Quiet American on why to use Minidisc
Quiet American (who’s made field recordings all over the world) tells why he likes minidisc. He speaks to the needs of the traveller. If you’re making a decision what recorder to get, and you travel, bear what he says in mind:
The large capacity of [Hard Disc] recorders on the other hand is itself a double-edged sword. Convenience comes at the cost of the exposure of relying on a single mechanisms to safeguard hours (if not weeks or months) of one’s work. And drives are delicate mechanical mechanisms almost all of us have personally watched fail, even when not subjected to the rigors of travel.
[…]Mechanical failure is not the only risk. I have, sad to say, had a recorder stolen in the field. If I had been using a HD recorder instead of minidisc, I would have lost an entire trip’s worth of recordings, instead of a day’s worth. That’s something I will not soon forget.
But travel concerns aren’t the only thing he addresses here. If you’re debating whether to get MiniDisc or Compact Flash, or something else, his discussion is worth a read.