james.sealey Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 Firstly, let me say hi to everyone, been reading these forums for a long time now, however have only just got round to registering so I can add some input. I am currently working on a project where we are considering using Minidisc to record. It has been nearly 10 years since I last used a minidisc, and back then they more than fullfilled my needs. However, since then my expectations have increased ten fold, and I need to get an idea of the true quality so we can weigh up all the options. Basically, I know (I think) that the true bitrate of a CD is 192kbps with a sample rate of 44.1KHz, however I am curious to know what the comparable figure is for a Minidisc recorder. I have looked around the net a fair bit, but all I keep stumbling accross is reference to the MDLP 'Long Play' format and/or HiMD. The unit we have is a tried, tested and trusted Sony MDS-JE520 (so does not feature any of the long play malarkey) and although I have found the sample rate in the manual (44.1KHz) I am unable to find a bitrate listed anywhere. I know this unit uses the ATRAC compression (presumably the first version of the technology), does anyone have any ideas? Thanks In Advance James Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
p.k.roberts Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 The answer to all things minidisc lies here; http://www.minidisc.org more specifically, try here .... http://www.minidisc.org/faq_sec_4.html answer 4. However, it seems to me from your question that it cannot be answered by numbers alone; but rather whether the ATRAC compression is acceptable for your application. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevinS Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 Here's the spec for the original ATRAC coding:http://www.minidisc.org/aes_atrac.html Retrospectively this is often called ATRAC 1 as I think we are up to Atrac 4.5 now (or possibly more...I've lost track) That website has a lot of useful minidisc info (some of it in Japanese unfortunately) and is worth a thorough browse if you are a fan of the format. K Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobbsy Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 As others have said, the only way for you to solve this is with your ears, not by comparing the number of bits. ATRAC on minidisk is very different from MP3...and both are bit rate reduced files making them totally different from the PCM files on a CD. However, to correct one thing in your original post, the bit rate on a music CD is 1411.2kbps (16 bits * 44,100 sample rate * 2 tracks because it's stereo). Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shez Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 I seem to recall that ATRAC compresses about 5:1, which would make sense as data MDs are 120MB. That makes the bit rate ~276kbps. As others have said though, it does sound different to MP3 (it's a lot less objectionable to my ears than the standard 128k MP3s but then it is a bit apples & oranges). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
james.sealey Posted March 10, 2009 Author Share Posted March 10, 2009 Thanks for all the input guys, and as always, it's great to learn some new stuff! I think for now I'll do some trial recordings and see if any of my colleagues can tell them apart. As mentioned it is a fair while since I've done any proper recording on MD, and back then I never had any concerns or issues with the quality. Ultimatly we are looking to get our recordings onto CD, so we will be purchasing at some point a pro cd recorder (recommendations anyone?), but for now we shall have to make do with what we have access to. Incidentally, our other option is to record straight onto a pc/laptop, but I have had concerns over the quality of soundcards until that is I started playing round with the OH's Mac Book... :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobbsy Posted March 10, 2009 Share Posted March 10, 2009 A couple of things on PC recording... First, you can have a pretty darn good USB interface for well under the £100 mark (and probably under £70) so that might be an option. If you're going to end up on CD anyway, starting in uncompressed wave format is the way to go....and PC Audio software will let you do some editing and tweaking of EQ, levels, etc. Frankly, it's the way I work in my home studio. Second, don't assume a Macbook has a great audio interface as standard. I've seen some pretty horrendous digital noise when a decent mic is plugged directly in! Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
james.sealey Posted March 10, 2009 Author Share Posted March 10, 2009 Second, don't assume a Macbook has a great audio interface as standard. I've seen some pretty horrendous digital noise when a decent mic is plugged directly in! Good to know, I have so far tried the soundcard of my personal laptop, which performs well, however there is an element of digital noise carried on both the line in and line out which although isn't audible at normal audio signal levels, during quiet periods it is noticable. Gonna steal the OH's mac tonight and give that a try. James Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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