Zoom PS04 Palmtop Studio 4-Track Recorder

4-track recorder uses Smartmedia flash rom. Includes 93 effects, drum/bass machine & built-in mic preamp.

Overall User Ratings

Overall:
* * * * * * * . . . 7 out of 10
Features:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
Quality:
* * * * * * * . . . 7 out of 10
Value:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
I Want It:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
Sound:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
Ease of Use:
* * * * * . . . . . 5 out of 10
Support:
* * * * * * . . . . 6 out of 10

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"Cool little machine."

Overall:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Features:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Quality:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Value:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
I Want It:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Sound:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Ease of Use:
* * * * * * * . . . 7 out of 10
 
 
 
zZounds has verified that this customer bought this product from us.
Feature:
Again, for the price this thing is very much worth it. I has so many different features and things that I can't even figure them all out.

Quality:
I've dropped this thing from about 4-5 feet off the ground and nothing happened so I'm pretty pleased with its structure, and it seems pretty damn tough.

Value:
This has great value, as I said before, and is worth every cent I paid for it.

Desirability:
The reason I got it was because I needed a 4 track recorder and this one looked sweet. I got a hell of a lot more than just a 4 track.

Sound:
This thing really sounds great for its price if you use it right. When I first got it I kept on putting the gain up way too high on it then figured out that I needed to lower it and it sounded a lot better.

Ease of Use:
It takes a little practice to get to know how to use this thing if you're not familiar with it. The manual explains everything fairly well, but it's still pretty difficult to understand the device entirely.

Overall:
This is exactly what I need right now. I would highly recommend this product.

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"Now I can do EVERYTHING"

Overall:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Features:
* * * * * * . . . . 6 out of 10
Quality:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
Value:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
I Want It:
* * * * * * * . . . 7 out of 10
Sound:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Support:
* * * * * * . . . . 6 out of 10
 
 
 
zZounds has verified that this customer bought this product from us.
Feature:
Like most Zoom gear, the PS04 was stuffed with a bunch of quirky little extras. Obviously the effects section is nice, varied, and really excellent sounding, with insert effects for gtar. bass, keys, line-in, etc. Very nice sounding stuff but that should be assumed for a company who's primary focus is effects. There's a guitar tuner, an extremely nice sounding built-in mic, there is a drum machine that is difficult to program unless you have a lot of time since there are no touch sensitive pads. The drum sounds are good, but hard to work with due to the restricted interface of such a small console. Real-Time drum programming is more or less futile except for very basic beats, but they do have the step-programming function for those with attention spans longer than mine. Also there is a bass program with a few different generic bass sounds...'slap','synth','picked','finger', and 'accoustic'. Once again, nice sounds, if you have the time you could make it sound good, but I often just use these extras as a metronome. Remember that it is firstly a recorder, not a sequencer. As a recorder it has all the effects and mastering and reverb send and chopping and pasting edit functions you could possibly need, the Drum machine is a bit of an afterthought. But it is a nice touch for the guys at Zoom that they stuffed ANOTHER quirky toy into the multitasking little game-boy looking thing that it is. Kind of annoying that it doesn't include an adapter and the mem card is too small to do more than a couple of projects at a time... but adapters are easy enough to get, as are larger mem cards

Quality:
I have had no breakdowns on mine and I have owned it for almost 2 years and brought it all over the world when touring. I wouldn't suggest throwing it into a busy street, but it is durable enough to live in a guitar bag for months and sit atop amps in dingy smokey clubs and never protest. It is plastic, so don't run over it with a truck or anything, but it is hard plastic and it is well sealed so the occasional beer splash or smokey room abuse doesn't faze it. (so far)

Value:
I have noodled around with the Korg Pandora palm studio and the Tascam palmtop, both of which are slightly pricier, but the Zoom is definitely my preferred portable. The Tascam has the advantage of being computer-link ready, and can convert to an MP3, but the Zoom can do that do with the right software and an audio cable, and for a couple hundred dollars less, and Zoom box has better effects. The Korg has a bunch of preset MIDI files but nothing programmable, and once again, Zoom was just more user friendly and had better effect sounds.

Desirability:
It looks like a gameboy, no points for aesthetics, but it has this sort of "I can take my entire studio with me in my pocket!" appeal... you get a mic, a programmable drum and bass, 4 tracks, more tracks after bouncing, and on and on... the idea being that if you use it right, all you need is your guitar and this box, and you can have a full on studio album (if you like synth bass at least)

Sound:
sound is extremely good in HiFi mode, and the internal mic actually sounds better than most of my 'real' mics... good sound, especially the 'mastering' effects presets, but when using high gain guitar effects, over the top distortion, etc you do get a bit of a line buzz. Those with enough tech savvy can edit that stuff out of a recording, but chopping and pasteing takes some time and is not as intuitive a process as the rest of the machine's operation. Most of the guitar effect presets are nice and convincing - the beatle amp and the rectifier being my favorites.

