Sound quality is great (especially considering the price). There are lots of pre-made drum patterns for all kinds of styles of music and all types of guitar and vocal effects as well. I think you could use this for any kind of music. This unit is great for recording demos and hobby projects. I've tried using it to record live gigs, but I haven't had much luck with that. (Probably my lack of experience with mic placement and the limited media capacity is an issue too.)

Best features: - drum machine - built-in condensor mic - guitar/vocal effects - tuner - handheld size Features that are lacking: - SD media cards (it uses SmartMedia that tops out at 128Mb, about enough for four songs) - XLR input for pro quality mic - can only record two tracks at once

Don't lose the manual if you are a beginner. If you have used other mixers or 4-tracks, this will probably be a snap to use, but if it's your first one, there is a learning curve to get over.

Had mine for about a year now. Used it on the road. Very sturdy.

Never needed any service. There is a Zoom forum out on the Internet so you can get ideas and help from other users. The official website has some downloadable utilities.

An amazing value. I can't think of another product that does everything this does for the price.

Pretty sexy I think. I like the sliders and the lite-up LCD. When I show it to people and play something I recorded it the first thing they ask is "How much does it cost?", when I tell them, they write down the Make/Model so they can buy one.

If this were lost or stolen, I'd either buy another one or upgrade to the next "higher" Zoom product to get SD card memory and an XLR input.

Totally amazing sounds. The drums sound good. The guitar and bass sound awesome with the effects. The condensor mic is pretty good. Not the best, but perfect to get songs ideas down.

A boat load of features from guitar effects, vocal effects, reverb and even mastering effects that give the recordings an added boost. There is also an optional mic clip that allows you to place the gadget on a mic stand. But the memory card it comes with (32MB) got me one fully recorded song and a couple of short little ideas. You really should get a larger memory card to get more use out of it.

Sure it gets you recording pretty fast but it takes same playing with to understand all the added features.

The quality is awesome for the price. I surpassed my expectations and am considering getting a larger zoom recorder for future projects. This is the best for those late night inspirations.

Good website and manual pretty easy to follow.

This, my friends, offers the most bang for the buck.

I have it.

Overall, I am having a blast recording. It truly is a studio in the palm of your hand. I'm going to try setting up a better external condensor mic and see it it mixes a bit better, but other than that, with the right tweaking you can get a near cd quality jam in an iddy-biddy recording tool.

For the price, this lil' wonder cannot be beat! I also own a Roland VS-840gx and a Fostex MR-8; except for record time (you WILL want to purchase a larger SmartMedia card -- I found a Samsung 128MB card for $19 on-line; be SURE to check the "compatible card" list on the Zoom website -- certain manufacturers' cards will NOT work in this box!), the PS-04 is as good and in some ways BETTER (the built-in effects and drum/bass machine) than either the Roland or Fostex offering.

Plusses: The included drum and bass machine is excellent, albeit difficult to program (get the Pattern Editor tool from the Zoom site). Better yet are the range and quality of the built-in effects. Except for an external Crybaby pedal, I need NO other effects. The biggest plus is the price; 44.1KS/s, 16-bit A/Ds and D/As and 20-bit internal signal processing are the equivalent of the best there is (yeah, there are some 24-bit sampling units out there, but digital is digital; 16-bit is "CD-Quality" -- what you put in IS what you'll get out. Period.) Minuses: Zoom SHOULD include: a bigger SmartMedia Card; a USB connection (you need to have a SmartMedia Reader on your PC -- they're cheap but a USB port would have been an excellent, very low cost addition); MIDI in/out; padded carrying case; AC adapter (IF you elect to get an AC adapter, be CERTAIN to check polarity -- the unit uses a bizarre "center-negative" polarity!); XLR mic input (THIS is my biggest complaint -- I use an external TubePac pre-amp and a CS-1000 mic; seems to work great.) I've seen other reviews that claim the built-in mic is excellent, but I have no experience with it and therefore will not comment on that feature. While there are indeed 40 "virtual tracks", only 4 tracks (plus the drum/bass tracks) can be played back at a time. Ergo, you'll need to create sub-mixes on some of the v-tracks for multi-part compositions. Not a big problem, but it DOES exacerbate the "short total record time" issue related to the size of the included SmartMedia card (You'll have to erase the included "demo song" to have ANY decent amount of record time on the provided card).

