Michael and Two Mindisc Recorders

Want To Start Recording?

by Michael Johnson

Michael will be taking questions for this month only on our discussion page. Take advantage if you have technical or purchasing questions...

Want to record something and youíre looking for a relatively inexpensive way to do it without sacrificing quality? The answer is Minidisc! The medium is a cross between a CD and a floppy disc, small ( almost 3" by 3" square ), and uses magnetic as well as optical methods of recording digital audio. They are re-recordable, and very easy to use.

The minidisc format was developed by Sony Corporation, mainly as a music medium, but has made a rather large impact on radio journalism, because of its small size, near-CD recording quality.

Mindisc employs a rather complex encoding scheme called Adaptive Transform Acoustic Coding or ATRAC. This data compression algorithm or formula works by employing masking and hearing perception thresholds, and "losing" sounds that our ears donít consider "important. The result is a recording compressed to one fifth its original size, but retaining the psycho-acoustic qualities our ears need to put together our perception of sound. The result is a very high quality recording that is relatively undistinguishable from other "linear" or non-compressed recordings like Digital Audio Tape ( DAT ).

The minidisc media usually come in 74 minute and 80 minutes lengths. This refers to the STEREO recording length. You will get double the time if you record in MONO. Some of the newer generation of recorders feature MDLP a long time stereo recording mode (up to 320 min. recording on an 80minute disk).

This is primarily for music listening, and recording in MDLP will yield a quality of recording that can acceptable for archival recordings but may not be usable for broadcast.

Like a CD, minidiscs makes use of a Table of Contents ( TOC ) to let the recorder/player know how many tracks it has recorded and how much recordable space remains on the disc. Every time a recording is made, the recording unit must keep track of those changes and then write them to the disc. Some units do this at the end of every recording, and some perform this function by saving the changes in memory, and the TOC is updated when the unit is powered down or the disc is ejected.

If this operation is interrupted itís possible that a recording can be "lost". Whatís really happening is that the audio is on the disc, the TOC just doesnít reflect the changes, like an old map of a city not showing a new building construction. Fortunately, there are ways to restore access to the lost or "unmapped " audio on the disc.

This Table of Contents along with a very quick disc access time makes possible minidiscs impressive editing capabilities: changing track order, dividing, combining, and naming tracks as well as time stamping, and on the fly indexing of recordings. One can record then edit a story on the minidisc recorder itself.

For more complex editing and mixing of elements, youíll need a computer with audio capabilities, and a program that can digitize or record the audio, and then give the ability to manipulate the audio much as you would with text and a word processing program. Fortunately there are MANY programs out available as freeware, postcardware, shareware or at a very low cost that work with older and newer computers.( See below for a tip sheet with links for a few key computer programs and helpful guides to the world of minidisc.)

There are also a number of ways to record music or audio into your minidisc. Most have a microphone input as well as an analog or digital line input (from another machine), and your choice of a microphone may actually be more important than your choice of a minidisc deck, and often the cost of a good mic can exceed the cost of the portable minidisc deck. (See tip sheet for some recommended mics)

You can get audio or music to and from your computer with a digital interface, using your computers Universal Serial Bus or USB connectors. This will preserve the digital quality of your recording, however many are using the analog inputs and outputs of their minidisc recorders with broadcast quality results.(See tip sheet below)

Sony makes many fine portable recorder/players, but with the exception of their latest high-end portable, they lack the ability to change the recording level while one is recording, the units must be put in pause.

Sharp portable recorder/players have been popular for their non-interrupting, real-time, recording level adjustment capabilities, and ease of use.

There are many flavors in the minidisc universe, and the portable deck prices can range from about $130.00 to well over $1,000.00, depending on how many bells and whistles you feel you require, and the various ways you can get audio into the recording unit. Ebay auctions ( http://www.ebay.com )can be a good source of new and used portable decks at very reasonable prices ( some well below market ), but you donít have the advantage of taking it back to the store after 30 days or extended warranties offered by many chain stores or online retailers, only the manufacturers warranty if the unit is new. Also check out http://www.ubid.com, another place for good deals on miniidiscs, and http://www.mysimon.com is a good place for comparing prices across the web on many types of equipment. Many credit cards offer extended warranties if you use their card for purchasing items, this can buy you some extra time on the minidiscsí life if it get damaged.

One downside of minidiscs must be noted: the jacks or holes where the mics and other cords go in are the same size as walkman type headphones, known as "mini", or 3.5mm. Putting adapters or heavier cords and cables into these small connections can cause them to go bad or become unusable after repeated use.

The answer to this situation is to get cords that connect directly to the device youíre going to or from. For example, a microphone cable would have the XLR connection on one end and a mini connection on the other, no adapters. Also mini connectors that have a 90 degree or elbow type plug are preferable. Paired with velcro fasteners, they go a long way toward alleviating stress on the minidisc connections.

If you take good care of your little machine, it can give you many years of performance and enjoyment.

TIP SHEET

Here are some good recources for your further exploration into the world of recording with minidisc:

A minidisc discussion and FAQ board

Some recommended low cost minidisc models (manufacturersí links ) :

Sharp MD SR60

Sony MZ 707

HHB MDP-500 Portadisc (not cheap!)

A discussion of microphones on Transom.org Some recommended microphones:

Interview/Mono: Electrovoice RE50, Shure VP 64, Sennheiser MD 46, Beyer M58

Ambience/Stereo: Sony ECM MS-907, Sony ECM MS-957, Audio Technica 822, Radio Shack Stereo Hands-Free Tie-Clip Electric Mic #333028

Download a 30 day trial version of CoolEdit for PC

Download a 14 day trial version of Sound Studio for Mac

( a very simple, recorder/editor very useful and worth the $35.00 for full useage)

Another straightforward editor/recorder, Audacity that's cross-platform ( PC and Mac )

The download page for ProTools Free ( registration required )

Get audio into your computer through your USB Port:

go to audio capture, look for links to UA-1A, UA-1D, & UA-3 (Mac/PC)

Griffin Technology (MAC only)

For more recording and training tips consult the web sites listed in our links section!

about Michael Johnson
Michael Johnson has covered Native American issues as associate producer for the Smithsonian's "Spirits of the Present," associate producer for Legacies: Tales From America for MediaRites Productions, associate producer for "Lost and Found Sound." He was general manager at KALW-FM and is currently digital training manager for KQED-FM, San Francisco.