Of course, the sound is going to depend on the quality of your microphones. My first use of this machine was for an outdoor music festival. The results were pretty f*ing amazing! I've been using this for recording live performances ever since. I have only used it for home studio use for a few songs, but the results have been very satisfactory.

The mastering effects are the best feature. The learning curve is a little steep, but the more you use it, the simpler the operation becomes. I find the built-in rhythmes to be the least useful feature. Most MIDI keyboards have rhythmes that are at least as good or better. The amp modeling for guitars is not shabby.

It's a little daunting learning all of the things this machine can do. The display screen is too small. The cursor functions are a little squirrely. But for the money, it's OK.

I had to take mine in for warranty repair when the unit refused to boot up one day. The repair shop did a great job. Didn't cost me a dime -- except for the gas money to take it to and from the shop. My town doesn't have a certified warrantee repair. The unit has performed flawlessly since I got it back. Like I said above, I do take the unit on the road and record live gigs.

This particular product is now a few years behind the "cutting edge" but is totally worth the purchase price. The price to quality ratio is very, very good.

When my unit refused to boot up, the customer support people got me lined up with a repair shop that did the repair quickly and for free. No problems since then. Korg USA was eager to get my unit repaired and was most helpful.

I wouldn't say it was "sex appeal" that sealed the deal. It was direct to hard drive recording, fairly large capacity HD, and 24bit recording that sealed the deal.

Active Musician

All original rock, alternative, alt-country, southern rock

i'd say definitely use an external mixer with good pre-amps with this unit beause the preamps aren that good and it'll save you a lot of frustration if you're trying to get a warm sound.

get the external cd drive for sure because it will run out of memory quickly if you record a lot in 24 bit.

getting a great sound with this thing is a lot easier with an external mixer so, again, i recommend that one is used. however on it's own i recommend you record as much eq and effects into the track because the scenes don't work that great on this thing. in my experience i've had problems with the unit recalling scenes in succession especially if there is a big change in the mix from one scene to the next. frequency analyzer is a particularly nice feature when trying to get some extra clarity.

i've used mine almost every day for five years and it's still fully functional although i don't use it on the road and i think that's why. it's plastic and a little flimsy. the big spindle knob thing on mine started to go after the first year so try to use that as little as possible if you want it to last.

yes it's worth it for all applications, in my opinion.

tried to get the system upgrade in sept of 2009 and was no longer available. that sucks.

blue plastic looks flimsy. screen isn't all the big but does the job.

Active Musician

Electronic

The sound is amazing for such a small unit. I've even recorded drums with it and they sound great. Overall, I still can't complain about the sound and I'm usually very fussy.

I love the drum machine for one reason only and that's the click. I always prefer live drums and to have a click help the recording process come out much cleaner & tighter. I'm not crazy about the Guitar modeling but that's because I use the LINE 6 podxt which is the best when it comes to modeling. The Mic & Bass modeling however are pretty cool and easy to use. The only major downside is you can only record 2 tracks simultaniously but using an external mixer solves that problem for me.

So far the quality seems pretty good. I wouldn't want to drop it because it's such a small light unit but if you're carefull I'm sure it will last for yrs.

Any maching under $1,000 that works this good is an amazing bargin.

I haven't had to deal with support yet.

Professional Musician

Rock , Folk Rock , Powerpop, Soul , Jazz , Country & Blues

I think this was a great purchase, It was my first encounter with a digital recording device and it was super easy to use, the sound is perfect I've had it for 2 years already and it has never failed me, I love the acoustic sound and the definition that you get out of it.

I like it, the only thing is the little screen, the master effects are awesome and basically the way that capture the sound.

definitely its easy to use, when I bought it I was recording my song in less then half hour after I opened the box, of course using the manual, the manual and the video are very helpful, what it makes it a little uncomfortable is the screen. but overall is great!

yes, I love it, I can take it everywhere, and is very easy to set up so no complains in that dept. no problems.

well 2 years ago was the best thing for the price I guess, I'm not in the market for something else so I don't know if its something better out there for the price that I paid. I would buy it again

I have never use it.

I think that as far as design is a good looking piece of equipment but in the other hand I think the color takes credibility away from it, I say this because my friends were amaze when I told them that I did the song with it, they though that it was some cheap recording thing

Musician

Rock, Alternative

The sound is clean and very useable, though the preamps are not pro quality. I have made some nice sounding mixes with this.

It's got some good features and great effects built in, but it is kind of complicated to use. The modeling for guitar is not all it's cracked up to be, though, so I wouldn't get it just for that.

This is not the easiest piece of gear to use, though once you get used to it, it's not bad. It is not at all intuitive, so you will need to use the manual. There are lots of menus to scroll through and such.

I got mine used and have used it for a few years, now, and it still works as good as when I got it. I do take care of my stuff, though.

I paid 850, which I think was a bit much, looking back. The 500 dollar mark is much closer to a good value for this.

