Zoom PS04

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brickboo

New member
This is not to peeve anyone off. After reading the latest post about the broken buttons and having to spend another $150 for a 512 card for a total of $450 to get decent recording time, I ask what good is better quality recording if the damn thing's key are breaking all over the place?
You don't see post such as this on the Zoom forum. This is very scary to me. I mean it seems all of this type equipment has problems but the buttons falling in are absurd.
I must say that $200 for the zoom PS04 with 30 bucks for a 128 card and a $10 card reader is look great at this moment.
Generally when a clerk says listen to this CD player and now listen to this one that cost $300 more and listen to the difference, I swear I really can't hear any difference. Especially $300 worth of difference.
The only difference I can hear is if one plays louder than the other does. Like I said I'm not trying to peeve anyone off. I was about to get the MR8. It just seems that it has an awful lot more problems than is being voiced on the Zoom PS04 forum.

If you’re a prospective buyer, don’t buy anything yet. Wait a couple of weeks, because after I buy, no matter what brand, someone will come out with one that's twice as good as whatever I buy and probably cheaper or for the same money within a week.

What can I say. I hadn’t be here for a few days and it looks like all hell’s broke loose.
 
Good timing for this question. I recently picked up a Tascam PocketStudio (PS5) (which will sound very ironic to those who recall my quixotic quest to have the first incarnation of that product banned... I needed to quickly add a single acoustic guitar track to dozens of existing MIDI files and, yada-yada-yada, the PS5 was the best tool for the job.)

Last weekend I decided to try recording a whole song to the PS5 and was amazed at how bad it sounded compared to the MR-8. Every other 'card recorder' (Zoom, Boss, Korg, Tascam) uses data compression to save card space and the quality loss is significant. When 'sales dude' plays the built in demo track, it's probably something that was recorded in a million dollar studio and copied to the device.

For the price, you can't beat the Fostex MR-8, or VF series machines.

Good luck with your search!

(Regarding the Zoom, there's a forum out there where users where discusssing how to make an internal modification with a soldering iron to reduce noise, so none of these things are without flaws...)
 
Brickaboo, I'd say that if you honestly can't hear the difference in sound quality between the uncompressed mr8 and the zoom, than you should definitely get the zoom. As far as just a sketch pad recording device, you're right: the cost of a decent-sized card for the mr8 does jack the price up there. I still don't understand why these cards are so expensive and smartmedia are so cheap, but that's another thread...

However, if you're actually looking to make quality-sounding recordings, there is simply no better deal out there than the mr8 - even with the price of the card. It's the only machine under, like $600 to offer uncompressed audio.

As far as the button thing - I'm being *very* gentle with the buttons in hope that it doesn't happen to me.

Cheers,
Chris
 
Never heard the Zoom or the Fostex

I said at the stereo store when the salesman says listen to this $150 stereo and then listen to this $700 stereo I can't really hear a difference. The only difference I would hear would be volume if there was a difference.

So Chris, you've heard both the Zoom and the Fostex side by side? You're pretty sure that maybe the Fostex song was recorded in the high quality mode and the Zoom song may have been recorded in the low quality mode?

I may stick with my computer software Audacity and get a decent sound card. My card is the type that comes with a computer and it really stinks.

Thanks for you guys help,
Boo
 
Boo, my point was: you need to use your OWN ears. I'm not being condescending when I say "if you can't hear the difference, get the Zoom." I'm actually being totally sincere: why on earth would you spend more money for something when you can't hear the difference?

Can I hear the difference between compressed audio and uncompressed audio? Yes, indeed I can. But when I started recording a few years ago, I couldn't tell the difference. I bought a Boss recorder that utilizes the same type of compression as the Zoom. As my ears developed I began to realize I was shortchanging my sound quality and I got the MR8, which does indeed have its problems, but to me it's all worth putting up with given 2 things:

1) the cheap price
2) the vastly superior sound quality.

For this I can deal with the fact that it looks like a Fisher Price toy, is (apparantly) somewhat flimsy in the button department, and a host of other niggly little annoyances. If I wasn't broke most of the time my choice would certainly be different. But if money is a major consideration, as well as sound quality, it's a no-brainer to me. Nothing else out there gives you equivilent bang for the buck.

Good luck,
Chris
 
Re: Never heard the Zoom or the Fostex

brickboo said:

I may stick with my computer software Audacity and get a decent sound card. My card is the type that comes with a computer and it really stinks.

Thanks for you guys help,
Boo
Click to expand...


Audacity is pretty limited beyond basic editting. Check out n-Track if you're going that route.
 
mr8

dont let the buttones scare you, as i said before, someone did a search and pulled up all the old button complaints at once, and my replacement unit is one year old with no problems

can the zoom hook up to your pc for mixing and editing (idont think so)
can the mr 8 (yes)

now that im mixing on the computer the possibilities with the mr 8 are endless

i love it
 
Zoom is not as user friendly. I have a Zoom drum machine, and the buttons on it are far from perfect. Programming it is a NIGHTMARE also. Usually takes 2-8 hours for a "decent" song (apples and oranges I know, but my only viable basis for comparison).

I'm only slightly knocking zoom, don't get me wrong, I have love for my drum machine, but everything I read prior to my purchase of the MR8 pointed me in that direction...

You be the judge.
 
Zoom is not as user friendly. I have a Zoom drum machine, and the buttons on it are far from perfect. Programming it is a NIGHTMARE also. Usually takes 2-8 hours for a "decent" song (apples and oranges I know, but my only viable basis for comparison).

I'm only slightly knocking zoom, don't get me wrong, I have love for my drum machine, but everything I read prior to my purchase of the MR8 pointed me in that direction...

You be the judge.
 
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