In the days before Computers ruled all in broadcasting, Mini-Disks were one cost effective solution to replace NAB Standard Jingle Cartridges. When I built the original studios for the Bridgend Local Radio trials I installed Mini-Disks as replacements for the Cartridges which we all found very easy to operate and were reliable.
Needless to say when Celtica Radio's studios were first set up we used Mini-Disks as Computerisation was still in its infancy at that point. And I was not convinced that it was reliable enough.
Within three years though, by 2003, the Mini-Disks were virtually obsolete. But we decided to keep a couple of these great instruments operational in each studio installation, as even now they are still useful.
This full size Rack Mount Mini-Disks is only rarely used, but it is occasionally needed.
This much smaller Mini-Disk has a removable 4Gigabyte disc as it's recording media and can support a high quality digital recording of many many hours.
On this link https://www.celticaradio.com/archive.html you will find a number of outside broadcast recordings, interviews and concerts all either recorded with this 'NET' Mini-Disk, or an earlier version owned by Ed Risby who is Celtica Radios Company Secretary.
The quality of these recording instruments is absolutely stunning. And of course without them, Celtica Radio itself would never have been able to exist in the first place.
Keeping them serviced and in use, together with CDs, Turntables and Reel To Reel Tape Recorders, means that if our Playout system stopped working we could still sustain the service the old fashioned way!
Bill Everatt
I keep looking at cheap ones on ebay, as I would like to get one as a means to record mp3s and bits for the swordcast, but prices are still remarkably stiff!
ReplyDeleteHa! We still use MiniDiscs at work here at the radio station all the time! For spot announcements and PSAs and Donor announcements and such. We are still living in the 90s around here! But then again, most of our pre-recorded programming is broadcast using plain old Audio CDs, which no self-respecting radio station would ever do!
ReplyDeleteI was chatting with a couple of my radio friends very recently and we all agreed that radio as we know it now has a finite lifespan.
ReplyDeletePodcasts and generally the internet has meant people are more interested in Facebook and social media than the Radio One Top 20.
Some sort of studio facility is always going to be needed, sadly the days of traditional radio are numbered.
I think traditional professional broadcasting has been displaced by kids with webcams and phones posting narcissistic clips on youtube and tiktok, the attention span of the average person has been reduced to seconds now and the appetite for sensationalism and excitement has meant that dancing cats and exhibitionist idiocy has overtaken quality programming.
ReplyDeleteSo your'e not a fan of social media then Wote?
ReplyDelete