Zoom RT223 Rhythm Trak Drum Machine

511 rhythm patterns, 70 kits, 127 user-programmed kits, 39 sounds, 12 bass sound sources

Item: ZOMMRT223

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Zoom RT223 Rhythm Trak Drum Machine reviews

Rate and Review This Product:

76 People rated this product : * * * * * * * * * * 7 out of 10

 

12 People wrote reviews

Read all Zoom RT223 Rhythm Trak Drum Machine reviews...
* * * * * * * * * * 9 out of 10 zZounds has verified that this customer bought this product from us.

"Jeff's RT 223"

Feature:
Loaded!

Quality:
Seems to be constructed quite ruggedly.

Value:
Lot's of bang for the buck.

Desirability:
My brother heard mine and it blew his mind. He's a bass player too and he's decided to lay down his previous drum machine. It's a must have as far as I'm concerned.

Sound:
The RT 223 is simply the BOMB! I love the sound quality. It has deep lick drum tone and with the widely varied drum patterns and bass lines it has helped me get back in touch with my creative side. It offers a good number of grooves oriented towards the type of plying I like most which is jazz funk and latin. I can't say anything bad about the RT 223. The only question I have though is that when I plug my bass in the input side, it does not allow me to push it in all the way as the sound drops out of my bass. Anyone else have that issue to deal with? Aside from that; LOVE IT!

Ease of Use:
Smething this versatile I suppose it would be all that easy to master especially if you have not done programming of any sort. But I can make it do what it does for me.

Support:
N/A as of yet.

Overall:
It ain't going no where. All I wanted was a simple drum machine that gave some beats to help me woodshed on my chops and I got much more than I expected. I'm totally pleased.

Submitted: 4/19/2006

Style of Music: Jazz, Motown, latin


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* * * * * * * * * * 9 out of 10

"ZOOM products give excellent VALUE"

Feature:
No accessories included. I do like the ability to modify shapes and sounds of drums, and definitely find the "song" portion of the device helpful, espcially with fills.

Quality:
Have been thoroughly pleased with the quality of ZOOM products. Superb value.

Value:
I'm sure other companies offer excellent value, but I'm sticking with ZOOM.

Desirability:
I actually think the Alesis machines are aesthetically more appealing, but they're 70.00 more expensive, and based on what I heard, the sounds are no better.

Sound:
Have the ZOOM HD-16 multri-track recording unit and feel the sounds are better on the recording unit than on this machine. To me this sounds a little thin. I've fiddled with the sounds, but haven't been able to replicate the "liquid metal" sound, which the multi-tracker can. I need to spend more time with it, to find the sound I hear in my head, so partly my fault.

Ease of Use:
Like all other ZOOM products, the manual is laid out comprehensively, and is exceedingly easy to follow. I, too, like to rush home, tear open the packaging, and plug and play. Today's technology simply is too technical--the learning curve is long if one has little experience and attempts to learn on the fly. I recommend reading all manuals before even turning the device on.

Support:
Giving a 10 because I haven't needed to use their support, so the quality of construction, by inference, is excellent.

Overall:
My recordings are pragmatic, so I am of the school that adapts to the device, rather than have the device adapt to me. As long as the machine continues to function properly, will not change.

Submitted: 10/16/2008

Style of Music: Metal


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Read all Zoom RT223 Rhythm Trak Drum Machine reviews...

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About This Product!
Description
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From Our Catalog
The RT-223 is a drum & bass machine for any kind of rhythm play. Small in size and light in weight, this low-profile unit will go with you anywhere. You can get a session going with your very own rhythm section in a flash, even on your desktop.

Seventy different kits from Rock Drum to Voice Percussion
The range of drum kits built into the RT-223 is simply amazing. A total of 70 drum kits are built-in, with acoustic drum sounds for rock, R&B, funk, and jazz. Add an analog rhythm machine great for Techno and Hip Hop. Ethnic percussion sounds are also available. There are also five Human Voice "Beat Box" Percussion kits that are currently all the rage in Hip Hop. Create advanced rhythm tracks where kick, snare, scratch and other instrument sounds are expressed as human voices.

Create your own drum kits
A drum kit consists of 13 pads x 3 banks = 39 sounds. Sound sources can be freely selected and assigned to the pads. Fine-tune parameters such as pitch, level, and panning to create your own original drum kits. The RT-223 lets you store up to 127 user-programmed kits.

Twelve built-in bass sound sources
Choose from electric bass styles such as Pick, Finger, and Slap. Or select Acoustic Bass, Synthesizer Bass, or one of the other bass sources, 12 in total. To create a bass line, you can play the pads with assigned chromatic pitches just like a keyboard. A dedicated switch quickly lets you mute the bass sound at any time.

Two types of effects to control EQ and Ambience
The overall EQ and tonal quality of a drum kit can be adjusted with the Comp EQ effect. The Reverb effects can be used simultaneously. These effects can also be applied to bass sounds. Up to 40 settings for each effect can be stored as patches.

