Zoom Recorders/Multitracks

I bought this to replace a faulty Tascam DP-24 Portastudio (6 months old. dont get me started on the lack of warranty on Tascam). I was resistant to purchasing this earlier, when I purchased the DP-24 because it felt like a toy. I needed the 8 inputs that it offered and it was at my price range so I got it after the disaster with the DP-24. I was able to start recording right away and have been very pleased with the results. Zoom products have a clear, warm sound that I tend to appreciate. Not as clean, bright as a DAW interface but, the ease of use, reliablity, portability make it my recording device of choice. At least until I purchase an interface that fits my needs as well as the R-16 does. The recording on this couldn't be easier. The effects are a bit more challanging to engage but, if your familiar with menu selections you won't have any problems with it. I use this for direct plug in recording then transfer it to REAPER or GARAGEBAND for editing and adding effects, EQ, pan, synth sounds, etc... I've used the USB transfer and it works well without latency and configuration issues (after installing the download from ZOOM) but I prefer the simplicity of using the SD card for transfer to MAC. I've hauled this to gigs, live shows, bathrooms, and my home studio. It works anywhere you do. The onboard mics are really nice though I dont use them as much as I should. They are clean and warm with plenty of headroom/volume. I've used Tascam Portastudios for years and decided to replace it with the ZOOM because of the bad experience with the NEW DP-24 Portastudio. The Tascam products tend to record a bit brighter then the Zoom products I've had (H4n, R16, H2), which tend to have a warmer sound that I prefer. I recently started using the Zoom R16 as an audio interface (after returning a Presonus 44VSL after a week of adjusting, configuring to end up with latency problems) and have been very pleased with the results of the R16's interface capabilities. (You must install the interface software from ZOOM before connecting or it will not work properly.) I've gone through a few audio interfaces (Presonus, Tascam) and I'm still looking for something that is that much better than the R-16 to justify the purchase. The R16 has held up over 2 years of use and it's been, surprisingly, portable and road worthy. I've hauled it to practices, gigs, and it always works flawlessly. True plug and play. It was a real life saver when my Tascam US-1200 drivers wouldn't kick in on a live recording of a singer that was only available on that afternoon, at her location. If I hadn't thrown the R-16 into the case for extra measure I would have been SOL. The R-16 saved the day. Plugged it in, plugged in a mic and guitar, armed the tracks, hit record and I was good to go. Everything was recorded onto the SD Card. Transfering WAV files into the unit is a bit tricky, as is mixing but, can be done with persistance and use of the manual. I have setup a bit of reverb to record with the R-16 and it stays in memory until I change it. The best use for this unit, at least for me, has been direct, multi track recording with transferal to DAW (REAPEAR and GARAGEBAND) with the SD card and recently as an audio interface for DAW. I can't believe how well it works as an interface. A few months ago I decided to try DAW recording after my guitar instructor presuaded me to try it again. I gave up on it 10 years ago because of the setup problems and latency issues. I've tried and returned a Presonus 44VSL and I'm selling a TASCAM US-1200. The US-1200 records well with very little latency but, it is a bit on the large side. Not very portable. I love this little recorder and will probably replace it when it dies. Here are samples of what I've done with the R-16 (excluding the first song, this was done with the Zoom H4n) https://www.reverbnation.com/control_room/artist/3289004/songs

