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With some notes and caveats, Japanese decks will work fine in the US. Japan is on 100v power. Almost all Japanese electronics will run on either 50/60hz so no trouble there. Analog and digital i/o work with no trouble whatsoever, generally. Most Japanese MD hardware will run on US 120v power without step-down transformers. Some machines like MDS-S50/500 and my MDS-PC decks and CDP-A39 are happy to do so with no trouble at all, even long term. I've been running my S500 directly on 120v for almost four years now. Some Japanese MD hardware, especially anything not well understood and/or where there were cost-reductions happening in power delivery hardware, and some but not all multifunction hardware, somewhat obviously dislikes running at a full 120v. (My MXD-D5C overdrives the display on 120v whereas my PC1/PC2 and S500 don't, as my primary example. Most 1990s+ JDM wall warts seem to handle 120v easily as well.) Having gotten some Japanese machines that dislike 120v I would say that unless you buy something well-documented to run fine on 120v, it is worth getting a step-down transformer. For 220-250v territories or if you inexplicably have a NEMA 6-series outlet you inexplicably want to run your hifi equipment off of, I would say a step-down is generally mandatory for Japanese hardware, with very specific well-documented examples. The step-down u/JarvisLatteier linked is what I'd go for. I got a cheaper one that works but doesn't correctly hold the connectors and it only really works if I use the middle outlet on one of those big-wide power strips thus blocking like ten total connectors. Japanese portables are also generally fine. IME most 1990s+ JDM wall warts work fine on 120v and any that don't can generally be replaced by universal power supplies from places like BatteriesPlus+ or Best Buy. If you want to record on a deck or portable, I use this interface: https://www.amazon.com/Cubilux-TOSLINK-Converter-Compatible-Computer/dp/B0B2DBGKL3/ - you can see how I set up VLC for automatic track marking with a digital interface here: Recording some CDs I bought last weekend! : r/minidisc - there can be some foibles with this setup but I've found it works decently most of the time with portables. To record from a portable DAP such as your Surfans F20 HiFi DAP you'll probably want to set it's volume to ~75%, hit rec-pause on the MD recorder and then start playing whatever you want to record. As you get to the loudest bits start turning the volume up until juuust before the MD machine hits the 0dB or the top level meter segment. Some MD machines have decent automatic level control and IME those work fine in most cases as well. Use line where it exists. The Surfans page implies the F20 has digital output, use that if so but it won't do track markers. If you have CDs I recommend recording those directly with a CD player as you'll get True Gapless and track markers automatically. One more thought: Do shop the local market as well. Especially if you think you might want to trend toward a physically bigger deck. I got an MXD-D5C from Japan and it cost $240 to ship, and that was a few years ago, it may well cost more now. (The gotcha is that D5Cs and D400s are tough to find in the US so if you wanted something hyper-specific it could be worth getting from Japan.) The Onkyo 101A is an adorable little machine.
You can do the same with minidisc, analog and all, if you want and are comfortable managing/monitoring levels. For Toslink I tend to recommend the Cubilux interface: https://www.amazon.com/Cubilux-TOSLINK-Converter-Compatible-Computer/dp/B0B2DBGKL3/ mostly because it doesn't have anything you don't need. One that has in and out or one that integrates other i/o won't hurt though. Minidisc, like CD, has track markers but you won't get those automatically from a phone as phones/computers don't send CD-style metadata and most phone software doesn't have a pause-then-continue option as you can script into some computer software, but you can either hit the t.mark button during or after recording. (closest I ever got to automating track markers with Spotify was building playlists one-track-at-a-time and only playing the most recently added track. When that track stops the MD machine will detect that there's no signal and wait for a signal again, for a couple minutes, but that takes longer overall and is more effort than just putting the track marks in after.)
