Zoom RT223 RhythmTrak Drum MachineThe Zoom RT223 is the new king in the land of drum/bass machines.
Loaded with an awesome array of 225 of the most natural and dynamic drum and bass sounds ever recorded, the RT223 puts this entire sound arsenal literally at your fingertips with 13 large, lighted, touch sensitive trigger pads.
Also on-board are 70 drum kits each with 39 different drum sounds and 440 preset patterns covering just about every musical style there is. You can store up to 127 of your own kits, 511 user patterns, and up to 100 songs that you can create easily with Zoom’s exclusive FAST song programming.
DJs and songwriters alike will love the Groove Play feature that lets you assign any pattern to a pad and perform songs and loops in real time. Spectacular and unique drum kits can be designed using the Muli-Band Compressor EQ and Effects Module with reverb, chorus, flanger, and delay. Effects are assignable to individual sounds so you can tighten up the bass drum with the compressor, enhance the snare drum with a gated reverb, and add a tempo synched flanger or delay to the high hat. Now that’s a drum set!
And now for the technical stuff: D/A conversion 24-bit/8x oversampling - 44.1k sampling frequency, 213 drum sounds/12 bass, 32,000 notes maximum storage, 128 segment backlit LCD display, MIDI IN, 1/4" stereo/mono outputs, 1/4" line input, 1/8" headphone jack, assignable footswitch jack (optional FS01 footswitch), operates approx. 8 hours on 4xAA alkaline batteries and endlessly on the optional PS91ZM AC adapter.
Zoom RT223 Features
- 511 Rhythm Patterns
- 127 Drum Kits (User Programable)
- 12 Bass Programs
- Comp EQ / Reverb Effects At Once
- 13 x 3 (Banks) Velocity-Sensitive Pads
- Quickly Create Orignal Songs With Fast Method
- Battery Operation
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.
DRUM KITS
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.