Zoom R8 8-track SD Recorder / Interface /Sampler Reviews

I bought this for my son for his birthday recently, as he's been wanting to record and mix his own work. When I was his age and just getting started with recording I had a Tascam Portastudio (4-track/Cassette Tape). This ZOOM recorder is amazing, and he's already making music and having the time of his life. The recorder arrived on time (as expected), and my sales engineer Ryan even called to make sure I received it! Best customer service/support from any company I've dealt with...something that's very rare these days. Sweetwater (and Ryan) are awesome...looking forward to my next order! Rob

The looping function is fantastic.

Recording with the onboard mics offers unlimited potential, and the ability to sample / loop in general using the onboard mics is simply awesome. I've owned Tascam DP's and a Model 12, and they pale in comparison to the easy workflow of Zoom, in my opinion. Easy USB to computer. Effortless file transfers. I spent a year with a Zoom handy recorder in multitrack mode, and the Zoom R8 was exactly what I needed. Easy to use, easy directions, and basic commands makes multitrack recording easy and fun. Buy one.

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Well done Zoom., well done indeed.!

Guys, I'm so glad I decided to get the Zoom R8. I had originally settled on buying a much cheaper multitracker in order to save money, but I decided to spring for the R8 because it had some features that really interested me. I do NOT regret spending the extra money! This little unit handles everything I throw at it, and the final mastered mixes sound AMAZING! I still have yet to figure out how to sequence full drum tracks, but everything else I have attempted on the R8 has been easy as pie.

I love the onboard effects for the guitar, bass, and keys - I haven't had to use anything external for processing yet, save for a simple single-channel tube preamp (which I've used for the vocal mics as well as the bass as a DI box). I mix down to headphones first and then master on a set of stereo speakers with a subwoofer. I've been through more than a dozen songs since I got the unit a few weeks ago. Tracking is quick and easy, and mixing is a joy!

The one thing I wish it had is physical knobs for pan and reverb (like the less expensive unit I looked at). I like turning those myself (jog-wheel scrolling is easy enough, though). I can't say enough good things about this little gem. Perfect for my walk-in closet studio in a house full of kids. Great price for all the features. Well worth the investment!

I love this unit so easy to work . so portable i am able to take it to the band house plug in and recorded or use the built in mic.
then i export all the files ... i can master them down and use the audio for band demo's . great to listen back to so easy i was tried of spending
hours fighting computers and software this is the stuff .... plus the songwriting and laying out songs on this unit i opening doors everyday.
I also use the unit for production and commercials for radio and t .v. audio ... so many ways you can use this unit ... the drums are also a great add on ... loving it .

My first multitrack recorder was a Tascam Porta02 back in 1997. I bought it off a friend and soon discovered the joys of being able to layer on tape. It wasn't long after that when digital devices started coming out. I have owned several tape and digital machines from different companies. Some were great and some were subpar. While I reminisce about how tape sounded so "good" in its gooey warmth, the truth of the matter is that it really doesn't fully represent what you're recording because it adds a bit to the recording in and of itself, so I fully transitioned to digital. I forayed into the realm of DAW's for a while, primarily Sonar/Cakewalk and it was slightly enjoyable, but I missed the tactile and tangible movements associated with multitrackers and their cool knobs and faders.

Up until recently, I had been going between a Tascam DP008ex and a Tascam DP03 (with the cd burner) - don't get me wrong, both of these units are GREAT in their own way and I have recorded lots of music with them. They are superb in quality and clarity. But something was missing for me. I enjoyed being able to step record on a grid in a DAW. To create a bass or drum loop and then record a guitar over top of that was something pretty cool to me. I researched the ZOOM R8 and found that this could be done. Not only that, but the R8 had built-in guitar effects, vocal effects, bass effects, etc... Zoom is sorta the "red-headed stepchild" of effects unfortunately. It seems no one wants to take their effects seriously, but I will tell you that they are INCREDIBLE. The overdrives are wam and clean up well with your guitar's volume knob. The bass compressors range from subtle to however extreme you want. The reverbs are lush and "realistic". My first delay pedal, back in the 90's was a Zoom 505 series and it still works and sounds great. So, the R8 is packed with all these cool effects and you can record in a traditional manner or in a sequencer manner. The best of both worlds - additionally, it operates as an interface with your computer and a controller with DAW's. I haven't used it with a computer yet, but might in the future. I prefer it as a stand-alone device actually.

