DAT or MINI-DISC??

D

dj funkifize

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I want to get either a portable DAT recorder or a portable minidisc recorder. To use to record daily sounds etc to use as samples. I don't know which to get though. I'm pretty much sold on DAT, but I thought about it and there really is no particular reason why I want DAT instead of mini-disc. So, I thought I'd ask here.
I've noticed mini-discs are usually a bit cheaper, but I thought DAT was better quality, but i can use mini-discs to record my mp3s and listen to them, but I can do that with DAT too, but mini-disc recorders are easier to find, but i like the looks of DAT...
ahhh!
any opinions on which is better?
thanks
-Mike S
 
dj funkifize said:
I've noticed mini-discs are usually a bit cheaper, but I thought DAT was better quality, but i can use mini-discs to record my mp3s and listen to them, but I can do that with DAT too, but mini-disc recorders are easier to find, but i like the looks of DAT...
Click to expand...

I think you have answered your own question. DAT is better quality and more expensive then Minidisc.
 
but should I sacrifice quality to save some $$? Is DAT that much better that it's worth it? and even though mini-disc isn't as good as DAT, is it still good?
so many questions!!

-Mike S
 
DAT is the best quality and an industry standard used by the pro's. Minidisc is a consumer product and therefore cheaper. Minidisc deletes some frequencies that aren't hearable for the human ear. That's what the frequency tests say. DAT is used in studio's there are also DAT recorders with timecode, etc. You can also use the DAT for other purposes. When you have finished a song you can make a high quality copy to DAT. So if you are really serious in making your own music then go for the DAT. So ask yourself: how far to you want to go in music making? Just for the fun and maybe something more or do you have real high goals? If music making isn't your real goal in life, maybe you can go for the Minidisc. A nice feature of the Minidisc medium is that you can give a name to all the tracks on the MD. That's helpful when you have a MD with about 40 samples. I use a Minidisc to record my mixes and if I want to I'll use this MD as source to burn a copy on CD.

:D
 
u can dj offof a minidisk easier too i'd say. just as extra little bonus.
and it would be smaller and more portable probably, and a little less 'precious', so you could take it out in the surf to record surfie talk...or maybe not...
 
ive worked in alot of studio's and DAT is only really used pretty exclusively for video, but minidsic (at least in england) is usually standard in alot of studio's. i send it off for demo's as its sometimes preferd to CD's. broadcasting and radio use it alot. its easyer to work with, smaller, cheaper and has wider applications. for instance a studio masterd a CD i did. it took some tracks from the recording studio by recording them to MD and i can tell you the final CD is ace! MD quality is as good as CD and as thats what is eventually going to be the outcome. you cant get much better (for the price) i use DAT to, but to be onest its bigger and more hassel as well as more expensive.
its perfect especially for samples, minidisc is the way to go.
if you have some more questions try here..
http://www.minidiscussion.com/
 
just love those happy endings, you lucky dj/music producer you! go forth and sample and find the wierdest bestest radicalest inspirationalist sound bites possible!!!!!!!!!!
Post your tracks, must hear results! i am always stoked to hear about posses doing sample runs and crew aquiring sound trips;)
 
:D
I just bought one off of ebay just now. :):)
But unfortunately, any music production of mine will have to be on hold, as my computer just broke down and I do all my editing and most of my recording on that. :( :(
I'll probably post my problem with that in the "computers" forum.
-Mike S
 
maybe it is jealous of the new arrival. Maybe just whisper closely that it was a joke, you didn't know what you were doing and u gave the minidisk to your sister for a belated christmas present. Then apply massage and turn on and off, then back on again.
Hmmm...
 
nope... sorry to say, I don't think that's going to work, i-clan. :(
read what happened in the "computers" forum
:(
-Mike S
 
yeah i read it, sounds trippy.:(
get a pro onto it, or the person u bought from, or email the manufacturers, or try booting up from a portable floppy disk drive running a safe mode thingo...
hmmm?
Good Luck ! :)
 
i use minidisc while i perform..,as a samples player i thought it was great..and cheaper..any one know where can i get portable DAT ..just like common tape recorder?
 
Probably too late, but ...

Hi.

DAT is the superior recording format. MiniDisc uses 6:1 data compression, hardly "CD Quality". Sure, it sounds fine to Joe-average (and me too), but if you're bouncing tracks on a multi-track MiniDisc recorder, you're going to hear the audio degradation become more and more apparent.

I use MiniDisc for sampling on the go, where lugging a DAT along is simple not possible, but I'd never mix to MiniDisc in my life. CD-R is even superior to that. The key is to keep your fidelity as HIGH as possible until the very last moment when it gets squished down to 44.1kHZ/16bit CD format. If you up-sample (instead of down-sampling), you'll notice the difference in the final product, regardless of how deaf you are. (Well ... maybe I'm exaggerating a little!)

So, in conclusion ... use MiniDisc to sample stuff easily (hey ... it'll fit in your pocket and other nefarious places - plus portable DAT is ridiculously expensive in comparison), but use DAT if you're doing studio recording. Or ADAT ... or hard disk ... or DA88 ... just about anything that doesn't colour your sound with data compression.

Keep it hi-fi ... (unless you don't care) ... ;)

-=(stu.macQ)=-
 
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