I recently spoke with Korg about their new product, the D888 – a live recorder designed to capture band rehearsals, gigs and other applications. Together, we came up with the Broadjam Blog Giveaway, an idea that I hope will benefit both broadjam members and Korg.
Here’s how it works: I try the product, if I like it, I write a blog about it. And as you can see, I’m writing a blog about the D888. If you’re interested in this product after reading this entry, post a comment telling Korg why you should have the product and how you would use it. Later, we’ll all vote on the best five comments, and one of you will walk away with a brand new D888.
As I mentioned, I finally had a chance to check out the Korg D888. Dennis, our long-time customer service master, wanted to record a song as a gift for his mom’s birthday. Since we didn’t have enough time for a studio recording, I told him to bring his guitar into my office, and we could try the new Korg thing. I brought my 220 and my 414 mics to see what kind of sound we could get. I was interested in the feature set, but more importantly, I wanted to know what kind of sound quality the D888 had.
Three songs later I had gotten totally lost in the production and forgotten that part of my mission was to check out this product. How many times have you set up to do a recording and something was unplugged, or you were chasing a problem that you couldn’t identify? Within 20 minutes of taking the D888 out of the box, we were recording his acoustic guitar. 20 minutes after I took it out of the box, I knew enough to get the project done. I don’t ever recall a session being this easy.
[BTW: The mic pre-amps are pristine and the A/D conversion is excellent, so sound quality wasn’t a problem. It ended up that the 414 was a little better sounding on the guitar than the 220. However, we recorded with both of them simultaneously.]
Once we were finished I plugged a USB cable from my laptop to the D888, grabbed the folders off the recorder’s hard drive and dragged them to my desktop. Since the D888 already records as WAV files, we were editing in minutes. If you don’t already have DAW software for your computer, no worries. The D888 comes with Cubase LE 4, which allows you edit, arrange, mix and master your multi-track live performance.
I’m anxious to record a live band. I actually think one could make an extra buck or two doing this. And since the D888 is set up to be a fully functional live mixer, a small band could use it as both their mixer and recorder at the same time. I wish I had one of these when I was playing live, but digital products didn’t exist. In fact, presets didn’t exist either, nor did MIDI, USB, hard drives…but that’s another blog.
For the sake of full disclosure, I consider many of Korg’s employees close friends of mine, as I have worked on numerous projects with them in past lives. Last year I had the chance to have breakfast with Mr. Katoh (Founder and Chairman of Korg) and his son Seiki (President of Korg) at the Musik Messe in Frankfurt. I now know why they are industry leaders. Year after year, they put out great products with passion that is unsurpassed in the music industry.
So here’s your chance. Korg has made a generous offer to the bloggers on broadjam, so I ask you to answer these questions in your post: What features of this product are most attractive to you? How would you use this product if you owned it?
Here is a link to the Korg website www.korg.com/d888. Check out the features and write your thoughts about this product. Most importantly, tell me how you would use it, and be specific.
Best of luck,
Roy
Posted by Broadjam on Nov 20, 2007 in Broadjam Blog
hey korg,
Nov 29, 2007/1:51 pmi am a 14 year old boy trying to make my way into the music business sosme way with little money. i play drums piano guitar and bass. After saving up for a LONG LONG time i was able to get started with drums and some instruments. I have a band and i do solo stuff and now i just need a way to record. I have had experience with producing live bands (someway id just start talking to the producer and hed always show me how mixers work). I have the talent (at least i think) now ll i need is a little support from a good company. I can scaramble some mics by asking around my friends if they have a mic or to i could borrow and i could get a reasnable amount of mics like that. we have the instruments. now i just need a way to put my ideas down perminantly without bad sound quality and the buzz. the D888 sounds perfect for me and my band. check out my music at http://www.broadjam.com/lucabrown or my bands at http://www.broadjam.com/amplifianation theyr all demos and previews but just to give you an idea
thanks
luca brown
Jason Bush
Nov 29, 2007/12:56 pmI’m in love and I need a doctor! …..
