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Zoom R16 or R24

#3
I'm glad you picked the R24, because it's a worthwhile upgrade over the R16, which I've had for over a year. I'd love to have those extra tracks and the drum patterns. These are great machines IMO, but for me the learning curve was pretty steep for using the effects, editing the mastering algorithms, using even the basics of the included Cubase software, etc. If you're already competent with DAW software, plug-ins, and the like, it will be easier for you, but I've tried to get the most out of the machine itself. The versatility is just incredible, and IMO the audio quality is excellent.

I highly recommend visiting zoomforum.us, in which some users, notably Kevin Selby (Selbelicious) have posted extremely helpful tutorials. Kevin's post about editing the mastering patches saved a couple of my band's tracks. I also learned about a firmware upgrade that solved a bug in the original R16 (effects disappearing when recording to the master track), which was also a lifesaver.

Also, be careful about using the "divide" function on individual tracks, because at least on the R16 it doesn't always work properly. Experiment on tracks you don't need, or copy them before trying to divide them. Hopefully it works better on the R24.
 
#4
I bought an R24 a few weeks ago. Seemed like a great little machine. Problem was, I couldn't be bothered to read the manual and figure out how to get the most out of it. Ended up using it as an audio interface ie. plugged my instruments into it but recorded on my DAW (trying out Reaper). It worked fine, but that's not really what I had purchased it for as I do have a decent (MAudio) interface. I really wanted to record onto the R24.... but that manual..... too much to read!!! So, to make a long story short, I found a fantastic DVD tutorial which I purchased online. Got the DVD a couple of days ago, and what a fantastic decision that was! The DVD is presented by David Wills, an "industry guy" (with pretty good credentials) who had obviously taken the time to read the manual and master the R24. Needless to say, there are so many things this R24 machine can do, but you have to know how to do them! I would strongly recommend to anyone who owns an R24 to look into the video tutorial (pretty much covers everything the R24 has to offer). My R24 is now my main multitrack recorder, and I am ecstatic about having purchased it (and equally ecstatic about having figured out how to use every feature it has to offer).

If any of you are interested in the R24 DVD tutorial, below is the link. When there, click "Digital Recording Studios" on the left column... you'll find the R24 there.

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I should mention that I also found (and purchased) a 3 DVD Home Recording guide from the site, and it is phenomenal.

Happy Recording!
X
 
#9
XavierG, great tip on the DVD. I wish I'd known about that a year ago!

Anyway, for folks considering one of these, don't be intimidated by our comments about the learning curve, owner's manual, etc. The basics for tracking are really easy, and can be mastered in a few minutes. Just turn it on, establish a "project," arm the tracks you want to use, set levels, and go. This is clearly explained in the manual, at least for the R16. Panning and EQ are easy too.

The complications arise when you want to use effects, edit effects patches, and the like. Many of these functions are not very intuitive IMO. Rather than trying to learn all this at once, I've learned particular things as needed. When I want to accomplish something specific, I look it up in the manual and/or on the Zoom forum, and (hopefully) figure it out. In many instances, the advanced users on the forum explain things much more clearly than the manual. It's a fantastic resource.
 
#10
I'm interested in an r16 for location recording purposes, the additions included in the r24 are of little use to me. It's good that the basics are easy enough, I don't like difficult tasks which should be easy. The prerequisite for me are the 8 track simultaneous recording and that's about it. I'd never (or rarely) use it for mixing or editing, and the zoom r16 and r24 seem to be the men for the job. I wondered about the Korg D888 too but these record in higher quality.
 
#11
animvl said:
I'm interested in an r16 for location recording purposes, the additions included in the r24 are of little use to me. It's good that the basics are easy enough, I don't like difficult tasks which should be easy. The prerequisite for me are the 8 track simultaneous recording and that's about it. I'd never (or rarely) use it for mixing or editing, and the zoom r16 and r24 seem to be the men for the job. I wondered about the Korg D888 too but these record in higher quality.
Click to expand...

I use mine for location recording purposes as well. A big difference between the R16 & R24 was the phantom power control. Way more options with the R24. Might be something to consider.
 
#13
I am very, very happy with my 16. I decided not to get the 24 because I don't need the extra tracks and I don't need a drum machine.

The two built-in room mics have actually been quite useful. I record just about every rehearsal that my band does and the results are superb. Everything is easily transferred to the computer. I've also used it as an interface. This allows me to go overdub crazy if I really feel like I need more than the 16 tracks.

The preamps work just fine. The guitar input and related effects are adequate... for a hack like me who doesn't have much in the way of outboard gear, it is rather handy.

I paid $320 for mine and it has been so worth it.
 
#14
I've got the 16 and while I did some work with the onboard effects and mastering tools I've found that the device is great for tracking remotely. I can pull my tracks from my DAW (Reaper usually, but occasionally Acid or Pro Tools), line them up and get tracks remotely on the Zoom and bring them over. It's a godsend when the recording rig is set up upstairs while the drums are set up and mic'ed downstairs or even away from home. My only complaint that I had is that about 6 months after I got it, a clumsy guitarist pulled too hard on the channel 1 (high-Z) input and broke the jack. Does anyone happen to know where someone can get their hands on the ADC/jack unit that Zoom uses to replace it? I found it once when researching the unit but wasn't able to find it after that.
 
#15
We record all our rehearsals with the r16. Just start a project and hit record. We mic all the amps and away we go. The room mics are very decent. A 16 gig card is more than enough for a couple evenings of recording. We pull the card and download directly in cubase to mix on a PC. Haven't tried to mix and master with it, but for live recording, it works awesome.
 
#16
Are you able to run the R16 to the DAW with the 8 channels kept as single mono inputs. So can you track in your DAW 8 recorded or live tracks (8 channels). OR does it bouce the 8 down to a 2 channel stereo track when moving into the DAW?

I know I"m not explaining this correctly, but we want to record the drums using 6 mics and then be able to mix each drums over in the DAW (which we couldn't if it bounces down to a stereo track) in case we want to EQ just the kick drum for instance.
 
#17
I have the R24..... In the DAW you can have the 8 channels as all single mono inputs on it, so I don't see why it isn't the same on the R16.

You can use the R16 as an interface and record straight into the DAW instead of recording and transfering from the R16 to the DAW.
 

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