I use this sound output device: https://www.amazon.com/Cubilux-TOSLINK-Converter-Compatible-Computer/dp/B0B2DBGKL3/ I no longer shop at Target but as an example of what you will want to look for, I have one of these: https://www.target.com/p/philips-6-elite-toslink-digital-fiber-optic-cable-with-2-mini-adapters-gray/-/A-53248098 and it works great for use in all situations. With the base square-to-square cable I can record from a dVD player or USB interface to a set-top deck. With just one mini adapter I can record to a portable, or record from a portable CD/DVD player to a set-top MD deck, and with both mini adapters connected I can record from either an older Mac, an older portable CD player, to a portable MD recorder. If you have an Apple Music subscription, or you use the program, check out this: https://dougscripts.com/itunes/scripts/ss.php?sp=mxaspacebetween - set up your recordings in a playlist and the software will pause between tracks in a way that should produce automatic track markers but no huge gap of dead air. The downside here is that it will introduce a small audible gap (can vary depend on model but cubilux plus mac plus applemusic plus Sony is pretty consistent IME) so if you have something truely gapless you'll want to hit the t.mark button by hand during or after recording instead of trying to automate it in.
Looks great! One other strategy I've done is buying cheap player-only units. The other day I found an E520 working incl. sidecar and remote on one of the Japanese sites for under $10, they make great beaters. (And: the Japanese Market was huge into separating recording and playback so a lot of N910/N920 are in such great shape because they were basically never moved away from wherever they were used for recording.) This is totally an aside but as you work on acquiring your music in other formats do remember you can also record directly off Spotify onto the N920 using the line input, using either an analog line cable or a toslink to mini toslink adapter/cable. I use one of these: https://www.amazon.com/Cubilux-TOSLINK-Converter-Compatible-Computer/dp/B0B2DBGKL3/ most of the time but if you have a computer with an onboard digital output (all my oldest recordings were done from my old Mac mini) that'll also work! If you happen to have a Mac (specifically) Apple Music has some ways to automate recording a little bit, if you were looking to bridge the gap between building your new library and having a decent discovery/recommendation tool. I re-subscribe to Apple Music every now and again to tune into new music and to try some stuff out before buying it. (Apple Music recording is also possible from phone/tablet/Windows but the automation is via AppleScript which only exists on Mac.) I'm kind of curious, how are you recording if you're not using DC3V or the sidecar, or do you pull the machine out of the outer case when recording (I just notice that this is screwed on, wow that's hardcore), or are you using another machine for recording? Sony's original solution to this problem was cloth pouches and that evolved into neoprene and other material pouches on armbands in some markets.
Toslink out on a mac laptop should work for this, there might be some automation you can do using AppleScript: Doug's AppleScripts » A Space Between v3.5 » Official Download Site (however, for me this worked best using a USB toslink interface and I've had mixed luck with decks.) Otherwise the only downside to doing a live recording is no track markers. And the downside to using AppleScript to automate them in is continuously mixed ("gapless") audio will come through with a little bump. (not a huge gap, it shouldn't be recording during the silence, but thre's a millisecond or so at each end.) IME Mac onboard audio works best with portables so do keep this: https://www.amazon.com/Cubilux-TOSLINK-Converter-Compatible-Computer/dp/B0B2DBGKL3/ in your back pocket. Otherwise you can record without the applescript and put track markers in on your own, if you need them.
That's probably fine, if it's the same hardware as, say, https://www.amazon.com/Cubilux-TOSLINK-Converter-Compatible-Computer/dp/B0B2DBGKL3/ - but getting the separate adapter-and-cable allows for some better flexibility, e.g. Sony shipped these shorter toslink to mini toslink cables that are great with the regular cubilux adapter for recording to portables, or you can use a longer cable for connectivity to speakers or a deck in a stereo setup.
It can depend on the specific one. Most of the newest ones run fine right off the C port, or off a C/A adapter. I use https://www.amazon.com/Cubilux-TOSLINK-Converter-Compatible-Computer/dp/B0B2DBGKL3/ (I'm on iPhone and had spotify then apple music for a while so a fair decent number of my MDs were recorded live that way, and when I'd travel I'd just bring a hub and record whatever was new directly off my phone.) (or later an old macbook with a digital output built in.)
