MiniDisc
Hello,
If you're here, either you're googling and this new site has been indexed, or I linked you to here from some other location, such as Reddit, or a disc you received. If I'm extraordinarily lucky, someone who trusts me linked this to you.
I started using MiniDisc in 2021, and it has since become my primary research project and music listening tool.
This is the hub or primary page for minidisc on this site, but there's several other pages with additional information:
- Minidisc History
- This is a text version of my 2024-06 MDCon talk as well as the transcript i recorded the 2024-06 Minidisc History disc from
- Getting Started (what to buy, how to buy it)
- Buying From Japan
- Sony MD Blanks
- ATRAC Codec Notes
- What Constitutes a Failure?
- CD players that'll automatically mark tracks (CD/DVD players in particular)
- Trip Reports
- HiMD
- Notes on some Extreme Technicalities: NetMD and TOC allocations, gapless notes
- My Hardware
- My Discs and Playlists
- What are the Other Options? (Split out from the main page 2024-04-21.)
Even though this is all static HTML, please consider every part of this site to be a living document. It may receive updates.
Core Information
Minidisc (primarily) is recordable, cusotmizeable, portable, convenience-focused audio format on a miniaturized magneto optical (wikipedia link) disc format developed and sold by Sony from the early 1990s through to the early 2010s. Background information can be found on wikipedia.
The format uses audio compression (a relatively idea in the early 1990s) to fit 60, 74, or 80 minutes (or more) onto a disc roughly 1/5 the size of a CD. Advances to the format include new compression options, new connectivity options, and a pair of whole relaunches.
As a rough outline of the timeline of the format:
- In 1992, Sony launched the Minidisc format with the MZ-1 recorder, MZ-2P player, MDS-101 deck,a nd ZS-M1 boombox.
- In 1998, Sony pledged to "re-launch" the format internationally after it had gained wide success in Japan, kicking off a very small blitz of advertisements and some hardware made with the preferences of the North American market in mind
- In 2000, Sony added Long Play to the format and subsequent/new players can record in LP2 (2x) or LP4 (4x) formats for longer run time. This impacts audio quality, but not in a way I've been able to detect with $15 headphones.
- In Mid-2001, a new series of recorders branded as NetMD allowed for audio to be loaded onto discs from a computer using USB cabling.
- In October 2001, the 5-gigabyte iPod was introduced.
- In January 2004, a futher revision (arguably a full relaunch) to the format called HiMD introduced several improvements:
- New 1GB discs
- HiMD recorders can re-format regular MD discs for approximately 300MB of capacity
- The second generation recorders from 2005 can play MP3 files directly off the discs
- there are dedicated recorders such as the MZ-EH50 but it's not clear if they can read MP3s off the filesystem or if they can only use MD/MDLP/HiMD format audio
- Using a recorder, you can store generic computer data directly on the discs via the USB connection
- The recorders support transferring live recordings made in Hi-MD mode to a computer
- Linear PCM
- One of the last machines (the MZ-RH1) can transfer audio from minidiscs to computers via USB
- In April 2004, the first Hi-MD machines actually ship: MZ-NH600/D, MZ-NH-700 (and MZ-NHF800), and MZ-NH900
- In May 2004, one of the last portable NetMD writer, the MZ-N920, ships
- The MZ-DN430 in December 2005 is "the" last portable NetMD writer.
- In June 2006, the last Sony MiniDisc recorder, the MZ-RH1, is introduced
- Sony had positioned the previous year's RH10 and RH910 as portable field recorders so this one was positioned in that way as well
- With some exceptions, the complementary version of SonicStage could transfer classic MiniDisc recordings to a computer, likely for format shifting purposes
- This model is "Like That" because it's meant as a transition tool for people to computerize their minidisc library, especially Japanese users where renting CDs to record onto MDs was the most popular way to use the format
- In 2008, The MZ-N920, a cost-reduced option that had been introduced ahead of the HiMD launch, is still in the Walkman catalog alongside the MZ-RH1
- Sony discontinued portable recorders (the MZ-RH1) internationally in 2011.