Transferring songs to your iPad or computer is as simple as removing the sd card and putting it in your computer's slot - or you can use the included usb cable. I also like the fact that the R8 is battery operated. That may sound like something not to think about, but I put some lithium AA's in it and they last forever. It's nice to be able to take the R8 from room to room and work on a mix in my recliner or in my music room, or wherever... even outside. The included mics sound decent. I prefer hooking up an SM57 or SM58 but in a pinch they work fine. I do think Tascam's built-in mic's on their smaller units sound better though.

All in all this is a great little device and I truly enjoy working with it. There is a little bit of a learning curve, as with any multitrack recorder, but it's well worth the time and effort to be able to freely create whenever the muses sing and you're listening. I purchased mine through SWEETWATER - they are great to work with. If you need a great "crossover" multitracker (something between the traditional multitracker and a DAW) - the Zoom is the way to go!!!

The Zoom R8 is just what I wanted. Thanks, Jordan Clohessy! I have all the guitars, plenty of amps, 4 Jamman Loopers (LOVE THEM) and for recording tracks I tried the software programs and my focusrite, all of which are fantastic but too complicated for this 67 year old hobbyist. I wanted something where I can walk into my Florida Room, pick up a guitar, hit a couple of buttons on the R8 and go to it. I use the microphones on the R8, picks up all the instruments in the room. Done. Then all I wanted was to add instruments and vocals to a track AND be able to jam with the track at the same time I was adding instruments to it, DONE. Figured out that easy method today!!! BUT WAIT there's more!!! I can play back through the headphones of course, but what I love to do is run an instrument cable from the headphone jack on the R8 to my instrument input jack on my Fender Mustang III amp and it is jam time!!! Things have improved but stayed the same, thankfully, since the basement tapes at Big Pink.
Love it.

Compact, feature filled (like a built-in drum machine), easy to use and great recordings. the Zoom R-8 is the perfect tool as the center of a home recording studio or the go-to recorder for live venues and impromptu jam sessions. with optional battery power, this baby can even fill in as a field recorder. I am still discovering the versatility of this baby.

You can LOVE recording music and HATE D.A.W.'s. They're not mutually exclusive. Can a computer do everything this can? Yes. Does the actual experience of using a computer (CPU, clicking out midi notes and automation, interfaces interfacing) help me make music how I like to make music? No. But the R8 does. I love this thing.

It's become a/the central part of my rig. I run the XLR stereo outs of a Yamaha mixer into the inputs of this guy and the sound quality is great. Eight tracks are more than enough for what I'm doing and bouncing is easy (though there is no back-end bouncing- you actually have to let the track play out and record onto the other track. But that's easy enough and allows you to record your own automation (destructively) by actually moving the faders and adjusting parameters in real time. So the bounce is part of the performance, which I dig.)

And if bouncing, or anything else doesn't seem easy at first, the manual is actually helpful and I can't stress how nice that is.

But really I use this as a 7-track recorder with CV sync. There are tutorials on how to do this online. I set Track 1 to be a loop track playing a "loop" of a modular pulse sample (Make Noise has a free download. I find a loop length of 00-00-24 works well) and then set the metronome to use Track 1, volumes for both all the way up. Then I put the metronome/click to headphones only and set the headphone out to get entirely the click track. That is now my CV sync out, which runs into a Volca FM sending sync out to my KeyStep which acts as a CV->Midi converter. For some reason, the Volca likes the signal better (I've tried the various clock settings for the Keystep). For the actual output, I have a 3.5mm TRS to stereo 1/4inch TS cable that runs into a Tascam DR-05x, which acts as a master recorder headphone amp (the stereo out on the R8 isn't super hot but in fairness probably wasn't designed to drive my headphones through that cable). But even then, once you're not worried about syncing anymore, you can use Track 1 however you like. I wouldn't say this is the most accurate CV clock out there but it gets the job done.