As a data point, I started with an R700 and honestly that machine was a perfect match for where I was when I got started with MD because I basically didn't have local files. If I'd started with a NetMD burner I think I would've burned one disc with NetMD and went "neat :)" and then put it in a drawer and continued using Spotify on my phone. Because I started with a recorder, and because the R700 is framed up in period materials as being good at recording from a computer, it occurred to me to record Spotify and I had a lot of fun recording my first few discs in analog off spotify, hitting the track marker button whenever the song changed and then entering titles myself, and then re-recording in a few weeks when I realized I'd gotten the volume wrong. If you ahve CDs and a CD player recording digitally is a breeze, once you hook everything up it's just two button presses. Otherwise a USB audio interface with a toslink port like https://www.amazon.com/Cubilux-TOSLINK-Converter-Compatible-Computer/dp/B0B2DBGKL3/ is a huge help. (I see different reports of local availability but most/many USB interfaces perform identically so whatever you can find should be fine.) NetMD's great but I personally love the act of recording so I do it as often as I can. Getting into MD has also gotten me back into CDs but my music collection is definitely "mixed" in sourcing.
I recommend this interface: https://www.amazon.com/Cubilux-TOSLINK-Converter-Compatible-Computer/dp/B0B2DBGKL3/ if you can get it. There's a Type-C version and c/a adapters or hubs that also have power delivery input also work well with it. To be honest you can also record from your phone in analog, although there's a couple more things to check. To add, generally speaking, sync recording via a digital interface from a phone will get you start and stop but you'll have to add track splits in the middle by hand. Phones (just as computers) don't send it like CD players do and unlike computers there's absolutely nothing for automating stop/start to cheat track splits in. But it does work with an interface.
Congratulations, the R500 should be a fun machine! The info you provided should work! You'd hook everything up and then hit record on MD and play on the phone! In terms of USB audio, I use this one: https://www.amazon.com/Cubilux-TOSLINK-Converter-Compatible-Computer/dp/B0B2DBGKL3/ which is a couple more dollars but it's better proven and there's a USB-C version. (Although I have the -A version.) If you want power, I recommend getting the actual Apple-brand lightning camera adapter: Lightning to USB 3 Camera Adapter - Apple The toslink cable you found should work great! If there's a shorter one you may find that's easier. The only other thing I woudl do is make sure you are in "lossless" and NOT high-resolution mode on your streaming service. MD machines can recognize up to 24-bit/48khz input, any more (especially on the frequency side) and they claim the signal is invalid. you probably won't get automatic track marks when recording from a phone (or a computer in most cases) and if you leave sync recording on it may not let you add them during recording but you can add them in after the fact! One more heads up: Minidisc isn't necessarily an audiophile format. It's fundamentally a lossy format. Most people say it sounds as good as a CD (especially late-era like the R500) but it is still lossy and so depending on how specifically they engage with being an audiophile the machine may or may not see much use. (e.g. if they like the act of recording then this will be better than tapes or if they are fine with lossy for this context then it'll be good!) It's thoughtful gift regardless! Happy recording!
As everyone else has affirmed: I would use https://web.minidisc.wiki/ in Edge or whatever Chromium browser you trust most. There is also an electron build: GitHub - asivery/ElectronWMD: The electron version of Web Minidisc Pro - I would argue ElectronWMD is more important for HiMD users and/or for heavy MDLP users on Windows, but if you don't already have any chromium browsers it'll stand in fine with minimal fuss. Secondarily, Macs have lots of great options for automating recording from Apple Music (the program) as well as Apple Music (the service) - the JE780, with dual optical inputs and a PS/2 keyboard port is a great candidate for usage recording from CDs as well, which is the easiest way to get both True Gapless and automated track markers. https://www.amazon.com/Cubilux-TOSLINK-Converter-Compatible-Computer/dp/B0B2DBGKL3/ for my recommended USB sound interface. Any cheap DVD player with a toslink output should do, there's a bunch of visually matched Sony DVD players. You could then enter titles in either WMD or using the keyboard, having everything connected implies WMD but it's a style choice. (I do a lot of recording on my JB980 and title with a keyboard on it much of the time.) If you use MDLP on Windows there's some benefit to ElectronWMD w/re the encoder but I haven't bothered with that on my Mac so IDK what options are there.
