response 25 of 52:

Jan 7 02:19 UTC 1998

Oooh, you're MEAN! (I am not good at guessing these things.)
Was given a mix CD for Christmas of Canadian bands. I am now lusting after
a whole CD by Captain Tractor. 

Am trying to put togehter a mix CD of my fave filk, since it's going to
be decaying soon (most of the filk I have is on over ten year old tapes, and
it's all oop. Bummer.) -- and I have a friend who has a CD burner. Now if I
can only get together with him....

response 27 of 52:

Jan 7 06:15 UTC 1998

I LOVE doing mixed tapes...and it's fun looking at peoples expressions when
I do things like have Billie Holliday followed by Meatloaf...Duke Ellington,
Jewel, and Disney all in a row....:)

response 29 of 52:

Jan 7 12:24 UTC 1998

Yeah, I've been mulling over buying a Minidisc deck.  The console decks are
now less than $400, media $5-7.  A few months ago Big George's had a package
with a record/play console deck and a walkman player for about $450.  

I'm slightly more interested in DAT, which starts at about $750.  :(

response 31 of 52:

Jan 7 20:21 UTC 1998

Yep, it's called ADTRAC.  The first versions of ADTRAC *sucked*.  It's much
better now, and even with the lossy compression MD is a *ton* better than
cassette.  

response 33 of 52:

Jan 8 01:38 UTC 1998

DAT is the same technology that was being labeled DCC, right?  Professional
both in the computing and music industry love DAT players because they make
great backups, and they are a superb tool in the mastering process.  For
example, DAT players make sampling real audio clean and easy.  But if I
understand things correctly, DAT cassettes aren't usually used as a permanent
recording.  Now somebody might have to explain to me how DAT players and DCC
players are different.  DCC can play digital and analog tapes, but does DAT
follow the same format?  Both are subject to the same wear and tear that
regular cassette tapes are, so even if cassettes are cheaper, I think the
masses decided that CDs were worth paying for, even if DCC's were made
cheaper.  So that meant for the public, DCC players were of little value. 
Why drive down the price of a DCC when CD players are just as viable and are
cheaper now?

Enter MiniDisc-- as was said, the public has wanted to have some advantages
of CDs, and some flexibility that only cassette had previously offered. 
Again, it is marketed to the *listening* public.  Sure, they are recordable,
but that's not their ultimate use.  Again, DATs are used by programming
companies, studios, and folks who demand the same temporary needs.
(is that close?)

response 35 of 52:

Jan 8 04:59 UTC 1998

DAT is used all over both ends for mastering.  Although in the big mastering
houses 1/2" analogue at 15ips with Dolby SR is still king.  THe problem with
DATs (and this could be true for MD, i don't know) is that they self-erase
in 20 or so years.  Worthless for archiving.  Gotta love that Ampex 641 tape.

response 37 of 52:

Jan 9 01:11 UTC 1998

Yep, although I've nearly sworn off DAT at a viable format.  Just too many
little things to go wrong.  I've been using my 1/4" analogue open-reel machine
a lot more lately. (until I broke a couple springs that is....damn)

Anyone know of a good source for small springs?

response 39 of 52:

Jan 9 06:28 UTC 1998

 re #37:  My experience with DAT is primarily backing up computer data
 but you're right -- the mechanical reliability of the tape mechanisms
 leave a lot to be desired..  Unfortunately DLTs are a little chunky to
 haul around with you..  :-)

response 41 of 52:

Jan 13 03:19 UTC 1998

Yep.

response 43 of 52:

Jun 14 18:21 UTC 1998

I see Philips now advertising CD recorders on television.
The RIAA must be feeling really glum right around now.

response 45 of 52:

Jun 15 17:20 UTC 1998

RIAA is the Record Industry Association of America, the trade group for the 
record labels.

response 47 of 52:

Jun 16 03:18 UTC 1998

  They're the ones who send goons around to your business if you're
  thinking of making a product that records with a sound quality any
  greater than the classic two-styrofoam-cups-and-a-piece-of-string
  "telephones" you might've made as a very small child..

response 49 of 52:

Jun 16 17:13 UTC 1998

  Well, I might be exaggerating a *bit*..  The thing is there's a lot of
  money in the recording industry and the industry executives have concluded
  that the best way to make more money is to sell CDs for a lot more money
  rather than sell a lot more CDs for less money..  They may be right --
  I'm sure they know more about it than I ever will but even to me it seems
  that a recording has a certain natural market and that reducing price
  below a certain level won't greatly increase sales outside that market.
  However, while prices for CDs and cassettes go higher and higher the
  danger of losing sales to piracy, made attractive by improved technology
  and lower and lower equipment costs, continually increases.  Rather than
  alleviate this pressure by lowering their prices somewhat the record
  companies have tried instead to squash the technology.  They were quite
  successful in doing so with digital audio tape (DAT).  Though popular 
  among recording engineers and audio technophiles, DAT never achieved
  the popularity it deserved as a consumer format because the record
  companies managed to intimidate the DAT-makers for long enough that the
  format missed its chance.  However, I don't think they foresaw the rise
  of the CD-ROM and the arrival of affordable recordable CD drives, which
  had too much momentum for them to quash the way they did DAT..