“Doctor doctor, this love is so wrong, you see I love this machine that helps record songs, she’s an eight track but she’s laid back and she makes me feel great, she look’s analogue but she’s digital, she’s a dee eight eight eight”
The Korg D888 would be an amazing addition to my shoestring budget home studio. I currently have a four input Yamaha mixer which is knocking on a bit now and was pretty close to the bottom of the pile when I scraped the money together to buy it a few years ago! However, using this mixer and my PC I have created some cool tracks, but it would be cool to go up in the market and get hold of a Korg D888.
I am so restricted with my current mixer that I can’t record drums properly because I don’t have enough inputs. With the 8 inputs available with the Korg, drum recording would be easy. I use many other instruments when home recording though, and it would be awesome to keep the different inputs designated to each different instrument without changing all the settings. This would all be possible with the intuitive Korg D888.
When it comes to connecting to my PC, it would be made so easy using the Korg’s USB 2.0 connectivity. Something I could only dream of at the moment with my crummy Yamaha! The Korg D888 would also be great on the road with the band. I could record our live gigs using the 40GB hard drive which allows a maximum recording time of 120 hours…
Another nice feature is the click track that can be sent to the monitor outs while performing live. Not only would the drummer stay in time, but we could bring the recordings back and produce them in the comfort of the home studio, safe in the knowledge that the tracks stay in one time signature!
The Korg D888 would have a good home by my side as a loyal musical servant! It has so many features, but is so easy to use.
“I Baz Barrett take you Korg D888, to be my wife, to have and to hold, to capture and record, from this day forward, for better sound quality not worse, for richer for poorer….. Oh whatever, I do I do!”
Baz Barrett
Nov 29, 2007/11:56 amFrom Kitheath@btinternet.com
Come on you people dislike or hate
Nov 28, 2007/4:53 pmDo a live recording on the D888
Sing like an angel be a star like borg
D888 s here created by Korg
Move it ! groove it! condense the mics
Record all the music that eveyone likes
Sweet country music rocking roll, blues
Be an Elvis sound like, with blue swede shoes
Its good for the mind and great for the soul
By the time that i own one i’ll be to darn old!
I’ll take the chance now with a little hip hop
Sing all these lyrics to the sound of a rap
I’ve been looking for an easy way to record live performances, because my MOTU DP rig is to cumbersome to carry about, and my laptop can’t run my Firewire
Nov 28, 2007/3:24 pminterface, so I was a bit stuck until I saw the D888. I don’t own a reliable live mixer, so that feature is a big plus, and from what I’ve heard the effects quality and the sound quality in general is quite good. Another reason I would really like to have a standalone hard disk recorder is that four months out of the year i live in Italy, where I have no recording capability at all, and I always end up writing songs over there that I really want to record on the spot, which I could do with the D888, and a few of my trusty condenser mics. So there you have it: my bid for the free gear.
Most Musicians know that Anything created by KORG simply RULES!!! So, I don’t think I need to add to all that…The features I like about this unit (and others) is that it was created by KORG…Enough said!
Nov 28, 2007/11:59 amIn a “nutshell” I would use this product to help make a “nobody” a “Somebody”!
The Korg D888 would be perfect for my musical world. Why? For starters its a very flexible unit. I am a member of a rock band but I also do music for film. As far as the band goes being able to set up a few mics press record and go is priceless. No pre-amps to worry about no terrible built in over compressed mics! When i’m done I cold go right to my DAW and start editing! That would be a God-Send! Back before I entered the world of DAW I had a Korg D12, and I miss working on an actual physical unit. So now with the D888, I could record my film scores on an actual physical unit and then transfer everything to DAW for editing. And as an added bonus the Korg D888 would look great in my set-up with my Korg Triton Extreme Keyboard! I am familiar with Korg and their quality products and I would love to have the Korg D888 added to my studio!