There will be no drivers with your MD machine. The posts you're referring to probably mean people chatting about NetMD, which uses USB to transfer audio (whether raw LPCM or pre-encoded ATRAC3/MDLP) directly to the disc. You can not use the web tool with the R35. To use your R35 you would record audio from any program on your computer that can play audio. There is logistical benefits to digital recording, in which case you might add a USB class audio device such as: https://www.amazon.com/Cubilux-TOSLINK-Converter-Compatible-Computer/dp/B0B2DBGKL3/ If you have software that can pause for a bit or you can script a playback, if you stop playback between tracks it'll automatically add track markers, but you do lose gapless. The other way to record on hardware this age is to burn CDs and record from those, which gets you track markers, gapless, and a couple other benefits. If you're using streaming though recording live will be your best bet anyway. Generally speaking computers don't engage in copy protection in digital audio these days so that's good. So there's options!
Web MiniDisc Pro guide and user manual [MiniDisc Wiki] is the best getting-started point in terms of software. I have had luck on my older Intel Macs with basically any old rando cable but a lot of old cables are in poor shape and a lot of new ones are power-only for charging wireless video game controllers, so it's worth being careful. I've seen some notes that Apple Silicon Macs can misbehave, adding a hub or changing which controller (onboard USB vs. a thunderbolt) seems to help. 700mah battery might well be an NC6AA which is kind of hilarious. I kept the one from my R70 but am using IKEA LADDAs instead. Toss yours if it's leaking, for sure. I also generally charge AAs on a modern external charger,IKEA STENKOL is good enough. I would also consider the potential to record live on this unit. https://www.amazon.com/Cubilux-TOSLINK-Converter-Compatible-Computer/dp/B0B2DBGKL3/ works great even with streaming services. (NetMD is "for" if you already have unencumbered files, the line input will work with "any audio your computer can play") If you happen to have the Apple Music program and/or a subscription: Doug's AppleScripts » A Space Between v3.4 » Official Download Site can automate recording live and with this unit you should get a relatively clean recording, minimal-if-any dead air, although it's not True Gapless. If you have CDs or are set up to burn CDs do also consider grabbing a cheap CD/DVD player with a digital output.
Since everybody wants to add this but doesn't seem to want to connect the dots... You can potentially get better recordings if you use a digital source. Since the iPod has a good DAC (digital to analog converter) and the MD recorder has a good ADC (analog to digital converter) everybody's consternation about that isn't that big of a deal, but there are what I would call logistical benefits, enough that even though I also started with analog, I now mostly use digital. Since you have an iPod running the stock OS, it sounds like you have an iTunes library? If so one of the easiest options might be to use iTunes to burn an audio CD and then play it back in a CD/DVD recorder that has a digital toslink output. If you don't already have one of those they tend to be $5-25 at most at Goodwill. Recording digitally from CDs (either burned or originals) gets you gapless transfer, automatic track markers, and you don't have to manage levels. In some hardware setups if the CD has CD-TEXT (which iTunes can burn) you'll get track titles automatically. The next most common way to go, and this is nice to have even if you have/like the idea of recording from CDs, is to use a USB sound card with a toslink output, such as: https://www.amazon.com/Cubilux-TOSLINK-Converter-Compatible-Computer/dp/B0B2DBGKL3/ - this gets you the ability to record "any sound your computer can make" including any audio a streaming service will bring you. Modern computers do not set copyright status. With this adapter you do still need to do track markers by hand (most of the time) but depending on what your audio files are like there can be some tricks. Most of the benefits to recording digitally even from a computer are logistical. You can get automated track markers on CDs, you can cheat automated track markers in if you have local files and use a program like VLC or Apple Music/iTunes on macOS, and you don't need to play with the levels. I see many mentions of NetMD - that was something Sony added after this and there is modern NetMD software that should run fine if you have a modern computer. (it requires a Chromium browser, I use it in Edge, there's also an electron'd version which would make sense to use if you end up liking MDLP a lot.) In NetMD you're "burning" an MD pretty similar to burning a CD or transferring files to an iPod in iTunes. It's a different experience, it's convenient and I use it sometimes. I personally prefer live recording, and I do much of my recording in the SP mode. I use minidisc specifically to slow down and get away from automation and algorithms and the like and so I bought myself enough discs (it's been over the course of more than four years now) that I can keep a bunch of favorite albums and personal mixtapes on hand. iPod is itself already pretty far from online and online-based algorithms, but it's still a different experience and NetMD (and further, HiMD) were attempts to bridge the gap between what you needed to do in 1992 and what people wanted to be doing in 2002. Where you lie on that spectrum is a personal choice and there is, of course, no wrong way to use the format and no wrong way to do the hobby. I hope this is helpful info and thought process! I know it's a lot and it's super dense and I left some detail out, let us know if you're interested in anything specifically!
