New Zoom R16 portable recorder

[64Guitars]

One of the guys in the BossBr group found this NAMM video about the new Zoom R16 recorder:

(click picture to view video)

- 16 tracks
 - 8 inputs and 8-track simultaneous recording
 - USB 2.0
 - computer audio interface and control surface
 - built-in stereo mic
 - supports SD cards up to 32GB
 - Zoom ZFX processor for guitar effects
 - $399

The video doesn't say anything about drums, but it has MIDI so you should be able to sync to an external drum machine. I can't find any more information about it. It's not even on Zoom's website yet. It's supposed to ship in April or May according to the video. I'll be keeping an eye out for more details on this machine. It certainly looks promising.

Here's a photo of the R16:

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_xnBKPY_t0YM/SXSsLC82sEI/AAAAAAAACKo/qP5AKofFmsE/s1600-h/zoom-r16.jpg

[Davo]

Interesting, I cant wait for Rolands next generation of digital multitrack recorders.

[64Guitars]

The Samson web site now has a page about the new R16.

http://www.samsontech.com/products/productpage.cfm?prodID=2009&brandID=4


It includes two hi-res pictures:

Click to view full-size.


Click to view full-size.

And it's being advertised by American Musical Supply for $399 with an availability date of May 21, 2009.

http://www.americanmusical.com/Item--i-ZOO-R16

[Ted]

What do y'all think of that price point?  Seems like at $399 you'd have some much better options within reach.  Am I wrong?

[marcus_gloom]

I really hope Boss would keep up with these line of products fast.

Portable 8 Track simultaneous recording, thats so wicked!

Perfect for capturing a real drum kit, this is a big leap...

 

[Saijinn Maas]

Don't know if it's as big a deal to some... But for me... The cost is just a bit too much for something that doesn't "at least" come with rum patterns. Without that, it makes this a slightly different type of purchase for those that bought the micro br, like myself. Meaning those that do not have, or cannot afford, a stand alone drum set or dedicated drum machine.

Looks very cool otherwise, and I hope Boss is taking notes.

[hewhoiscalledj]

I think $399 is a pretty sweet price point considering it has 8 XLR/combo inputs and can take up to 32g SD cards. I havent checked the exact specs but I think it may only record at 16bit based on the price alone, but I could be wrong. The MicroBR records at 16bit and the quality of the songs i've been hearing here makes me think that's all you really need.

Since it has the 8 inputs, it seems to be geared towards whole band recording or at least fully capturing a drum kit. I'm sure they could have tacked on a drum machine for another $100 and I wouldnt be suprised if they updated it in a year to do just that. A full featured and programable drum machine would be nice though. Since Zoom already makes a few... well its inevitable right?

I'm curious to see how it sounds. If it has less noise than the MicroBR (which isnt bad at all...) then it's gonna be quite the contender. I really hope Boss keeps up with the Joneses.

[Saijinn Maas]

Hmm   I completely missed the 8 combination XLR - 1/4 inputs. And 32gb SD cards IS considerably better than the 1gb max with the MBR. AND the 16-track playback!

Considering that Bosses higher end units still don't allow that many inputs at once, and cost more, the price doesn't seem too bad.

And you are right, Zoom does make lower line drum machines, one for $99 and the other for $149 IIRC.

I may have to keep an eye on this.

[jeffmitchellmusic]

Ive been following this one.  From all ive read, it can record 24 bit.  I called samson and it's scheduled to ship in early july.  I'll post a review if i pick it up.  Silent, 24 bit multitracking with multiple inputs.  I find harddrive machines too noisy for acoustic stuff.

[64Guitars]

And 32gb SD cards IS considerably better than the 1gb max with the MBR.

Not only that, but it also has a USB HOST connector which allows you to connect external hard drives, USB flash drives, card readers, etc. directly to the recorder for offline storage (no computer required). This is an industry first and I hope that Boss and other manufacturers will start including a USB Host connector on all of their machines too.

And you are right, Zoom does make lower line drum machines, one for $99 and the other for $149 IIRC.

The only trouble is, the R16 doesn't have midi connectors, so there's no way to sync a drum machine to it as far as I can see. It might have midi over USB but drum machines don't usually have a USB connector so that probably won't help. I think the only way to get a drum track into the R16 will be to export it from a drum machine or computer program as a wave file, then import the wave file to a pair of tracks on the R16. On the other hand, the R16's control surface capabilities make it tempting to do all the mixing on the computer (cubase LE is included with the R16) and program the drums there too. You can also sync a drum machine to the computer using a midi interface.


More info about the R16 can be found on the Samson website.

  http://www.samsontech.com/products/productpage.cfm?prodID=2009&brandID=4