I did a lot of research, reading countless reviews and watching many video tutorials before choosing the Zoom H6 as my portable recorder of choice. Within the price-range and portability, it seemed the Zoom H6 couldn't be rivalled in terms of features. So what happened when I finally got it? Well at first, I was quite shocked at its size! Honestly, I was expecting something 50-60% bigger and was pleasantly surprised at how small and light it was. As I dove into using it right away, I found all of the features that sold me on it were easily accessible and equally useful. My primary use for the H6 will be for on-site sound recording for film. For my approach to sound design, having 4 independent, low-noise preamps with individual gain knobs on the outside of the device was a key feature. I like to set up the X/Y microphone as a general stereo distance mic centred on my subject. Then I can use preamps 1 and 2 to drive two shotgun mics forming a closer x/y field to my subject. Then I like to use mic preamps 3 and 4 to power two condenser mics further and to the sides of my subject, to capture the performance space. Being able to do all of this simultaneously while monitoring all of my levels on simple display screen without any thumbing through menus is a huge advantage to the H6. As a musician, I was most excited to dive into the M/S microphone for recording acoustic demos. I travel often with my Martin LXK2 acoustic and have found the Zoom H6 to be a competent companion for recording demos on the go. The M/S mic is perfect for capturing a raw sound that I can upload into Pro Tools later and adjust the stereo image to taste. Below I walk through an acoustic demo with the H6. Placing the M/S mic aligned between the direction of my voice and the guitar's 12th fret, I found I could vary the amount of vocal sound versus ambient guitar sound by adjust the side microphone's volume. This was really nice when monitoring my performance, because with the sides turned up I better heard my foot tapping to stay in time and also got the added resonance of the room to help my singing. What I discovered when I exported this file to my computer, was that I got a .wav file with the 'Mid' information on the left and the 'side' information on the right. This seemed pretty intuitive, so I loaded up a Pro Tools session with 2 mono tracks. On track one I put the left channel and track 2 I put the right channel. However, I left them both panned center, meaning my 'mid' and 'side' mics were now overlapping and by lowering the volume of one or the other I could adjust the stereo image and how prominent my vocal was in the mix. It's almost like multi-tracking but with one mic! See how it works in these examples Mono (the side channel is muted and we hear only the 'Mid' mic): https://en.audiofanzine.com/pocket-recorder-multitrack/zoom/h6/medias/audio/a.play,m.473957.html Mid 0 / Side -15 (I've brought up the sides just a bit to add some 'room' back into my take):https://en.audiofanzine.com/pocket-recorder-multitrack/zoom/h6/medias/audio/a.play,m.473958.html Mid/Side at Unity (both with faders up): https://en.audiofanzine.com/pocket-recorder-multitrack/zoom/h6/medias/audio/a.play,m.473959.html Mid -6/Side 0 (Here I've brought the Mid channel down just a hair so the vocal sits a little further back in the mix: https://en.audiofanzine.com/pocket-recorder-multitrack/zoom/h6/medias/audio/a.play,m.473960.html PT Mix (I found I could play with the levels of each track and then add plugins and effects to achieve a fun, unique low-fi demo sound): https://en.audiofanzine.com/pocket-recorder-multitrack/zoom/h6/medias/audio/a.play,m.473961.html There's many reviews and technical tutorials that go in depth with the professional applications for the H6 and I suggest checking them out! But if you're also a musician looking for a good multi-track recorder, then thrown the rule book out the window and play with the variety of different mic inserts and features. All in all, the H6 is an incredibly powerful, yet intuitive recording tool that after a little initial learning curve can be an audiophiles perfect travel buddy!

I have used a few different handheld recorders like the H2n. The difference between them and the H2n is that it has a much better sounding quality. Sometimes when recording things on the fly, it is not just about recording it but recording it at great quality to playback later. I carry my H2n around with me pretty much at all times now because I never know when I may have a melody in my head that I want to hum out in it or some lyrics that I might want to say so I can complete the project later. The H2n is like having a high quality microphone and recording program on me at all times. It has 5 microphone capsules in it and can record in 360 degree surround. The pickup patter of the H2n is made to handle any type of recording situation you might have. I have even recorded instruments with it live and then used that to dump into my DAW to master the sound of what I have recorded. All musicians and artist need to have a recorder handy like how a photographer always has a camera on him. You just never know when you might need your H2n. One of the great features of the H2n is a recovery mode, just in case you lose power you can still recover what you where recording on the H2n. You can get up to 50 hours of recording time because it can take up to a 32GB SD card. Then you can just plug the H2n up to your computer via USB and get all of your audio recordings right off of it in no time to your computer. You can use it with any computer that has a USB 2.0 input slot and with any system. There are no installations involved when using the H2n. It is plug and play.

