Feature:
What's there is pretty good but there isn't enough variety. Now, if each preset had a seperate bank for different time signatures that would really help. Of all the presets, less than ten are in 3/4 time, Maybe closer to five. It would also be nice to cut and paste different parts of different presets.

Quality:
I had one of these for a little less than a year and then one of the buttons wouldn't work. After mashing it pretty good I took a chance on taking it apart (don't do this unless your experienced in electronic curcuitry, as you'll void the warranty) and discovered that the triggers are all closed units and the only way to service the contacts is to remove it from the curcuit board. This isn't the simplest of tasks since it's soldered in place.

Value:
If you don't have the problem I did I think it's worth what I paid for it.

Desirability:
One useful feature is you can vary the swing to match your rythme style.

Sound:
The samples are pretty decent and you can change the pitch of each piece in the kit to pretty much anything you want. If your ear is that good you could tune the entire kit to whatever key you're playing in.

Ease of Use:
Just read the manual! Don't just stick it in a drawer somewhere because you'll need it. But it's not hard if you can follow directions. All the pads are multi-function and that can be frustrating

Support:
The only thing I have to go on here is I sent then an email with a question and the reply was prompt.

• Submitted: 4/17/2008
• Style of Music: Variety
• Location: The Big O, USA

Feature:
Pretty irritating to get a new toy and not be able to plug it in. Most Zoom stuff I have got in the past had an adaptor with it but nope. Other than that, it has the option for a stop/start footswitch to connect so you can use it live. Not something I am interested in as this is just a studio piece for me, but someone may want to use it for live I guess. Nice that it's there though.

Quality:
I wouldn't go bashing this thing around, or stuffing it at the bottom of a box full of gear and piling stuff on top of it. It's plastic. Hard plastic but plastic all the same.

Value:
There's some really nice sounds in it and it's so cheap that just the programmability and touch sensitive pads are worth it. I'm sure that the higher end drum machines are easier to use, but for a bare bones get-the-job-done drum machine it's impressive for the price.

Desirability:
I love little boxes that do lots of things. I don't think drum machines get you any girls but that's why we have guitars. Drum machines aren't inherently sexy as lots of people think it's just 'faking it' but if you use it as part of a recording setup to make a nice sounding demo CD then it will pull its weight in the final mix. On its own though its isn't much of a groupie magnet. Nevertheless, I wanted it, and I am glad I own one. I had been eying this thing for a long time (2+ years actually) before I finaly ordered one.

Sound:
Well for starters, when I first used it, I was surprised that the velocity-sensitive pads actually changed the sound as well as the volume, making for a more 'realistic' feel if you want to simulate what you would be playing on a drum set for home recording purposes. I was surprised. There are (like all drum machines) plenty of sounds in there that you will never use. I use it to sound like the actual drum parts I would be playing along to my guitar parts if there were two of me, so I stick to the 'real' drums and have no use for the bongos and techno hits and such. There is a decent palette to work with - even two generic organ sounding chords (a Major 7th and a Minor 7th) which you can tune to different notes, but no bass. Hey its a hundred bucks, right? A tip for if you want to use it as a recording substitute for micing a drumset: use the 'dry' sounds and add room reverb through an effect send to an external processor if you have one (or even in-line if you don't have an effect send). Do this rather than using the sounds with built in fake reverbs in the actual sound. This way it will blend in with the other reverbs on other instruments in your mix so it all sounds like they are actually in the same room, rather than your guitar and bass and vocal all having one sound to their reflection and your drums having an entirely different one.

Ease of Use:
On the upside: When I first got it hooked up I had already programmed 2 drum kits and written a 8 bar pattern within about a half an hour. It's dead simple to learn. On the downside: Step recording is kind of irritating because of the way the display works. Hard to visualize where you are in a pattern. Bah. I just record it in realtime anyways. Also, there is no quick way to jump to a specific pattern or sound or drum kit, you just have to hold down the + or - button and cycle through every number between where you are and where you are going. Not terrible, but slows things down a bit waiting to get from 03 to 51 or whatever.

Support:
I haven't needed Zoom for this guy, but have for other Zoom stuff that has passed through my hands over the years and they are pretty accomodating and easy to deal with.

Overall:
It does the job well. You aren't going to compose any techno symphonies on it or anything but it's great for line recording drum parts if you don't have the good mics and mixer and sound booth to do the real thing.

