Yamaha MD4 Welcome to MD4

Welcome to MD4

MD4—Owner’s Manual

Welcome to MD4

Thank you for choosing the Yamaha MD4 Multitrack MD Recorder. MD4 is the world’s ﬁrst

multitrack recorder to use the MiniDisc format, with its superior sound quality and quick search

capabilities. To take best advantage of your MD4, read this

Owner’s Manual

thoroughly.

The mixer section is a four-input channel, four-group analog mixer.

• Input channels feature continuously variable GAIN controls, which can handle both micro-

phone and line-level signals with ease.

• Musical three-band EQ (High, Mid, Low) on each input channel provides ﬂexible

tone-shaping capabilities.

• Aux send with stereo return for an external effects processor.

• Flexible monitoring of Group, CUE, and Stereo buses.

• Direct outputs for direct connection to another mixer.

• Stereo sub inputs for mixer cascading.

The recorder section is a four-track recorder based on the MD DATA audio format, which has

several advantages over tape-based multitrackers. With a tape-based recorder, for example, you

have to keep at least one track free for ping-pong. With MD4, however, you can record on all

four tracks and then ping-pong (i.e., four-track playback with ping-pong). This is because

MD4 can simultaneously play and record on the same track. This feature provides greater cre-

ative freedom when planing tracks.

• Superior sound quality that is unaffected by repeated overdubs and ping-pong operations.

• Zero wow and ﬂutter and pitch ﬂuctuation.

• Recording time: 37 minutes for 4-track, 74 minutes for stereo, and 148 minutes for mono.

• Four-track playback with ping-pong.

• Quick search for Song Start, Song End, Last Record IN/OUT points, Direct Time Locate,

and up to eight markers for each song.

• Precise punch in/out with 11-millisecond accuracy.

• Editing includes Song Combine, Song Divide, and cue list-style playback.

• Disc and song titling for easy identiﬁcation.

• Repeat modes include One Song, All Song, A–B, and Auto Punch Rehearse.

• FF CUE and Review at 2X and 4X playback speed.

• Variable pitch of approximately

6.5%.

• Clear FLD (Fluorescent Display) shows signal levels, mode, status, and Total, Remaining,

and Elapsed times.

• MTC (MIDI Timecode) or MIDI Clock (with Tempo Map) output for synchronization

within a MIDI-based system.

For some more quick answers on MD4, see the

Q&A Section

on page 64.