Have only started playing with the track mixing but it seems powerful and fun. And again, the MANUAL IS GREAT. Physical buttons that I can find by muscle memory are the tops - solid construction. I love that I can be recording and if something comes up at any moment, I can switch this thing off (it auto-saves every time) go do whatever for however long, and then flick it right back on to my project. It's great.

It's also easy to have a number of projects rolling at once (I use a 32GB SD) and switch between them. However, you should think of each channel as an actual channel strip - as if the Pan, EQ (which sounds great), and Rev and Chorus sends (which are fully controllable and easy to use) are actually controlled by physical knobs with absolute position. So if you're scooping the mids of channel 2 and drowning it in reverb in Project A, when you switch to Project B, you're going to be scooping the mids of channel 2 and drowning it in reverb in Project B as well. Maybe this one setting I haven't found (let me know!), but it seems odd not have this data stored along with the project, seeing as all those parameters are controlled by the jog wheel and menu diving (which is fast and more like menu skimming). But it's simple enough to change them and this doesn't really get in the way.

Are there fancier things that do more? Yes. But this is 100% worth the money. I spent a good while looking at different multitracks (why are there not more!) and I'm real happy I landed on this one. Shoutout to my sales engineer Keith Klikas for always checking in to make sure it's all good. Thing is, I've never had any trouble with my Sweetwater gear.

This is a very easy system to use with very good machanics, great sound and no hassle setting up. And sweetwater company is one of the best to work with on orders. They are quick to reply to your needs as a customer. Thanks sweetwater for a good product and great customer service.

This is an awesome little machine. It does so much for so little money I honestly cant believe it!
I bought it to replace my aging cassette studio(which cost me a lot more money almost 20 years ago) and there is just no comparison really.
I cant believe the features the zoom r8 has...!
This is a must have for any serious musician!

Recently, I purchased the Zoom R8 recorder. For many years I played in cover bands but now I want to try my hand at writing and recording my own music.I saw comments which varied when describing its ease of use. So far, I'm finding it to be fairly user-friendly but think it'll take some time to become proficient in its use. I'm learning via the manual (included and a nice booklet at that) and by watching videos demonstrating the different functionality it offers. I'm only at the beginning of my experience with the R8, but I already love it. I think it's going to turn out to be capable of more than I expected. It goes without saying that the folks at Sweetwater provide the best products and support you could ask for and, as far as I'm concerned, they always go above and beyond to make their customers happy. If you're on the fence about getting this device, get it and get it from Sweetwater!

I purchased this recorder to get back into multitrack recording, but after a week...I thought about sending it back and throwing my hands up. Well, it's been a couple weeks and I'm slowly learning little by little and recorded a sample song. Must say it's getting easier after watching quite a few videos and reading the manual.

The sound of the R8 is very clear with no noise of the hard drive running, which was a big problem with my old multitrack. The final product out of the R8, I think will be outstanding. Plus I have yet to use it to its full potential....down the road of course. And its so compact and can be put in a laptop bag, or used out on my desk without taking up space.

I am very pleased with the R8 and would recommend it for anyone wanting a multitrack recorder. All the features and the size makes it perfect for great sounding tracks. Thanks to Mike at Sweetwater.....you guys are great!

So glad I pulled the trigger on this recorder it"s got everything I will need there is a learning curve but just take your time you will get great results so nice to be making music again instead of looking at a computer screen so if you don"t need a lot of inputs this is definitely the one to get very happy with this little zoom recorder

I primarily use it as an audio interface and control surface in Reaper, and for the mic preamps. It works well with ASIO4all coupled with an even older Line6 Gearport. I'm actually luckier using the Vista drivers in Win 10, The jog dial and the extra dedicated transport controls for markers is great.

