A look at the history, evolution, and gear that bring WDW‑Memories to life.
How It All Began
WDW‑Memories didn’t start as a podcast — it began way back in 1995 as a small tribute site dedicated to Walt Disney World. In those early days, the internet was a very different place, but the goal was the same as it is today: share the magic of the parks with anyone who needed a little joy.
As the web evolved, so did the project. By the early 2000s, I was experimenting with ways to share the audio I’d been recording in the parks — from internet radio streams on Live365 to file‑sharing requests and even the early days of Napster. None of those platforms lasted, but each step pushed the project closer to what it would eventually become.
Then podcasts arrived.
In 2006, WDW‑Memories officially launched as a podcast — finally giving these recordings a home where they could reach people who truly appreciated them. The site has changed many times since then, but the heart of the project has always stayed the same: preserve the sounds, atmosphere, and emotion of being at Walt Disney World.
The Recording Journey
Capturing the parks has always been a labor of love, and the gear has evolved right alongside the technology.
1998 — The MiniDisc Era
The earliest recordings were made on a Sony MiniDisc recorder with a simple mono microphone. It wasn’t perfect — every bump of the cord added static — but it was the beginning of something special.
1999–2006 — Stereo Comes to Life
Upgrading to a better MiniDisc recorder and a stereo microphone made a huge difference. Suddenly, the parks felt wider, fuller, more alive. These were the years when the foundation of the WDW‑Memories sound really took shape.
2006–2012 — Going Digital
The move to an iRiver T30 digital recorder eliminated skips and opened the door to cleaner, more reliable recordings. Adding a bass roll‑off filter helped tame the low booms that often distort theme‑park audio. And then came a major leap: binaural microphones, which allowed listeners to feel
Why This Matters
Every piece of gear, every upgrade, every experiment has been about one thing: helping you feel like you’re right there in the parks. The goal has never been to chase perfection — it’s to preserve real moments, real sounds, and real memories.
This page is here for the listeners who love the “how” behind the magic. Thanks for being part of the journey.
WDW‑Memories 