The Korg D8 allows you to record up to eight individual tracks of audio per song. Tracks one through six are designated for monophonic recording -- or the use of a single audio input (such as a guitar cable) -- while tracks seven and eight are used exclusively for stereophonic (left and right) recording.
The D8 contains 1.4GB of hard drive space, which translates into 34 minutes of recording using the full 8-track capacity. Since the D8 does not use tapes or CDs, you can transfer your recordings from the hard drive to an external source such as a computer, tape deck or external disk drive, using the RCA (red and white) outputs, SCSI port or S/PDIF digital interface.
The black and white LCD display allows you to browse and access your saved song files, edit and delete content from your hard drive, apply effects, and equalize your recordings. Use the round value dial and arrow buttons to navigate through your on-screen options.
If you wish to record all of your tracks in stereo rather than mono, you can use the D8 as a four-track recorder by pairing your tracks. For example, if you pair tracks one and two using the pairing buttons on the corresponding channel strips, track one becomes the "L" or "left" channel, and track two becomes the "R" or "right" channel.
The D8 functions as a portable mixing board with its arrangement of volume faders, panning knobs and track-by-track EQ buttons. Each channel strip contains all of these features, so that you can adjust every piece of your mix as needed. Use the volume faders along the bottom of the D8 to set the proper levels for each track; use the "Pan" knobs to move each recording between the center, right and left channels; and use the "EQ" buttons to adjust the audio frequencies. You can set precise EQ parameters using the LCD screen.
Connect your D8 to a synthesizer, drum machine, sampler, sequencer or other digital device to transfer notation. You can use the D8 as a MIDI input (through the "MIDI In" jack) for transferring audio data from your secondary device to your hard drive, or as a MIDI output (through the "MIDI Out" jack) to transfer data from your hard drive to your secondary instrument.