#1

does anyone happen to know if minidisc is still big in japan?

or if there are any labels putting things out on minidisc any more? http://n5md.com seems to just do digital/vinyl/cd these days, and some googling didn’t turn up anyone else.

vinyl and cassette are both hip, maybe minidisc will be next? (before, of course, the wax cylinder revival scheduled for 2019. wax your cylinder! wax your hipster moustache!)

or maybe it never stopped being hip in japan.

i’ve got a box (or seven) of brand new blank minidiscs and was tinkering with the idea of custom printing some nice labels and doing a one off limited edition of 50 or so for an ambient / electronic record i’ve just finished

but maybe i’d be better off just trashing the lot as minidisc is dead as a dodo

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#3

Minidisc is a delightfully tactile format, I have a special attachment to it because it’s what I used when I first started recording music. I’d be happy to be a part of some kind of revival attempt, while recognising that it’s always going to be an extremely small niche - you don’t even find this gear in thrift shops (in Europe) anymore because it was never that popular to begin with.

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#4

I have also been thinking about a very limited release only on minidisc. I have 5 boxes of discs and a HHB PortaDisc recorder.

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#6

i’m new to the format but would gladly contribute to an md release

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#8

sure

dm or post it here

#9

i have a kenwood minidisc recorder. i like it because it adds a distinct character to sounds. i bought it to record jam sessions, lives, rehearsals with it.
i also worked with a 4 track tascam mini-disc. (a loooooong time ago). it’s burried somewhere after moving houses… but now that you are bringing the subject, i’d love to record with it again and see what i could get out of this thing !

@ether : whatever happens, don’t trash the box : i’ll be happy to use them !
@ether, @saintcloud @janlarsson i think your ideas of small releases, with custom printing, etc. is very good.

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#10

Interesting.
I’ve been thinking about releases on “dead” formats recently for some reason - probably linked to the revival in cassette tape and records over the last few years.
It would certainly be an interesting experiment to put out a release on say cassette and minidisc to see how each sells comparatively. Would people go for the limited oddity of minidisc? Players are dirt cheap these days so it’s not like that would be a significant barrier.

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#11

A friend’s grindcore band did a limited release on minidisc, mostly because they found a bunch really cheap (~50) at a yard sale. They also released a record on plasticized cardboard, like the records they used to include with cereal boxes. They quickly sold out of both records.

Experimenting with release formats is fun. I’ve thought about releasing albums on USB thumb drives with handmade, elaborate packaging.

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#12

@saintcloud interested! and given the responses in this thread it sounds like the idea has merit.

so … i dug my PRISTINE Sony MZ-R55 out to check it over, plugged it in to 12V instead of 3V by mistake … and … poof! Expensive Burning Smell! Dead as.

:rage::rage::rage:

I guess I’ll hit e-bay to find another one :frowning:

Anyway, let the discussion continue. I’ve got a nuts week ahead of me, but very keen to get something interesting off the ground.

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#13

@saintcloud The new sound waves meets are great fun, so try and make it if you can. Otherwise let’s definitely connect soon.

#14

I’ve been thinking
partially based on this thread but not aimed at anybody here in particular

why is there such a dismissive attitude toward tech & media seen as “obsolete”?
if the devices still function (or can be repaired) why the deep-seated condescension by the majority of folks? Anytime cassettes vinyl or any older format are discussed online I see viewpoints ranging from bafflement/confusion, outright disdain, and tongue-in-cheek amusement

what’s often missing is genuine curiosity
what if this is not some ridiculous fad as you (and journalists/bloggers) might first assume?

there are, apparently, still users of the medium…mostly artists incorporating the thing in their creative practice

why not ask them why they do it?

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#15

[quote=“sandy, post:10, topic:5578”]
I’ve been thinking about releases on “dead” formats recently for some reason - probably linked to the revival in cassette tape and records over the last few years.

It would certainly be an interesting experiment to put out a release on say cassette and minidisc to see how each sells comparatively. Would people go for the limited oddity of minidisc? Players are dirt cheap these days so it’s not like that would be a significant barrier.
[/quote]my view is purely based on anecdotal evidence

as I’ve spoken about before on the forum I grew up using and buying cassettes
i struggle to think of a time period in my life when i didnt have access to a working cassette player (whether in my car, a boombox, Walkman, or dedicated tape deck)

minidisc was a complete mystery to me because it became popular when I had little disposable income .
I knew only one kid in middle school who brought one to class but I couldn’t understand the advantage over a discman or a dedicated mp3 player (didn’t have one of those either at the time)

when I finally did a bit of research the popularity of MD shocked me since I assumed it had been completely overlooked despite many endearing qualities

all that to say
I personally would buy tape over md and if you were tracking sales I’d be stunned if md outsold a cassette release of the same album

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#18

yeah for me at the time md came out all money I saved was being spent on 12" vinyl and videogames
wasn’t marketed well enough for me to even want it aside from the tech nerd aspect
just glad I spent time to revisit the format

it’s all the best things about cd, mp3, and tape smashed together

portable
durable
rewritable

really amazing when you think about it

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#19

I bought one of these back when it came out. I loved it. I thought it was ahead of its time. It was great for field recording. Don’t even remember what happened to it, but makes me want another one for quick / on the fly recording.

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#20

For me the basic idea when releasing a few reel-tapes, audio-cassettes or minidiscs is to try and create an exclusive space outside todays hungry corporate internet-industry. I dont want to reach a lot of listeners.

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#21

image.jpeg3024×3024 1.49 MB

sony mz-r55

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#22

kozyndan had this pretty cool art club in the past where they’d randomly mail participants prints, postcards, art etc

I always planned to do something similar with tapes but have been to lazy
might be easier with md but i’m still not sure i wanna open myself up to that

it’d be cool if folks who weren’t picky about cohesive content or quick turnaround time
send me a blank md and wait for it to be mailed back eventually

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#24

just a thought…

one of the reasons why vinyls and tapes are so popular is because they colour the sound in a warm way.

me personally, when I think of MDs I remember the digital artefacts which in my experience occur sometimes on a worn MD over time. could have been my not so expensive consumer model, but those glitches were not so likable to the ears (specially when listened to very loud which you shouldn’t do of course, hehe). that said, I totally see now how those glitch style artefacts could be wanted :smile:

I love when people get excited about forgotten tech and revive it.

speaking of alternative release formats: I like the idea of releasing a work as an app. many many different options of output and input and almost everyone has the hardware (not that this aspect is at the center here)

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#25

@saintcloud Is that you bidding against me on that Tascam unit on eBay Australia at the moment? :yum:

If it is I’ll bow out and you can have it, as I just managed to get a replacement portable for my self-fried MZ-R55.

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#28

Ideas that could be cool for MD (I sold my MD a few years ago, but kind of like the idea of getting into this too as I was always sad it never took off as a format - per Glia’s point above)…

I suppose I keep thinking of short tracks that could be shuffled like that Gescom minidisc release.

Like a really restricted set of sounds mini-track compilation or a collection of short remixes. Nothing over a minute and then you shuffle them for oodles of different orders…I know some friends were trying to do a compilation of nothing but 12 second songs. That kind of thing could be super cool. An Alku tape I bought recently is all simulating bird sounds through synthesis, but some sort of little focused study that could be shuffled could be interesting.

Just trying to chip in some thoughts :slight_smile:

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