Building a Library archive on YouTube

[Dave2002]

Sir Velo - the format of minidiscs was a propriety (Sony) one. At some point their commercial interest led them to release some software that (perhaps, IIRC) meant the recording could be converted to a more open format. But the software was likely "of its time" and information about it may be somewhere on the internet - or not.

I just need some time - well lots if truth be told - to unpack my minidiscs, set up out of storage my players, and have a go. Anyone here managed to transfer Minidisc to open format by an IT process - or know anyone who has done, and can still, do it?

I have indeed done this, but it was a huge faff, and I never really found a very reliable way to do it. How many minidiscs do you have? Are they labelled? If each is like a gold brick in terms of value, then it's worth trying to find a way to extract the data, but if each has about as much value as a pile of sawdust, then it may be a lot more trouble than it's worth.

I have vague recollections that I had to use Windows and a PC to do that too, which is not helpful as I scrapped most of the Win PCs which we once had.

If there were only a few MDs - say 10 or so, then perhaps a workflow could be found which would do the job in reasonable time. Also, how good are the recordings? If they aren't particularly spectactular then doing analogue transfer to another computer via a suitable ADC would probably not introduce a major loss of quality - i.e the transfer degradation would be bearable - though the time to do the transfers could be considerable. It would also depend on what recording format had been used - as if the recordings were made for storage capacity rather than quality, there could be hours of material to transfer from each MD - though the quality would then be inherently lower.

[LMcD]

Thanks to Cockney Sparrow seconded

Details of some (why not all...?) of the recordings featured in this podcast can be found on the BBC Genome. It's a very interesting programme that doesn't pull its punches when discussing some of Finzi's opinions.

[Nick Armstrong]

Details of some (why not all...?) of the recordings featured in this podcast can be found on the BBC Genome. It's a very interesting programme that doesn't pull its punches when discussing some of Finzi's opinions.

Now you say that, I’m sure I listened to the broadcast at the time

[Cockney Sparrow]

Excuse my brief reply - it will have to be enough on this, for a while:

I have indeed done this, but it was a huge faff, How many minidiscs do you have? Are they labelled? ..... if each has about as much value as ...................then it may be a lot more trouble than it's worth.

Quantity - well, a lot, ? 200, ?300, more?. Not sure. Usually 60 or 80 minute at Standard Play. Relatively few high capacity HiMD discs (costly). I tended to use the best ATRAC quality for music, and the lesser setting which doubled the length, if that would help in the recording, especially for speech. Labelled - yes (date, some info - usually).

I have vague recollections that I had to use Windows and a PC to do that.

That's OK, I've never used a MAC.

Also, how good are the recordings?

I thought the quality of Minidisc was pretty acceptable at the time. It was a very convenient way to record, especially being able to introduce "tracks" at the touch of a button even during recording - a convenience not replaced since, so far as I have found.

When I get some time, which won't be for a while, I'll have a look at a sample of 50 or so, and form an impression of whether its worth investigating the IT download/conversion route. Or, just doing a real time transfer for any that are of real interest, which maybe then could be put on Y Tube.

[Nick Armstrong]

Thank you for the link. Lots of fun to be had there. To avoid duplication, please note that podcasts of Record Review dating from 2010 to the present day are available on the programme's official BBC website

Thanks for this. Where possible, listening on the BBC website is obviously preferable, for a number of reasons...

I just listened to the YouTube recording of BaL on Rachmaninov’s 2nd Symphony by Geoffrey Norris (no date given but from the style and theme music I suspect it’s from the 1970s). One shouldn’t look a gift horse &c. &c. but the sound quality is pretty dire (awful at the start but it improves somewhat).

Interestingly, the review proceeds on the basis of 9 recordings - not so far off the ‘shortlists’ of today... Presumably required by the fact that there were no more recordings available then (apart from recordings of the cut version which GN summarily dismisses at the outset).

[Barbirollians]

Stephen Johnson did Bruckner 7 twice - in his first he dismissed Haitink s 1960s version as chivvying Bruckner along far too much in his recent BAL it was his first choice.

[Cockney Sparrow]

Thank you for the link. Lots of fun to be had there. To avoid duplication, please note that podcasts of Record Review dating from 2010 to the present day are available on the programme's official BBC website.

For those interested, 4K Video Downloader gives the option to save just the audio from these videos - very convenient for MP3, M4A, OGG playlists, etc. (Mods, please delete this last link if considered unseemly.)

On Saturday last, Andrew Mc G reminded listeners that the Buidling a Library Archive back to 2010 was available on, or via the programme page of the , Radio iPlayer - oh, OK - "BBC Sounds"

If they don't monitor these threads, that's something of a coincidence. Of course, it doesn't mean they give any credence to our dissatisfactions, but when it comes to promoting their online offering......

[visualnickmos]

Stephen Johnson did Bruckner 7 twice - in his first he dismissed Haitink s 1960s version as chivvying Bruckner along far too much in his recent BAL it was his first choice.

An interesting observation, Barbs; I'm surprised it hasn't elicited more replies. However, it does seem that "even" critics/writers and so on, can be - dare I say it - "fickle" or maybe just plain ol' forgetful !

[Barbirollians]

It has been both illuminating and depressing listening to many of these BALs - some sound very old fashioned - others just vastly superior to what we get now . Even leaving aside twofers - an example is David Nice’s Elgar 2 from 2006 compared to Richard Morrison’s dire BAL of 10 years later.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

An interesting observation, Barbs; I'm surprised it hasn't elicited more replies. However, it does seem that "even" critics/writers and so on, can be - dare I say it - "fickle" or maybe just plain ol' forgetful !

Except that I think that Barbs might actually be mistaken on this occasion. Bruckner's 7th was reviewed by SJ on 4th March, 2006 when he recommended Böhm's 1977 recording.

http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/radio3/classical/cdreview/bal9910.pdf

(type in page 161, and scroll down to the bottom of that page)

The work was next reviewed on 13th December, 2014, when Haitink's 1960s recording was chosen - but the reviewer on that later occasion was John Deathridge, not SJ.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04tvlyz

Not that this disproves the suggestion that critics can be "fickle or forgetful", but I don't think that anyone on this Forum ever believed that they weren't!

[visualnickmos]

Except that I think that Barbs might actually be mistaken on this occasion. Bruckner's 7th was reviewed by SJ on 4th March, 2006 when he recommended Böhm's 1977 recording.

http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/radio3/classical/cdreview/bal9910.pdf

(type in page 161, and scroll down to the bottom of that page)

The work was next reviewed on 13th December, 2014, when Haitink's 1960s recording was chosen - but the reviewer on that later occasion was John Deathridge, not SJ.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04tvlyz

Not that this disproves the suggestion that critics can be "fickle or forgetful", but I don't think that anyone on this Forum ever believed that they weren't!

1 I thought that might possibly be the case, but was not going to put on my truth-police hat !

2 This made me laugh out loud - almost as much as a Beethoven symphony !!!!

[Alison]

It has been both illuminating and depressing listening to many of these BALs - some sound very old fashioned - others just vastly superior to what we get now . Even leaving aside twofers - an example is David Nice’s Elgar 2 from 2006 compared to Richard Morrison’s dire BAL of 10 years later.

I’m sorry that we don’t hear David Nice these days.

[Alison]

Listen to the Stephen Johnson VW6. Plenty of meat.

[DracoM]

[Barbirollians]

Confused myself sorry SJ did the more recent Bruckner 4 - having bought that Bruckner 7 after the recent review I tend to agree with SJ - Haitink’s Prom last summer was much more like it.