I just got this for a couple reasons. I wanted to try my hand at songwriting as well as wanted something to help me hear my weaknesses so I can make improvements. I happen to be blind and wanted something tactile.

So far so good. Definitely a lot to learn and buttons to memorize. I already have the ability to do some of the basics. My 14 year old son is helping me learn the ropes. I'm positive in time I will become proficient enough at this for my purposes.

This is pretty feature rich...in fact there are so many options when it comes to effects I need to study to see what all this stuff is! Enjoying the challenge and recommend this to anyone....ESPECIALLY if you know what you're doing! LOL

I purchased the R8 as a replacement for an old Tascam that just no longer had the storage I needed. It's a fantastic little mixer/recorder, with a surprising number of features, and a small footprint.

I use it in my home studio when I'm writing, and have even recorded some complete tracks with it. The interface is very intuitive, and easy to learn.

I don't think you can do better than this for the money.

I have used my recorder for a little over three years and I produce national radio broadcasts and also produce and arrange original music for others. I use the R-8 an average of 30 hours per month for radio alone and after learning the master levels that suits FM radio acceptance I casually do the work without need of a major tool or tools. The more time you use the unit the easier to produce a top product. Being a retired pro musician I want things lightweight and durable. The R-8 has earned me thousands of $$ and I will buy another. Also it does not require the highest dollar SD cards. Using SD cards repeatedly can cause errors but it's the Card, not the R-8. Learn the Tool settings and checks and balances each time you restart as the cards hold the memory. Levels can change even if sliders haven't moved. I master all radio programs at 123 on the master level, as well with music cds. Thanks Zoom Co.

My review my be slightly off since being away from music for about 20 years. That being said, when I decided to get back into it, I purchased the Zoom r8 and a set of JBL's for some home recording. Holy cow have things come along way, my old recorder was a yamaha cassette 4 track it was as big as table. This Zoom is small enough to fit anywhere and sounds "Professional" is the word that comes to mind.

Technology is now an asset to creativity.

Mike

I received this as a christmas gift from my wife and I love it. I have owned several 4 tracks over the years (all them analog that use cassette tapes) and using the R8 has been awesome. It is easy to learn, use and is portable. The effects that are available for post production are very good and--although I do not use them--the drum kits are very good and do not sound synthesized. The built in Microphones are far superior to any stand alone mics that have owned (of course I never spend much money on them in the past) and do a very good job of capturing depth. When used in conjunction with a direct instrument input the mics have added a nice bright quality and capture the sound of PLAYING the guitar, not just the internal elements that the pick-ups transmit. I would recommend this for anyone who is looking a fun, portable machine to do some quality home recording or even if you are looking to take it in the field.

First plus: This offers 8 discrete tracks of recording, plus unlimited virtual tracks. No ganged tracks 7/8 like with the old HD8CD.
Second, the use of SD memory cards. While I was not initially enthused about this, I've since changed my tune. No more annoying hum in the background because of a noisy hard drive. Plus when a memory card is full, it's a lot easier to swap out a memory card than it is to swap out a hard drive. That and given the small size of SD cards, I can probably archive more recordings in a smaller space than I could with a hard drive.
While the construction is not as solid as, say a Zoom A2 stomp box, it is sturdy enough if one uses reasonable care. This embraces the Portable studio concept pioneered by Tascam over 30 years ago with better execution than anything Tascam has brought to market to date.

If there is any drawback to this, it is that it only comes with a 2GB SD card, and 1/4 of that capacity is taken with drum machine patterns, leaving the user with roughly 3 hours of mono recording time at 24-bit/44.1kHz recording resolution. If one uses all 8 tracks plus mastering, that amounts to less than 20 minutes of total time per track. Packaging it with an additional 8GB card would be an improvement.

I cant believe that a recorder bought for under $300 dollars could sound so good and be so easy to use. The 8 track 24bit stand alone recording is great, but it is even better as a 16 channel control surface for Cubase LE (included). Super easy for song writers.

