For the last 25 years, the cassette tape has been a primary method of storing and playing music for people around the world.  It has found its way into home stereos, portable players, and car audio systems.  Even with the advent of the Compact Disc and its far superior audio quality and durability, the venerable old analog cassette tape has continued as a mainstay for music listeners and recording enthusiasts due to its portable size and re-recordability.  Unfortunately, cassettes are not particularly durable given that tape is exposed to the elements and prone to tangle or break.  There seems to be one format available today that strikes me as the logical successor to cassette tape.....the MiniDisc!

The MiniDisc (MD) was developed by Sony in an effort to offer the world a portable and digital alternative to cassettes.  I remember seeing MDs several years ago but wondered how I could use them since they were hard-to-find and only select stores seemed to carry the discs and expensive players.  Recently, Sony and other manufacturers have renewed a commitment to promoting MDs as the ultimate convenient and editable format  for digital audio.

MD players are now in many major retail stores and prices continue to drop while performance features improve.  MDs are extremely popular in Japan, and while the U.S. lags behind the Far East in MD usage, many Americans have discovered the practicality of MD audio.   I don't know that there will ever be many commercial titles released on MD, though it's possible to find a few.  The main applications for MD are for recording and data transfer rather than going to the record store and buying the latest albums on MD.

As its name implies, a MiniDisc looks like a mini compact disc.  It is housed in a plastic case.  Like normal CDs, a MD can hold 74 minutes of audio.  Some MD players allow the user to record twice the standard amount of time in mono mode.  The major point of contention some audiophiles have with MDs is that a process called data compression is used to fit so much information onto a very small disc.  Certain frequencies are effectively eliminated from the recorded material in order to fit the data on the MD.  There are some people who swear the difference in MD and CD sound quality is audible.  After using MDs and CDs for quite some time, I cannot hear the difference, though that might be attributed to standing in front of  loud guitar amps  for the past 15 or so years ;-)
 
 

While there are differences in frequency specifications  between CD, DAT (Digital Audio Tape) and MD which  imply that an MD would have inferior sound quality, my experiences with all three media lead me to believe that a properly recorded MD can sound just as good as the other formats.  Even if some can hear a variation in audio fidelity between these methods (and some have said they can), the MD boasts several features that make it a much more convenient way to go than CD or DAT.  The MD's small size is the first obvious convenience factor.  Measuring roughly 2 3/4" x 2 3/4" out of its case, the MD is very compact and allows portable players and recorders to be small.  DATs are small too, but their casings are much more fragile than an MD and the tapes can become exposed and damaged if care is not taken in handling them.  In fact, I think that MDs are much more durable than CDs or DATs because the disc is enclosed in a protective plastic shell.  (see above photo)

Perhaps the greatest advantages MDs have over other formats is their editing functions.  With an MD you can easily set track mark locations and move the order of songs around on the disc.  MDs also allow the titling of tracks with text and numeric symbols.  Therefore, when an MD is playing, the unit's screen will display the title of the song and artist as programmed by the user.  Furthermore, a user can record and erase on an MD for an estimated one million times before any signal degradation is noticed on the disc.  While CD-Recordable (CD-R) and CD-Rewritable (CD-RW) machines do permit some recording flexibility, the ease of use and quickness of performing the same operations on MD are superior.  Like CDs, an MD track can be accessed almost instantly using the unit's forward and rewind search buttons.  The DAT falls far short in this regard as an actual tape must be forwarded and rewound like a cassette or VHS tape.  Another thing to remember is that any MD material can easily be transferred over to CD or DAT.

There are three general types of consumer MD decks available for sale.  Home components, Walkman-type player/recorders, and car stereo units.  Other variations include MD Data Disc multitrack recorders for musicians and a PC-compatible deck (see below photo) for use with Windows systems.

Here is a Sony PC deck I have which rests on my computer's CPU tower.  The unit can play through my PC speakers and MDs can be edited with the included desktop software for maximum convenience.
 
 

I also have a home component MD player and recorder.  This works just like any regular commercial stereo system and is very flexible for studio or leisure use around the house.
 
 

My favorite MD decks are the portable units.  While larger machines are generally easier to program due to their larger keypads and buttons, smaller decks can be transported almost anywhere and are very versatile.  They can be used much like the larger decks and many are available complete with optical connections for all-digital data transfers.  They also keep getting smaller and smaller.

Here is a photo of  the new "world's smallest recording MD player for the moment"  Sony MZ-R90 next to a MiniDisc in its case.  I can't imagine the units getting much smaller.
 
 

I have found many great uses for my portable MDs.  With an optional stereo microphone, I use my MD Walkman to tape rehearsals and gigs, record song ideas before they disappear,  and to dub CDs onto MDs for general listening when I'm traveling.  Portable MDs are very popular among concert tapers and bootleggers. Another use I've found is plugging an MD into a TV or VCR to easily capture audio from shows and music programs.  It is possible to get some great sounding digital recordings almost anywhere these days.  Add in the facts that the units are rechargeable and can run on standard AC power or batteries, and you can see how flexible these units are.

I have been using my Sony MZ-R90 lately to record MP3 files and other sound sources directly off the internet.  The MD units are so versatile that I don't need a portable MP3 player!

Here are two of my Sony MD Walkman decks.  The silver MZ-R55 was Sony's flagship model for awhile but it has now been replaced by the blue MZ-R90.  When the MZ-R55 was released, it impressed many people, including myself, with its small size.  As the picture shows, the MZ-R90 makes the older model look large by comparison.
 
 

In summary, I love the MD format for its sound and convenience.  I still use CDs and DATs in my studio.  Each method has its place.  When you look at the MiniDisc as the reasonable alternative to cassette tapes and even other digital media, I think you will find a lot of practicality in the format.

Here are a few good sites to visit for more information on MiniDiscs:
 
 

Remember to use internet search engines to find out more about MDs.  I hope you have found this interesting.

Jason