The Zoom H2 is a hand held recording device they every musician must own. It really comes in handy, no matter where you are you can pull this bad boy out and start singing or recording a melody or anything that you have in mind. I have to keep this one me no matter where I am. If its not in my gig bag or pocket than its in my car. I can say I used this about 8 times a week. I get inspired in some of the wackiest places and with this technology you can really record some good stuff on the spot. Don’t get this confused with just a basic hand held recorder that you can get at your local electronic store. This provides great quality, you could probably even record something and take it home put it in pro tools and actually keep the track, not just for a demo either. That’s how good it really is, I couldn’t imagine not having this on me at all times. I would probably panic if an idea came up and I wanted to record something really fast and I didn’t have it on me. That means I would have to use my phone to record and that just would be too much clicking just to record a quick clip and the quality wouldn’t be good either. With the Zoom H2 you get high quality recordings no matter where you are at and they are all at the push of a button. It fits right into your hand and its very handy, trust me you have to get one of these. I am so glad they have made these because I use to use the old ones with the little tape in it that was made by sony. This one is way better than those old ones. Also, no pesky menu’s to navigate through to get to the record function. Its all right there in front of you just push and you are good to go. Great price and a great product.

I bought my Zoom MRS-4, Digital Recorder at Mars Music(bankrupt now) in Las Vegas, Nevada. I can make 4 track recordings all in digital and then burn them to CD, without changing the format. I never have to go back to analog again! I can make professional, studio quality demos right at home, and it only cost $200.00 There is nothing that I don't like about my Zoom MRS-4, Digital Recorder. The unit is made out of a high grade unbreakable casting (not plastic). It can really take a beating and its performance is not affected by the wheather, the cold of winter, nor the heat of summer, especially here in Las Vegas, Nevada. It's fantastic! I reccomend this product to anyone who is in the market for a home based recording studio, it even has added sound effects that can be applied during mix down. It comes complete with a range of effects for vocals as well as instruments. There are four channels for instrument input, two RCA. jackets for output and a headphone jack. This unit is great, it even lets you make "V takes" (sample tracks) that can be mastered into the finished product, or they can be phased out altogther, if a retake is necessary. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I purchased this unit from Music 123. I have been looking for a multi-track recorder for a while and have compaire features from other manufacturers. This unit had more features in the price range being equal. Paid 950.00 The MRS-1266 CD is very easy to use and is laied out in a very logical manor. The manuel is easy to follow and has a great result in the finished product Cant really say that anything about this recorder that I dont like The construction of this unit is very well done. It is very solid and all of the controls and buttons are easy to use and dont bind up. The unit is made of quility parts and is not a bunch of plastic that will break after minimal use I am very satisfied with this unit and as other Zoom equipment that I own works as it should and does what it states it does and not just skims the surface. The 1266 for the price range is the best unit for the money with more features and effects and recording applications that outher units in the price range This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

Paid: $699.99 I bought the MRS-802cd at my local Sam Ash store. I was stepping up from the Zoom MRS-4(great unit for the $). I was looking for more storage, more tracks, and the CD burning ability. I enjoy writing music and want an easy means of demoing music. I have got everything I was looking for. In my first weekend I was able to, record a 7 track + 1 str Drum track song, perform multiple mixdowns, compare them, and burn the one I liked best to a CD that sounds a 1000x better than my expectations. I found the preamps & effects (for guitar, vocal, keyboard & bass, as well as mixdown mastering) portion of the unit to ample and easily customized to get a sound I was more than happy with. I didn't buy this because of the effects (I have the Boss ME-33 and a couple Boss stomp boxes), but it is definitly a big bonus. I find Zooms interface very logical and easy to use (which is good because I didn't like the manual). I was totally thrilled with the quailty of the first CD I made. Everyone I played it for asked if it was done in a studio, (some had done studio recording before). Anyway, I feel it was worth every penny, and would replace it in a heartbeat if anything happened to it. Knock wood. The manual. Could have had more info. Like how to turn on the pre-count. The Bass simulator is weak, doesn't matter though if you have a real one. I wouldn't move it around to much. The MRS-4 I had did a little traveling and held up, but I didn't pay $700 for it. I you don't drop it or hit it with a hammer it should hold up. Great unit, would recommend to anyone. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