Support:
Never needed them, but they have a website, so if I were to need them, I would look there first. I can assume that they have some level of customer support, but since most of their products are low price and fairly durable, I doubt if their help-line sees much action.

Overall:
I will definitely keep my little 'magic box' but ultimately, I will want some kind of bigger console recorder to use as well. They both have the same general purpose - recording music - but the PS04 is designed with a 'take-it-anywhere' kind of philosophy, which makes it more difficult to do heavy editing with. A big knob and slider console recorder is definitely on the horizon, but not at the expense of my Magic Box, just as a different tool for a different setting. If it were lost I would buy another of the same type. It helps musical goals by being easy and portable and readily available for inspiration moments but also techie enough to make proffesional sounding recordings with, I have actually sat at a table in my basement studio and worked the editing programs on this thing for hours at a time. I looked really silly in headphones with my gameboy thingy and probably would have looked more convincing as a sound engineer had I been in front of a huge mixing board, but I was accomplishing the same thing. It is the swiss-army-knife of music gear for a home recordist. I think one should be given to every kid in a grade school music class or every grown up kid in a post-college rock band.

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"THE MAGIC BOX"

Overall:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Features:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Quality:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
Value:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
I Want It:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Sound:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
Ease of Use:
* * * * * * . . . . 6 out of 10
Support:
* . . . . . . . . . 1 out of 10
 
 
 
zZounds has verified that this customer bought this product from us.
Feature:
Zoom has this tendency and I have used a lot of their stuff: They pack a little bit of all sorts of stuff into one item. It can be a live guitar tool, a recording tool, a goofy little drum machine to dink around with, a microphone, or a mastering station. I like having so many things to play around with, and when I had mine, I was travelling a lot and this, my guitar, bass and hand drum were all I had with me and I liked that it still allowed me to experiment around with so many different idea angles to come from whenever I got bored. As a recorder/mixer it does what its meant to, and a lot of the guitar effects are really fun to play with (a lot of them are useless too, but thats why they let you program it). I would have given it a 10 except the drum/bass machine is not intuitive enough to get a good vibe from unless you WANT it to sound like a drum machine.

Quality:
I lived with this thing in a backpack for 3 years and the only things that ever failed on it were the data dial started skipping and became harder to just twirl to get where you want when selecting effects - that and one of the volume sliders lost its cap. It saw a heck of a lot of abuse in the time I had it and toughed it out until I sold it a couple months ago. We used to call it "The Magic Box".

Value:
Other than the card issue, there is nothing I DON'T like about the magic box.

Desirability:
It was 'The Magic Box' and the center of my band's creative outlets for 3 years as travelling musicians. I miss it very much. I'm sad that it became obsolete because of media format. Still... I miss The Magic Box and would get another one when I have the opportunity. I can deal with the card problem, it just frustrates me.

Sound:
I enjoyed a lot of the gtar amp sims... especially the rect-big and beatle sounds. I wasn't too impressed with a lot of other ones, but really I only use a couple of tones anyways. I liked having access to so many options though. The bass sim is laughable but I didn't want it for that, and the drum machine sounds like... well... it sounds like a drum machine. I guess it works if you want to make cheesy pop or simplistic beat music but its no sub for real drums. The internal mic is absolutely awesome in my opinion, but careful it will pop if used for close in singing. decent mic technique is a must. I usually used it on hi-gain setting from 2-3 feet away rather than closing in on it. One last thing - and this makes the whole thing seem worth it to me... the MASTERING and SEND effects are so easy to use and a lot of them drasticly improve your end mix. By the end of my stint with this thing, I no longer used it for 4-tracking, but just input my mix externally, added a hint of verb and dialed thru the preset mastering until I found something tight. It was extremely easy to get a good semi-pro final result like this.

Ease of Use:
If you aren't dumb, you'll get the hang of it quick enough. Well - some aspects of it. The learning curve is pretty steep at first unless you are just recording, overdubbing and mixing using the presets. When you start digging around with track editing, bouncing, cutting and pasting, drum programming and so on, it's good to have your manual handy for reference. It isn't "ease" of use - but after a while the book becomes less and less necessary.

Support:
The data cards it uses no longer exist. You are stuck with the card that came with it. Sad really because everything about this little thing is so cool except for that. I hope they reissue it using a more updated format for storage. I am pondering getting another one just for all it's other handy little gadgets. But as a standalone recording studio it is no longer viable because you will run out of card space before you get to your final bounces. You'll have to have something outboard to mix onto unless you use lo-fi mode, use very few tracks, or delete each project once it's finished.

