I bought a ZOOM PS-02 recorder

erik · Post by **erik** » 19 Jun 2001 6:52 am

This thing is so cool. It sounds very good for $280. It has a built in drum track and bass track. Then provides for 3 audio tracks with multi-take and bounce capability. Plus there is one live audio track, which can be mono or stereo. The effects are quite amazing. There are patches to accomodate electric guitars, acoustic, voice, bass, synths. You can plug in a phone jack with hi/lo switching. Or use the built in mic for singing or acoustic guitar, or ensemble. It says it has 20 bit converters at 32mhz.

Recording is saved on a flash card. It only comes with a 8 mg demo card. But you need a 64 mg card to accomplish one song. I'm still looking for a good deal on a card. $90 at Staples is too high.

I figure i can record about six audio tracks for a 5 minute song, before having to backup. You can backup onto a computer using a card reader and the program available on the internet. You can also program new patterns and load different kits from a ZOOM 323 drum machine, or the free downloads at the web site. There are other features.

The reason i bought this is because i can not do vocals in my apartment. Otherwise i would buy the much better Korg D12. Oh, you can run the ZOOM on batteries. It holds up to 100 seperate song files. So, it makes a perfect sketch pad for song ideas while on the go. It is very small and lightweight. The O.S. is very intuitive, unlike many midi devices(like Roland) you may run across. (Recorder is not midi or syncable)

The only negative is the ZOOM effects live in the mids and highs. You can't get any warm lows. But still, it's an absolutety incredible device.

[This message was edited by erik on 19 June 2001 at 07:55 AM.]

Bill Crook · Post by **Bill Crook** » 19 Jun 2001 3:28 pm

Erik.....

$80.00 for a 64meg flash-card IS a good deal !!

When I purchased my D-camera,A 32meg flash-card (the only size avalable at that time) was over $380.00.

I am thankful to get 128meg cards at "Best Buy's" in the $200.00 range. You ought to try "CompUSA" if you want to get suckered on the flash-cards. Them folks think everyone just dropped off the turnip truck.

Bob Knight · Post by **Bob Knight** » 19 Jun 2001 4:05 pm

Guys,
The PS-02 uses SmartMedia. I see 128 MB on ebay for $80-$100
Erik, keep me informed on any tricks and tips you may find for the PS-02. I have one ordered.

Thanks,
Bob

erik · Post by **erik** » 19 Jun 2001 4:21 pm

Hi guys, thanks for responding. SmartMedia, flash, are they one and the same? Thanks for the eBay tip. I will say this: I'm not sure if 128mg is supported yet in the ZOOM. It's mentioned in the manual as "future". I could go for that. 64mg can handle one song with a few takes. Bounces count as takes, so you would still be wise to buy a card reader for the computer to store songs/tracks etc.

I can't offer any tricks yet, as i need to acquire a card. I recorded a verse in the Country patch. I used the current drum pattern, but turned down the bass, and recorded my own bass on an audio track. I could only fit three audio tracks about one verse long before i ran out of ram. I don't want to overwrite the demo card. Besides, it's only 8mgs, not useful for a song anyways.

I can also say that even though it is very small, it is easy to use. I don't have problems with button pushing. Very fast to access any function. Also, you can run your song while editing anything in any menu(except utility) realtime. Very cool!

It does sound thin, because it is digital. Although there is no mention of data compression, i assume it is a given for smart media cards, yes?

[This message was edited by erik on 19 June 2001 at 05:25 PM.]

Bob Knight · Post by **Bob Knight** » 19 Jun 2001 4:41 pm

Erik,
Flash memory and smartmedia are not the same.
As for data compression, I understand there are multiple fidelity settings available,ie.
the better sound the more memory required.

Bob

erik · Post by **erik** » 4 Jul 2001 2:21 pm

Well, i finally got a hold of a 64mg SM card. I've spent a few hours learning how to use this recorder. It is an amazing device. I'll list some tips i found out today:

1. Every time you create a new song you are given 2 measures to begin with. The first thing you need to do is add measures. You can only add 99 measures maximum at a time so you need to add twice for the average length song. Measures are always added to the beginning of a song. Which means if you get towards the end of your song and realize you don't have enough room you have to add measures which then requires that you reprogram all your drum and bass patterns from measure 1. Adding measures does not affect the audio tracks. No sweat there.

2. It took me a while to figure out bounce, takes, and how to access them after. When you record over any track the default setting for making a "new take" is "N"(no). You must set to "Y"(yes) if you do not want to record over your first take. This is also true of bouncing. When in the "bounce" screen, you enter "source", then "destination", then you are prompted "sure?". At this point you cursor right > to the prompt "new?" Then you "exucute" this function so that the bounced tracks do not overwrite the originals. I made this mistake, which coincidentally turned into a happy accident. I was trying to bounce track 1 and 2 to tracks 2 and 3. I thought the "new take" was automatic. Not true. Anyways, i had two strumming tracks panned left and right. Somehow i bounced them to just track 3, mono. I still have an original on track 1. So it blends great with track 3(tracks 1 and 2 bounced). Now i have three strumming guitars - a happy accident.

So the recap: Whenever recording onto a track previously recorded, it will automatically overwrite. To make a new take you must change "N" to "Y" every time. Same with bouncing - you must cursor to "new?".

3.To choose different "takes" for playback: While in audio mode, hit "edit", cursor over to "track select". For each track there is a "take" select in the upper right corner. Cursor up/down to choose take.

Bob, how's your Zoom working out?

Bob Knight · Post by **Bob Knight** » 4 Jul 2001 4:54 pm

I'm not progressing as well as you are Erik. I just got it yesterday, I have a 32MB card somewhere, but can't find it. Keep the tips coming, and I'll keep you advised.

Thanks,
Bob[This message was edited by Bob Knight on 04 July 2001 at 06:15 PM.]

erik · Post by **erik** » 14 Jul 2001 7:24 pm

I was wrong about inserting measures. You can do this after you record by locating the point and then entering the desired number to add.

I've run into a glitch trying to use the punch in/out feature. Seems i entered a puch out past the length of the recording. After making a pass and trying to save, the display froze. I had to power off. Fortunately, i found i only lost the data i was trying to save. When i did a pucnh of lesser length (20 seconds) it saved correctly. Maybe there's a limit on punch time( my failure was a 2 1/2 minute punch

.

I realy wish they would make another portable model with 4 or 5 audio tracks instead of 3. You can bounce without losing original takes, but it's tedious. I'm eventually going to try the computer program that lets you save your data, and convert to wav. I'm thinking i can then import all my single takes into a multi-track program for complete mixing capability. This would solve any track limitation problems of the PS-02