Zoom R16 or Presonus FireStudio 2626 for Interface?

The Presonus would have a perceived edge due to the FW interface. Also Presonus has a higher perceived quality while Zoom is considered of lower quality - that is in the mind of those that hold to that opinion and may or may not be true of every product from those two manufacturers.

I think the question(s) you need to ask yourself is exactly what are your needs? Also, are the extras you'll get the Presonus worth it for YOU to make that the way to go? Is the limited DAW control surface capability of the R16 important? Is the ADAT interface of the Presonus important which the R16 does not have? Is the limited sample rate of the R16 a deal breaker - it only does 44.1K and the Presonus does 96k? Are you planning to do most of your work in your DAW to where you don't need the effects the R16 offers? Does the idea of storing audio to SD cards sound attractive? The R16 does this and the Presonus stores to your laptops HD. The ProPack Software Suite that comes with the Presonus would perhaps further tip the scales in it's favor for me personally, but your needs are most likely different than mine. Does that package run on your Mac or is it Windows only? That could make a difference and perhaps tip back towards the R16.

Really only you can answer these questions. With the R16 being relatively new there are not a lot of folks with experience on it to comment meaningfully. I know this 'answer' didn't provide many answers, but you appear to have done a bit a research so far which bodes well. Perhaps someone else can offer more insight to help you further.
 
THX1136 said:
The Presonus would have a perceived edge due to the FW interface. Also Presonus has a higher perceived quality while Zoom is considered of lower quality - that is in the mind of those that hold to that opinion and may or may not be true of every product from those two manufacturers.

I think the question(s) you need to ask yourself is exactly what are your needs? Also, are the extras you'll get the Presonus worth it for YOU to make that the way to go? Is the limited DAW control surface capability of the R16 important? Is the ADAT interface of the Presonus important which the R16 does not have? Is the limited sample rate of the R16 a deal breaker - it only does 44.1K and the Presonus does 96k? Are you planning to do most of your work in your DAW to where you don't need the effects the R16 offers? Does the idea of storing audio to SD cards sound attractive? The R16 does this and the Presonus stores to your laptops HD. The ProPack Software Suite that comes with the Presonus would perhaps further tip the scales in it's favor for me personally, but your needs are most likely different than mine. Does that package run on your Mac or is it Windows only? That could make a difference and perhaps tip back towards the R16.

Really only you can answer these questions. With the R16 being relatively new there are not a lot of folks with experience on it to comment meaningfully. I know this 'answer' didn't provide many answers, but you appear to have done a bit a research so far which bodes well. Perhaps someone else can offer more insight to help you further.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the response, and you point out some great questions. These are things I'm looking into, but I am a long-time drummer but new to recording so I don't know what I need "technically" to achieve what I am looking for.

To help with my purpose which might shine some light...I am wanting a two fold purpose.

1) To be able adjust the mix in my headphones from my drums while practicing and playing to pre-recorded tracks.
2) Ability to record my kit for both my band's mini-LP as well as for my own "fun projects"

I'm trying to get the most bang for my buck while looking for a product that will last me as long as possible without realizing, "hey, this worked for the first few months but now i need to step up a bit".

Hope that helps in the evaluation.
 
THX1136 said:
The Presonus would have a perceived edge due to the FW interface. Also Presonus has a higher perceived quality while Zoom is considered of lower quality - that is in the mind of those that hold to that opinion and may or may not be true of every product from those two manufacturers.

.
Click to expand...

Depending on the OPs situation...Zoom may have a better product here...while you talk about using the FW to go into the computer...with this product as with many of the new HD recorders you still record to a HD in the unit with an OS designed to do only recording...the data can be dumped into the computer via USB2 and into an editing program like Cubase, abelton, etc...the new Tascams are the same way...this will give him the ability to use the unit in live situations where the presonus and other computer interfaces would give you trouble.

And I have to add that the presonus preamps that I have worked with have been atrociously noisy and unuseable
 
First I apologize for some misinformation. The R16, when used as an interface to your laptop, can indeed handle 24/96k. It is only when recording to the SD card that you will be limited to 16/44.1K.

Another factor to think about is the PreSonus can handle 64 bit processing which, if you have the new OS on your Mac, would be noticeably faster processing - less time to crunch the numbers to do the work you want to do. That would be important in a live situation or any multi-track situation for that matter. If your Mac has the older OS - Leopard or before - this would be a moot point as either the R16 or the PreSonus would be about the same in this area.

