MiniDisc's Makeover

by Craig Anderton

We've covered Sony^® Sound Forge^® software for audio editing and Sony Vegas^® software for audio/video editing, but where does that audio come from? For me, a lot of the time it's MiniDisc^® (MD).

If you haven't met MD, think very small recordable optical media. The disc itself is a tiny bit more than half a CD's diameter, and comes in a protective plastic shell. Most players are only slightly larger than the disc itself.

I bought my first MD recorder/player in the late 90s, and still have it. MD was supposed to be "the next big consumer portable music format," but back then most people were content with their portable CD players; hard drive or memory-based devices were still in the future. Another problem was the first version of MD's ATRAC data compression algorithm, which had a somewhat harsh sound. Sony came out with a greatly improved version, but ATRAC had already received a bad rap.

The SonicStage software included with the MZ-M100 makes it easy to transfer material between a Windows computer and MD. Here, files recorded at a band rehearsal are being transferred to the computer, where they will be saved as standard WAV files.

However, MD found a significant niche among pros. DJs and bands used it to play back samples and backing tracks-the MD was more vibration-resistant (and compact) than CDs. Broadcasters found MD unobtrusive and rugged, which is why it replaced portable DATs and their ilk. And MD became my recording device of choice for interviews, field recording, rehearsals, testing out song orders for albums (it's easy to rearrange the order of cuts), and on-location recording for videos.

I hadn't thought much about whether MD had changed lately because, hey, mine worked. So I was curious when the editor of EQ magazine assigned me to review the Hi-MD™ MZ-M100, one of Sony's latest (and certainly, tiniest!) portable audio recorders.

First up: The MZ-M100 uses a new high-density, 1GB disc format that can store up to 34 hours of audio with maximum data compression. The sound quality is certainly good enough for portable music. For more demanding applications, you can record about 8 hours at 256kbps (twice the standard MP3 rate), or an hour and a half of uncompressed WAV file audio.

The MZ-M100 package also includes both Mac^® (import only) and Windows^® (import/export) software. Fortunately for pros, material recorded through the mic or line input can be transferred to your computer via USB as an unprotected WAV file. (The same is not true for consumer applications, like ripping CDs, where the number of transfers is limited.) Interestingly, it's also possible to treat the MZ-M100 as a USB-compatible computer storage device for saving text, images, and other file types.

So, will MD finally break through to consumers? Maybe, maybe not. Consumers have become familiar with the sound of data-compressed audio, so they'll likely recognize the latest ATRAC version sounds excellent. On the other hand, the "multi-gigabyte hard disk player" culture is entrenched with consumers, and shows no signs of dissipating.

My guess is that the Hi-MD format will solidify MD's position in the pro market. It's telling that the mic included with the MZ-M100 is high quality, and that computer compatibility (which of course allows for backup) is a big part of the package, as both are crucial to those using MD in a pro context. My old MD has served me well-but because of the extra data storage and USB interfacing, I'm adding Hi-MD to my wish list.

Author/musician Craig Anderton has written over 1,000 articles on technology and the arts, and has played on or produced several major label releases. Check out his "Sound, Studio, and Stage" forum at www.harmony-central.com.