[MPA] Anybody working with Minidisc and Mac?

[John Pariseau]

> One question ... if I can get the appropriate interface, would it be 
> possible to create playlists in iTunes and send them to my minidisc 
> deck to record on minidisc?  Would the MP3 convert to ATRAC well 
> enough, or am I better off using the AIFF files I currently use 
> (though I usually burn to CD-RW and then transfer to MD on my home 
> stereo set-up)?
>
> Any ideas?  This never entered my mind until I saw this post.

Well, when the audio leaves your computer - either from mp3 or aiff, it 
is converted into an analog or digital (optical audio out) signal. The 
only loss of quality you should get is from the fact that the aiff file 
is of a higher quality than the mp3 - I would say, however, the 
difference may be negligible. Try it out. Just create a playlist in 
iTunes that is under 80 minutes, make sure there is a 2 second gap of 
sound between each track (does your MD unit automatically create 
tracks? I think some units can do this).

When I first got my MD unit (I now have an iPod, but use the MD for 
professional uses) I was going to get a CD burner, and a MD/CD deck. 
That way, I could easily pop a MD and CD in a deck, hit copy, and walk 
away. I never got the setup, as I ended up getting the iPod a year 
later.