Zoom R16 vs R24

  • Thread starter Thread starter Russwig
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Russwig

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I am considering getting one of these to replace my Yamaha AW16G. Most of what I do is live recording of gigs at a variety of venues. I don't care about burning CDs in the recorder as I always do my final work on a computer. I like the idea of going to SD Card for storage. I also like the fact that the Zooms can be battery driven as I have always had to drag a UPS with me in case of power failures (the combined weight of the Yamaha and the UPS does not make for easy portability).

From what I can see the two big differences between the 16 and the 24 are the drum machine and the addition of Phantom Power to 4 inputs. I don't care about the drum machine but I do like the additional Phantom XLRs (I generally hang a pair of choir mics and combine with feeds from the house board at these gigs). I wouldn't mind being able to add more condenser mics at times but I could do that with a Rolls PB223 (or similar) for power.

My question is, to those of you with experience with both or either of these units, given my needs, should I get an R16 and use external Phantom Power when necessary rather than spend the extra for the R24? As far as I can see the only additional feature the R24 offers that I might like is a better text screen.

TIA for your responses.

RW...
 
Sorry I can't help you with any practical advice. I was just chuffed that such a place as Petaluma actually existed having heard about it in a comic strip 30 years ago ! Petaluma_1.webp Hopefully someone will weigh in with some useful info but I just couldn't resist ! Well, I could've, but what the heck !
 
I sell the h4n's, i own the h4, the old version. shit rules, the mics are amazing on it, it sounds great, i highly recommend it.
 
Terra said:
I sell the h4n's, i own the h4, the old version. shit rules, the mics are amazing on it, it sounds great, i highly recommend it.
Click to expand...



SH!T does RULE.
I like the fact that it's an easy down load to your computer than you can have more fun with it! ;)








:cool:
 
Hi Russwig

In the past I'd owned a Lexicon Omega but had problems on every level, ending in it being repaired by Lexicon, leaving me frustrated at totally failing to arrive at a finished recording project.

I've owned an R16 for 6 months now and my overall impression is very good. The first thing I bought with the R16 was a quality 32Gb SD card - make sure you get the right one - look particularly at the data transfer rates. The on-board mics are surprisingly good (and saved me when my Souncraft desk went down - I still managed an acoustic recording of a speech in a meeting). The on-board effects are not VST quality in your fav. DAW, but you do get 2 phantom power channels on the R16 (more on the R24).

I have used the R16 for 8 track recording of a 30 strong choir with 4 phantom powered Audio Technica PZMs and a phantom powered SE2000 condenser mic (came free with the R16) for piano + a cheap crappy 1.5v omni condenser and the 2 in-built mics for room ambiences. The choir is less than proficient and the recording picked each failing up with great detail. I used 3 * 2 channel Midiman preamps (very quiet and a true 48v phantom supply), rather than the on-board phantom power, and I powered the R16 from mains rather than battery (6*AA). So the result? Well, very impressive recording quality - but the choir needs more practice (bless!).

I also use the R16 to record meetings - 1,2,3 vocals, 4 guitar, 5 bass, 6 keys, 7 tie mic, 8 HH mic. It makes transfer and mixdown much easier than just a stereo track. One great feature is you can EQ (full 3 way parametric with mid Q) each track before you record, so I can tune the output from acoustic keys (upright piano) and even limit channels to get a better seating (just be careful not to over-cook it!). I can produce a rough mix in seconds - very useful.

I have read about the drum machine on the R24, but I doubt that it'll replace a good VST synth. Having said that, it might be handy for song-writing. (In my case, I have a basic drum machine built into my Zoom B1X bass pedal, so no need for me to have the R24).

I've tested the R16 in very quiet environments (and outdoors) and I can only feed noise to the unit - it just doesn't seem to provide any noise of its own - apart from the headphone amp - but it was no worse than my old Tascam 244 (ah! That was built to withstand nuclear fallout!). Note: I picked up and recorded the fan from my laptop across the room so noise is not an issue unless you are up to semi-pro or above level.

The unit is very portable - but not as portable as the H4, or other hand-held recorders, but they won't act as an 8 -2 audio interface (R16 is worth the money just for that!). I also prefer to whip out the card and plug directly into my laptop - that gives me a true 12Mb/s rather than 2Mb/s via USB. I've had 8 * 8 track 100 minute recording on the card and still had 6Gb left.

Overall I'm a VERY happy bunny - by far the best purchase I've made.

Hope my observations are helpful.
 
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