Comp EQ effect
The RT-223 incorporates a multi-band compressor with independent settings for each frequency band. By applying the effect to just the right frequency range, you can tighten up the kick drum, give snares and tom-tom more body, or perform other mastering tricks to spruce up the sound of a drum kit. A resonance filter and Low-Fi effect great for dance music are also built-in.

Reverb effect
Four different kinds of reverb (Hall, Room, Spring, Plate) and Chorus, Flanger, and Delay are included. The effect send level can be set for each sound source individually. For example, you could apply Gate Reverb to the snare sound only, or place the entire drum kit in a hall. Flanger and Delay can be synchronized to the tempo in measure or beat units. Create Flanger with 4-measure modulation or a dotted eighth note Delay. Make your club music explode with novel sounds.

440 preset patterns cover all musical styles
From Rock, Jazz, and Funk to Club and House, the RT-223 comes with 440 playing patterns that can be used straight away. A large number of phrase variations including intro, fill-in, and ending patterns are also provided. By simply combining these, you can whip up a backing rhythm that delivers the goods.

Touch-sensitive pads let you build original patterns
Programming your own patterns is a snap, thanks to the touch-sensitive drum pads. The RT-223 records not only your timing, but also the dynamics of your finger work. You can create and store up to 511 patterns. The process is made even easier through visual cues provided by the self-lit pads.

Quickly create original songs with FAST method
You can combine any number of drum patterns in any order to create a song. In addition to step input where you select patterns one by one, the RT-223 also offers the innovative FAST (Formula Assisted Song Translator) method. With FAST, you use simple mathematical symbols such as +, ?, (, and ) to specify the pattern lineup. This is especially useful for songs with repeated patterns. To play pattern number 12 eight times and then pattern 25 sixteen times, you simply enter "12 x 8 + 25 x 16". By enclosing this in brackets and adding a multiplication factor such as "( ) x 4", the entire sequence can be repeated. The RT-223 lets you store as many as 100 songs for automated backing.

Groove play mode lets you play patterns like a DJ
Assigning patterns to pads allows you to trigger patterns simply by tapping the pads. This is great for live performances and for DJ use.

User-friendly design for simple operation
The RT-223 is a dedicated rhythm machine designed to make rhythm programming truly easy. You can take the shortest possible route from idea to finished song. No need to boot up a PC and start DAW software, or laboriously read sound source data into a sampler. Most controls on the top panel of the RT-223 have only a single function, and there are no complicated multi-level menus. The backlit LCD shows all important information at a glance.
Total control with a foot switch
Intro, pattern 1, fill-in, pattern 2, ... ending. Imagine controlling such a sequence just with a foot switch. With a Zoom FS01 Foot Switch (sold separately) you can rock out live, triggering patterns with your foot. You can also use the switch to start or stop a pattern, perform tap input to specify the tempo, trigger the bass drum sounds, switch between hi-hat open/close, and much more.

Metronome function for simple repeat practice
The built-in metronome with its dedicated key is handy for simple repeat practice. In addition to the standard 2 - 8 beat, you can also use 6/8 beat, 7/8 beat, 2+3 beat, 3+4 beat and other mixed beat settings.

MIDI IN connector and external line input
The MIDI IN connector allows synchronized play with an external device. By receiving note messages, the RT-223 can serve as drum sound source module in a MIDI-based system. The line input accepts the signal from a CD player or other line-level source, or from a guitar or bass via an effect. Seamlessly integrate the RT-223 into any session.

2-way power from size AA batteries or AC adaptor
The unit will operate continuously for eight hours on a set of four IEC R6 (size AA) batteries. Whether on stage or during rehearsals in the studio, the RT-223 is always ready. For extended studio work, an AC adaptor can also be used.

Technical Info

Drum Kits : 127(Factory : 70, Blank : 57 )

Drum Sounds : 213

Bass Programs : 12

Rhythm Patterns : 511(Factory : 440, Blank : 71 )

Songs : 100

Maximum Notes : 32,000

Polyphony : 18

Resolution : 96PPQN

Tempo : 40?250BPM

Sampling Frequency : 44.1kHz

D/A Conversion : 24bit 8times over-sampling

Drum Pads : 13(touch sensitive, self lighted )

MIDI : IN

Control Input : Foot Switch

Display : 128 segment custom LCD ( with backlight )

Line Input : 1/4 in. stereo phone jack(Input impedance : 10k?, Rated input level : ?10dBm )

Line Output ( L/MONO, R ) : 2 x 1/4 in. phone jack(Output Impedance : 1k? or less, Rated output level : ?10dBm )

Headphone Output : 1/8 in. stereo phone jack, 50mW into 32? load

Power Requirements : AA size(LR6 ) battery x 4 or AC adaptor DC9V/300mA / Center minus type

Battery Life : Approx. 8 hours(with alkaline batteries )

Dimensions (W x D x H): 217.9 x 182.6 x 35.5 mm

Weight : 680g (without batteries )

Optional Accessories : AD-0006 ( AC adaptor ), FS01 ( Foot switch ) , AA size battery
Packed with 70 drum kits covering realistic acoustic and classic analog drum machine sounds! 12 built-in bass sounds. Reverb, compression, and EQ controls. 13 touch-sensitive pads for easy sequencing.

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