Zoom SB-246

It is pretty easy to use. I only opened the manual for a couple of things, which were easy to find.

It does not have MIDI out which is a big let down in this digital age. It has a lot of kits though and they are all tweakable. One of the reasons I got this is the batteries. I can't drive yet so I take the bus everywhere, when I have a spare moment I whip out the Streetboxx and start hitting drum patterns. Anyone who finds themselves with some spare time should get this!

Like most drum sounds, most of these drums are usable when layered. A couple of drum sounds blew me away but most of it are just good Urban drums. The effects are pretty good. There are many better effects out there but for a drum machine the effects are good and useable.

I have had it for 2 years now, I use it mostly for when I travel. It has taken a few knocks, some pretty big, but has never broken on me. Very reliable so far.

Sent them an email about one of the features when I first got this. I got a detailed explaination a couple of days later from a nice guy.

Seeing as I travel a lot, and can't carry my laptop most of the time I would buy it again if I lost it, especially as it's pretty cheap second hand! What makes it stand out from other drum machines are the battery sockets and the usabillity of the sounds. The most practical drum machine I have come accross. Untill someone releases a decent portable drum machine with MIDI OUT (which this lacks) I cant imagine getting rid of it.

This thing is so simple to use. I have yet to open the manual! The presets on this little box will throw you off. It's in no way a typical Zoom drum machine. The SB-246 is basically a silver 223 with a completely different set of samples. The sounds on this box are quite good. Very clean and crisp. Some of the bass drums will give your sub a workout too. The SB has excellent "hand clap" samples-bonus there! You really have to hear this thing for yourself. It's not your everyday Zoom. The bass sounds are pretty good. Being able to drop in a bass line is nice. Editing patches is a breeze. That's a huge plus considering it's a closed box system (meaning what you see is what you get), so the ability to edit and tweek your kits makes a lot of things possible. There is no patch editor for this unit. Again, cant comment on the manual.., as I haven't even taken that out of the box yet.

I'm pretty sure the poly on this is 18 notes which is more than enough considering its sequencing abilities. It does have effects, and I was pretty impressed with them. There are numerous reverbs, and Comp EQ ect. You can also edit the effects settings as well. This unit does not have expansion. It does not load sounds, nor will it sample. Pay close attention to what I'm about to say....., If you're expecting something that is comparable to an MPC be prepared to be disappointed. The SB-246 "was not and is not" designed to complete with the MPC. That doesn't mean the SB is bad. There is NOTHING on the market that competes with the SB in this price range. It IMO is the best hip hop box on the market for $179.00 (hands down). At that price and looking at what this thing does, this little unit is amazing! The beauty of this drum machine (which I think is why it pisses some people off) is that YOU make the beats. It forces you to use your own skills because it does not sample. People today are too caught up in sampling everyone elses work and we're losing the creative flow which is what has made hip hop so popular.

It has the standard midi in jack (no out just in). The sequencer is stupid easy to use. Seriously...., you can drop a beat on this thing in no time... it's that easy!

"This is a HIP HOP box" if you're looking for the acoustic sounds from Zoom, then look at the 223. The samples on this unit are very nice. With its sound set you can produce some modern beats, and even get that old school flavor. Some of the bass drums will have your woofers smacking you in the face. The type of music this is made for is obvious. It's called the "Steet Boxx".., what more can I say on that one. The pads are touch sensitive and the levels are adjustable too. There is however no pad aftertouch.

It's built pretty solid. Typical Zoom construction. Underbody is metal with a plastic shell. That's pretty much 95% of the gear out there today. It will hold up to everyday use, and if you don't drop it should hold up to the road too. Gigging without a back up is just bad regardless of what instrument you play. You always need a back up.

Haven't used them.., so can't comment here.

Overall I'm completey blown away by this little box. Again, there is nothing out there that competes with this thing in this price range. The only other unit out there comparable to this is the new Akai drum machine, but that's $299.00! What you get for $179.00 is amazing. You get great samples in a compact box. If you can't make good beats on this thing perhaps you've lost your creative flow due to "sampler fever". A good dose of "user creativity" should clear that right up for ya.., and that's EXACTLY what the Street Boxx is good for. It makes you do the work! I was making beats in less than 10 minutes out of the box. I've been playing now for nearly 30 years (piano/keyboards, guitar/bass, and drums) in that time I have to say the SB-246 is one of the best affordable beat boxes made over the years. Considering everything Zoom packed into this box and kept the price under $180--you do the math. Money well spent.