I'd say: there's no wrong way to use the format or do the hobby. Upgrading to digital is inexpensive but it is another cost and to be honest most of what you get out of it is logistical benefits. (If OP has or is familiar with CDs the other way I'd say to go is to grab a cheap DVD player with a digital output.)
huh. Weird question, do you have any other gadgets with a digital input that might be able to detect the mode? I wonder if it's just sticking around in 96khz (because it's mentioned so prominently on the page) even though it lets you select 48khz in software. If so, something like Edifier speakers or a receiver/DAC with a digital input would be able to play but the MD machine will not see that as a valid signal. Given that you mentioned you already recorded digitally off another streamer it seems like the R70 is fine. I'll be honest I'm not 100% what a failed toslink cable "looks like" as I'm fortunate in that none of mine have yet failed. There are toslink (the bigger square connector) to mini-toslink) adapters you can grab to use the packaged cable. Otherwise, I've got two of these: https://www.amazon.com/Cubilux-TOSLINK-Converter-Compatible-Computer/dp/B0B2DBGKL3/ and highly recommend them. On my Mac/Windows systems I can in detail set any mode I want to use. (Android/iPhone/iPad will use the native mode of whatever audio is currently playing, so if you're recording off a streaming service use "lossless" at max rather than high-resolution and dump your cache if you had any files cached at high resolution.) (Some other/older adapters will force 44.1 or 48khz but it can vary, e.g. the MD-PORT DG2 is an adapter Sony shipped with the R70/700 and a few other models and that adapter claims to support 88khz output IIRC on my Mac.) (OTOH on my Windows system it maxes out at 48khz so now I need to go look again to be sure.)
Worth noting, PS3s are something different. PS3s are doing the intended behavior if they don't let you record MP3 or whatever file digitally off the digital output. If you play a CD directly it should play but in PS4 and newer you might not get automatic trackmarks. Computer with a digital output such as https://www.amazon.com/Cubilux-TOSLINK-Converter-Compatible-Computer/dp/B0B2DBGKL3/ will also not enforce SCMS. The trade-off is that: Even if you insert an SCMS status manipulator (an extant thing, but probably not worth the money) when playing files you won't really get automated track markers. The other thing is some of, say, Sony BDP units will work normally and some other bluray players are a little too software oriented. I've heard similar about other gadgets, e.g. period network streamers from Yamaha and Onkyo will apply SCMS the same way the PS3 (and probably Sony's other settop HDD players like NAC-HD1 or whatever) but much newer ones like wiim and fiio generally follow the modern computer/phone rule of completely ignoring and not implementing SCMS at all.
SO, you're describing regular recording, not NetMD usage. You can't use NetMD with streaming files because the files it stores on your computer are encrypted and read to normal audio programs as nonsense. To record regularly digitally, you do need a digital interface and a cable. I use and recommend https://www.amazon.com/Cubilux-TOSLINK-Converter-Compatible-Computer/dp/B0B2DBGKL3/ - it's widely liked on the scene but if you already have another it'll work fine. You'd just hit record on the MD machine and hit play on whatever computer software you're recording from. I use this APpleScript: Doug's AppleScripts » A Space Between v3.4 » Official Download Site with Apple Music to pause playback between songs on a playlist which with a digital link creates a trackmark with what should be minimal dead air between songs. (however, it also creates an interruption and you lose "true" gapless.) You can also record using analog but you won't get any automation. You'll have to time the start of recording with the start of the song and add track markers in either by hand during recording or after the fact.
