RhythmTrak RT- 223 Drum Machine

The RhythmTrak Drum Machine from Zoom is ready to groove right from the start. There are 70 different drum kits built-in featuring both acoustic and processed analog sounds, ideal for rock, R&B, funk, jazz, hip hop and electronic music styles. In addition to these genres you will find kits ranging from ethnic to voice "beat box" percussion, where you can create advanced rhythm tracks, and try techniques like replacing a kick, snare, or other instrument sound, and express them as a human voice.

INCLUDED DRUM KITS:

• 5 Rock Kits
• 5 Dance Groove Kits
• 6 R&B Kits
• 5 Jazz Kits
• 5 Voice Percussion Kits
• 6 Pop Kits
• 7 Funk Kits
• 5 Hard Rock Kits
• 6 Zoom Classic Kits
• 6 Fusion Kits
• 4 Hip Hop Kits
• 10 World Kits

Create your own drum kits
All drum kits consists of 3 banks, each with 13 pads for a total of 39 unique samples per kit. Sound sources can be freely selected and assigned to the pads with the ability to fine-tune parameters such as pitch, level, and panning to create your own amazing custom kits. The RT-223 has room to store up to 127 of your own personally 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.

Use onboard effects to control EQ and ambience
Use the COMP EQ effect to have complete control over a kit's tonal quality, or add depth and dimension to the overall sound simultaneously with the REVERB effect. These effects can also be applied to bass sounds, and up to 40 settings for each effect can be stored as patches, so you can easily recall them for future projects.

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 toms more body, or perform other mastering tricks to spruce up the sound of a drum kit. There's also a resonance filter and Low-Fi effect built-in that are essential tools for some styles of dance music.

REVERB effect
There are four different types of reverb including Hall, Room, Spring, and Plate that can help you set the right space for your drums. In addition to the reverb settings, there is also a Chorus, Flanger, and Delay effect that will further shape your sound. 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.

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 RhythmTrak 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 symbols such as +, ‚àí, and brackets "()" 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 RhythmTrak 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 computer 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.

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 RhythmTrak 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 RhythmTrak is always ready. For extended studio work, an AC adaptor can also be used.