Looking for Zoom R16 info

Steve English · Post by **Steve English** » 27 Jan 2010 10:49 am

Any new feedback on the Zoom R16?

Has anybody put together a large enough project/song to give a detailed evaluation?

Tony Prior · Post by **Tony Prior** » 30 Jan 2010 6:21 am

do a google search on Zoom R16 forums

there are countless threads with regard to this unit.

t

Steve English · Post by **Steve English** » 1 Feb 2010 11:22 am

Tony: Thanks for the info, however, I read all those pages of posts prior to this request.

I'm looking for any feedback/opinions from those on this forum who have purchased, or have had actual experience using the R16.

Seems like there were several people who had bought one a while back and just curious on how they have been working out.

Thanks!

Roman Sonnleitner · Post by **Roman Sonnleitner** » 9 Feb 2010 2:42 am

I just purchased a Zoom R16 yesterday, and recorded a quick demo with my band right after browsing through the user manual once or twice - this thing is GREAT, once you've figured out a few basic steps/routines (like how to set EQ and effects levels for the channels, etc.), using it is very intuitive; for mixing the recorded tracks, a computer-based DAW system is definitely better, because of the tiny LCD screen on the R16, but it is really easy to transfer the files from the R16 to the computer for mixin/editing.

Check out the song "Come On In" on our Myspace:
http://www.myspace.com/theneatpickers
As I said, this was the very first time I used the R16, we recorded "live" in our rehearsal room, without any great microphones (a single AKG C1000S overhead for the whole drumset, SM58 for the singers, acoustic guitar & violin were recorded with their on-board pickup systems, as we didn't have enough mics), and I "mixed" the whole thing in 2 hours last night, using the Reaper-DAW-software on my computer (& using my cheapo computer speakers, not real monitors - BTW, the reverb effects are Reaper-plugins, not R16 effects!) - so, sure, it sounds rough and not really professional - but if you compare to the other songs on the Myspace site, which were recorded by simply placing a Zoom H4 handheld recorder in the middle of the room, and using its on-board mics, there's a huge improvement.
I'm sure, once we get some nicer mics, and once I'm more familiar with the hard- & software, I'm sure this Zoom-thingy is capable of great results!

Craig Allen · Post by **Craig Allen** » 9 Feb 2010 4:04 pm

MY FRIEND OWNS ONE.. HE KNOWS THAT I HAVE A FULL PRODUCTION STUDIO, SO.. I HAVE BEEN GOING TO HIS HOME OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS TO TRACK SOME STEEL FOR HIM.. I LOVE MY FRIEND DEARLY, BUT.........
I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU ARE GOING TO USE IT FOR, BUT TO ME, IT IS NOT CLEAN ENOUGH.. HE'S ONLY DOING STUFF FOR YOUTUBE AND HIS OWN PERSONAL ENJOYMENT.. IT IS GOOD ENOUGH FOR THAT, ANYWAY.. FOR ANYTHING PROFESSIONAL, I WOULD AVOID IT.. IT HAS A FEW TOYS ON IT THAT SOUND KOOL, BUT HE HAD A SMALL PROBLEM WITH IT TODAY.. HE WAS PUTTING FX ON A VOCAL MIC, AND IT MESSED UP WHAT WE HAD ON THE STEEL.. WE WEREN'T DOING ANY KIND OF VOX, HE WAS JUST SHOWING OFF A NEW MIC.. WHEN WE WENT BACK TO TRACKING STEEL, EVERYTHING HE DID ON THE MIC CHANNEL WAS ALL OVER ON THE (2) STEEL TRAX.. HE'S BEEN WORKING WITH IT FOR A FEW MONTHS NOW, AND KNOWS IT PRETTY WELL.. BUT HE DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT WHAT HE LEARNED TODAY..

GOOD LUCK

Steve English · Post by **Steve English** » 10 Feb 2010 8:28 am

Thanks for the replies!

Roman, sounds like you're gonna have fun with your R16!

Craig, sounds like your buddy was mistakenly routing the mic input to the same track as the steel. That's operator error, not the R16. My guess is that the quality of recording that you speak of has suffered from the same fate.

Craig Allen · Post by **Craig Allen** » 10 Feb 2010 6:58 pm

YEA, HE DID SOMETHING... LOL.. I JUST CAN'T TAKE THE CONSTANT 'WHOOSH' GOING ON IN THE CANS, EITHER.. I TOOK MY 600ohm K-240's THIS TIME.. I RUN THRU A PROFEX-II.. I KNOW THAT IT'S CLEAN, AS IN NO NOISE.. IT MAY HAVE BEEN THE HEAD-PHONE AMP, BECASE OF THE 600ohm CANS, TOO.. BUT, ......... I JUST DON'T KNOW.. I DO KNOW THAT HE RUNS HIS STUFF THRU SOUNDFORGE AND CLEANS IT UP BEFORE HE SENDS HIS OTHER TRAX OVER TO ME TO EDIT.. I RUN 'EM THRU MY SOUNDFORGE AND OZONE TO CLEAN 'EM UP..

I WASN'T CUTTING ON THE ZOOM JUST TO HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY.. JUST GIVING YOU MY EXPERIENCE WITH IT.. I COME AT THE RECORDING THING FROM ANOTHER DIRECTION ALL TOGETHER..

Clete Ritta · Post by **Clete Ritta** » 8 Aug 2010 11:23 pm

I was going to get the H1, but a friend told me about the R16 and I immediately changed my mind. I have used it fairly extensively this past week, and I love it!

1. Records remotely on 6 AA batteries with built in stereo mics.
2. Connects via USB to transfer audio to and from it.
3. Has 8 mic/line inputs which can be linked to PC/Mac via USB.
4. Can record at 24 bit up to 96Hz to PC/Mac
5. Controls faders in Logic (Mackie Emulation) as a DAW via USB
6. Has phantom power on channels 5 and 6 for stereo powered mics.
7. Has a Hi/Lo Z switch on channel 1 for guitar.

I haven't tried any effects yet, but these features alone are pretty rockin for me.

Clete