Purchased online for around $750 without the CD burner. Plus another $50 on ebay for a non-zoom cd burner that DOES work. I liked saving money on a compatible CD burner. Just about everything has a dedicated button. Very little menu surfing to do what you need. It comes with a built in drum machine which is very easy to use (easier than my SR-16) and a built in bass player (a little tricky to program, but comes with plenty of presets). Both of these have tracks dedicated, so you don't waste any of your 10 tracks on bass or drums! Plus, a dedicated mastering stereo track for mixdown. This thing is loaded. The effects are not bad, but with the right changes to the preset patches, they are downright good. Phaser, Flanger, delay, wah, EXCITER, 3 band eq, 5 band eq, ect...ect...lots of effects. Some of them will modulate to a stereo track IN STEREO. When you use a stereo insert effect on a mono track, it sounds ok (forced to mono), but switch the destination to a stereo track pair, and HOLY CRAP! You can use tracks 1 through 8 as mono, or link any odd/even pair together for stereo recording! The compressor from the guitar algorithms ain't too bad, and the EQ is great---they have set it up with the jogwheel, so it is like a sweepable EQ! (I don't think you can use the expression pedal for that though, but maybe). Send/Return effects are the best---Reverbs and Choruses can both be used simultaneously...in differing levels....on all 12 tracks! Now that's cool. Switchable phantom power will push +48 into a condensor mic no problem. There are plenty of effect patches for voice, too. You can download the manual online to read them before you buy. ALL the patches are easy to manipulate. The hard drive is plenty big (20Gig), and with PC compatibility, files can be transfered through USB to free up space. All in all, it's the most under-rated model out there. For the price of an old roland 880 (with it's user interface nightmare) you can get a brand new Zoom. The Bass programming is tedious, unless you have a midi controller keyboard, which I don't. I suppose you could also use a guitar midi converter, but hey, if you have one of those, you won't NEED the Zoom bass sounds. The bass simulator patch makes your guitar sound like bass, but don't plan any fast songs. It can't keep up, or something weird. Oh well. Just buy a bass. The 1266 is bigger and heavier than the Boss 1180 and the AW16G. You decide if that's a good thing or not. The faders feel flimsy, but no problems yet. All in all, I'm very pleased (if you couldn't tell). This is my first own of a digital recorder, though I have owned 4-track tape, and played on the demo Boss 1180cd and roland 880ex at my local music store. But really, I can't imagine being able to do this stuff any easier than I can on the Zoom. Fun, fun, fun. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I won a Numark DJ Mixer in a contest, but I had had my heart set on getting a digital home recorder, so I traded the Numark in , plus about $500 (Cdn), at Sherwood Music in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, and got the Zoom.Then, because I was so busy at work, it sat in my closet for months, until my teenaged son forced my to dig it out and record his band. This unit is very user friendly. It is compact and well laid out. The instructions are fairly easy to decipher. I like the built in drum and bass tracks, which allow me, as a mere guitarist, to play along and create song structures. Also it is wonderful to have the Cd burner built in. Since I`m a novice, the combination of tracks 7/8 and 9/10 is somewhat confusing. Also some of the preset effects are noisy. I would have liked to see an ability to do panning on more than one track at a time, particularly when mastering. The Zoom is very well built and easy to operate. I believe the quality is excellent for home use by an amateur such as myself. This is a great unit for someone who doesn`t need 16 tracks, although someday I expect to move in that direction. I would heartily recommend it to anyone starting out in the home recording field. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

