First of all, this product meets the standard of all pro recording studios. Current experience tells most of us that processed recording signals (electric guitar, synth, drums, etc, sound just as good at 48 khz, but acoustic instruments, guitar, sax, dulcimer, sitar, etc, profit from the additional quality of 96 khz. The akai dps24 sound is extremely clear, open and rich. even a little compression from the on-board compressor adds a "soak" kind of effect, similar to tube compression. I really liked the normalizing for vocals and lead guitar, as I was able to record at a reasonable level without clipping and then normalize for more headroom in the mix. I strongly suggest adding a limiter in-line before the board to prevent the occasional digital grit at or on certain consonents at the beginning of words.

The best features is the professional considerations in the design paradigm. The control pots have a center detent light at the bottom of the lighted ring surrounding the pot. This allows you to see the pot position without standing up to look over the top of the pot. I like the way every page has a cancel or exit strategy allowing you to explore without inadvertantly applying an effect or activating a tool you might not want. With the exception of the a/b input selects and the mic/line selects, the buttons all light up, letting you know what's happening at all times. If I were to suggest any improvements, I would like to see variable normalization, the ability to add fx to sections of a track after recording, and I just wish the board had an assistant attached. One can dream.

What can I say? Everything is high-quality.

This system can be thrown into the back of a car with mics and stands and set up in a live setting in under thirty minutes. 24-track digital recording from studio to live in no time at all. Even at the suggested retail price, all things considered, this is an exceptional value.

no epxperience yet. no problems other than the manual.

I have lusted for this device for over a year.

everything

This is the best sounding recorder that I have owned in the past 15 years of recording.

This thing is built like a Sherman tank---mostly metal where the Roland is mostly plastic.The Roland is a good unit though.

I believe this machine is worth more than it's typical selling price, and other owners agree.

Here is where the Akai leaves the Roland in the dust.Akai gives wonderful support--constant free software upgrades--one of their people on the users group web site!Great stuff.

I have to say that I lusted after this recorder ever since it first came out--I believe it was in 2002.

Musician/engineer

many

It has everything you need...but be prepared to spend a while learning how it use it...the manual poorly describes details, and rarely goes into step by step detail

I bought this product blemished, and upon hours of careful inspection, the only blemish i can find is three of four scratches on the rear of the unit..they arent even deep enough to show metal...just a scratch into the outer coat of paint. The faders are smooth and the motors are silent, and the lcd is very easy to read and use. The interface is very well designed

Absolutely worth the price...has a cleaner, more intuitive interface than the roland VS series, and sounds better...

The folks at DPS world included AKAI employees, so the support is unparalleled...they go the extra mile to find answers to your problems.

its beautiful

Rock, Punk, Hip Hop, Ambient electronica

The only reason to consider any recorder is sound. This one records and reproduces sound with great accuracy.

The features are professional and applicable to recording; you will not find amp models, harmony features, built-in bass and drum track. DPS24 is a recording machine, not a gimmic toy like the boss-roland.

There is nothing better out there on the market. Ask pro-tool users how often the lose material because of software crashes. This is built to last internally and externally.

Just call a recording engineer and ask what it costs in added hardware and software to equal the DPS 24? What is inside and outside would cost 6-8 thousand dollars

19 years.

All

I use Innertube's mag mic, for live work and custom homemade vacuum tube pre amp-compressor-limiter and record at 24 bit belive me when I say this tube mic sounds like a u-47 if you know what I mean. Its how good It sounds going in the board-recorder, that makes the difference of OK, or great. My only ***** is the product learning curve the manuels, suck. their written for design engineers, not song writers and musicians

Its hard to rate, intelligent people have a problem using this or any other comparable products, It should be as easy as ABC 123, I get a migrane much of the time when you want to access the power of the unit before your inspirations vanish. It can really be annoying. And thats just the way it is HELP! Tim

OK if you can get through

I GOT IT !

rock, blues, country, ballads,pop, alt................

What else, let's see

Mastering Engineer

Various

Unbelievable and crystal clear. What you put in is exactly what you get back!

Many user friendly features. Especially the built-in talk back mic and dedicated Hi-Z jack for the guitar.

This unit is built extremely well... very durable and sleek looking unit. A very road worthy unit. This DAW will last many, many years unless of course you plan on using it as a hockey puck... LOL!

It's worth every cent and then some!

Can't say! I don't own one yet, but I am going to buy one for sure. I only had the pleasure of using it on on a few sessions.

Personally speaking I like the older colors better, but the blue is nice. I think the faders could be a little bigger. The features are what attracted me... lots of capabilities and especially at mixdown! Very pro indeed...

Soft Rock, Folk, Easy Listening and Country Cross Over

Astonishing! This is the best sounding all-in-one recorder ever made. For a digital recorder it's very warm and analog sounding. The best of both worlds for me. I don't know what converters or pres are in this machine but they are top level for being stock. Pristine sound and clarity.

Features?! Comes with 8 tracks of ADAT, a mono switch onboard, a talk-back mic, powerful editing tools, a mastering suite, etc... the list is endless. Just read the specs on the DPS24 and compare them to the competitors. It's a no brainer!

Very easy to operate. Like any recording platform there's a small learning curve but if you're already familiar with an 8 buss/24 track set up you'll be up and running in no time.

It's built like a tank and meant to last. It's a very big machine with lots of room to work the controls and faders. The tilt-up backlit display is very easy to read. You can also download aK.sys for free from Akai and use your computer monitor.

It's worth 3 times the price at least. Nothing else compares in this price range. Like I said above, just read the specs and decide for yourself. Once you've had the pleasure of getting your hands on one you'll see why this is the best 24 tracker on the market today.

Don't know for sure. I never had to use them personally but I've heard they're great!

Songwriter, Engineer

Country, Rock, Alternative and Jazz

Nothing cheesy about this unit. Built like a tank and pro all the way. Nice clean pres, very useable EQ and FX, and the MBCX is awesome!

I've had this machine for 3 years and not one glitch. Not even a hiccup.

Best gear I've ever owned.

25 years playing and 5 years recording experience in my own studio

Alt/Rock

Nothing cheesy about this unit. Built like a tank and pro all the way. Nice clean pres, very useable EQ and FX, and the MBCX is awesome!

I've had this machine for 3 years and not one glitch. Not even a hiccup.

Best gear I've ever owned.

25 years playing and 5 years recording experience in my own studio

Alt/Rock

I owner a Yamaha then a Roland. There is no sound comparable to Akai, except Tacam.

They need a firewire for this thing, but still it is a very great device.

Big amd metal and big and solid.

I couldn't afford Pro Tools, and probably never really to have it anyway. But this and Tascam DAWs are the only decent sounding things out there.

I had an Akai guitar looper and they were good folks to work with.