Overall:
I think I've pretty much summed it up already. lose a point for the data problem, lose a point for the silly drum machine (but only 1 point - because its still a programmable drum machine - it's just hard to use and I'm lazy about meticulous programming)

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"two inputs recorded at the same time, long battery life, decent sound and features, good price: what more do you need!"

Overall:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Features:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Quality:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
Value:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
I Want It:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Sound:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
 
 
 
zZounds has verified that this customer bought this product from us.
Feature:
This thing is amazing for its size and price! First and foremost is the fact that you can download the CardManager software from zoom so you can read, write and convert files to and from you PC via the smart media card. My roland doesn't even give you that ability (they are jerks about protecting their file formats). it has insert AND send/return effects built in. granted this effects are pretty primitive and not the greatest quality but you have to be impressed that they are even there. Really easy to use to. Another thing that amazes me is that it has 10 virtual tracks per actual track. that means you could have 40 tracks in total (only 4 playing at a time). i don't even use that many on my vs-880ex. The built in mic and the fact you could record 2 tracks at a time is also simply amazing. I can't go on enought about this little box. If i ever became homeless all i would need is this, an acoustic guitar, some headphones, and maybe a decent mic to keep productive. really, its amazing how liberating that concept is to me.

Quality:
this thing is light without the batteries and is made of plastic. i would be afraid to drop it and wish somebody made case for it.

Value:
if it where lost i'd buy another one if i had the cash. you can find 'em pretty cheap. if you live in an apartment and want to use it to record, or if you are in a band and want to use it as a writing/scratch and maybe even production tool then go for it.

Desirability:
this is just a fun liberating product. you would need other gear like preamps and compressors if you wanted to get a much better recording out of it.

Sound:
the sound on this is good for scratch and demo material. i have a roland vs-880ex, a computer running cubase and scads of preamps i use to record our actual production level stuff. then again i haven't really run this through its paces in terms as creating full fledge tunes. my main use for this is to record songs in the rehearsal room and then work record scratch vocals on it later or even just in the next room while they practice. for that purpose it is perfect. i went as far as hooking this thing up to my radio in my car so i could work on scratch vocals to the tracks while i drove :) when you drive 1hr total everyday for work it makes for very productive use of your time!

Support:
the only issue i've had is one 128 meg smart media card i bought for it didn't work but another did. probably a bad card as i can't see why it wouldn't be compatible. since then no issues and no need to call support.

Overall:
this product will keep me happy for years and years. i will probably always look at it and smile and think of it as a rare gem i've found.

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"40 V-tracks, excellent FXs, and a built-in drum/bass machine!"

Overall:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Features:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
Quality:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
Value:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
I Want It:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Sound:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Support:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
 
 
 
Feature:
Things they SHOULD have added: XLR mic input (gotta use an external pre-amp); USB Port (had to purchase a SmartMedia reader/writer for my PC -- a USB port would have been a cheap, HUGE improvement); Simpler drum/bass pattern entry/editing; AC Power Supply (WARNING -- the PS04 uses CENTER NEGATIVE polarity and you WILL fry this puppy if you try to use a "standard" 9VDC wall wart!); Padded carrying case; Better digital compression (you WILL quickly fill the supplied SmartMedia card; get a bigger card AND make sure you have the ability to download from SmartMedia.) MIDI in/out would have been nice, too, and the File Manager and Pattern Editor software should have been included.

Quality:
This is an incredibly small, extremely compact, and mostly-plastic unit, so I doubt it would take much physical abuse (unlike the severe emotional abuse my soon-to-be-ex wife has heaped on me!). However, the box IS completely digital (NO moving parts save the sliders, knobs, etc.) and Zoom has a well-earned reputation for quality. Ergo I suspect with a lttle TLC, this unit should last a long time.

Sound:
The sound is digital, 'nuff said. It uses 44.1KS/s ADs and DAs, so unless you bounce tracks >10x, what you get out is what you put in. The built-in effects are incredible. The PCM sampled drum and bass sounds are terrific as well.

Support:
The SmartMedia card/file Manager and the Pattern Editor software SHOULD have been included wih the unit. It was simple to download/install the SmartMedia Manager program, but you have to purchase the Pattern Editor (it's like $39 US). I've NOT had to contact Zoom's tech support folks yet so I can offer no comment on that function.