As far as your point 1: The R16 would probably suffice quite well. Point 2: If all you're wanting to do is record ONLY your kit; again the R16 would suffice. BUT if you plan or can even foresee the need in the future for recording more than 8 tracks at a time the PreSonus would be a more likely candidate as it will - with an ADAT interface - allow you to record 16 tracks at a time at the very least. There again - if you sub mix your kit through a small mixer even the R16 would work depending on how many inputs you truly need in a live situation.

It would be a tough decision as both are similar in many respects. I like to think ahead personally and not limit myself especially when I must invest my hard earned cash wisely. The PreSonus would be a good choice for me as the 64 bit side would appeal to my way of thinking on possible future needs as well as the track count end of things. Be mindful of the fact that the 16 tracks at once thing means buying an additional piece of hardware - an ADAT interface - which, if finances are tight, would not be immediately doable.

Darrin's experience is important too. Check around to see if anyone else has had a bad experience with PreSonus' preamps. I have had no experinece with their preamps. That factor alone could be a deal breaker preventing you from capturing good quality audio. Hope this helps you out.
 
Thanks to both of you for your input. I had heard some issues on a "hit and miss" basis with older Presonus preamps, but have heard good things about the new FireStudio's as well as them being reviewed as better than the Zoom R16.

I went ahead and made a purchase after a discovery this morning...Sam Ash had a $100 off coupon over $499 so I took it to Zzounds.com and they beat it. They gave me the Presonus Firestudio 2626 for $479 and with the $75 mfg rebate it will be down to $404...considering the R16 is $399, and the features on the Presonus for $4 more...I obviously went for the Presonus.
 
Rhat said:
Thanks to both of you for your input. I had heard some issues on a "hit and miss" basis with older Presonus preamps, but have heard good things about the new FireStudio's as well as them being reviewed as better than the Zoom R16.

I went ahead and made a purchase after a discovery this morning...Sam Ash had a $100 off coupon over $499 so I took it to Zzounds.com and they beat it. They gave me the Presonus Firestudio 2626 for $479 and with the $75 mfg rebate it will be down to $404...considering the R16 is $399, and the features on the Presonus for $4 more...I obviously went for the Presonus.
Click to expand...
You should get Studio One Pro instead of the $75. You'll have to pay $50, but it's well worth it. Studio One Pro retails for: $399.00
I purchased a Firestudio myself, had some trouble with a "hiss" in the headphones, and monitors. So I'm returning the unit to the store and they're ordering a new one. I still think the Firestudio is the way to go for what you want to accomplish. It sounds pretty close to what I'm doing.
Keep us posted on how it goes.
 
Han Solownster said:
You should get Studio One Pro instead of the $75. You'll have to pay $50, but it's well worth it. Studio One Pro retails for: $399.00
I purchased a Firestudio myself, had some trouble with a "hiss" in the headphones, and monitors. So I'm returning the unit to the store and they're ordering a new one. I still think the Firestudio is the way to go for what you want to accomplish. It sounds pretty close to what I'm doing.
Keep us posted on how it goes.
Click to expand...

What's the difference between Studio One Pro and the Studio One Artist that comes with it? Or Cubase LE that comes with it before sending away for Studio One Artist?
 
Rhat said:
What's the difference between Studio One Pro and the Studio One Artist that comes with it? Or Cubase LE that comes with it before sending away for Studio One Artist?
Click to expand...
Here is a quick video overview of Studio One: LINK
I talked to Presonus, and they told me just to send in the "Studio One Pro" form and they would send me the full Pro version. So you don't need to get Artist first. Here is a link to a different thread about Studio One.....HERE.
 
The biggest difference between Pro and Artist is the processing - Pro being 64 bit and Artist 32 bit (implied by the info from a PreSonus ad I'm looking at). With the FireStudio you would get a $150 Studio One upgrade credit from PreSonus as opposed to the $75 cash back deal which ends 10/31/09. Again, if you're not running the latest Mac OS you would not see an immediate difference in processing as anything older than Snow Leopard is 32 bit with Snow Leopard having 64 bit processing implemented.

Also congratulations and best of luck with your purchase. I trust it will serve you well.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top