There is a gotcha you hould know about on many (maybe all?) Sony MD recorders. There is a little button called End Search that you are supposed to press before you do any recording on a disk that already has something on it that you want to keep. If you don't, you run the risk of over-recording the material that was already there. The minidisk communtiy site has some sad sob-stories from people who have overwritten the only recording of their daughter's wedding and the like. Other makers apparently manage without this button.

Chris