Minidisc, Podcast and Mobile Recording Devices
Since I wrote the minidiscasting tutorial back in January 2005, a few things have changed in terms of hardware and software. Two new minidiscs were launched and a few versions of Sonic Stage. In between, Sony shot itself in the foot with the rootkit debacle and is asking itself: when does the next train leave to mp3 and digital player land?
Hardware
First of all, two new minidisc recorders are worth checking out. One is the RZ-10, which is already available. The biggest change for this one is its mp3 capabilities (remember that train?), lcd display, nice finish and initial Mac fuctionality - a remote would be nice too. The other one is the RH-1, which might be the last one, asks Jonathan Marks? The biggest change for the RH-1 is that you can upload older live recordings onto Hi-MDs. Improvements for Mac compatibility, meaning it comes with Mac uploading software too. They also added some improvements to the recording feature; it comes equipped with a high definition digital amp and 6-band equalizer. Michele Scasso discovered that,
during a recording you can adjust the mic-sensitivity and recording-level on the fly without interrupting recording…and it has increased data transfer speed.
Software
Ouch, that bullet in the foot still hurts when Sony’s public relations manager wakes up in the morning: rootkit anyone? Sony basically has the ability to spy and take over your computer, if you ever purchased their-oh-so “content enhanced” CDs; somehow exemplary of their belated zeitgeist. Supposedly Sonic Stage 3.4 is all good now and DRM free, do you trust them? Basically, if you burn a Hi-MD and want to move all the content onto another computer, it won’t have the DRM bulls*$?. It actually strips the slightly ridiculous copyright protection from your live recordings, whereas anything can be transferred to your computer, without having to deal with the annoying Sony codecs, into wav (pcm, which was invented by A.H. Reeves in 1939!).
Podcast
Well, if you’re using the minidisc for “on the road” recordings, I think it still does the job, especially since its stereo, which is another unique minidisc advantage. There are many other mobile recording devices out there: iRiver, Creative Zen and even the newest iPods have recording capabilities. The most expensive digital solution is the 2 channel digital recorder. You can record directly into your computer of course, these are simply mobile solutions. Tinyscreenful’s wiki also has some useful information about recording with mobile devices. At the end of the day, it’s the content of your podcast that matters, but if you do care about mobile sound quality, I’d recommend minidisc recorders, although I might be biased, since I’ve been using them since 1995.