mini disc recorder

Tony: if you've developed that much of a phobia about minidiscs I heartily recommend not going into a radio studio again. Especially not news :-) They're the new cart machines. They're everywhere. I like 'em. Can't be bothered with all that tape splicing crap.

*peers at mini disc recorder charging in fruit bowl*

I think you're supposed to record stuff with it, fish.

It has a pin inside that scratches a wax cylinder when you talk or sing into the microphone (that's the thing that looks like an icecream cone with a long wire tail). Then you press ther "playback" button and the wax cylinder turns around and you can hear what you just said/sang through the speakers (they are the bits that look like black cardboard ashtrays). Don't put your mini disk recorder too near the heater or the wax will melt and that makes your voice sound like you're on helium.

Hi Fish, minidiscs are brilliant. You can record from any medium onto it, save it digitally, then cut bits out and edit it until you've got what you want. In short they are a boon. Like CD's you can go to any point in the minidisc without fast forwarding/rewinding. Wouldn't be without mine whilst on the bus. To record from a tape/hi fi stick the plug in the headphones socket of said hi fi, and stick the other end in the "line in" socket on the minidisc recorder. Have fun! Minidisc - like a really tiny CD thing that you can record on!

what plug???

hahahahahahahah technophobifish

I was given one of these quite a while ago by my son and have found it very useful indeed mainly if you keep forgetting thoughts, what you want at the shops, things you want to remember in general. Yes you do speak or sing or whatever then play it back to yourself, I got the grandchildren to speak into it and they thought it was great fun, if its the same as I am thinking of I think you get a time limit of sorts. Years ago at 60yrs of age I went to my first writing class, again my son bought me a small tape recorder, I used to take it to all my classes, tape all the teacher was trying to teach us and play it back at home so I could go over his or her words and learn from it, I did this because unlike the young in the class I couldn't write it down quick enough mainly because I couldn't spell, I also put all my story's on to tape as we all had to read out to the class the flowing week but the teacher let me play what I had recorded. One day after I got to know these young girls and boys I spoke to them about what I was doing and was saying how lucky I felt they were to be able to spell and write there stuff down like they did, and was very surprised to find how they envied me being able to talk into my recorder so clearly and when I questioned this each one asured me they knew it would not come out the same if they did it. I still have that small recorder to this day also some tapes and have just remembered before I learnt to drive I used to take it on buses and the like and try and record people's conversations without them knowing of cause and try when I got home to make some sort of story out of them. Up till the day I questioned the youngsters I had always been in ore of them even though they were kind to me but that day taught me a lesson if you really, really want to do something you can and will find a way round it also I then went on to write one of the best storys I feel I have ever writen and I have writen many, I called it "Acceptance on the Eighth floor" because at this collage we had to take the lift to the eight floor were the writing class was held, I have never done anything with this story and it would be old hat now and think anybody reading it would have to have been there to understand it but I absolutely love it. Sorry Fish got a bit carried away there but hope some of it has answered your question, people who know me well call me the gadget lady as anything I can find which will assist me to do the job with the least amount of effort I will find it like those mini recorders...

While I was writing the above piece because Matt has explained it I now relise it is disc not tape but you could still edit and such like, does sound good though Matt must look in to one of those, are they very expensive?

You can get pre-recorded discs as well fishy. I'll lend you my Val Doonican Christmas Extravaganza if you like.

You're looking at starting at around £120 for a minidisc recorder Jay. But they're so flexible, they're worth every penny. You can buy pre-recorded discs but they're about £18 each and they're hard to find in the shops so it's much cheaper to buy a cd and record it onto your blank minidisc - then you've got the album on two formats, both digital so there's no loss in sound quality. Have a quick look in Dixons is your best bet and pick up their audio catalogue :o) I don't work for Dixons (or The Sony Centre) by the way... Mind you the way my job's going at the moment, I wonder if they are recruiting for Christmas?

My youngest has had a mini disc player for a year now. It's spent about two months in her possession and ten months in the repair shop (now in for the fifth time). I think they're garbage.

fish. what you will probably find initially is that the disc keeps telling you that it's "TOC WRITING" or words to that effect. THis is just the discs way of labelling the disc, it's very useful as you can name each disc and even each little bit if a disc you record as a separate track. I've had one for a few years. I wanted one for a dictaphone so I could record my thoughts but it hasn't got the mic on it. I have to buy a saparate one but I haven't been bothered since. I just listen to music on it. also take care that you insert the discs in the right way, they've got an arrow to show the way in.

thank you ely ... i have worked out how to record on it ... or rather my kids have ... they seem to find it very funny to record themselves saying HELLO in a variety of silly voices ... anyway its even better since we realised that you have to switch the microphone on ... eldest seems to think he will be able to transfer his MP3's from the laptop onto it ... is that TRUE???

probably with the right lead. Minidiscs have a 'sync' facility that makes them communicate with stuff via optical leads. Go to curries or somewhere and they'll probably put you right.

Don't let the kids near it. It'll break! Don't let yourself near it, it'll break! Just leave it in the fruit bowl and talk to it, then you won't know it's broken.

Thanks heaps Matt, I get the impression you must be one lovely person as I have noticed you will always try and respond no matter who is asking. I doubt if I will be able to come up with that kind of money but its the right time of the year ie Christmas to ask the family to chip in so who knows also in a way I am still quite happy with my pocket size tape recorder, thinking on what Tony is saying I was wondering if your satisfaction and his dissatisfaction might have anything to do with the maker so are there different makers if so who is the maker of yours please...

Sorry to disappoint your sprog Fishy but your minidisc wont play MP3's you need a proper MP3 player for that. They come as either a dedicated CD player or with an integral hard disk capable in some cases of storing 800 albums as MP3's. I've had a minidisc walkman for several years that I use for bootlegging live concerts and I also have a domestic minidisc as part of my hifi. Unlike Tony I have never had a seconds trouble with either of them and I think they're brilliant.

Ah, you are kind Jay. Mine's a Sony. They invented the Minidisc. My biggest worry was losing it, but I haven't so far. It keeps me company on the bus, and people wonder what is going on when I pop out one disc and stick another one in! Also you can record about 4 hours of music on one disc.

Sony a Matt one of the better makes in a quite a few things, I'm putting the tenders out will let you knew if I receive one for Christmas, not holding out much hope though due to the job front being so bad it seems at the moment, been through all that myself in the past not very pleasant when you try so hard and you have young mouths to feed, glad I'm past all that now but do feel for others so mybe not this year after all...