A Quality 8-track Recorder and Mixer All in One
It wasn't so long ago that a basic "no frills" digital multitrack would set you back over $2,000. And at the time, we considered ourselves lucky to have that! But times change and today, you can buy a full-featured digital multitrack for less than a halfway decent two track recorder cost just a few years back. The D888 joins the Korg D-Series family and its user-friendly controls are familiar to anyone that's ever used a mixer. But don't think of the D888 as just an affordable eight-track recorder, because it stacks up well against other recorders costing two or three times as much. Though the finished audio is 16-bit/44.1kHz, this puppy has 40-bit internal processing, which is better than CD quality and which puts it way ahead of the competition. It also has the right combination of bells and whistles to deliver a stunning multitrack recording with a beautifully polished feel to it. As for record time, the D888 ships with an 80GB hard drive that allows a maximum of 240 track hours with a maximum single record time of 12 hours (you know, just in case you're writing and performing the next great rock opera).
Korg D888 8-track Digital Recorder Features at a Glance:- Lightweight, portable design with eight channels of I/O
- Eight "virtual tracks" per channel for a track count of 64
- USB 2.0 compatible with native WAV format recording
- Each channel has trim, 3-band EQ, effects send and pan controls
- Eleven different user-editable effects types onboard
Lightweight, portable design with eight channels of I/O
One look at the D888 and you know there haven't been any corners cut. Despite its lightweight portable design, it has eight channels of I/O with both XLR and TRS balanced inputs plus phantom power. High quality mic preamps are teamed with professional A/D converters for superb sound quality. In fact, the D888 is so well-designed, that you can actually use it as a house mixer while still sending all the signals to the recorder section. The onboard 80GB hard drive allows a maximum total recording time of over 240 hours, while a backlit LCD provides metering and other relevant information.
Eight "virtual tracks" per channel for a track count of 64
Almost every modern multitrack offers up to eight "virtual" tracks per channel, and the D888 is no exception, allowing for a total of 64 tracks available at mixdown. Unlike some other multitracks, the D888 lets you record and play back all eight tracks simultaneously, which is usually the "fine print" you get with many other "budget" solutions. Did we happen to mention that all the internal processing on the D888 is 40-bit with absolutely no compression?
USB 2.0 compatible with native WAV format recording
By giving the D888 ultra-fast USB 2.0 compatibility and recording to the WAV universal format, tracks can be transferred easily between the D888 and a computer-based editing environment where you can tweak just about every note. In fact, the D888's hard drive will show up on most computers as a mounted disk on the desktop. It really doesn't get any easier than this!
Each channel has trim, 3-band EQ, effects send and pan controls
We've already told you that the D888 can be used as a house mixer, as well as a recorder. That's because each and every channel has its own dedicated channel strip, complete with trim, three-band equalization, effect send and pan controls, all available using a dedicated realtime knob. Glance at the mixer section and you'll immediately know the status of your mix. The onboard mic inputs allow for both XLR and TRS balanced inputs with phantom power if you need it. The mic preamps in the D888 are high quality and are probably all you'll ever need (unless you simply must have that high-priced tube preamp for your vocals).
Eleven different user-editable effects types onboard
Considering the fact that the D888 is actually more affordable than many effects processors, you might not expect a full complement of onboard effects. Yet Korg has always had some of the best multieffects around, so they included 11 of their very best effects on the D888 - all user-editable, of course, and all accessible from the front panel. Each channel has a dedicated effect send knob, so you can add just the right amount of processing, from subtle to spacey. Of course, all effect settings are memorized with each song.
- User-friendly lightweight, compact design
- Eight channels of I/O plus S/PDIF digital out
- XLR and TRS balanced ins with phantom power
- Records 16-bit/44.1kHz uncompressed audio
- Uses universal WAV format for recording tracks
- 8-track simultaneous record/playback
- 80GB hard drive for up to 240 hours of record time
- 64 tracks plus master (including virtual tracks)
- USB 2.0 support for ultra-fast data transfer
- Mounts on a host computer's desktop as FAT32 USB drive
- Each channel has EQ, effect send, trim and pan control
- Tracks can be further edited on a computer
- Eleven studio quality effects
- MIDI output transmits MIDI time code