The size of the box means ultra-portability, but also may tend to make it somewhat fragile. No problems yet, but I do keep it in the padded box it came in when I transport it.

The Zoom website was easy to use; get the free File Manager tool. As mentioned, the Pattern Editor software is a good investment if you need to create your own rhythm and bass patterns.

40 v-tracks, Great built in effects and drum/bass machine in a HANDHELD unit??? Unbeleivable!

For what I need and do this thing sounds great! Very pleased with the out of the box effects.

Rate it a nine because too many features that are just too cool. Untill I have used them all I will keep it a 9 based on what I have seen so far!

Not real sure I like the hard to use volume control on the side of the unit. Found it by accedent, the manual never shows it??

Blew away the demo the first day, quick not to zoom and had it back the next evening. So far they seem to be quite responsive.

Are you kidding?? For 200 bucks it's almost disposable. I did agree with ont of the other reviews that a case would have been nice. I found a portable DVD player case at wall mart for 4 bucks that alows me to cary this thing in safty, plus headphones, batteries and extra strings!!

It's pretty cool for the size, nice to able to mix things down the next day no matter where I am.

I think a 10 will forthcoming, soon as I get a few projuects under my belt.

OK- for something this cheap and this size, the sound is incredible esp. the built-in mic and effects it comes with. The mic input level control allows a wide dynamic range-and is controlled by a fader instead of knob which is cool. Its perfect for songwriters recording IDEAS on the go- i just got this thing yesterday and I already recorded 2 scratch versions of songs on it. Its very easy to use and it seems really sturdy compared to other larger and more expensive comparable devices. Less bells and whistles- but the portability and ease of use more than makes up for it.

Definitely should have come with a carrying case, or a belt clip or holster of some sort, but finding one shouldn't be too difficult.

I just got it - i guess i'll see. Compared to some other units i looked at in the store- this one has the least knobs and the most truly handheld design so the likelyhood of dropping it seems far less.(I held this thing and recorded some scratch vocals and drums this morning while holding a tray w/ 2 cups of coffee and keys!)

n/a

the cheapest!!!!! got for 199 and that's full price and still seems cheap for what you get.

im in love...obviously. maybe ill change my tune when the honeymoon's over but for know-i can't say I've ever been happier with a new purchase.

This is a one of a kind. I have Protools and a roland VS 8 and other stuff for actual studio recording. For my need- a portable device capable of capturing ideas and fleshing out new songs while, say, on my lunch break, the PS-04 rocks! So far my only grip is the lack of a carrying case or clip of some sort.

I play everything from country to metal and I love the fullness of sound I get from my acoustic/electric. The playback on guitar is excellent. Still working on the vocals. At times they stand out from everything else but that may be how I have it set.

Didn't come with apower supply. You have to go through the zoom folks to get it but that's no problem. Built in tuner is really nice.

I've had it a week and things are going smooth. Nothing snapping off, buttons work.

I had a question about the SmartMedia card and compatibility. They gave me a response in 2 days.

For all the effects it was worth it.

It's pretty cool how they fit all that in something the size of a gameboy. I don't know about sex appeal but if you have small children like I do its great. When you're through just put it in your sock drawer.

For the price,and for my needs, it is the best. Superior quality is what I have always liked about Zoom Produxcts. I was managing a music store when the vetry first zoom effects devise came out and the sound and effects blew the competition away.

I love its versitility in a palmtop. I can record my original music and tranfer it to CD.

It is made very w.ell

I will be buying the 16 ytrack digital recorder soon by Zoom.

Condenser mic works surprisingly well

Has more features than are needed for acoustic applications

Keep that manual with you at all times

Needs a heavier outer shell

E.mail responses come pretty quick

A 128mb SmartMedia card sells for about $100 and is no longer manufactured and ZOOM does not have a "fix" for this. Buyer-beware!