It has been awhile since I've posted an article on MiniDiscs, but I have received a couple of questions regarding a recent mention of the new Sony MZ-B50 Professional MiniDisc Recorder.  Therefore, I will give some general insights into my experience with the unit over the past several months.

Regular visitors to this site are probably familiar with my praise for MD as a very convenient and editable format for field recording.  In an earlier piece last year, I extolled the virtues of MDs, citing them as the logical successors to cassette tapes, with their ease-of-use yet far superior digital sound.  A year or so later, I still use MDs quite extensively for a number of applications.

I was very intrigued by the specs of the Sony MZ-B50 when I first saw them. My primary portables that I have been using are the Sony MZ-R55 and the MZ-R90.  I also have a couple of home decks, which can be seen in my original MD article by clicking here.

The difference between the MZ-B50 and other models, is that it has a built-in stereo microphone setup in addition to a small speaker for monitoring at low volume levels.  Think of it as a dictation machine using MD as the recording medium.  I've always wanted a MD machine that would have everything self-contained for instant accessibility in case a moment of creative inspiration appeared.  As I noted in another earlier article entitled "Getting Your Ideas Down", I use small recording machines to capture thoughts or song riffs that come to me, so it is important to have a quick and trouble-free method of documenting these ideas before they disappear.

My other Sony MD portables are excellent recorders when combined with external microphones, but as easy as they are to use, there is still too much hassle to unpack the mic and hook it up for instant recordings of ideas, not to mention the fact that units without speakers require headphones for monitoring.  I also don't like to leave a bunch of cables out to get tangled or chewed up by my cats, so the MZ-B50 seemed like a possible answer for my needs.
 
 

Features:

The MZ-B50 has many great features that should appeal to most seasoned MD users.  For a very nice overview list of the specs, check out this link from MiniDisco.  Besides the built-in mics and speaker, there is a connection for an external mic with plug-in power.  Other receptacles include an optical line in and a headphone/remote control jack.

Unlike all of the rechargeable models on the market today, the MZ-B50 is powered by two standard AA batteries.   The reported specs indicate capacities of 6 hours for recording and 18 hours for playback on one set of batteries. For someone in the field who can't stop to recharge batteries, this is definitely a fine selling point of the unit.  An external DC 3v power adaptor may also be ordered direct from Sony.

The user is given the option of selecting mono and stereo recording modes via a slider switch on the side of the box.  Listeners with headphones can boost lower-end frequencies with Sony's popular Mega Bass system, adjustable in three degrees (off- level 1- level 2).

Other useful features include Voice Operated Recording to preserve disc space when the input signal doesn't meet a particular threshold, a prominent track mark button on top of the unit allowing marking on-the-fly, and a fast playback function to hear recordings at double-speed.  This model also has an Easy Search feature which  makes it almost effortless to search forwards and backwards for a desired section of the disc.  Like many Sonys, the MZ-B50 has a synchro record switch, and also allows the user to adjust the microphone sensitivity level with a low and high selector.
 

The Pros:

When I am at home, I keep my MZ-B50 on the desk next to my computer for several reasons.  With the line in, it is very easy to record MP3s and other computer-oriented sound files at the touch of a button.  If your computer has a digital interface, it is possible to keep some of your files in the digital domain, though the unit works well for analog recordings as well.

One of my little quirks is that I might pick up a guitar to strum acoustically while I am surfing the Net or waiting for things to download on the computer.  Many times, I will get a song idea or new riff from noodling around with the instrument.  Having the recorder with the built-in mic sitting on the desk means that I can just reach over and hit "record" and capture my ideas to develop at a later time.

The speaker, though small, is designed for basic monitoring, so I can instantly hear what I just recorded.  Keep in mind that the speaker is not very loud, nor will it sound like a high-fidelity system.  For quick monitoring, it is quite useful.  I love the fact that this is in the unit as an option to listening through headphones.

The Track Mark button makes it a snap to assign new track indentations during recording.  Most units now have this feature, but the MZ-B50's button is large and very easy to activate.

The display is fairly large and easy on the eyes.  In fact, most of the buttons are considerably easier to use than those found on much smaller models.

I find that the primary justification of this model for me is that having the built-in mic and speaker makes instant recording and monitoring very simple and effective.

The Cons:

The first thing that I noticed when I received the MZ-B50 is that it is a rather big machine.  The dimensions of it are 5 1/4" x 1 1/8" x 3 1/8".  This makes it much larger than the trendy minuscule boxes which dominate the portable market today.  This would be a bigger issue for me if I didn't own a smaller portable recorder/player, but since this unit is used as a desktop device in my house, it doesn't bother me as much.  In fact, I actually kind of like that it's bigger size makes it easier to use in this context.  For those seeking something to sneak into concerts for taping or use as a fitness workout companion, this model will probably be too large.

Another big issue is the price of the MZ-B50.  It is a hard-to-find box, but most places that carry it are asking somewhere in the $450-500 range.  It is geared to the professional market of people with specific needs such as news reporters.  For an average consumer who is not a reporter or a musician, there are better alternatives costing far less.  While I still think it costs more than it should, I have been getting a lot of invaluable use out of it, so maybe that justifies the price.  It doesn't seem like anyone else is offering a device with similar features, so the market probably dictates the higher value.

One noticeable downside to the MZ-B50 is that using the built-in mics will result in a lot of mechanical noise being transmitted to the MD.  Like most portable MDs I've encountered, the MZ-B50 makes a lot of mechanical noise as it is operating.  It is only natural that mics which are a part of the chassis will pick up the undesirable sounds.  This is one area where external mics are far superior since they can be positioned away from the unit.  It is also why I would tend to use my smaller portables for the recording of live music events or any other occasions where archiving without mechanical noise would be imperative.  Thankfully, the MZ-B50 allows the use of external mics which override the built-ins so the problem can be worked around.

The only other thing I would really change about the MZ-B50 concerns the slow TOC (Table of Contents) recording times.  If one disengages the recording button, there is a long wait for the unit to update the MD data before the user can begin recording again.  This is avoided somewhat by keeping the unit in recording/pause mode when repetitive recording is necessary.  Most of the functions such as rewind or forward seem a little slower than my other portables.  Speed is relative and this box still gets the job done for me.
 

Summary:

After using the MZ-B50 for several months, I have a pretty good feel for the pros and cons of the unit relative to my applications.  I am generally very satisfied with this model because I have very specific uses for it.  I don't think that it would be a good choice for everybody, especially given the fact that it is a little pricey in my opinion.  For some though, it could become an indispensable tool for many recording jobs.
 
 

Jason