Nov 28, 2007/9:34 amI am a geek, a natural geek. Proudly so. True, I don’t look like a geek – I work a 12-hour-a-day job, am married and have three kids, volunteer for Big Brothers & Sisters and am a volunteer firefighter. But at the end of the day, when the work is done and the children are sleeping and there’s no fires to put out, I sit down at the project studio I’ve built out of gear I’ve squirelled away over the last decade and produce music.
Wonderful music! Beautiful, intelligent progressive music. Ok, so I’m biased. My songs are like children to me and I am my own biggest fan. Truth is, I write songs because I wanted to hear them. I don’t listen to much music besides classics and my own because I think most of the music being pimped on the mainstream is contrived garbage that is an insult to my intellect. And like children, I know that although they come through me, they do not come FROM me, and although I can share with them my thoughts I can not give them my thoughts, for they have thoughts of their own (thanks Gibran).
How I write music today is not how music used to be written. In the old days, you had to prowl for like-minded people to play instruments you couldn’t and practice practice practice until you get it right. And I’ve done that. And it’s annoying. Music should not be forced. It can be cleaned up but the girth of your song should come in a burst, a moment of eureka… inspiration. If you look into it, you’ll probably find that most of what you consider to be the greatest songs were also recorded in a single session.
Now, I can play just about any instrument
Nov 28, 2007/8:05 amHi Broadjam folks,
I used the MiniKorg 700s in the 70′s in a few bands that I worked with. So, I know the D888 has a great chance of being a real high quality product, since the MiniKorg was well worth three times its price back in the day.
I record jam sessions and song ideas and sketches, as well as family sing alongs and the occasional “live” performance of bands and I just cannot wait to get my hands on the D888 and start using it!!
Here’s wishing everyone luck in this contest!! Merry Recording and a Happy New Song!!!!!
Tom Burdine
Nov 28, 2007/3:49 amRecording Artist
Sugar Hill, GA
I was just made the station manager of a new local TV station in my hometown of Richmond.
Nov 27, 2007/10:08 pmThis KORG KING the D888 would be a great asset for capturing killer sound both in our station studio setting, as well as, on location TV shoots. Also as a composer and recording engineer I could and would create awesome recordings of local musicians, jingles, commercials, TV shows and news casts. I could even create you a jingle or a TV or Internet commercial. Now talking “tech talk”-the native WAV format recording feature would be great for capturing sound into Final Cut Editing software and MOTU Sound software which I use. Portable 8 track digital recording would be handy in concert or gig settings, as well as, to record TV shoots on location or even in oursmall news room. Also high speed data transfer is a definite plus and the computer mounted icon for track transfer is way cool.
Anyways I hope this comment served it’s purpose.
Jeremy
This review is perfect timing as I was just looking at a behringer and Yamaha USB mixers for my first shot at recording my own music, neither of them really stands out for me. The Behringer is cheaper and the Yamaha comes with Cubase also.
Nov 27, 2007/5:36 pmWell to get to a point this is what I am looking for an easy start up machine for me to really get into recording for myself for the first time plus since my machines are Korg already this would be a perfect fit (for my little EA-1 and EM-1).
To quote “tracks can easily be transferred between the D888 and a computer-based editing/recording environment thanks to native WAV recording. A high speed USB 2.0 connection moves the data quickly, with the entire hard drive showing up as a mounted disk on your desktop”
Simple clean and exactly what I am looking for even if I don’t win, this is still great info for my future purchase. Soon I will be recording tracks for my girlfriend to produce her demo cd and more.
Hello!
Nov 27, 2007/3:56 pmI don’t have a great sob story to tell, plus, to be honest, I don’t want to take up too much of your time. I’m a musician. We, who are not discovered are poor! I think the D888 is a great looking machine, and it sounds like it rocks!
