordings and I'll use it for that. Then it'll go into a box and sit on a shelf (along with my Tascam 488) in case I get some stuff in on MD for the PCA (see my signature).

 I've gone solid-state (as of this weekend, actually) and I'm not looking back. It takes less than five minutes to move 3+ hours of audio onto my computer (via USB 2.0 CF card adapter) and I don't have to worry about disc changes any more. Ever. Hoo-friggin-rah. Of course, my initial investment was roughly equal to what I've paid for my (used) MD stuff over the years. But the advantages, especially in terms of "streamlining work-flow" and ease-of-use, truly are priceless.

 Good luck!

[sunjan]

...get an RH-1 and you can digitally upload all your recordings.

I made a move from MD to solid state a few years ago and never looked back.
That said, if you have a lot of legacy MD recordings that you want to transfer, getting an RH-1 is a great idea. It's the only model that allows you to upload legacy MD at data transfer speed.

If you don't have much archive material, and the idiosyncracies of the (Hi-)MD platform freaks you out, I'd have a look at other recorders instead. There's plenty of choice nowadays.

[Industrial]

I think eventually I will try to get a better minidisc recorder.  I love the size, and having the Master tapes afterwards.  I looked at DAT, but it looks way too expensive for me at this point plus it's kind of big to sneak into shows when I already got the camcorder in my pants lol.

Thanks for all the help guys :]

[taper420]

Get an IRiver 120 and do the CF card mod. Best cheap recorder there is. Still love my RH1 though... just used it for backup this weekend and got a pretty good pull that turned out to be a nice second source. I still have my r70's though and they still work flawlessly.

[illconditioned]

Get an IRiver 120 and do the CF card mod. Best cheap recorder there is. Still love my RH1 though... just used it for backup this weekend and got a pretty good pull that turned out to be a nice second source. I still have my r70's though and they still work flawlessly.

The analog stage on the minidisc is *very* good for a portable recorder.  Sounds great for loud sources (line in), very low noise (mic in) for ambient recording and quiet/acoustic shows.  Also I like minidiscs to loan out and/or leave unattended, hidden in various places I would like to record from .

Eventually I'll go for the Sony PCM-D50 to get both a great analog stage and the benefit of solid state memory.

  Richard