Re: "Roll Your Own"

Dale P Ott (daleott1@juno.com)
Fri, 22 May 1998 17:39:36 EDT

Before you go out & buy a CD burner for recording off the net, look into
one of the minidisc recorders available for a street price of around $300
at your local audio outlet. I guess Sony developed the technology but
several companies now make compatible discs for around $5.00 each. They
record digitally at 44KHz and although the data is compressed it's very
close to CD quality. The discs record 74 minutes stereo, 148 mono, and
they're re-recordable. I've recorded concerts off the soundboard and
have been very happy with the quality for personal use. The live Guy
Davis CD 'Stomp Down Rider' is credited with being recorded on a
minidisc. The usual disclaimers apply and this may be of limited f_m
content, but maybe since the price is difference between these & CD
burners is so great, there may be redeeming social value. --Dale Ott
(daleott1@juno.com)

[ Stuntie sez: The lowest street prices for minidisc recorders - roughly
$400 - are in line with, or slightly higher than, the lowest street prices
for CD-R recorders. Each system has its own distinct advantages: the MDR is
portable and its product is small and easy to store. The CD-R is much more
flexible and can be used for music, data, or combinations thereof. For more
information about minidiscs, visit the Minidisc Community Home Page at
http://www.minidisc.org/ . For more on CD-R (and the variant technology,
CD-RW) you might try the PC Magazine summary at
http://www.zdnet.com/pcmag/features/cd-rw/index.html . ]