A História Ilustrada do Minidisco da SONY - ep.6 - 1996: MZ-R4ST

 

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Visual Guide to Sony’s MiniDisc (1992–2006)

From First Machines to Final Form

ep. 6

1996 MZ-R4ST: MD Base System

The R4ST paired a portable recorder with a desktop base unit. Recording could happen anywhere, while editing and titling moved to the dock at home. It demonstrated Sony’s belief that MiniDisc could exist as part of a broader system rather than a standalone device.

A História Ilustrada do Minidisco da SONY - ep.5 - 1995: MZ-B3

 

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Visual Guide to Sony’s MiniDisc (1992–2006)

From First Machines to Final Form

ep. 5

1995 MZ-B3: Voice and Field Recording

The MZ-B3 reframed MiniDisc as a professional tool. A built-in microphone and speaker made it suitable for interviews, lectures, and field work, establishing a parallel identity separate from music playback.

A História Ilustrada do Minidisco da SONY - ep.4 - 1995: MZ-R3

 

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Visual Guide to Sony’s MiniDisc (1992–2006)

From First Machines to Final Form

ep. 4

1995 MZ-R3: Editing as a Feature

With ATRAC 3 and expanded editing tools, the MZ-R3 leaned into MiniDisc’s strength as a flexible recording medium. Improved power options made longer portable sessions practical.

A História Ilustrada do Minidisco da SONY - ep.3 - 1993: MZ-R2

 

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Visual Guide to Sony’s MiniDisc (1992–2006)

From First Machines to Final Form

ep. 3

1993 MZ-R2

The MZ-R2 introduced ATRAC 2 and improved mechanical reliability. Remote control support and clearer editing functions made MiniDisc recording more approachable for regular use.

A História Ilustrada do Minidisco da SONY - ep.2 - 1992: MZ-2P

 

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Visual Guide to Sony’s MiniDisc (1992–2006)

From First Machines to Final Form

ep. 2

1992 MZ-2P: Playback-Only Companion

Released alongside the MZ-1, the MZ-2P offered a simplified introduction to MiniDisc. By removing recording functions, it positioned the format as a consumer music player as well as a recording system, reinforcing Sony’s intent to build an ecosystem rather than a single flagship.
With the format established, Sony shifted its priorities. Size, battery life, and everyday usability became central concerns. During this period, MiniDisc began to split into multiple identities: music players, voice recorders, and hybrid systems that bridged home and portable use. The technology stabilized, and MiniDisc started to behave like a product rather than an experiment.

A História Ilustrada do Minidisco da SONY - ep.1 - 1992: MZ-1

 

Aqui fica o resumo da história de um suporte que nunca vingou, um pouco a repetição do sistema BETA, também da Sony, mas que tinha tudo para ser um sucesso.

A fórmula de compressão, muito melhor que qualquer mp3 da vida, a qualidade generalizada dos aparelhos comercializados e, vá lá, o fetichismo que os mesmos provocavam, pela sua beleza, fazia adivinhar um futuro risonho para a tecnologia.

Nada disso se passou,

No entanto, ainda assim, muito material foi produzido (aparelhos de leitura / gravação, minidiscos, etc.) e, na sociedade de consumo que vivemos o inevitável aconteceu também com o minidisc: hordas de amadores e coleccionadores têm ,nos últimos anos assaltado o mercada, elevando os preços à enésima potência, um pouco à semelhança dos preços da habitação em Portugal.

No meu caso consegui adquirir alguns suportes (minidiscos) e 4 ou 5 bons leitores / gravadores. Antes de os mostrar aqui, deixo o resumo ilustrado da história desta tecnologia.

E mais importante, continuo a usar, gravar e ouvir. A qualidade de som que se obtém com um bom leitor é fantástica, o que adicionado à portabilidade e conveniência da tecnologia deixa os outros formatos (portáteis) a uma distância enorme atrás.

Comecem também vocês, já hoje, a explorar o mundo secreto do minidisc e  não se arrependerão. Quanto mais se atrasarem mais terão de pagar, o que é mau :-)

Visual Guide to Sony’s MiniDisc (1992–2006)

From First Machines to Final Form

When Sony introduced MiniDisc, it was proposing a different future for recorded sound. Smaller than a CD, tougher than a cassette, and capable of digital recording and editing, MD promised portability without compromise.

