File management Zoom LiveTrak L-20 L-12 L-8

D

Dagge

New member
Hi, Zoom Experts out there.

I only have a Zoom R8 and I love it for all that flexibility and magic pressed in to a tiny box. But I'd love to have more channels for live recording. R8 only has two... R16 and R24 have eight... That a lot better but I still want more. I've had my eyes on the LiveTrak L-20 for a while and I like that you don't have to dive deep down in menus to access PAN and EQ. And just LOVE that fact that it has several individual monitor outputs. But there is one thing that I have not found an answer to... As I said; in the R8 I only have to inputs but I have 8 mixable tracks and I can associate and un-associate recorded files to these. If I'm not quite pleased with a recording associated with one of the tracks I just un-associate it and record a new take on that track. The old file with the old material is still saved in the project... it's just not associated with a track any more... So, if I change my mind I can always go back and re-associate the old (or any other) file to that track.

AND, if I find myself in a situation where I have used all my 8 tracks and still want to add one ore two instruments (or a quire) I simply mix the stuff I have recorded and create a stereo master. I then un-associate all files from the eight tacks and associate the stereo master to track 1 and 2. All the recorded file are still there in the project but simply not associated to any track sp if/when I need them they are still there. Now I have the recorded material on track 1 and 2 and I have 6 free tracks to record extra instruments and the quire...

Some info I have found insinuate that this is not possible with the LiveTrak machines. They seem to have more restrictions in file management. BUT I have found no clear info on what's facts and what's not... And not knowing is driving med nuts.

I have sent questions to Zoom but not yet got any answer from them.
I have asked Thomann - no answer yet.
I have asked a Youtuber - no answer yet.
I have asked on another (a Swedish) music forum - no answer yet.
I have asked local sellers here in Sweden - no one seem to know - they don't even seem to understand the question.

So, now I hope that I have found the right place. :-)
 
I don't see anything in the Livetrak manual that suggests you can do the alternate takes. There is punch in/punch out capability. I guess you could just use a second channel instead of using takes.

I don't have a Livetrak, but I can tell you that the R24 does things pretty much as the R8 does. You can associate and swap tracks around. Also, if you want, you can slave a second R16 or R24 so that you get 16 available tracks for live recording. I've done live recordings using 7 instrument mics and a vocal feed from a mixer. 4 vocal mics plus 7 instruments was plenty for those jobs. For home recording, having 24 tracks is more than I have used.

In the end, I usually dump everything into Reaper for mixing although I have done some songs in the box.
 
Thanks for the answer!
Yes, more and more suggest you can not do what I'd like it to be able to do.
I finally got an answer from a seller and it was kind of negative too. But they did't refer to any documentation or info from Zoom. They just refer to some page on the web with the "Ten best" recording apparatus and I 've lived too long to trust such info. Most often its just put together in a hurry just to earn add money. They rarely actually test anything.
I once had a TEAC 80-8 8-Track 1/2" Tape Recorder and I often felt that 8 tracks in was limiting. There are too many crazy drummers out there that want a mike on everything they hit :-)
I'd love to mess around in the menus of a L-20 but that will have to wait until I can visit a physical store.
I have considered the R16 and R24 and combinations of these synced. I just would like to have more direct access to PAN, EQ and I'd love to have the individual monitor outs. My guess is that IF we are right about the L-20 lacking the capabilities of messing around with the files it is just something they have decided not to allow for some odd reson.
 
I bought the L-20. It is not as smart when it comes to file management as my little R8. But if I connect a USB stick I can export and save recorded tracks to that stick and then re-import them if I want to. That solves it for me. It's a clumsy method... but still; for any one out there that has the same question as I had, this is a possible workaround.
 
Hi, do the l-8 or l-12 allow track swapping without resorting to renaming files on the sdcard?
like the r16 track swap button.

thanks!
 
Cool, glad to hear! I was wondering, does it have the ability to swap tracks?
(record to a track and then move the track to another track to record again from the same input; aka no need to physically plug to other inputs)
thanks
 
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