I haven't used support.

Although I have used this frequently, I will be getting rid of it because I am trying to simplify my life and music; this encourages too much "producing" on my part. Besides, I have some mixing software on my computer.

hobbyist

rock, christian contemporary

If you can handle the controls the end result is good but what an ordeal getting it. If you play distorted electric guitar this maybe the device for you. For acoustic players and vocalist - look elsewhere. Inputs going to the top panel are annoying. The display is small and difficult to read.

On the plus side it is compact. The features, as per spec, are great it is a question of accessing them. The rhythm side is not up to much - it is not for recording.

It looks good but so what - it's not for looking at.

I think there are a lot of limitations to this product. Previously I have owned a Sony MDMX4 - that was a joy to work with compared to this.

I phoned Korg help to solve a problem on including an effect in the pre-fader line - I could not call up any of the vocal reverb effects on channel 1. They took a long time answering and the "expert" could not give clear advice on how to solve the problem - "You need to know something about these things" he quoted.

The display reminds of a cheap handheld electronic game - monochrome and unimaginative.

Active Musician

No problem with the sound.

I guess it has everything it needs, but it's too hard to figure out how to use it.

Maybe if you have used similar recording devices, you can figure this one out, but I mainly use PC based DAW software. It could use a whole new interface. It's not for me.

Quality seems fine.

Pretty pricey for what it does, although it can probably do more than I can figure out.

No support experiences.

For this type of recording device, it's probably a fairly desirable one. After owning it, I will not purchase this type of device again.

Hobbyist

Rock

20 yrs

rock heavy metal

The unit will deliver 24 bit on 4 tracks, actually 6 if you mix down to virtual tracks. The quality of the 16 bit is excellent. Of course with all recording ( Garbage in Garbage out )

I don't use it very much, but have found it easier to adjust to than computer based recording. I have spent a lot of time trying to tweak the computer stuff so that it works right. More time than working on the actual music. If you keep the manual beside the d1200, it becomes easier with time. This unit is small and that is a good thing in my house. I can pull it out when I am in the mood. It doesn't have to have a permanent spot, although that would be nice.

I have not used the usb yet, although that was one of the reasons I bought this item. Just haven't needed it yet. Thought I would put my music on the computer using it. Now I just make a cd and save it one song at a time. Haven't tried making an album yet where that may come in handy due to moving the songs around, but can always load from cd and then catalog. Manual is clear. Have to use the right side of the brain, or is that left?

I have to admit it, when I saw this product, I didn't want it. I don't like the style. I think it looks cheap. But,,,I haven't found any reason to question the quality of the item. I have had it a while and have had no problems with it. It functions as it should, after a review of the instructions. I am very pleased with the quality of the sound reproduction. It has the 40gig drive used in larger units, it has the usb, it has 24 bit, it has burner, it has variable rhythm, it has phantom power, it has midi if you ever need it,monitor out with level, and spdif. It has effects if you want them. It is what I need. I can't believe that it is being discontinued. I honestly believe it is the best of what is out there,esp. for amateur songwriter. I forgot , it even has a tuner.

I have experience with the d1600 mkII, lexicon core 2 computer based and m-audio with live lite? Tried to get cakewalk and steinberg to work but gave up. If others feel a manual is hard to work with, I can't see how a computer file manual or help button is any easier. Now that doesn't seem intuitive to me, but that's me.

Haven't needed it. Bought this item used, but paid more than they are selling for now new factory repackaged. There is on line support at studiotrax.net with no strings attatched. I haven't seen sites like this for sound cards and sound software, at least not as well organized and with such a friendly atmosphere.

I usually think of sex appeal as having to do with something besides a recording device. Aesthetically, as I have stated, it doesn't do anything for me.

Hobbyist songwriter for 30 years

All

I had a br8 and had alot of trouble recording keyboards, with line noise and such. This one is a dream!

Seems sturdy, hard drive hasn't failed in the half year I've had it.

I think this is a great product for the money.

Can't comment, haven't called support.

The D3200 that just came out is alot sexier, with its black and wooden exterior, larger screen, and plethora of knobs and buttons. But this one ain't too shabby.

Pianist, band member

Classical, rock

the sound is great if you don't go too crazy with eternal effects and eq'ing.

this machine has lots of effects and stuff but i use a lot of external effects to get what i want. line 6 guitar effects are worth the extra money.trust me.

the quality is excellent and it makes great sounding cd's.believe me, 16 bit digital recording sounds real good.i record in my basement so i think i can deal with it not being 24bit.

i got my machine for $1100.00 canadian. i just about bought a boss br1180 but the korg was about $200 cheaper.

there was a deal going on when i bought this machine. i mailed in to receive a free set of headphones and a free microphone.

12 track digital recorder, 40 gig hard drive, cd burner built in , on board effects and 4 track simultanious recording.