Topic: What about minidiscs? Where to begin>?

[sullen]

Hi Everyone!

Well it seems you all have moved onto HD for cost effective recordings. I dont see a 'getting started' type faq with minidisc recorders, or have i missed it?

Bottom line is I have decided against a nomad for size reasons. I want a (somewhat cheap, yet soemwhat decent sounding) minidisc recorder.

I want a minidisc for ease of getting into gigs. I know theyre compressed but this is only temporary to get practice taping before the band i really want to tape tours again. Save $$$ on the deck will allow more $$$ for mics and whatever else i will need to transfer everything over to a DAT or smaller HD when the time comes. Whom i want to tape tours once every 4 years, so that gives much time for research, but i also want to get out there and get hands on research with other bands.

WHERE do you start? What model of the 17,000 minidiscs do you buy?

Sharp is better, yes? but there seems to be few for sale. All I am seeing is the 702. How is this model?

Sony seems way more accessible, but they have 49834789797298579 different models.
Some of the recordings i adore that were taped with sony MDs, i never see these models for sale.

What is a decent cost effective sony md to look for? Or is the sharp 702 a better choice than a sony?

Any advice would be appreciated!
and if anyone has an MD theyre looking to get rid of feel free to contact me!!


Thanx!
~s

[Krispy D]

Yo sullen

Your right in that the sharp is usually going to be a better unit only cause you can adjust mic volume while your recording.  Not being able to do that is the sony's biggest drawback.  but they're cheap and easy to get so invest in a battery box with variable line levels and that takes care of that.  I make pretty decent recordings with a Sony MZ N-10.  It has a line in, mic in, optical in and out, kick ass battery life and the such.  This model goes on ebay for about $100.00-$130.00.  A worthwhile purchase unless you can find a used D8, which I've seen for as low as $160.00.  Check out minidisco.com for a good feature comparison chart.  They were a lot of help to me when I was shopping.

good luck
~kris

[musicsherlock]

When I started, I didn't know about this site (taperssection.com) so I started here http://www.t-station.net/forum/ There was a good group of people on there though I think most migrated here with the JB3 and full rig.

I started with a Sony MZ-N707 which was about $150 USD on eBay, but they have a problem with the optical read and mine crapped out after about 1yr and a half.  I then invested in a Sharp DR-7 (~$275 USD) which is the best so far (only drawback is that it does not have NetMD).

You should anticipate uses for your MD:
1. recording only - go with Sharp DR-7
2. recording and mp3 (or Atrac) type playback - go with one of the Sharp's with NetMD for faster transfer to your unit.
3. Playback only - go with a Sony with NetMD

I got out of the MD game before Hi-MD, but I understand that you can record in WAV for maybe 70-90 minutes per disc and there in now an Upload plug-in for SonicStage.  It used to be (and still is for the Sharp DR-7) that these only allowed for real-time analog transfer to PC.

Perhaps someone can start a Team MD in the Team Boards section.

BTW, a great pair of mics for Stealthing with MD are listed at eBay  : http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=7300311227&ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT


[edit]
+T's fellas...

[Wiesel]

I think you should take a look at the sony hi-md models (MZ-NH700 or MZ-NH-900).

They're not very expensive, and you can record uncompressed WAV or HI-SP (256kbps), with which you can aquire a much better quality recording compared to the "standard"-md (i think it records 132kbps in shortplay-mode). When recording uncompressed onto a 1GB hi-md, the disc hold 94:55 min which should be enough for many concerts. When recording in HI-SP, which is the best compressed recording-mode, the disc holds about 8 hours. You can upload the tracks via USB directly to you pc.

[urobouros]

And the newer sony md's will allow for on the fly volume adjustments.  My MZ-R909 does, though I only use it to record my 9 mo old's giggles and gurgles.  He's too fascinated by the full rig. 

[Wiesel]

And the newer sony md's will allow for on the fly volume adjustments.

Oh yeah, I forgot that... it's featured by all HI-MD models... except for the MZ-NH600D, which has no audio inputs at all (us-version; the european version has line + optical in).

Further information can also be checked up at http://www.minidisc.org

[bgalizio]

This is the route I took to get into taping. I bought a Sony MZ-N505 off eBay for $40. No mic input, but the bands I tape allow SBD patches. It's been a lot of fun getting into the community for a very low cost. Eventually, I'd like to move onto a full rig, but for the time being this works well.

I suggest you check out the "minidisc t-station" and the "minidisc community portal" for info on each recorder (google for the websites).

As said before, newer Sony units allow on-the-fly recording volume adjustments. The one thing to watch out for is that the Sony recorders default to auto-gain control. So, make sure you switch that to manual before you start rolling!

[Karl]

I'm going to go against the grain here and advise you to get a jb3 anyways.  The only reason you stated was the "ease of getting into gigs".  A jb3 is still small enough to stuff into most pockets.  And, it looks like a discman so security will never suspect it.  If you are running a small-as-possible  setup, then you will need a batt box, but that's still pretty small.

Plus, a jb3 will be cheaper than most md recorders.

[spreadheadtom]

I'm going to go against the grain here and advise you to get a jb3 anyways.  The only reason you stated was the "ease of getting into gigs".  A jb3 is still small enough to stuff into most pockets.  And, it looks like a discman so security will never suspect it.  If you are running a small-as-possible  setup, then you will need a batt box, but that's still pretty small.

Plus, a jb3 will be cheaper than most md recorders.

and no blanks to purchase