Tell me about the Zoom r series recorders for use as an interface

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twangbuck

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Hey I'm considering jumping into using one of the zoom r series recorders as an interface to use with cubase le5 on a windows 7 pc. I'm thinking about either the R8 or R16. I've recorded stuff at a friends house wiht his windows 7 pc and the same version of cubase using the R24 as an interface and it sounded great. I don't want to get into that type of price range with the 24, so I'd like to stick with either the 8 or 16.
Can someone tell me what the audio quality is goign to be like with either the 8 or 16 as compared to the 24? Do they use similar preamps? Will the quality and clarity be similar?
I don't need to worry about the extras (drum machine, effects) I'm just soley concerned with the audio quality of the unit and whether it will play nice with cubase. My friend's system works fine with his 24, so I'm hoping the 8 or 16 will produce similar results.
I'm planning on recording 16 bit, 44.1 by the way.
Any insight would be great appreciated. Thanks!
 
I currently use 2 R24's linked together to record my band but I don't use it (them) as an interface. I use it as a portable device and then take the data and import it into my computer and use that for mixing, editing, effects, etc. If you want to hear a couple of samples, let me know and I'll upload some of the recent tunes we've done.

Regarding quality, I would say sounds pretty incredible for a $500 piece of gear. Look on craigslist, though. I bought 1 almost new for $225 and a cosmetically worn one for $150. Probably the best money I spent on gear recently. And the R8 and R16 are much less expensive the 24, but if you stick with R16 or R24, you at least get 8 inputs so you can record 8 tracks at once which would be great when tracking a band live.

Bill L
 
Yeah I thought about going the used route, but there's a lot of horror stories out there about people having difficult times getting different pieces of daw recording gear to cooperate with each other. I"d like the option of returning it if it doesn't work with my system for some reason or if it's glitchy.
I'd love to know if the guts of the R8 or R16 are the same as the R24 just without the extra features. If the preamps are just totally inferior in the R8 and R16, then I'll probably wait and save my money for the 24.
 
The R16, from what I had read while researching before I purchased, is the same unit as the R24 except for the drum machine, # of tracks and a few other features that I don't recall because I don't use them and I'm too lazy to look them up right now. I don't worry about glitchy stuff because I take the SD cards and import the files into my laptop and use different software and interface for that. I only use the R24 to actually track. I found it very difficult to use as an interface but it did help me transition from my old analog faders days to using the computer. Of course your results will vary. Good luck and have fun.
 
Why use a hard disk recorder just as an interface in the first place? JUst because you get baby Cubase with it?

If you want to record to a computer, buy a real interface and real software and save yourself money on buying a recorder that has a shitload of stuff you're never going to use.... think of what compromises are being made in the design and build to get all that stuff into a box for $299.

You haven't mentioned using it as a recorder, just as an interface.

And record at 24 bit, not 16. Really...
 
I was looking at the Zoom R16 for recording but then found a Fostex MR-8 going cheap and took the plunge. Obviously I can't speak for the Zoom unit but I use my recorder exactly how Bill L describes and the results are very clear on vocals. I think being able to use the R-series machine as an interface must open up some great options for recording to the PC as well as direct to the unit. If in doubt I always turn to impartial user reviews. I've found that those on Amazon seem to tell it like it is, for the most part.
 
Doctor Varney said:
I was looking at the Zoom R16 for recording but then found a Fostex MR-8 going cheap and took the plunge. Obviously I can't speak for the Zoom unit but I use my recorder exactly how Bill L describes and the results are very clear on vocals. I think being able to use the R-series machine as an interface must open up some great options for recording to the PC as well as direct to the unit. If in doubt I always turn to impartial user reviews. I've found that those on Amazon seem to tell it like it is, for the most part.
Click to expand...

That's another reason why I was thinking of donig the R series route. It would be nice to have a remote way of recording when the need called for it. Plus a friend was using it with cubase le on his win7 machine, and I was pretty impressed with the results. I've tried the focusrite route and was less than impressed due to peaking problems. If I'm going to spend more than $200 on an interface, it would be nice if I could use it for remote recording as well when needed, and not just as an interface.
 
twangbuck said:
If I'm going to spend more than $200 on an interface, it would be nice if I could use it for remote recording as well when needed, and not just as an interface.
Click to expand...

That's exactly why I bought my Zoom H4n when I did and when it came to multi track portable, again Zoom met my requirement in functionality and price. Bottom line is they are all pretty good. And as people all over this board will tell you, most of the time the problem with poor recording quality has less to do with the equipment than how the equipment is used. Experiment and be patient. You'll get some amazing results for short money.
 
I have an R-16 and a Tascam DP-24 and have used the R-16 as an interface for Reaper. I'll tell you.....the Zoom is really a nice clean unit to use as an interface and a very easy unit to take with you anywhere for remote use. 8 inputs and most of the basics you'd need. It also has two condensers built in to make it even easier for live stuff and scratch tracks....etc. No muss no fuss. For both uses......hard to beat.
 
twangbuck said:
That's another reason why I was thinking of donig the R series route. It would be nice to have a remote way of recording when the need called for it. Plus a friend was using it with cubase le on his win7 machine, and I was pretty impressed with the results. I've tried the focusrite route and was less than impressed due to peaking problems. If I'm going to spend more than $200 on an interface, it would be nice if I could use it for remote recording as well when needed, and not just as an interface.
Click to expand...

It's always good to expand your options. Many people won't agree but it has to be said, when unexpected errors occur (however rare) with PC audio capture it's always when least expected and so that fallback can be a life saver. Also, in my case, field recording is an important aspect of my work, for collecting real sound effects, the way I want them, without having to rely on stock sounds.
 
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