Here's a "first look" at the relatively new Zoom R20 16 track multi-tracker with a super-nice full color LCD TOUCH SCREEN graphical user interface.
I like this machine a bunch.
Zoom has a long history of innovative recorders that are geared toward specific user requirements, and the R20 is no exception to that rule. It has a few features that might have been included to increase appeal to a wider market, but if you look past the rather basic Midi, drum tracks, and virtual synthesizer then you come to what the appeal REALLY is.
What does the R20 have that appeals to me?
The first thing is that it's dead easy to lay down tracks at home. The color graphical user interface is a THICK layer of icing on the cake. Zoom has put a lot of effort into doing away with the tiny little menu windows that make their recorders a bit maddening to use. There are lots of videos that demonstrate the usefulness of this, so I won't detail a lot of it here.
The colored faders are keyed to associated track colors in the display. For a single user it's nice to record tracks and simply drag and drop them to different track numbers so you can instantly overdub without the need to unplug and move your inputs to another channel. (For those of you who come from R16 or R24 use, this replaces the old "swap tracks" feature. It's very slick, too!)
I also use a multi-tracker to record 3 and 4 piece acoustic bands occasionally, and the R20 will be great for that. Channels 5 through 8 have phantom power, but I have additional phantom power boxes to take care of those rare occasions when I need a couple more phantom powered inputs.
There might be other features that would appeal to others, but fast and easy is good for me.
Post recording, you can of course do a quick mix and throw some reverb on your tracks, but that's not how I'll use my R20. Tracks will go to my PC-based DAW for editing and mix down.
Zoom has taken some liberties with trying to anticipate what users will find most useful, and the R20 has a lot of complaints from users who want a variety of features that aren't included. Many say they want 8 combo XLR / 1/4" jacks. That wouldn't be anything I'd want. Combo jacks are a giant PITA and I much prefer regular ol' XLRs! The list goes on, but I think that Zoom must have read my mind when developing the R20.
The audio is hard-baked at 44.1 Khz / 24 bit, a deal breaker for a lot of potential customers, but ideal for me. This is what I realistically end up working with, so no problem in my book.
The touch screen is very nice and works smoothly. I purchased a touch pad stylus with a clear pad "point" because a few reviews thought it was easier to use. A fingertip seems to work fine for me, so I'll probably end up not using it.
Zoom claims that the pre-amps are the best they have ever developed for a multi-track recorder, and they are very quiet and seem to be pretty transparent.
The video below was done as a quick demo, no EQ, effects, or anything else. Channels 5 / 6 were set as a stereo pair (as simple as holding channel 5 and then selecting channel 6), setting the gains, and hitting record.
I used to touch screen to move the first tracks over to add a second guitar and then overdub the bass part.
Tracks were transferred to my PC and combined with Moto G6 phone video in Reaper.
Disregard the recording space, but I'm trying out the technique of using diffusion rather than any attempt at using other forms of sound control. After listening to Doug Fearn's podcast dealing with "The Room You Record In" I think I really like simply having all the stuff around me. It seems to work well for me!
Video after second guitar and bass was overdubbed:
My lil' play pen:
I like this machine a bunch.
Zoom has a long history of innovative recorders that are geared toward specific user requirements, and the R20 is no exception to that rule. It has a few features that might have been included to increase appeal to a wider market, but if you look past the rather basic Midi, drum tracks, and virtual synthesizer then you come to what the appeal REALLY is.
What does the R20 have that appeals to me?
The first thing is that it's dead easy to lay down tracks at home. The color graphical user interface is a THICK layer of icing on the cake. Zoom has put a lot of effort into doing away with the tiny little menu windows that make their recorders a bit maddening to use. There are lots of videos that demonstrate the usefulness of this, so I won't detail a lot of it here.
The colored faders are keyed to associated track colors in the display. For a single user it's nice to record tracks and simply drag and drop them to different track numbers so you can instantly overdub without the need to unplug and move your inputs to another channel. (For those of you who come from R16 or R24 use, this replaces the old "swap tracks" feature. It's very slick, too!)
I also use a multi-tracker to record 3 and 4 piece acoustic bands occasionally, and the R20 will be great for that. Channels 5 through 8 have phantom power, but I have additional phantom power boxes to take care of those rare occasions when I need a couple more phantom powered inputs.
There might be other features that would appeal to others, but fast and easy is good for me.
Post recording, you can of course do a quick mix and throw some reverb on your tracks, but that's not how I'll use my R20. Tracks will go to my PC-based DAW for editing and mix down.
Zoom has taken some liberties with trying to anticipate what users will find most useful, and the R20 has a lot of complaints from users who want a variety of features that aren't included. Many say they want 8 combo XLR / 1/4" jacks. That wouldn't be anything I'd want. Combo jacks are a giant PITA and I much prefer regular ol' XLRs! The list goes on, but I think that Zoom must have read my mind when developing the R20.
The audio is hard-baked at 44.1 Khz / 24 bit, a deal breaker for a lot of potential customers, but ideal for me. This is what I realistically end up working with, so no problem in my book.
The touch screen is very nice and works smoothly. I purchased a touch pad stylus with a clear pad "point" because a few reviews thought it was easier to use. A fingertip seems to work fine for me, so I'll probably end up not using it.
Zoom claims that the pre-amps are the best they have ever developed for a multi-track recorder, and they are very quiet and seem to be pretty transparent.
The video below was done as a quick demo, no EQ, effects, or anything else. Channels 5 / 6 were set as a stereo pair (as simple as holding channel 5 and then selecting channel 6), setting the gains, and hitting record.
I used to touch screen to move the first tracks over to add a second guitar and then overdub the bass part.
Tracks were transferred to my PC and combined with Moto G6 phone video in Reaper.
Disregard the recording space, but I'm trying out the technique of using diffusion rather than any attempt at using other forms of sound control. After listening to Doug Fearn's podcast dealing with "The Room You Record In" I think I really like simply having all the stuff around me. It seems to work well for me!
Video after second guitar and bass was overdubbed:
My lil' play pen:
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