This unit looks more or less complete, in good shape, with some discs in a binder, I would fully say this unit is worth something. As a comparable:2022-09-19 Red R900 + discs/sundries $225 + ship $245.66 - ebay The sundries in this case were also some binders and an MD-PORT DG2, which itself isn't really useful but it was nice to have. I also got two working gumsticks with that unit. I believe i got a sidecar, AC supply, but maybe no remote with this unit, but I have like three RM-MC11ELs anyway. Having all the stuff and if you can, test it, really raises the value. (specifically, test recording on it, set up an 80-minute playlist, record it, and then listen to it on the unit.) Are you looking to use it or sell it or just learn more about it and the format? The R900 would be a great getting started MD machine. I'd say pair it with a cheap DVD player from a local thrift store, one with a digital optical toslink output, get the cable cheap at walmart or best buy. You can also record from your computer, either using an analog line/headphone port or with a USB digital sound card. For digital recording from a computer, I use this one: https://www.amazon.com/Cubilux-TOSLINK-Converter-Compatible-Computer/dp/B0B2DBGKL3/
What minidisc machine do you have?My strategy has long been to record the line output of my computer using my MD machine while it's playing whatever music I want to be on a disc. Some streaming apps (Apple Music) can be automated on some platforms (Mac) and/or have other controls that may let you automate track marks. Otherwise, you'll end up just needing to add them either during or after recording. I recorded my first couple dozen discs and test discs using the analog output, but I did eventually upgrade, first to the onboard digital output of an old Mac I had laying around, and then https://www.amazon.com/Cubilux-TOSLINK-Converter-Compatible-Computer/dp/B0B2DBGKL3/ I also now have started buying my music on CDs and as luck would have it recording a CD to a minidisc takes just two button presses. (hit record on MD machine, hit play on CD machine, and then, if they're connected digitally, the MD machine will automatically start and stop when the CD does and you'll get track marks too, there are even some setups where you can get automatic track titles, if they are on the CD in the form of CD-TEXT.) So there's options.
Here's the one I use and recommend: https://www.amazon.com/Cubilux-TOSLINK-Converter-Compatible-Computer/dp/B0B2DBGKL3/ Any, really, will work so long as they can output PCM at 16/24-bit, 44.1 or 48khz. Analog will also work but has a couple more logistical considerations like setting levels and not having sync record available.
I think the key is an adapter that tells the phone to expect a device to be plugged in, and if you were using a normal Lightning to USB-C power cable, the phone isn't expecting anything even if you use a hub. (unless there's a newer USB-C adatper I don't know about or this is a third party adapter, I haven't tested any of those.) The cubilux adapter https://www.amazon.com/Cubilux-TOSLINK-Converter-Compatible-Computer/dp/B0B2DBGKL3/ worked great with Apple's lightning to USB-A adapter The MD-PORT DG2 is older and needs more power and that one needed the USB 3.0 adapter to work.
Hello, welcome in! The R700 is a great machine! If you have a local music collection, any music at all is gonna be good enough to record onto MD. If you're ripping CDs, FLAC is probably the format you'll want to use these days, it has the quality of uncompressed WAV but takes a bit less space. MP3 at high bit-rates is realistically also good enough for most use cases, but there's some loss when you transcode audio form one lossy format to another, which is what you'll be doing recording. Do you have the USB interface that originally came with your machine? Is it a cylinder with an analog port or a silver square with a digital one? If you have the latter and are running Windows, hook it up and open up VLC and you'll get automatic track markers when recording. If you don't have the original digital interface, don't bother searching one out, they're poorly behaved most of the time, something like https://www.amazon.com/Cubilux-TOSLINK-Converter-Compatible-Computer/dp/B0B2DBGKL3/ will work great but there's additional steps to getting automated "cheater" track markers. If you're set up for burning CDs, you can also burn CDs of anything you want on a MD and then use a Cd or DVD player with a digital output to record from, so there's options! As another heads up, you might need to do some maintenance such as Relubricating gears on MD portable units [MiniDisc Wiki] when you get the machine in.