• User: a customer from hotmail.com
• Submitted: 3/10/2008
• Style of Music: ambient experimental grungey rock stuff
• Location: Chicago, IL, U.S.A.

Feature:
lacks a bass part but is rarely missed. useful is a tap to tempo function not found on other machines.

Quality:
well made for the studio and jam sessions a road musician better take a back up.

Value:
most bang for the buck and sound is far better than Bxss or Rxllxnd.

Desirability:
every aspireing musician should have one for practical music study. if you got no friend to drum for you only have to punch this thing once.

Sound:
The sound is one of the better mechines in this price range. I use both keys and accoustic guitar so the various kits is very handy. I wouuld have had a foot pad pattern selector to get more quickly to a pattern in live on the fly giging.

Ease of Use:
my kid sister could work it with out a manuel.

Support:
they got their hands into all kinds of gear I doubt they want to hear from the end users.

Overall:
satifaction is high I come back to this mechine over and over again. lent it to a friend and went out and bought another.

• User: a customer from yahoo.com
• Submitted: 11/19/2007
• Style of Music: Alternative
• Location: Marshfeild Wisconsin Usa

Feature:
A bundle of pre-programmed patterns. You shouldn't have too much trouble finding something to fit your style. And, of course, you can program your own if you can't find anything suitable.

Quality:
The shell is made out of hard plastic so I don't think it would take a drop on concrete too well...

Value:
For this price, I was pretty amazed at what this thing can do

Desirability:
The picture showed a silver-colored exterior, however, mine came in black. I'm pretty glad it did!

Sound:
Sounds are the best you can get for this cheap. For best quality, run this through a mixer to bring out the cymbals and bass

Ease of Use:
Pretty easy to use, though it can be a little itimidating at first. I'd normally just dig right in to using things, but I did have to skim the manual for this one. Selecting patterns can be a little time consuming. By pressing '+' and then '-' and vice versa, while holding both buttons down simultaneously, will help speed up the selection process moving forward and backwards down the selection list.

Support:
Haven't had to deal with support yet...

Overall:
If it broke, I'd probably replace it. I haven't had a chance to wear it out yet so we'll see. If this is your first to buying a drum machine then this should be a good start for you. Considering the sounds and patterns, for the price, I'd say it's well worth it.

• User: a customer from sanfordonline.org
• Submitted: 5/31/2006
• Style of Music: Gospel, New Age, Jazz
• Location: Franklin, VA US

Feature:
It's quite easy to select a preset pattern or write your own. No effects to work with though.

Quality:
It's small, it's mostly plastic. Treat it nicely and it will last forever.

Value:
Nothing touches it for this price point.

Desirability:
When I heard the demo online, I knew I had to have it.

Sound:
Excellent sound quality. Many of the snares have reverbs in the sample, which makes the machine more flexible, but it would have been nice to have the sounds dry as well.

Ease of Use:
Doesn't get much easier than this.

Support:
I haven't had to make use of support.

Overall:
The only real quibbles I have with this machine are few. One, the AC power adapter should have been included. Who would pay $25.00 for a power supply for a $99.99 machine? The other thing I noticed is the level control of each drum sound can be changed from 1 to 15, but not to zero. There is no way to mute a sound in a pattern! When multi-tracking, this is a real problem. There is only one mono output too. I suppose a person could use the headphone output with a insert Y cable and pan everything one way and the sound to be recorded to the other side. But what a pain that is. Those are my only real faults for this machine.

• User: a customer from yahoo.com
• Submitted: 5/25/2006
• Style of Music: Most anything
• Location: New Jersey

Sound:
it doesn't keep accurate time on many of the settings. I thought it was just me, but I used a computer to analyse the beats and it was off by 1/4 in some places!!! unacceptable!

• Submitted: 4/28/2005

Sound:
it needs better snares and the beat you have to play on is weak

• Submitted: 12/25/2004

Feature:
Few if any accessories included. I'm running thru board or amp, so only input cable required. Would be nice to include AC Adapter.

Quality:
Worked right out of the box. I'm using batteries - one of the batteries leaked and the whole thing shut down. Took it apart, cleaned it out, and (believe it or not) it seems to be working fine. This is a "light duty unit" - not heavy duty or "road worthy".

