# Instruments and Equipment > Equipment >  Sony mini disc to computer

## montana

In the 70's-80's I recorded all my LP's on Sony Minidisc now I would like to get them onto my computer. Anyone know a good program to use. I would record the minidisc to mp3 then have to cut into the different songs.

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## Dave LaBoone

Audacity is a freebie and could easily handle the task you'd be asking it to do.

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Mike Black

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## kkmm

To be more specific, use an appropriate audio cable to connect the output of the mini-disc player to the audio in of your computer (or laptop), then use Audacity to record from the LINE IN input.
I have one of the mini-disc and I can record to my laptop or my portable recorder or to my Tyros3 using this method.
Mini-disc has its own format, not WAV, not MP3. So basically to have to play and record the song using a different device in WAV or MP3 format.

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## David Rambo

DAK also makes and sells a program that will do that and a lot more.

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## John Flynn

I'm wondering if an issue here is that the mini disc is a digital format and transferring via the line in will be an analog operation. So if the OP recorded originally from LP records to mini disc and then transferred to the computer via the line in, it would analog-digital-analog-digital, not a great progression. You can use Sony's Sonic Stage software to do a digital transfer of the mini disc to a .wav file. Then that could be converted digitally to .mp3, .m4a or whatever. Sonic Stage is slow, but it is a very high quality digital transfer.

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Jim

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## Jim

I have done this using Audacity, it works and the files are clean and listenable. There is transduction loss in the analog to digital to analog to digital signal but , to my old ears, this mostly comes across as volume loss.

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## Paul Brett

I've used Audacity but I've found I either have to do an album one track at a time or record the whole thing and break the tracks manually. Both tasks I find too labourious. Someone is going to post next that Audacity does this automatically! 

On a previous Sony laptop there was bundled software that would break the tracks automatically. I think this was Sonic Stage as mentioned above?

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## oldwave

Sony cd architect is the easiest way to turn one file into cd tracks, hit the t key when there are gaps in the recording. I have used it since before Sony bought it. Still the best cd authoring out there. reaper is a multitrack program that allows cd creation also and it is great multitrack, but the learning curve will be steeper.

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## Paul Merlo

My original thought was to use Audacity, but I'm not sure that's the best solution. How important is sound quality here?

I think one of the reasons that MiniDisc didn't catch on was because it was a compressed audio format that omitted "inaudible" (according to Sony) sound.  If that didn't affect the quality of the LP recordings, then I would probably want to preserve that sound as best as possible.  I would definitely not record to Mp3, and choose a lossless format instead.  If you really aren't that concerned about quality or your time editing, then [MiniDisc line in ANA] > Audacity > Mp3 will probably work just fine.

But I'm guessing if you took the time to copy all of them digitally, then this is probably a collection worth saving and not something you'd be better off just downloading a new digi-copy of.  

Is there a way to send a digital signal out from your MiniDisc player?  I actually have a MiniDisc player (and have used it about 5 times) that has a USB port.  Can you read your mindiscs as an external drive and copy them that way?  I would try to transfer them that way and save myself the all the editing time spent chopping up Album length Mp3s.  Unless, of course, I've got 400 classics and the time to listen to and edit about 13 albums a week - then by all means I'd take that opportunity to reconnect with my music collection.

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## Loudloar

Hmmm. Going by memory but I don't think the minidisc format is compressed. I recall it being higher resolution than a CD, I think it is 20 bits vs. 16 bits for a CD.

The biggest stupid thing that Sony did was employ copy protection. I have never figured out how to get a digital signal in or out of my minidisc machine, even though it has a SPDIF port. It would make it so easy if you could load digital files, but the only method seems to be to record an analog signal in real-time.

Steve

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## eadg145

Minidisc is a very nice-sounding audio format.  I believe it was 20-bit from the get-go.

  I have both a portable and a 1U pro minidisc deck.  (Who knew?...)  I've had good success connecting the optical out from the minidisc to an M-Audio Traveler USB interface, and then grabbing the tracks using Audio Hijack Pro from Rogue Amoeba Software on the Mac.  Audio Hijack will split the tracks for you.

  Good luck!

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## houseworker

Minidisc is indeed a compressed format (unless you're using the Hi-MD version) but the sound quality of the later recorders with ATRAC-R coding is quite exceptional, and it remains my preferred format for digital conversion from vinyl.

While the records you copied may well date from the 70s and 80s, Minidisc was first introduced in 1992.

Most Minidisc recorders have an optical digital out, some also offer coaxial, and how you'll achieve the best transfer will depend on what facilities your current equipment has (both minidisc and computer).  I'm fortunate in having a hi-fi setup that includes an audio CD-R recorder as well as two high end Minidisc decks.  So I can copy my Minidiscs straight across to CD-R.  If I were wanting to save the music on my hard drive, I would do it via a rewritable CD.

Exactly what equipment and facilities do you have at present?

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## houseworker

I should have said that FFmpeg include codecs for ATRAC1 (MD SP) and ATRAC3 (MD LP) in their library.

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## kkmm

In order to read a mini-disc from a computer, one would need a mini-disc reader/writer that can be connected to a PC (or laptop).
Does such a thing exist ? Just a curious question, I am phasing out my mini-disc recorder anyway, replacing it with a stand-alone recorder (4 tracks).

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## montana

From every thing I've found you can only re record them which is a time consuming pain. I hate Sony.

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## Jim

I liked minidiscs alot but I never found a way to move a file from the mini disc to the computer except by recording it analog to my CDR recorder . might just be my MD player/recorders though.

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## clobflute

> In order to read a mini-disc from a computer, one would need a mini-disc reader/writer that can be connected to a PC (or laptop).
> Does such a thing exist ? Just a curious question, I am phasing out my mini-disc recorder anyway, replacing it with a stand-alone recorder (4 tracks).


I use the USB microcable with my Sony HiMd using the hiMd software on Mac. Jusst drag and copy into your computer or iTu es.  

The real reason I love it is that I can stick the MD portable into a 24k DAC and get warm tube like music instead of sterile ipod compressed music. Thin source material like 192kbs can be upsampled an processee through the minidisc.s own amp which is still miles better than the commercial solidstate fodder on the market

Without a hiMd player you could hunt for a Sony MZ1 family with a micro USB for windows and sonicstage or a Sharp Mt999.  Both are slower than hiMd but work with copy and pasting the soundracks onto computer. You can also connect your MD player via optical direct to you laptop and stream onto minidisc  if you are recording via computer programs with usb mics and audacity so that you have it on the laptop and minidisc simultaneously

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## houseworker

> From every thing I've found you can only re record them which is a time consuming pain. I hate Sony.


Why blame Sony?  It's not like you can even be bothered to tell us what MD player you have, or what computer soundcard, which would at least let us give you clear advice on your options.

There are MD readers available which facilitate direct transfer of files to a computer, and maybe you should consider buying one.  Otherwise you're going to have to work with what you've got.

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## John Flynn

I won't go so far as to say I hate Sony, but I have to agree they went way too far with copy-protection technology on the minidisc and they were not up-front with the consumer about how extensive it was. I think that is one of the reasons the technology lost out in the marketplace before its time. Another was Sony using non-standard connectors and batteries that wore out and were hard/expensive to replace. That was unfortunate. The system had a lot of pluses, including really great sound.

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## mandroid

Can't you use the audio playback, out the Headphone jack into the Mic input,
 on the soundcard/laptop?

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## montana

Don't get me wrong I have tried most things talked about. I know there is no way but to re-record which I have done. It is just very time consuming. I am going to try a program by Digitope which says it will cat the recording into individuel tunes. We'll see.

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