Why didn't it take off? #2: The MiniDisc
Posted in Geek Stuff, Random Stuff by Danny Woot
Audio enthusiasts among you will feel a pang of nostalgia for this one. There was a time, believe it or not, when Sony’s MiniDisc format looked set to replace the humble cassette tape. It offered the same sort of functions, but it was just a bit better at it – CD quality sound, selectable tracks, even nameable tracks. Also, you could record straight onto MiniDisc from pretty much any source, which meant for me at least that all those late-night Peel Sessions went unmissed on school nights. Ah, memories…
But we digress. If you saw the MiniDisc and its assorted players in their early stages, you would be forgiven for thinking that they were leaden, clumpy and not especially user-friendly, but they got better. I had (and still have) a whopping great MiniDisc hi-fi complete with CD, tape and RDS radio, and combined it with a portable player, both capable of recording in MDLP. MDLP, to the uninitiated, allows the user to record up to 8 times the amount of music usually available onto just one 80-minute MiniDisc. That’s a whole lot of music, non-MP3 Player-owning readers!
So I would record things from everywhere – the radio, cassettes, CDs, I’d even plug in my turntable – all in an effort to make the greatest travelling mixtapes imaginable. The variety was incredible. 70 tracks? In my pocket?! This is incredible! Ah, the folly of youth…
Of course, the MiniDisc player was not so much a failure in itself, more a victim of lagging behind the times. It was effectively killed stone-dead by the arrival of MP3 Players that could effortlessly store far more than a whole pocketful of discs could ever dream of, a sad end to a beautiful product. Its fate seems even more sealed by the increasing number of gadgets that will allow you to transfer all your old media to the unified digital platforms (in fact, we sell most of them). My task 3 years ago was to put all my tapes and records and radio recordings onto MiniDisc – it’s now to subsequently put EVERYTHING onto my iPod.
Share This Post
Comments
Ahhh, MiniDisc. I went through four or five players in a two year period, constantly updating to the next-gen, slimmer machines. Loved them, and really liked the ability to edit tracks on the fly using the player. It’s a shame they died so quickly, because they were very cool. The cheapo MD towers didn’t look quite so cool though – especially when placed next to your CD shelf.
Nonetheless, in a strange way, I found them more impressive than I do iPods etc…
I do have to say that the MiniDisc players still rule the roost when it comes to needing a good quality, inexpensive audio recording device. For amateur film makers this is undeniably one of the best resources available.
Gonna have to agree with James there – minidisc is still used in professional theatre and radio and has saved the skin of many a sound designer. It’s still huge in Japan and Hong Kong. . . but then so were the band Shampoo. If you want to get proper old skool dig up a DAT tape.
I always wanted to store my hax0r data on a mini-disk like neo does in the Matrix but alas they never produced a mini-disk drive for PCs…
It seems it’s not quite as dead as I thought! How long until I can legitimately claim it to be a vintage fashion accessory I wonder?
What was the packaging like for minidiscs? I ask as they seem to have a lot of unnecessary plastic on them, not very green!
I being one of the people who still use Minidiscs (indeed I’ve just ordered another recorder) am not happy about Sony’s lack of trying with this product. I had one of the original players and have since owned many different models. I think that their problem was a lack of advertising, especially here in the UK. It is with this in mind that I have started a petition to get Sony to reconsider and listen to the consumer. If you agree with me, please sign at http://www.PetitionOnline.com/BBMD2011/petition.html
Thanks!
Add Comment