To save you from wasting time on reading this whole message, short conclusion about MiniDisc portable Player/Recorder is here:
Pros: Very good audio quality, long battery life, small profile, relatively cheap media, longer recording times through Mono and lower quality setting
Cons: No digital transfer to PC or any other device; only analog capture from the headphones output possible, and therefore the amount of recording time is the amount of transfer time; a huge setback! The audio quality also suffers to some extent because of digital>analog>analog amplifier>analog transfer>digital conversion.
I've bought a Sony MiniDisc player (MZ-NF810CK) about a year ago, as I needed it for a radio station. My primary use for it was recording interviews, and doing transfers of recorded radio shows on MiniDisc to computer, and then Audio CD.
This specific model had the most features and capabilities, and was the most expensive one at that time ($279.99 at Good Guys).
It has Line input (electrical and optical in the same jack), Mic input (Stereo!), USB jack, and headphones output.
Here are the pros and cons of using MIniDisc:
GOOD FEATURES:
1. Very god audio quality - clear sound, whether you use Line-in or Mic-in, very low nise circuitry; the noise floor of your microphone is pretty much the noise floor of the recording, as MD Player/Recorder hardly adds any
2. Very long battery life - One AA battery will give you at least 12 hours of recording time, more than the internal rechargeable battery (at least 7 hours), and you can use both for at least about 22 hours of recording time; playback time is about 3 times longer: amazing!
3. Ability to record in Mono mode, which doubles the recording time of the disc
4. Ability to record at lower quality setting, allowing for longer recording times
5. Good anti-skip protection
6. Small physical size of both player and discs
7. Relatively cheap media
8. Discs enclosed, and therefore protected from dust, scratches, fingerprints
9. Pretty fast response to commands, as well as powering on
BAD OR NO FEATURES:
1. No USB MiniDisc Player to PC capability, only from PC to MD Player/Recorder;
This is the biggest problem of portable MD Players, as the only output you have is the analog headphones output. This means that you are loosing some quality because it is not LINE out, and because you have to capture that audio again with your computer sound card, which also adds some noise to the audio. As bad, or even worse thatn that is the fact that you have to transfer this audio at 1x speed (realtime), that way spending at least the same amount of time you spent on recording the audio. If you have 12 hours of audio material, you will need 12 hours just to transfer it from MD to anything else. All of the State-of-the-art technology used in MD players means nothing when you want to transfer MD digitally to anything else. Sony gets two thumbs down because fo this!
2. If using MD Recorder for recording sound track for video shooting, you will need to manually synchronize the audio with video; many times, wireless mic connected to camcorder's line input saves you from a lot of time-wasting and trouble. This is not really a lack of the MD device, just an advice on saving time and energy when shooting videos.
Pros: Very good audio quality, long battery life, small profile, relatively cheap media, longer recording times through Mono and lower quality setting
Cons: No digital transfer to PC or any other device; only analog capture from the headphones output possible, and therefore the amount of recording time is the amount of transfer time; a huge setback! The audio quality also suffers to some extent because of digital>analog>analog amplifier>analog transfer>digital conversion.
I've bought a Sony MiniDisc player (MZ-NF810CK) about a year ago, as I needed it for a radio station. My primary use for it was recording interviews, and doing transfers of recorded radio shows on MiniDisc to computer, and then Audio CD.
This specific model had the most features and capabilities, and was the most expensive one at that time ($279.99 at Good Guys).
It has Line input (electrical and optical in the same jack), Mic input (Stereo!), USB jack, and headphones output.
Here are the pros and cons of using MIniDisc:
GOOD FEATURES:
1. Very god audio quality - clear sound, whether you use Line-in or Mic-in, very low nise circuitry; the noise floor of your microphone is pretty much the noise floor of the recording, as MD Player/Recorder hardly adds any
2. Very long battery life - One AA battery will give you at least 12 hours of recording time, more than the internal rechargeable battery (at least 7 hours), and you can use both for at least about 22 hours of recording time; playback time is about 3 times longer: amazing!
3. Ability to record in Mono mode, which doubles the recording time of the disc
4. Ability to record at lower quality setting, allowing for longer recording times
5. Good anti-skip protection
6. Small physical size of both player and discs
7. Relatively cheap media
8. Discs enclosed, and therefore protected from dust, scratches, fingerprints
9. Pretty fast response to commands, as well as powering on
BAD OR NO FEATURES:
1. No USB MiniDisc Player to PC capability, only from PC to MD Player/Recorder;
This is the biggest problem of portable MD Players, as the only output you have is the analog headphones output. This means that you are loosing some quality because it is not LINE out, and because you have to capture that audio again with your computer sound card, which also adds some noise to the audio. As bad, or even worse thatn that is the fact that you have to transfer this audio at 1x speed (realtime), that way spending at least the same amount of time you spent on recording the audio. If you have 12 hours of audio material, you will need 12 hours just to transfer it from MD to anything else. All of the State-of-the-art technology used in MD players means nothing when you want to transfer MD digitally to anything else. Sony gets two thumbs down because fo this!
2. If using MD Recorder for recording sound track for video shooting, you will need to manually synchronize the audio with video; many times, wireless mic connected to camcorder's line input saves you from a lot of time-wasting and trouble. This is not really a lack of the MD device, just an advice on saving time and energy when shooting videos.