Overall:
40 V-tracks, excellent effects, and a built-in drum/bass machine! On a whim, I picked this unit up (I also own a Roland VS840gx and a Fostex MR-8); the Roland box is a lil' bulky on the portability scale, and the Fostex box has very limited effects. The PS-04 adds a decent built-in bass/drum pattern machine and has a plethora of EXCELLENT guitar effects. While the drum/bass patterns are a very high quality, PROGRAMMING them into a usable pattern is a bit tedious; there's a Pattern Editor PC tool (available via Zoom's website) that makes the chore a bit simpler. Jamming along with the drum/bass machine -- especially using the killer guitar effects -- is a complete blast! Overall, this is an unbelievable unit for the money; it's got 16-bit/44.1 KS/s ADs/DAs, so it's truly "studio quality"; the effects are incredible; it's reasonably easy to learn/use (with the exception of programming the drums/bass as noted above). If you're looking for a terrific, on-the-go toy/scratchpad, THIS is the unit. Even if you're trying to produce a high-quality demo on a budget (noting of course that you're limited to only TWO tracks at a time for recording -- you can play BACK up to 4 tracks plus the drum/bass tracks while recording, so the 2-track record limit is usually NOT a problem in a studio environment), this dog'll hunt. Each "track" has 10 "v-tracks" associated with it (40 total); the onboard editing / bounce capabilities let you record different takes and mix-downs so that a final, 2/4-track version of your composition can be easily produced. Note that I've NOT used the built-in mic (I use a CS-1000/Tube Pac externally) so I cannot comment on THAT feature. All-in-all, for the price, this unit is PHENOMENAL!

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Zoom PS04 Digital 4-Track Customer Review

Overall:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Features:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Quality:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Value:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Sound:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Ease of Use:
* * * * * * * . . . 7 out of 10
 
 
 
zZounds has verified that this customer bought this product from us.
Feature:
The best feature is that it's tiny. That means I can keep it with me all the time and when the muse arrives I'm ready to go.

Quality:
For what it is, it's laughingly good sounding.

Value:
For the price, what more do you want?

Sound:
Amazingly good quality built-in mic for the size of this unit. Could use a bit more input gain.

Ease of Use:
Could be layed out better but I got used to it pretty quickly.

Support:
N/A

Overall:
I looked around a bit before buying this. The size, sound quality and multi-track ability were most important to me. I wanted something I could use to jot down song ideas and vocal arrangements quickly and painlessly. This unit has turned out to be perfect for that! One thing I hate about it though is that it uses a Smart Media card. What? You can't even find these dinosaurs anymore.

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"BIG sound, LITTLE machine"

Overall:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Features:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Quality:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Value:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
I Want It:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Sound:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Support:
* * * . . . . . . . 3 out of 10
 
 
 
Feature:
The features are awesome too. There are a TON of effects on this machine, and all of them are adjustable, so if you dont like the factory preset for that effect, you can change it until you like it. I wish it came with a bigger memory card. 16 MB is not enough.

Quality:
I was expecting the thing to break the first time i dropped it, and i have dropped it about 50 times by now, and nothing has happened except for some insignifficiant scratches on the back of it.

Value:
This product is well worth the money and then some...it is amazing

Desirability:
I LOVE this, because using digital is much easier than the old fassioned analog, and it is easy to adjust things after they are recorded.

Sound:
This has an amazing sound for such a little piece of equipment. The built-in mic is amazing, it does not come through as tinny or thin...its like a real mic. The mastering effects do wonders.

Support:
I have emailed zoom many times, and they are rather slow with responding, and they always seem to refer you to the site for further questions, almost as if they dont want to be bothered by you again. Also, i got confused trying to find the website to download the free software. it is www.zoom.co.jp

Overall:
I will not even consider upgrading until i get enough money to buy a high quality 16 track (or higher) digital recorder.

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"FREE Digital Recording Studio With Purchase of Effects Unit"

Overall:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Features:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Quality:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
Value:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
I Want It:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Sound:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Support:
* * * * * * . . . . 6 out of 10
 
 
 
Feature:
Keep in mind the price here. If you can't coax a great demo from it, then you need to just keep learning the unit. And have patience. I finished a 26 song cd and it sounds as if it were done in a big studio. Just remember to put a piece of foam or pantyhose on a coathanger between you and the built in microphone as a pop filter. The mic sounds great. I was wary at first, but it's a good sounding and very useful mic.

Quality:
I worry that the plastic construction and knobs may give way, but with reasonable care mine's lasted 8 months so far.

Value:
For the price of an effects pedal you get a recording studio.

Desirability:
Not the prettiest box out there, but it isn't too offensive!

Sound:
With the built in effects (which are all customizable) and the great mastering patches, you can get a great sound from this unit. I'm working on a film soundtrack and the director has no idea I'm recording on a little plastic box with a guitar and $99 keyboard. I put this over into my pc and then use Audacty (a free multitrack download recorder) to add more tracks and trim the mix to perfection. Look at it this way.....you pay this much for a good effects pedal.

Support:
I haven't had to use that aspect.

Overall:
I'm always looking at new products, but this baby ain't going anywhere. If a snowplow ran over it today, I'd cry my eyes out.

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Zoom PS04 Digital 4-Track Customer Review

Overall:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Features: