Korg Sound on Sound Unlimited Track Recorder
This pocket-sized recorder from Korg features on-board rhythms and built-in effects and allows an infinite number of overdubs.
Overall User Ratings (based on 11 ratings)
Submitted April 5, 2010 by a customer from gmail.com
"ABSOLUTE MUST HAVE PRODUCT!!!"
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zZounds has verified that this reviewer purchased this specific product from us.
This is a miracle product especially for someone who has seen the evolution of recording gear through the last four decades. It does an amazing job of multi-track recording the old school way using sound on sound. We used to have to record from one tape machine to another to do what this thing does... and still we wouldn't have separate tracks at the end of the process like you have with this unit.
Truly an Amazing product!
Sound
Recording from the built in mics is excellent. However, the guitar input is very noisy and electronic sounds like those generated by a hard disk although there's no hard disk in this unit. But that's the kind of electronic sound that is generated by this unit and it finds it's way onto the recording... which is a shame. Only way to control that is to watch the record levels very carefully. But the more you turn it down, the quieter the "noise" but also the quieter you recording - so it's very tricky to get a clean loud recording. I wish it was better.
Features
A power supply would've been very nice and also a custom soft case - especially since the shape of the unit is unusual.
Ease of Use
Easy to use, just need time to read the manual and play around.
Quality
Excellent quality - very well built! Doesn't feel cheap at all.
The Wow Factor
Highly appealing piece of gear... ABSOLUTELY MUST HAVE!!!
Musical Background:
Producer, Musican, Writer & Artist.
Musical Style:
Reggae - Dub
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Submitted December 23, 2010 by a customer from gmail.com
"Get down and dirty with this pup. it wants to dance....."
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Does stuff that other recorders I have used does not do. There may be others on the market that are close, but Korg made this well worth it overall.
Sound
Quite a piece of work, still trying to figure some of the detailed functions available out but overall it is one amazing audio recorder and has a very clean sound. I recommend this to any musician wanting to compose on the fly.
Features
Still reading, overall pretty nice setup. I wish the power supply was provided with the purchase, would be nice to have one now as the batteries go fast once you get involved with a composition. Would be nice to be able to name the songs, have not found a way to do that yet.
Ease of Use
Once you get the hang of it the recording process is a piece of cake.
Quality
Delicate but sturdy
Value
I think its worth it, would have been nice if they AC power supply was included with it.
Manufacturer Support
Have not needed it yet
The Wow Factor
Kinda sexy from a distance
Musical Background:
Professional Recording Engineer and Active Musician
Musical Style:
Blues, Pop, Jazz, Rock
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Submitted February 6, 2011 by a customer from comcast.net
"The KORG SOS finally allows me to get creative and have a professional sounding end product quickly and easily."
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I can see replacing this unit in the forseeable future...unless ut were stolen...I wish it had the "necessary accessories" I have mentioned incuded that was the worst feature and the best feature is the ease of use and features. I do wish it was USB out as well as what it has but that may not be practical and even then the SD card is so easy to use it isn't a big deal.
Sound
I have been a professional or performing muscian all my life and have collected a backlog of original material that I have never been able to
adequately get down on a recording. The Korg SOS has enabled me to quickly record, assess and manipulate recorded tracks easily and to great effect. Recording is simple plug and play for mic's and my guitar but I find the built in stereo mic better than anyting I have for vocals and acoustic guitar and the amp models and guitar effects rival my Boss Me-70 and epiphone valve jr. File transfer to my computer and DAW software is a breeze with the sd card and I had three completed mixed down mp3's in less than a few hours ready to burn to cd with the Korg audio software. Even though it is S-on-S when the flies are transferred they resovle to seperate stereo wav file tracks in the DAW which then allows for easy adjustment and mix down to the final tracks....(I had 9 sos layers on one song) all in all I love it and the zZounds four payment option made it easy to afford....
Features
solid product although it would be nice to have a larger 2G SD card included as you use it up quickly. Headphones are a must and aren't include either and the batteries supplied died after an hour and the optional power cord I ordered was a few days behind the uinit which was a bit frustating. Such essential accessories should included witht he unit. The onboard tuners are very useful and the 50 drum tracks with 5 variables gives a finished touch to the recording. The effects and models are surpriiingly spot on unlike some modeling boards or amps I have tried.
Ease of Use
I don't see how it could be any easier. I read the manual and was up and recording in ten minutes and my 14 year old son grabbed it from me and starting laying down tracks right away w/out it. It's layout is very logical and intuitive.
Quality
It is rock solid and other than battery consumption a great unit very well made.
Value
Actual MSRP scared me away at first but zZounds had it priced very reasonbly and again the payment plan made it affordable for me...
Manufacturer Support
They answered my question qucily and knowledgebly...
The Wow Factor
The ads and videos on this product it made it a "must have" for me...
