MESSE 2018: Zoom Arq AR-48 - The Little Brother Of The Original Arq

Subscribe to Sonicstate on YouTube for new content!

Watch Sonicstate's Exclusive Series:

[watercolourmark]

We have all been there, the ‘shrooms are kicking in and then someone from Sonic State sticks a camera in your face.

[sonicstate]

To be fair to Alessandro, I did kind of spring this demo on him. This being is first video demo, English not being his first language and him working freelance on the stand culminated in a slightly lacklustre demo... Cut the guy some slack.

[Mokkers_stuff]

Those who can, do. Those who can't, criticise. This seems to be happening more and more. I have no problem with criticising bad products, hell I have done that myself, many times. But there seems to be a group of people out there who just whine and moan about the least little thing. I think this demo was ok and from someone for whom English is not his first language. Think before you judge, ok? Here's a method which might help - Engage brain, think about what you want to say then post your comment. The first two actions are required, the third optional, ok?

[foxglove]

This and the Casio Trackformer remind me of the glorious days of Grooveboxes in the late 90's. I find it fun when companies try new things with musical instruments.

[bytesabre]

I hereby dub this thing "The DJ Roomba"

[martinbridgewater]

I brought my ARQ on the basis that it was so wired. I wasn’t disappointed. Yes it took a while to get to grips with how it works but once you realise the potential (and that a midi controller keyboard will plug in and completely change the game) it is a very powerful tool indeed. Yes there are limitations and the Midi implementation could be so much better, but limits force you to think outside of the box (or circle in this case) and be innovative and creative. Ultimately Zoom make good gear, this is no exception - give it some time and it’s a lot of fun.

[charlieplatnum]

These companies always seem to find the most introverted people to man their booths. Anybody else get the feeling that it's literally his first day with ZOOM, it's like he's being punished for eating some one's lunch out of the office fridge.

[notlimited]

Zoom, now hear this...
Do you even plan on selling 3 of these??
You have not one single comprehensive video that actually shows the real capabilities of this unit...PLEASE SEND ONE OF THESE TO AN ACTUAL MUSICIAN WHO CAN MAKE A DEMO THAT WOULD CLEARLY DEMONSTRATE WHAT IT CAN DO.

[triumphadelic]

isnt this the device that aphex twin used on that album that listed about 200 rare analog machines but was actually this? ;0)

[Symmetry]

This is the kind of thing you end up throwing out the window in a rage fit

[lunarsatellitemusic]

actually this thing looks kinda awesome at the price point. The biggest issues I can see are the fact that the max beat length is only four and there's no pattern chaining function, on this model it looks like you have to change the pattern manually in song mode, and in the original model it has only a single measure 32 step sequencer that you can program to progress automatically. Neither of these things are bad if you're planning on ONLY using this unit for a song, but if you're using something else in your setup, you're probably going to want to create longer patterns that you can alternate between manually. I guess this is where the looping function is suppose to come in, but overall it is a very confusing process from the looks of it. The song mode should have a pattern chaining function similar to the Electribe 2 pattern chaining function they added in a update which essentially allows you to create a 8 beat pattern out of two 4 beat patterns.

[Phlosten]

Completely and utterly stuffing up the PR at Zoom again. Whoever is responsible needs to be found and fired into the sun. I bought an ARQ-96 and its an amazing bit of kit, but the videos and demos etc are all utterly terrible. Looks like they are doing a repeat.

[glowinggrenade]

HELL YEAH I'M EXCITED FOR MY BARGAIN BIN UFO

[halcyondaystunes]

Did he say the other one came out last year? I have never seen anything of that. Didn't even know it existed. Do Zoom advertise?

[DarkTapes]

It was all just asking questions instead of the guy using the opportunity to give a good presentation.
That's too bad, it looks like it acts like an electribe, and if zoom is known for anything it's digital effects and he didn't get into those at all. Chances are also that he was like, "oh shit, this is a big one, don't mess it up.." and maybe that got to his head? Or maybe it was indeed the shrooms.

[vicesquadpunk]

Is it just me or was the interview similar to pulling teeth? Its as though ZOOM rep had a really long day and just couldn't be arsed to talk about it.... he was almost certainly gagging to finish and go for a beer 🤣😂

[EchadLevShtim]

How did this lazy eye get a job as a Zoom rep?? They should call it Simon doesn't say much. Zoom have a track record of putting out eye soars that have all the features for a reasonable price. Never have been aesthetically pleasing though they usually end up being good products.

[LukeWatts]

Does it have midi, that is my biggest gripe with these. You need a usb to midi hub to use it with anything else. JUST USE MIDI!!! EVERYTHING USES MIDI!!! ITS NOT A COMPUTER ITS A PIECE OF MUSIC GEAR! ADHERE TO MUSIC GEAR STANDARDS!

[lardosian]

Looks like a steering wheel for a spaceship.

[fpham]

If you played with one you would understand why this guy was so gloomy. You can see it in his eyes, he lost a bet and now he has to man the zoom booth.