Sony MZ-B100 MiniDisc Business Recorder

I had recently purchased a Mini disc recorder from the guitar center. It's advertised as a songwriters dream. In a box you get the md recorder, mic, headphones etc. I thought to my self,all these damn cords all the time! with todays technology and demand why hasn't anybody developed a md recorder with built in stereo microphones (along with an optional mic jack), built in speaker (along with an optonal headphone jack)And a variable pitch control (very important). Well, I did some deep research and found that the only way to find such a product was to take a look at sony's line of md recorders and see if there on the ball. Sure enough to my amazement I found the Mz B-100 a buisiness recorder with all the features I'd desired plus more. Except, it's advertised only as a journalists tool. This little bad boy is a songwriters dream for It's quick inspiration and exceptional surround sound quality (if you want). Mono or stereo and two more mega bass boost settings are available. It has a high/low mic sensitivity button. The stereo mics are labeled left and right on each side of the recorder and are by no means a toy, they sound fantastic and I haven't even tried it with an external stereo mic yet,I could only imagine. And the speaker works well enough to monitor your meanderings in quieter setting(not in crowds). You can also monitor while your recording to get the best mic placement with the supplied earphones that are great. Or even better yet, try monitoring at home with a set of professional studio headphones...incredible! It also has an input for an optical cable if you desire to hook it up to a cd player or multitrack recorder. And it has a power supply jack, contrary to the advertised specs. Also You can label each track or pass. And The recording time and battery life are great. It's just an awesome little heavyweight! (can you tell I'm impressed?) Now a few little NEGS and believe me there just a few little ones. The carrying case is rather useless. The only thing it might do is protect the finish, that's it! Besides that, I've seen better carrying pouches that come with more inexpensive ones, I think in considering it's application, a padded case would have been more deserving... besides, I always accidentally hit record when I grab the carrying pouch (not good). And Considering the price of the machine, A display screen that lights up is invaluable to the journalist. Definetely an overseen feature available on lesser md recorders. Another problem is a few of the buttons are rather tiny. I have a very small hand and even I find it difficult to press some of the buttons such as erase, edit/memo, display, etc. Apart from that, It's a powerhouse of a tool. Still amazed that Sony isn't pitching it to the music retailers.

I'm a professional broadcaster, having used MD since the early 1990's, and our organization uses these for newsgathering. The main flaws of the MZ-B100 as noted elsewhere are lack of lighted LCD, and extremely slow RR/FF and other actions, due to the single AA power supply and other issues. But another drawback is that, after extensive use, and with some units this develops earlier, it starts adding phantom tracks without pressing the track button. This is bothersome when you're trying to keep a record of what is where. I hope SONY comes out with an upgrade, but doubt they will, because they already have the slightly cheaper MZ-B10 and other digital recorder options.

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Every positive comment I've read about this machine is true. I liked mine so much I ended up buying three (when they were available.) I use one in my studio, take one with me to classes to record lectures (I'm 62 and have gone back to university.) I gave the third to a dear friend who is a fellow retired broadcaster living in Amsterdam who does a show on the internet DFM network Sunday afternoons and frequently includes stuff she has recorded into her mix. (Thunderstorms are great with mega bass turned on.) What nobody seems to mention is that there is a port on the top of the machine for one of Sony's transformer power supplies, which saves a lot on batteries. The transformers are good with 115-220 V at 60 & 50 Hz respectively, which means you can take the MZ-B100 just about anywhere in Europe or North America and not waste batteries except on remote locations. Sony's transformer has fold-in U.S. flat blade connectors to mains, but Magellan or AAA can fix you up with a converter plug for a nominal charge. Electronic editing is a cinch as you define edit points using the "mark" button. that assigns the track a number, which can then be moved to almost any other place also so marked. The first time I saw one of these machines was a photograph of Terry Anderson's workspace in Iraq on assignment from the BBC. I am told that when these MZ-B100's were released they cost in excess of $900. They are a bargain at more than that IF YOU CAN FIND ONE. I have Uher and Studer equipment that can't come close to quality per ounce that the MZ-B100 can deliver. The blank discs can be used "one million times" says Sony, without any noticeble loss of quality. I am a 40 year broadcast veteran, both "talent" and engineer, and if you told someone you could pack all of these features (read the manual, there's a link elsewhere in this product listing) in 1965 I'd have laughed at you while seriously questioning your sanity. If you can find one listed here or elsewhere BUY IT ! IPOD SCHMIPOD, this is the genuine breakthrough. There is also an optical digital input, which means you can virtually clone CD's if your CD machine has an optical output.(It's usually locatable by the little squareish plug in the back which protects the port when not in use.) I found the connecting digital cable and transformer on eBay. Good as the built in stereo mikes are, an expensive mike with a fabricated stereo mini plug to XLR connector does a fantastic job. The mic input also feeds phantom power to condenser mikes. All in all a little miracle of design and practicality.

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This recorder has been the best investment I have made. It is user friendly, has easy to read and understand displays, and makes great recordings using an external mic or its own internal mic. I have recommended it to several of my friends and our university radio station owns several. Students prefer this model over those recorders like the MZ N10 that are both difficult and confusing to use.

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I have had this recorder for ten years and I cannot believe it is still working. I use it between five and seven days a week, recording interviews for my job. For the first seven years, I used the recordings for broadcast (radio and TV.) Since then, I have upgraded to a Marantz PMD660, but I use this minidisc recorder for my every day stuff. After hundreds of hours of recording and playback, it is still kicking. It has even been dropped a couple of times. My only regret, is that I did not buy three of these at the time. When this baby finally wears out, I will be sad sad sad.