Musical Background:
Active performing musician
Musical Style:
Blues, Popular, Rock, Alternative, Jazz
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Submitted January 15, 2011 by a customer from gmail.com
"Too noisy to be of any use as a serious tool"
Not. I am searching now.
Sound
I bought it for the on board mics and the dubbing possibilities, but the preamps are just too noisy to be of any use at any setting. My mp3 player does a better job. Too bad, I'll have to return it
Features
In theory, it has it all, and it is one of the few portable devices which allow you to keep your new clean takes you make while overdubbing.
Ease of Use
Once you get the hang of it its simple to operate, and the touchscreen really helps.
Quality
Up to standard
Value
Despite all its functionality, as a portable recorder/scetchpad it's a toy. The noisy preamps make it useless for its intended purpose, that is, overdubbing, creative scetching and catching takes for your DAW
Musical Background:
active musician
Musical Style:
Pop
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Submitted April 4, 2010 by a customer from gmail.com
"Your song writing will go much faster with this"
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zZounds has verified that this reviewer purchased this specific product from us.
I expect to use this all the time. You can be more spontaneous with musical ideas and recording, as you don't need to carry a laptop with a mic/gear around (and set up the apps,etc.), or plan ahead with instruments in the studio. This was made for speed and portability. Anything larger or with more features gets you closer to being in a studio, with setup/troubleshooting, planning ahead.
Sound
Sound is great. The included low-cut and noise reduction functions are good, though I prefer something more to reduce hum/hiss. There's very low noise once levels are set right (even with background interference like flourescent lights). Any editing software can take care of leftover noise. The built in mic is really good; I have yet to try a separate dynamic and condenser. The speakers are good, but use headphones to really hear what you're doing.
Features
The overdub is excellent - quickly get all those versions of your melody recorded while the bass line is still going. Alter the bass line, add more ideas, versions, accents - you'll be busy with this.
The effects are great, though I'm satisfied with the effects processors I already have. The rhythms are fixed (this isn't a drum machine), with the ability to select the complexity of the rhythm, and good range of styles. The power supply is sold separately, though this did include a 2GB microSD card (about 200 minutes recording time), and Ableton Live Lite. I don't really use the sound stretch or tuner, but the undo/redo gets used a lot.
Ease of Use
You'll get used to the controls pretty quickly. You may have to spend your first few recordings getting the levels and other settings tweaked right. The rhythms and effects are fun to use. It's the right size to sit just about anywhwere. The (partial) touch screen controls a few settings, the rest of the functions require the buttons. The Korg software editor is good, but you'll still need audio editing software to get the most out of your recordings. Be ready to spend time managing all your sound files.
Quality
Another great product from Korg. Well built, though you'll want to protect that screen.
Value
The speed of being able to get your ideas out this quickly really changes the music writing approach. The overdubs let you quickly build up songs, as many tracks as you need. No more losing your creative flow from time spent on software issues or transporting gear.
Manufacturer Support
Haven't needed support for this yet.
The Wow Factor
Looks good, screen is bright, fits in the palm of your hand.
Musical Background:
active musician
Musical Style:
classical, rock, techno, industrial, film score, sound effects
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Submitted February 9, 2012 by M G in Los Angeles, CA
"Cool, but Korg misleads as to its useability "
Obviously, you are not going to record high quality audio with this thing, but you should expect that from a device at this price range. I accept that, and think this is a interesting and fun device. However, the instructions expressly state that you do not need headphones for this device which is FALSE. Once you record one track and then attempt to overdub with the internal microphone, you will NOT be able hear what you originally recorded without headphones. I do not mean that the volume coming out of the internal speaker is low when overdubbing. I mean the internal speaker will NOT output anything. So, if you think you can record into this device and then overdub vocal parts or acoustic instruments using the internal microphone and without headphones, you are mistaken, although Korg clearly states that this is possible. I called Korg technical support and they confirmed that headphones are required when overdubbing using the internal microphone. Korg should do the right thing and explain that headphones are REQUIRED.
Musical Background:
Playing music over 40 years
Musical Style:
rock and jazz mostly
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Submitted October 23, 2010
"Fun and easy to use but has lmitations"
Supplied micro card is too small (only holds about 4 comopleted songs) so I will need to buy a larger card. Guitar effects are limited e.g. no fretless bass effect.e.g. recording two drum tracks generates distortion. This may have been fixed in the latestt operating system upgrade. The plug for the headphones broke off inside the unit after 4 months of use. The software provided to manage tracks does little except allow songs to be split or joined and there is no simplified track managing.
Sound
Built in speaker volume is pathetic; you need headphones to hear anything.
Ease of Use
There are a few things you have to learn for yourself like you can only record one devise at a time and you can't record guitar or vocals if the record setting in 'on' for the drums
Quality
Headphone jack broke off inside unit after 4 months.
Manufacturer Support
Answered promptly but responses were not particularly helpful
The Wow Factor
Great for generating a quick half-decent song demo
Musical Background:
Hobbyist
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