Messe: Korg Debuts D3200 Digital Recorder

Announced at the 2005 Musikmesse show, the D3200 Digital Recording Studio provides up to 32 tracks of simultaneous playback and up to 12 tracks of simultaneous recording to support high channel-count projects -- such as recording a live band.

The D3200 provides 16 and 24-bit uncompressed 44.1 or 48 kHz recording and playback. Up to 32 tracks of simultaneous playback and up to 16 tracks of simultaneous recording are possible (A maximum of 16 tracks can be recorded simultaneously using 12 analog inputs, S/PDIF inputs and the outputs from Session Drums. When using 24-bit 44.1/48 kHz recording, a maximum of 16 tracks can be played back and a maximum of 12 tracks can be recorded simultaneously). By taking advantage of the eight virtual tracks provided for each track, you can record a total of up to 272 tracks (2 Thirty-two tracks plus a stereo master track for mixdown, all with 8 virtual tracks). In the 24-bit mode, the digital data passing through the fader and EQ is recorded onto the internal hard drive as 32-bit data. A 40 GB hard disk is standard, allowing approximately 119 hours of recording at 16-bit resolution on one track. The internal processor uses 64-bit precision.

Create drum tracks quickly and easily with the D3200's totally new, built-in Session Drums feature. Using KORG's Knob Matrix, simply twist the Group and Session knobs to choose the overall musical style, and use the Variation knob to select a pattern appropriate for your song. Breathe new life into your drum tracks by tweaking the Shuffle and Humanize knobs to produce subtle variations in the timing, accent, feel and volume of each drum hit. You can even customize the rhythm sounds themselves.

With a comprehensive suite of editing functions, you can perform advanced and non-destructive track editing. In addition to auto and manual punch-in/out, the D3200 provides editing functions such as copy, erase, reverse, normalize and fade. Sophisticated editing functions such as time expansion/compression are also supported. In addition, a "learning" noise reduction feature removes unwanted ambient noise without impairing the original sound, further improving the quality of your sound. Undo/Redo allows up to sixteen prior recording and editing operations to be undone, letting you continue editing until you are satisfied. Four locate points allow pinpoint editing of your song.

The D3200 can record up to twelve tracks at once, and there are plenty of inputs to go around. An even dozen of 1/4" balanced inputs are teamed with eight XLR inputs jacks featuring mic preamps and +48V phantom power. Each of the eight phantom power supplies can be switched on/off independently, so you can mix and match your favorite condenser and dynamic mics to get the job done. At home in the digital world, the D3200 also features optical S/PDIF ins and outs. For those private moments of inspiration, there's also a dedicated guitar jack so you can start recording immediately with a minimum of preparation.

The mixer provides a total of 44 input channels (32 recorder channels and 12 sub-mixer channels). Recorder channels 1-24 are equipped with a versatile four-band EQ. Channels 25-32 provide a two-band shelving EQ, as does each of the 12 sub-mixer channels. For complete control of your sound, the master track features a separate four-band fully parametric EQ. Recording input channels and track playback channels feature separate EQs, so there's no danger of applying duplicate EQ settings, as on some lesser recorders. This mixer offers a total of twelve buses (including two effect sends), giving you the flexibility to meet the needs of a wide range of situations. Fader, EQ, pan, and effect settings can be stored as a "scene," and up to 100 scenes can be saved and automatically recalled for each song, providing sophisticated automation. In addition, Dynamic Automation records and plays back individual fader and pan movements in real time. Mixer parameters can also be controlled via MIDI.

The Knob Matrix provides 16 real-time control knobs laid out in a 4 x 4 arrangement that can be used simultaneously to edit a variety of parameters such as the Session Drums or the effect processors. The 3-axis ClickPoint provides fingertip control that can also be used as a jog/shuttle function when you're scrubbing through audio. The cursor keys and other panel keys efficiently access numerous shortcuts for the various modes.

The D3200's multiple effect processors use 56-bit internal processing and include many of the "REMS" technology modeling effects. A total of eleven effects can be used at once; eight insert effects, two master effects applied to the master sends of each channel, and two final effects applied to the master L/R. You can instantly select from 128 effect programs created from 52 different effect algorithms. You can edit, create and store your own effect programs in the 128 user locations shared by the entire D3200, or in the 32 user effect program locations for each song.

The D3200's built-in CD-RW drive can be used to backup/restore songs and user data, to import WAV files, or to create finished audio CDs. When creating an audio CD, you can use the Album CD Project function to easily create a production-ready CD that specifies the song order and even the length of the gaps between songs. The internal hard drive can be partitioned so you can work on multiple album CD projects at once. The CD-RW can also be internally routed to the mixer inputs and used as a CD player.

The D3200 automatically allocates part of its internal hard disk as a PC (USB) drive in FAT32 format, with 2, 4, or 8 GB partitions possible. This area can be used to import/export WAV data between the D3200 and a computer DAW program via USB, and can also be used to load system data. D3200 user data transferred to your PC can be easily e-mailed or exchanged over the Internet. High-speed USB 2.0 is supported, so even large amounts of data can be transferred smoothly. In addition, back-up data created by other Korg D-series models can also be loaded.

D3200 Specifications

• Number of Tracks: 272 tracks (including virtual tracks), simultaneous playback 32 tracks, simultaneous recording 12 tracks (16 tracks, using 12 analog inputs, S/PDIF and Session Drums) @ 48 kHz / 44.1 kHz 16-bit, simultaneous playback 16 tracks, simultaneous recording 12 tracks @ 48 kHz / 44.1 kHz 24-bit
• Recording Format: 24-bit / 16-bit uncompressed, 44.1 kHz / 48 kHz
• Recording Time: 44.1 kHz, 16-bit: maximum 119 hours *when using a 40 GB hard disk
• Number of Songs: 100 songs per drive
• Locate Points: four per song
• Mark Points: 100 per song (marks can be named)
• Metronome / Drum Patterns: 660
• MMC Functions: Transmitted and received
• Synchronization: MTC transmission / reception, MIDI Clock transmission: Tempo Map (200 events per song), Sync Track (one track per song), Tempo recording
• CD-R/RW Functions: Internal CD-R/RW, audio CD writing (Track At Once, Disc At Once), backup / restore, audio file (WAV format) import (ISO 9660), system load
• USB Functions: Backup / restore, audio file (WAV format) import / export (FAT16 / 32), system load; USB2.0 supported
• PC (USB) Drive Capacity: 2 / 4 / 8 GB
• Track Editing: Copy (overwrite / insert), erase, delete, swap, reverse, optimize, expand / compress, fade, normalize, erase punch noise, erase silence, noise reduction
• Song Editing: Copy, move, delete, rename, protect, save now
• Display Format: Calendar time, HDD remaining capacity, scene, mark, tempo map
• Locate Format: Hour / Min / Sec.ms, Hour / Min / Sec.Frame, Meas / Beat / Tick
• MIDI Functionality: Mixer control, effect control, MMC transmission / reception, MTC transmission / reception, MIDI Clock transmission
• Display: 320 x 240 pixel, four-level grayscale movable LCD with backlight
• Power Supply: AC Local Voltage
• Power Consumption: TBA
• Dimensions: TBA
• Weight: TBA
• Included Item: AC cable

Features and specifications are subject to change without notice.