- In 2013 Sony discontinued stationary minidisc stereo systems.
- In December 2021, TEAC discontinued its last minidisc product, the MD-70CD
- (The announcement was in 2020 but stock appears to have lasted until late 2021.)
- (The announcement was in 2020 but stock appears to have lasted until late 2021.)
- As of 2022-04, Sony is still selling the MDW80T and the MD-DATA MMD-140B
Why?
My own interest in minidisc has a couple aspects:
- Minidisc is "on-Plateau" in terms of audio quality, and because most albums are still CD length, works great as a way to focus in on listening to a particular album
- The CD-length is also great for custom mixtapes
- The aesthetic factor of a magneto optical format, especially one so heavily focused on optical music transmission using TOSLINK
- The alt-retro-futurism aspect of a high-quality digital media format with plenty of flexibility allowing people at home to make and distribute their own mixes, and the potential following from that way to create and share
Minidisc is, as mentioned, a recordable format. So, while there are period pressed discs as well as modern releases on re-recordable media, the emotional core of the format is doing recordings in various ways.
The originally prescribed use case was to use a digital link to connect a CD player and a minidisc recorder and copy a CD to a minidisc.
You can do this with any digital source, and, the "CD player" doesn't even need to be a CD player, I bought a Sony DVP from a Goodwill for like $15 and it works great for CD dubbing.
I love taking the time to do a dub from either my computer or a CD to a minidisc, whether that just involves picking an album and hitting "go" or designing a playlist. I've had a lot of fun finding different ways to automate it, but I do still do by-hand dubs and editing every now and again.
Different of course may people have different reasons and there's no wrong way to do the hobby or use the format.
Outside Resources and Links
- minidisc.org - this site has been around for a while and has basic information on several MD topics
- minidisc.wiki this newer site has updated information, some information on players that didn't make it to minidisc.org as well as a more up to date device gallery, plus some more modern meta content
- Minidisc on Wikipedia - This is linked above, and as ever, use Wikipedia at your own peril, but as of 2021-12 it has some solid basic data
- TDNC Minidisc Video/Documentary - decent video-format overview of the format including some discussion and insight into cultural differences between the US and Japan that caused MD to catch on more in Japan than the US, however I think some parts of his analysis, especially w/re how Sony handled the US market, are a little off
- PSA: You Don't Need An RH1 To Rip Discs (CoHost Ver.) This is my own reddit post - includes some general overview of different processes and a list of Type-S portables for netmd-exploits.
- MiniDisc-FFWD - THP updated version of linux-minidisc and QHiMDTransfer, for uploading/downloading ATRAC, LPCM WAV, and MP3s to HiMD recorders. Please note not all HiMD recorders/players support MP3 files. THe RH/NH710, RH910, RH10, and RH1 do support MP3s.
- This USB audio input accepts TOSLINK input and does not respect SCMS, allowing you to record MDs onto a computer: Hifime SPDIF Optical to USB converter, record DAT/minidisk to computer (hifimediy.com)
- Updated ATRACtool: GitHub - XyLe-GBP/ATRACTool-Reloaded: GUI-based and Open source ATRAC3 / ATRAC3+ / ATRAC9 Converter. - this program is a repacking of Sony's ATRAC tools from a developer kit, WAV <> ATRAC3 and ATRAC3plus conversions
- A company called SuperDelivery offers bulk/wholesale pricing on the MDW80T
- If you need it for Other Reasons, (e.g. SonicStage) you can use FRE;AC audio converter from https://www.freac.org to convert FLACs or ALACs to an older, more widely compatible format such as windows media lossless or WAV.
- How to burn a CD with CD-TEXT
- 2024: I'm attending MDCon as part of VCFSW 2024!