I have a studio, plus a mobile rig with the ProTools Mbox Pro. But with the mobile rig, comes a lot of equipment
I am the founder member of the Yorkshire Songwriters Circle which was started to encourage songwiters of all ages to develope their skills and gain experience as both writers and perfomers. We have been going for just over a year now and have 40 regular members. Last week we had our first live songwriters concert to raise money for “Woodland Charity” our local MS Respite Centre and have two more such events planned for 2008. We are very much involved in the local community at all levels and use our members skills to teach school children and sometimes handicapped people how to write lyrics and develope their musical skills. As part of “York Live” we run an open house workshop for all skill levels to learn how to write and perform their own songs. One of our aims is to produce our own album of orignal song to sell and raise more money for local charities. When students write songs but do not play an instrument, we accompany them and help them with the melody. This is where the Korg would come into it’s own in recoding these sessions. We have tried various recording devices to capture live sessions and enable individuals to listen and learn, but our results have been very poor. The Korg D888 sounds as if it would solve all our problems. After a teaching session we could easily leave a quality recording for the organisation or individual concerned.
Nov 27, 2007/2:55 pmHaving used a Korg D1200 for my own home recording I know the quality and capability of these superb recorders and if we were fortunate enough to win this multitrack recorder I can assure you it wouild be put to extremely good use and benifit many people and encourage songwriting at ground level.
Stan Graham York Songwriters Circle.
I am currently endeavoring to find the funds to update my home recording studio, but the touring barely pays for itself– much less necessary equipment and software upgrades! I produce music for various charities, for FREE usage, and this takes a lot of time– and has further necessitated better equipment! I perform and produce for adoption agencies (public and private– trying to find homes for waiting kids), small private schools AND public schools who struggle to have money to purchase music, children’s choirs, and also for church use– all for free. Music from my latest album, and also my previous “adoption song” is played worldwide with many nice testimonials from people– but only a trickle of CD sales that would produce the income needed to update my studio.
You may not believe this, but our family of six is still growing! We just gained custody of my niece (and more kids to come this summer), my sister’s daughter (her mother) who drowned 3 summers ago. I “inherited” my sister’s keyboard (Akai full 88), and I record my music on that, using my computer. I’ve had continual problems when doing the vocals, though– straight into the computer. The Kord D888 would FIX those problems, and allow my family (my niece sings, plays, and writes music, too, all four of my sons play and/or sing) to produce the music we love, and which has such “therapuetic value”, as well as the obvious JOY of music!!
Thanks for your consideration, and I would CERTAINLY put your name (product name, etc.) on my SIX websites for thousands more to view… if I won, haha!! (No joke!) Becky Wright in Oklahoma
Nov 27, 2007/1:56 pmAs a certified music therapist, using the D888 in a therapeutic setting will prove very beneficial to all of my clients. Due to limited funding, I have only been able to use hand held recorders that produce very poor playback quality. The lightweight and portability of the D888 that delivers pristine digital quality will be a significant upgrade in the world of music therapy. I can remember working with one little boy who did not have more than a month to live who wanted to make some music before he passed. I had an idea to make a recording of our music therapy improvisational sessions for his family as way to remember him as being a creative and beautiful person. It was also a way to let them know that music provided some comforting outlet to him during his final days. While the hand held recorder sufficed for the situation, the professionalism of the D888 would have been a much better alternative.
Nov 27, 2007/1:50 pmWhat I also like about the D888 is the versatility of the recording features. For example, when I work in a small group with clients of various mental and physical disabilities, we usually have around 5-8 people. The D888 will be a perfect fit for this setting because it allows me to record my clients up to eight tracks simultaneously. Also, the built in mixer setting will allow my clients the freedom to express themselves the way they want the final product sound. I am always amazed when I play back the taped recordings we make and how many smiles I see on their faces. This type of decision making and social interaction empowers my clients for striving for a better quality of life.
Lastly, I compose and play classical guitar. When I worked on the oncology unit of the hospital where I did my intership, I would play at the bedsides of residents who were in their last days. Unfortunately, I was not able to be there for them all the time. I received many requests about my music being put on cd so they could listen to it as they went to bed. I think the D888 will allow me the opportunity to make a guided relaxation cd that will benefit all of my patients who are in need of comfort.
Thank you,
Nick