Zoom R16 Digital Recorder USB Interface & Control Surface

The Zoom R16 is really a great bit of kit. The fact that you can use it as an 8 input interface for a DAW and a control surface as well makes it great value. But you can also unplug it from your computer and use it as a 16 track recorder when your at band rehearsals with 8 tracks simultaneous record. Only negative i can think of is the menu system can seem a little confusing sometimes.But just keep the manual handy for the first couple of weeks and you should be ok.

Exactly the recorder I needed. Easy to use. Lightweight. Perfect.

There's no other unit in this price bracket that offers so much.

And I only use the basics.

Being able to record 8 simultaneous tracks!!

Need I say more.

I mainly bought the R16 for building up song ideas at home. The built-in mics are perfect for capturing ideas: just set the metronome tempo, set your levels, and hit record. Having physical knobs and faders for the levels make this so much more user friendly than the Zoom H4 that I had previously bought for home recording. Initially, I was torn between the R16 and the R8, but I decided that, having access to a (very nearly) human drummer, I would prefer to have the option of 8-track simultaneous recording offered by the R16 over the built-in drum machine found on the R8.

Fantastic piece of kit this. The ability to plug in up to 8 sources at once is an absolute must for jam sessions and band practices for a start. A breeze to use and packed with features including some faithful sounding amp mimicry a la Pod built in along with a ton of effects. The ease with which it hooks up to a laptop or PC is second to none and the software very simple to get to grips with. Top product.

Excellent buy and no regrets. A couple of my friends are already interested in getting a similar model. Thankyou..

It does exactly what it says on the tin. Simultaneous 8 track recording to an excellent quality with unbelievably simple transfer of sound files into an editing environment. I use this for video productions with NLE's - perfect .wav files - and for recording the band that I'm in. 8 tracks great for basic drum mics, two guitars, bass and vocals - all sweetly mixed in your favourite multitrack sound software.

Beautifully portable - a set of AA batts lasts around 4 hours.

Does a hell of a lot more but really, for the money, it's a steal and all I need.

Will be purchasing the R24 when its out as it can be linked together for a sublime 16 track live recording capability.

I thought very carefully before laying out a little over £300 on this little beauty. The trouble with buying something new, meaning a new product to the market, is that it hasn't been truly tested. Anyway I 'bit the bullet' and ordered it.

At first I just wanted to open the box and start playing without looking at the manual (so like a man I can hear the women saying) and because I am new to multitrack recorders, I gave in and picked up the book. The instructions were (mostly) clear and easy (easy-ish) to follow and I was up and running after just a few minutes.

I've had it now for just over a week and to be honest, I am liking it more and more. I did have a few problems loading Cubase LE4, but after I realised that the mistake was entirely mine, Cubase was up and running on my laptop. Again I needed to look into the instructions, this time not the manual that came with it, but seperate instructions that are to be found on the disc containing the driver for the R16. Once I had sorted all that out, magic!

On the plus side: Small, but not too small, portable, works on 6 AA batteries that seem to last for ages, loads of effects (although I will probably never use them as the effects on LE4 are amazing), clear screen, 8 tracks recordable at once (although I would never use 8 at a time), works well with LE4 as a controller, silent operation, records onto SDHC cards which have greatly come down in price recently, on board mikes if necessary and it looks good too.

On the minus side: Can be fiddly to use/get used to, the preamps are OK, but only OK (I use an external preamp for recording voice, an ART Tube MP, which is brilliant with it). Apart from that, no other niggles really.

I am not very experienced when it comes to multitracks and I need to learn the basics, but using the Zoom R16 can be quite straight forward SO LONG AS YOU READ THE MANUALS - why do we men do that? I have read the manual that comes in the box and the disc based instructions which I printed out, both many times now, and I am itching to put all my new knowledge to good use.

When I first looked at the possibility of buying a multitrack recorder quite a few years ago, it was a cassette tape version with 4 track recording. This unit is so far removed from that first 'Portastudio' that you cannot even begin to compare the two. For a little over £300 you get:

1 A 16 track digital recorder

2 8 inputs including Hi-Z for guitar and 48v phantom power (on 2 channels)

3 A portable silent recorder using batteries and SDHC cards

4 An interface to connect microphones etc direct to computer

5 A DAW software controller complete with Cubase LE4

6 Hundreds of effects built in

There must be more, but I have only had this unit for 10 days.

Bottom line then - this is simply AMAZING, it's not perfect, it won't take the place of professional equipment, but believe me, it comes close. If you are reading this, then I assume you are interested in buying it - so go ahead, buy it and enjoy it.