Value:
In spite of short comings, it's well worth the money (under $100). For solo/small group use it is pretty neat, and comes in very handy. I'd buy another one.

Desirability:
I saw it and liked it right away. It's a cute little unit that will fit in about anywhere. Main "pad" buttons are good sized, however, some functions are pretty small. It weighs next to nothing, but needs to be tied down in a rack, etc. so that it won't fall.

Sound:
Good sound quality, however, only moderately expressive.

Support:
None required to date.

Overall:
For my use, it will serve it's purpose for some time. Sounds and variations are fully adequate for basement studio/band use.

• User: a customer from bellsouth.net
• Submitted: 11/11/2004
• Style of Music: Rock (60's and 70's), Easy Listening, Country (a little), Church
• Location: Guntersville, AL; USA

Feature:
never tested its full potential, but it has a midi out which allows it to be controlled by an external sequencer.

Quality:
Excellent. The pads are real sturdy. You can easily carry it around in a bag and practice where ever theres an outlet. However, you can also use AA batteries. Ive never used batteries so I dont know how long they will last.

Value:
I seriously think this product is underpriced for the sounds it produce. I wouldnt recommend this instrument for modern hiphop/ rap tho. Maybe old school or miami bass music.

Desirability:
If I didnt have a Roland MV8000, I would def go back to this machine.

Sound:
this was my first drum machine. SOunds are excellent for a machine at this price. I have since moved up to an MV8000...

Support:
Never needed them, and I doubt you will...

Overall:
Its basic, has quality sounds, and best of all, its great for the newbie on a budget. If your new to music, dont become a gear smut. Start out with machines like this.. learn it, make good music with it, then upgrade... the more gear u buy and dont learn your craft, the less efficent you will be in your music.. trust me...

• User: a customer from tmail.com
• Submitted: 10/12/2004
• Style of Music: Rap, HIphop
• Location: New York

Feature:
No accessoies included. Bought a 9v 300ma wall wart to save on batteries, and a midi cable for connection to digital multitrack recorder.

Quality:
have had it only a couple of days but looks and feels to be made quite well. (Japan) Very pleased with it's compact size!

Value:
WORTH EVERY PENNY!

Desirability:
Excellent!

Sound:
There isn't a rhythm drum track machine out there that can touch this product at this price IMHO! Drum and cymbal sounds are truly realistic and better than some units costing MUCH more $$$!

Support:
N/A

Overall:
Very pleased with this product so far and will be using it almost daily.Please see other comments above.

• User: a customer from yahoo.com
• Submitted: 9/12/2004
• Style of Music: Blues and rock
• Location: Santa Cruz, Calif. USA

Feature:
I was surprised the power adapter was sold seperately.

Quality:
A fine quality machine.

Value:
Definitely the best sellling drum machine out there.

Desirability:
I simply love it. It is my little buddy.

Sound:
Many different drum kits to choose from. For recording it is great because you can MIDI to a multi track recorder. I havn't used it live but for recording I found using an effects processor to interface the unit makes it quite fun.

Support:
I rate it 10 because I havn't needed any support. That is the kind of product you want to buy!

Overall:
It is a very versatile little machine. If you are looking for a raw drum machine, this is definitely the one.

• Submitted: 10/6/2003
• Style of Music: All Styles
• Location: Chicago, IL

Feature:
It's cheap when you look at all the other drum machines. No effects, but I like that, don't need them, I use my digital studio for that.

Value:
drum machine with pro sounds, plus a sequencer.

• Submitted: 10/5/2003

Feature:
believe for recording like i do its all you need to bring it on. click trax, kit edit, plenty of styles & pad sounds whatever style you might want to play.

Quality:
maybe shell could a little tougher, otherwise cosmetically & the lighted pads & ease of operationjust take care of it like you would your other instruments.

Value:
absolutely amazing for the features! other seem tio fall short.

Desirability:
outstanding!

Sound:
excellent sound quality convience user friendly leds are outstanding fast efficient for recording or live highly recommend for the price & facility!

Support:
not yet

Overall:
i would buy a another one if i wore it out, as a matter of fact i just might buy an extra this week !

• User: a customer from mail. maricopa.gov
• Submitted: 8/19/2003
• Style of Music: pop, soul jazz, fusion.
• Location: phoenix arizona usa