Purchased from Internet source - Zzounds.com after research into affordable digital home recorders. I paid $299.00. The PS-02 has some very nice features. It records to very slick SmartMedia cards. The unit has many built in effects, amp simulations, chromatic tuner, drum and bass tracks and a built in condensor mic. It is certainly compact in size. The controls are fairly simple - there isn't room for many. There are inputs for a musical source such as a guitar (1/4") and a stand alone mic. There is a headphone out. It comes with an A/C adaptor and a small SmartMedia card. The manual is OK. It offers fairly clear descriptions of functions and processes needed to lay down a track. I bought the PS-02 primarily to record acoustic guitar and vocal tracks. The built in effects, amp models, etc. were not very well suited to acoustic guitars. It appeared the unit was designed much more with electric guitars in mind. The adjustments on the effects didn't seem to make much difference. I was never really able to get a satisfactory acoustic sound with either my Taylor 612C or Taylor 310-MCE. The small size of the unit is both a blessing and a curse. Though it is quite portable, the controls are very small. The LCD display is very small. Seeing the display well required me to be pretty close to the unit. Plugging in a 1/4" guitar cord into such a small and lightweight unit meant the cord pretty much determined the position of the PS-02, making seeing the small display often difficult to see. I found I had to prop the unit up and wedge it between something stable like some books to keep it from moving around. Since the actual unit is small, the manual is also rather small. I downloaded and printed a copy of the manual from the Zoom website si it was more readable. The small 8mb SmartMedia card that is supplied is useless for anything but storing the system files needed to fire the unit up. I recommend getting at least a 64mb card. It will handle up to 128mb. The controls felt like they were of good quality and I felt they would hold up well over time. I felt the PS-02 was pretty well built and pretty well laid out given its very small size. Basically, the PS-02 is just too small and not well suited for acoustic guitars. I returned it to Zzounds for a full refund and I am thinking of getting a Boss BR-532. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

What I find particularly magical about the Zoom H4n is that it just works. I do not actually own the product, but I know a bunch of people with them because of their popularity, and man, do I want one. The Zoom H4n is a portable recorded with two very high quality condenser microphones built into them, and it has two inputs for line or XLR in the bottom. What I find particularly beautiful about this thing is the simple fact that it is so portable. No, you’re not getting the best sound with the thing, but it is still far better than lugging an entire setup around to record a couple of things like traffic or rain or anything else you can think of. In fact, I want one of these just because of the enormous capacity to record environmental sounds and its sheer convenience will ensure that an idea will never be missed again! To be fair, Zoom’s documentation and menu system are not the greatest things in the world, but you quickly learn to forgive that when you realize that this product is not designed to be particularly intuitive in its operation. All it is particularly designed to do is to get you hitting that big red button fast. And once that button is hit, you have captured everything you need for an idea, or if you even need to quickly plug in a couple of microphones to record something of higher quality really quickly, then this is a great tool. If you are not worried about actual sturdiness or sound quality, this product is frankly a whole load of overkill, but if you want something that can get your creative juices flowing and something that will be there with quality when you need it, the H4n is definitely for you!

The Zoom H-4 is a handy little recorder, I have been using it for about 6 months now after I was on my search for the perfect pocket on the go recorder. I must say I love this recorder, I came across it while looking in my guitar center magazine so I went to the store and bought it. I do a lot of sampling of almost anything you can think of. I take this everywhere with me , I mean everywhere! If there is something I want to record really fast I can pull it out and get it in really great quality. With the quality that it produces you will get studio ready sounds. You can import the sounds into your computer several ways, I just load it right into my sampler and go from there depending on what I want to do with what I just recorded. I have even used it to record some live instruments on the go, someone else might be playing an instrument that I don’t know how to play or don’t have access to. I well tell them what I want them to play and record with this, take it right back and put it on my project and there it is. A perfectly recorded live instrument. I have used several hand held recorders throughout the years especially when I was interning at the radio station and had to go out and record some interviews and live audio with the recorders they provided. Those recorders cant compete at all with the Zoom H 4, this recorder out shined anything I have ever used. The price is pretty high for this recorder but you are paying for a great quality so its worth it. If you are in need of a pocket recorder with great quality, purchase this one.