What followed over the next fourteen years was one of Sony’s most complex product lines. MiniDisc Walkman models evolved from experimental into everyday tools, then adapted to the age of the PC, before reaching a technically perfect but culturally late conclusion.

The earliest MD Walkman models were shaped by urgency. By the early 1990s, Sony faced a strategic threat. Philips was promoting Digital Compact Cassette, and the possibility of losing control over the next recording standard was very real. Sony’s response was decisive and fast. MiniDisc was unveiled publicly in 1991, before the hardware to support it fully existed. Engineers were asked to turn a vision into a working product under immense pressure. The first MiniDisc Walkman models reflect that intensity.

1992 MZ-1: The First MiniDisc Recorder

The MZ-1 was a statement device. Large, heavy, and technically demanding, it combined playback, recording, digital inputs, and non-linear editing into a single portable unit. Its magneto-optical mechanism required precise laser alignment and careful handling, while battery life remained limited. Early ATRAC versions revealed audible artifacts, but the MZ-1 established the defining ideas of MiniDisc: skip resistance, editable tracks, and disc-based digital recording.

feld - magazine - #1 - 2025 - by Jörg Follert - tem compilação para download

 

feld 

magazine com compilação digital ou vice-versa

2025

nº 1

With Aki Tsuyuko... Andi Lemke... Anja Sackarendt... Catherine Norris

David Yates... Didda Jonsdottir... Dolly Dolly & Fogroom... Frieda Luczak

Jeannette Priolli... João Paulo Daniel... Knistern... Listening Center

Michael Hoepfel... Nobukazu Takemura... Paul Bareham... Plastic Moonrise

Raffael Dörig... Retep Folo... Simon Bridgestock... Sukhdev Sandhu

The Heartwood Institute... Volker Pantenburg

Aki Tsuyuko & Mole G Mussoco - Mole

Andi Lemke - Séance der Steine

Dolly Dolly & Fogroom - Geometric Shapes

Knistern - Zwischen rot und morgen

Listening Center - Uncertain Slopes

01 Saturn Aspect

02 Uncertain Slopes A

03 Uncertain Slopes B

04 Uncertain Slopes C

05 Uncertain Slopes D

06 Uncertain Slopes D

07 Uncertain Slopes E

Paul Bereham - Islander

01 Blackwater Composites

02 Clattering Halyards

03 St. Peter-on-the-Wall

04 Doomsday Across The Water

Plastic Moonrise 01 Islands of the Blessed

02 Lovesong (fortune)

03 Maggie

Retep Folo - Cell I

Simon Bridgestock - Another Threshold (Diptych)

The Heartwood Institute - Your Chances Of Survival

The music can be found here: https://bit.ly/Feld_music_2025

I am just a hint

When I had the idea for Feld, I wasn't thinking about something coherent and styllistically

homogeneous. There was just an urge to give expression to something still formless. A state

of entanglement, of connectedness and of apparent contradictions, perhaps. All I realized

quite quickly that I wanted to involve people who I value, who interests me or who has been

with me for a long time. Direct and indirect. With the inspiration that I owe them and because

 of their idiosyncrasies and the happy and surprised moments that they or their actions have

revealed to me. And because they were prepared to entrust me with their works, I can´t

 emphasize enough how happy that makes me. So the release of this magazine may seem a

rather loose mixture to some, but I suspect that it is more than that, I hope it´s an inspiration

and a place of possible associations. A blurring and a bit more clarity at the same time.

In any case, it is a search for a hidden structure that seems to work through the world and

how I sometimes sense it.

Jörg Follert (06/2025)

mail@joergfollert.de joergfollert.de

34 páginas A4 papel grosso - 100grs, tipo cartolina, não brilhante a cores. 

LP - Jornal de Música - nº 30

 

Diretor: João Pedro Costa

ANO I

Nº 30

75$00

Semanário

25 de Maio de 1989

Capa: Joe Jackson - Simple Minds - Depeche Mode

+

nada de especial - número muito pobre