Minecraft player shares interesting concept idea for craftable music disc system

Music discs have always been one of Minecraft's most interesting items. Used for both entertainment, in the case of music discs like Lena Raine's Pigstep, or as subtle bits of world-building, as is the case with numbered music discs. However, one thing has always been true about music discs: they are loot items, not craftable by players.

My idea for making our own disks in Minecraft! byu/sanitysfall666 inMinecraft

However, Reddit user sanitysfall666, or sanity for short, has proposed a potential way to craft music discs that would fit right into the game. Their idea is for a block, called a recorder, that can be crafted using a diamond, an iron ingot, and a block of iron.

The recorder would act as a workstation, in which players could place noteblocks. Then, a block can be placed underneath the noteblock to determine the sound produced. There's also a tempo slider to control the speed at which notes play. After adding notes, setting tempos, and making sure it all sounds good, players can then take their music disc out of the recorder and use it normally.

Record Lathe is a much more apt description of what the block does (Image via Reddit)

Reddit user countjj recommended a slightly different name for the block in their comment. The suggestion was for the name "record lathe" rather than a recorder. Sanity liked the idea, claiming it as the new name for the block. This is undoubtedly a more accurate and descriptive name for the block, so the suggestion is a good one.

Comment byu/sanitysfall666 from discussion inMinecraft

User HoverMelon2000 points out that this would be an amazing way for Mojang to introduce an educational element to the game. This system would serve as a nice introduction to the world of music, both for different notes and how tempo can affect songs.

There is no shortage of comments praising this unique music disc suggestion (Images via Reddit)

Outside of this more specific praise, many of the comments simply complimented the idea in a more general sense. It's quite a unique solution to the craftable music disc issue, making it a great suggestion, both for the wider community and for Mojang.

Given Mojang's willingness to take inspiration from the community, as seen recently in the Armored Paws update with Minecraft wolf armor, a version of sanity's record lathe might make it into the game.

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Minecraft's Etched Mod

Thankfully, for players who don't want to wait for official craftable music discs, there's a mod out there that adds an even more thorough option for music discs. This is the Etched mod, a wonderfully niche Minecraft technical mod that overhauls the music disc system.

There's also a new Minecraft villager profession, known as the Bard, that sells music-related items, which would make for an amazing vanilla addition. There are also new ways to play music, including a jukebox minecard to go alongside Minecraft's other various minecarts, as well as a radio and an album jukebox.

However, the true appeal of Etched comes from its ability to make custom music discs on the etching table. Players can provide a URL to nearly any type of audio file, a blank disc, and a label, to create a custom music disc. This allows players to easily import MP3s, WAVs, and OGGs into the game as a disc. Slightly different, but inarguably more powerful than sanity's idea.

Since Mojang seems to be willing to look into technical additions and features for future Minecraft updates, like the crafter block for Tricky Trials, hopefully, they will consider an official way to make music discs that fall somewhere between the two. The trades from Etched are amazing and handy, while the noteblock system suggested by sanity fits in better in a vanilla sense.