This is the best thing about the streetboxx - it is pretty easy to use. Especially playing and recording patterns which you typically do most of the time. The manual is helpful for advanced topics such as drum kit and effect patch programming or event editing in songs. I like the fact that swithing the thing on, selecting patterns, drumkits, songs, deleting something etc. works instantly without loading time. The note repeat function is very helpful for pattern recording.

Zoom omitted the a/c converter and the box is almost a fully closed system. But it offers tons of really cool sounds, fx-processor, drum kit programmability, portability with battery operation, memory for hundreds of patterns and a simple user interface. Another cool thing is that the sequencer allows you to record patterns of any bar length.

Most of he samples sound crisp and clear and you have enough choice. Maybe 100 out of the 500+ sounds are crappy and at least 200 of them are superb. Of course you will not find many real drum sounds in this box as it ist so strictly a hip hop / rnb thing. At least some normal drum sets would have been fine. The effects processor becomes interesting when programming your own drum kits and lets you add reverb to each pad individually. All in all you can do fairly cool and heavily bumping drum tacks on the 246.

I owned a RT-123 before and hadn't had no problems for 8 years. So I hope the 246 won't let me down either.

I use the streetboxx a lot for practicing (bass guitar) but also for recording my own songs. Of course it is not a professional tool but I would really trip if would get lost. In fact the 246 is constantly in use - on the train, at home and sometimes at band rehearsals. I chose the 246 instead of a sampler because you can switch it on and you are immediately ready to go. The streetboxx might not have the potential to become a classic but it has a lot to offer when you are into funk, soul, rnb or hiphop.

Very easy. Decent documentation available on-line from their site. Lots of sounds available with simple pitch adjustment. No problems here.

2 built in fx sections are ok.
Haven't run out of memory for the patterns yet.
Midi in only is ok for me since I have a lot of other gear, but others might want a drum machine to trigger other gear with.
Sequencer is fine, but the pattern change "immediately" is my big issue with this machine.

punchy and gritty and a good variety. Decent quality.

Can't use it solo because the pattern change feature is a mess. Triggering the sounds via another sequencer works fine.
Haven't gigged yet, but it seems reliable and easy to travel with.

Email sent about pattern change issue. Haven't received a response yet, but I'll give them a few more days.

20 years of using nearly every drum machine made. The basic function of a pattern mode waiting until it reaches the end of it's measure before changing has me puzzled on this machine because it changes immediately when you push the plus or minus button. That function ruins this machine for live use as a one person performer. I'm not interested in the song mode since I change and create everything on the fly which is why a "pattern mode" is perfect to use.
Having over 500 available patterns to program is awesome on the box though.

easy.

no midi out.why!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

sounds good. for what it is.

another worthless piece of kit by zoom. yes the sounds are ok but man the lack of midi out is a true let down. i already have the sampletrak..the sb has no place in my set-up..so i have sampled it and sold it.

Very easy to use, in fact it is th e same as the Zoom 123, but has many different features.

Not sure of the polyphony, but it has many good sounds for just Hip Hop.
It has a reverb and compressor FX where you can tweak it to your own settings.
No expansion
Midi IN, you can set the velocity.
It has a 3 track sequencer.

From Dirty South, heavy hittin' percussion, to East Coast, and West Coast, this little machine is a beast.

I can depend on this because, I can unplug the AC adapter throw in a few batteries and throw something together on bus, plane, train, car. Or anywhere. I can even take it to a bigger studio and do some damage with it.

Never had to deal with them

I would buy the Zoom SB-246 again because it is very simple to use because I had a Zoom RT-123 and a RT-234. With my Zoom SB-246, I own a Roland Disclab CDX-1, Roland MC-303 Groovebox, and a Casio WK-1630.
I plan on just using the MC-303, Zoom SB-246 and controlling it with my CDX-1.
I would compare this machine to any Boss drum machine, and to me the Zoom's sounds are more pristine and dedicated str8 for Hip Hop.