Digital fortunately bypasses any potential issue with the quality of your computer's audio hardware. So you'd just need to make sure it outputs in a mode and quality that MD hardware can accept. (Linear PCM, 16-bit or 24-bit, 44.1 or 48khz are the best options) Provided the same source files and the same output setting, the cheapest and "worst" digital interface you can find should perform the same as the most expensive one. (Same as NetMD hypothetically might, as that's digital transfer too, just using different interfaces.) (And in fact the thing I said about 24-bit sources potentially resulting in better recordings over a digital link applies here too, so long as your computer's output supports 24-bit.) So I'd say if you have all the pieces definitely try recording with digital! A lot of people make a very big deal about recording from low end analog interfaces onto minidisc at all (or even analog at all) and I'd say that's over-played significantly. If it sounds good enough if you hook a headphone directly to your computer's headphone port, it'll sound good enough recording a minidisc off that interface. There are cheap ways to get a better DAC, but I'd say... Try what you have first If you're gonna spend any mony on a better DAC, just go to digital anyway, and that's very cheap too, my current computer doesn't have an onboard digital output so I use this: https://www.amazon.com/Cubilux-TOSLINK-Converter-Compatible-Computer/dp/B0B2DBGKL3/ So at that point it's basically vibes, what you want to do or spend time on, and the sourcing. Like, if your primary music source is streaming it will almost certainly be easiest to just record directly, but if your music is all local files and/or CDs you've already or can easily rip then some different things apply. And of course if you either have CDs and/or can burn them from files you have don't exclude that as an option either. It's one more step but it gets you track markers, consistent+good quality, gapless, avoids potential other noises from your computer making it into your recording, etc etc.
Congratulations, look great! I use this with my iPhone and my Android tablet: https://www.amazon.com/Cubilux-TOSLINK-Converter-Compatible-Computer/dp/B0B2DBGKL3/ and it works great - there is a USB-C version and it also works via Type-C hubs that support power delivery pass-through, using ~20w+ type-c power supplies and/or with my phone running on magnet power. Someone recently posted themselves doing recording with this set up using a phone: Daft Punk recording session. Starting with Homework : r/minidisc To use the onboard coax output, you would need a coax to toslink adapter: I use this one https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BSBMZT7 To work with that, you'd need a 3.5mm to RCA cable that's set up for whatever the Hiby's official cable is. It looks like 3.5mm to RCA Coaxial Cable Given that the coax cable is $20 and you need a further $20 adapter anyway, if this thing runs Android it should be possible to use any USB sound card and so you might go ahead and aim for the cubilux USB sound card. In your streaming service, make sure you're using "Lossless" and not "high resolution" audio. I'm not aware off hand in Android any way to lock the output (the way you can on a computer) but MD hardware (the R50 and newer in particular) can support up to 24-bit/48khz input, any higher and the recorder may not recognize the signal or the recording may not work. (Some people recommend and buy adapters that lock to that spec but this isn't strictly speaking necessary.) One more thing: If Tidal on mobile has some way to insert a delay between songs, play with that as a way to automatically do track marking. This can vary per implementation and computer-software-interface-recorder combination, but if the software completely drops signal the MD recorder should interpret it as no signal and then start on a new track when the next track starts playing and you'll get auto-markers with ~no/minimal dead air. (At the expense of True Gapless if you have a gapless or continuously mixed album, for that I'd say steal the fiels, burn a CD and record that way from a cheap CD/DVD player with a digital output, or edit the track markers in by hand, per the experience you want.) If you want, you can also use a plain analog 3.5 to 3.5 aux cable and record in analog, but you will get ~no track marker automation potential and you will want to do some testing with levels in rec-pause/preview mode.
Looks great! Web Minidisc was already mentioned, the other way to get this running on a Mac is to use a digital audio output, if you're using an older model it may have onboard TOSLINK. If you're using a newer model, you can use analog out of the headphone port or get a USB sound card with at TOSLINK adapter, the type-c version of https://www.amazon.com/Cubilux-TOSLINK-Converter-Compatible-Computer/dp/B0B2DBGKL3/ should work great! I use https://dougscripts.com/itunes/scripts/ss.php?sp=mxaspacebetween to record from Apple Music in such a way that track splits get automated. (edit: or analog/headphone, that will also work but there's slightly more work involved, depending on what/how you're recording.) In terms of reusing used discs, Web Minidisc Pro can rip the contents of used MDs and VLC can play the resultant raw ATRAC. I use this to archive the contents of discs before rerecording them.