Despite it wasn't my first mixer (that honour falls on a Peavey mixer I got but ended up never using because was too big to fit the space I had available...), it was the first mixer I used and it definitely taught me a lot!
With it, I understood how important processing can be, and how nicely it can enhance the overall sound of your performance!
It featured a nice amount of EQs and effects, as well as two sets of stereo send / returns that I could use with chains of external hardware processors!
But it also allowed me to expand the number of stereo effects I could use at once from 5 (using my Edirol FA-101 sound card) to 8, at a time in which most of my gear featured stereo outputs!
However, my setup has changed a lot since then, and right now, I have lots of gear with mono outputs.
And with the years, the Korg Zero 8 has became more and more unreliable...
During the warranty period, it had to be sent twice for repairs, as the touchpad stopped working...
After warranty expired, the faders for channels 7 and 8 (and the A-B buttons directly above), stopped working, turning it into a 6 stereo channel mixer...
And before I got the chance to sell it, the touchpad started having problems once again...
But what made me start considering selling it was the acquisition of my RME Fireface 800 sound card, which I felt offered nicer audio quality than the Korg Zero 8 (which has some digital hiss...).So, when I finally got an Ableton Live 9 license, which came together with an Akai APC40 (that made it easier to mix audio with the DAW), I felt that was indeed the better option than having the Korg repaired...
Unfortunately, it took quite a while to get rid of it, and ended up selling it for much less than I wanted, but I felt that ended up being better than getting stuck with it and ended up having more reliability problems...
And of course, in the meanwhile I came up with a different solution for recording in the studio, which consisted in a mixer with individual outputs per channels, to give me pre-amps and EQs, which would then be processed by my Symbolic Sounds Kyma Capybara 320 and then send to the RME Fireface 800!
This setup is not finished yet, as I am still to find a Symbolic Sounds Kyma Capybara 320 audio expansion, in order to have 8 audio inputs and outputs, but have since gotten a Soundtracs Solo mixer, which seems a pretty fantastic mixer, despite I still need more time with it (and as you'd guess, I haven't used it in one of my performances yet...)
Being quite honest about it, I felt that Korg came up with a great concept with these mixers!If you want to do a live performance using stereo gear, I don't think there is any better mixer out there for that task!
Having a built-in KaossPad is a truly amazing feature for a performance mixer!
And having it backed by so many different EQ types and actually 3 different effects processors available at once, with two more effect chains being available thanks to the two stereo send / returns, makes it a true performers dream machine!
The big problem is really the reliability, which is far from great...
And if you search online, this is the main complaint you'll read about this mixer, along with the digital hiss you can hear (not such a big problem if you are playing live use speakers, but a real problem when using headphones or recording with it...).
Back when I got it, I was aware of that, but since nothing gave me the same amount of nice features it did for the same price, I decided to give it a try, since it was an ex-demo product covered by warranty.
In the end, reliability ended up being really bad, but I don't regret getting it as I feel it really thought me a lot!
I definitely don't intend to get one again, as I don't think I'm really going to need a mixer with this kind of characteristics, or else I wouldn't have sold mine pretty cheap...
But if you want a mixer for live performances and you use mostly equipment with stereo outputs, I would definitely recommend you to check it!
For the price, it gives you great value, and even if your unit is affected by the main problems that plague it (touchpad and digital hiss), it should still be usable in this kind of situation, giving you much more features than what you'd get from a Pioneer DJM mixer you could get for a similar price...
In fact, I don't even think it is comparable to a Pioneer DJM mixer, as it offers so much more, but that's probably the most similar piece of gear you'll get for that amount of money...
Of course, if Korg would come up with a new version that fixes those problems, and improves in audio quality, it would be a whole different story!
Despite all the headaches I might have had with it, it will always have a special place in my heart as it was my first proper mixer and the one I used in most of my performances (it was replaced sometimes by the Yamaha MV1602 that I has been sold as well, and other times by the Clavia Nord Modulars).
So, if a new improved version would come up, I could definitely consider it!
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