If you're not planning on producing a national release, this is the perfect demo recorder for the money and ease of use. I use it weekly for my three hour public radio show on our Marfa NPR affiliate and right out of the box it was simple to set up and sounds great. Sounds as good as being in the professional radio booth at the station, which has been closed to DJ use for a year now and was my initial reason for purchase. I do use some outboard gear and have never tried the built in mics, which look like they might not sound so great, but the built in phantom power allows me to use a pro radio grade condenser mic.
The unit is as portable as a binder for a college class and with a memory card it holds quite a bit of data. Battery life is surprisingly good when not plugged in. File transfer interface is simple; track bouncing is simple.
Overall I can't think of a better recorder for the money. I'll still be using this even when my full sized studio is fully functioning.

On the negative side, my R8 freezes up occasionally (about once per 10 hrs of use, I estimate) and has to be turned off and on again to reset. Fortunately, the auto-save feature still works when I turn it off, so I don't lose any work.

Also, the unit is quite small, with pretty tiny faders, dials, and screens, which can make it hard to operate. I suggest you read the specs carefully so you know what you're getting.

On the good side, I pretty much agree with all the good stuff in the other reviews, which is why I give 4.5 stars overall.

Just one thing keeps this from hitting five stars. Contrary to what a lot of earlier reviewers say, there wasn't an SD Card included with my unit. There are drum sounds, so I guess Zoom moved those to the chip. After a week of playing around with the recorder, though, I'm pretty impressed. The recording is spot on and clean, and the workflow is smooth enough that I've only attained my usual level of stupid with new gear twice. That may be a record.

I have a TASCAM 4224 PortsStudio, so I'm not completely new to mutltitrack recording, so the main deal here was to get used to digital technology.

It takes a while till you get used to the functions of the R8, but there's the pot of gold in the end of the rainbow: great sound, reliability, tons of effects for acoustic and electric instruments and very good final results.

I definetely recommend the R8: fair price, compact unit (take it wherever you go) and a great sound!

I use it for remote sampling and guitar when I'm not near my DAW. It does the job well and is easy to use.
Surprising is the quality of the built in stereo microphones, phantom power is available.
Do get the 32g card!
As for the "included" software (download) well
Good luck, as the R8 driver is not signed it will not work on 64 bit systems, you can still access the card via USB but it will not interface audio via USB. As far as being a control surface it might work on older systems however the Cubase won't (naturally). I use Sonar anyway.

first of all high qualitysound
Easy to set up and use.
Igot this unit to replace a FostexVf16 16 trak hard disc recorderand the Zoom does evrything the Fostexdid Even the effects are top notch Iwas pretty much recording full projects within days of breaking itout of the box.

Love the zoom. Sound quality is great. Little bit of a learning curve for a novice like me but overall a great product!

The produce works just fine as advertised. No bugs or hiccups. I'm new to the recording process so I had to refer to the manual a lot. But once I got the hang of it, I was able to lay down tracks quite easily. The sampling features were useful if somewhat limited. The effects were nice (delays, chorus, flange, reverb etc...) but the guitar sounds weren't that good. I just used my Line 6 combo amp and went directly into the R9 and it recorded it well. I would definitely recommend this product based on my needs.

It does what it needs to do, but mine has had issues since day one. One of the inputs is so noisy it is unusable. Sometimes it just won't load what's on my sd card. I also don't understand why none of the zoom recorders have midi

I mostly really love this unit, however, one BIG problem for me, that was not at all clear from Zoom's descriptions, is that you can't track while using the effects if you are recording in 48k! You can only track and use effects at the same time while in 41kHz. For me, this almost defeats the point of buying it, which totally for the 48k recording ability, and the ability to record some songs when traveling away from my studio. Yes, I know its "better" to record dry, but its also not much fun! I'd at least like to be able to hear some reverb while I'm tracking...

I really hesitated buying this, because for a family man on a budget, even $295 is a LOT to shell out ....but I thought..."Well, at least with the drum track features, I am getting 2 machines in one....recorder and rythm section all in one. That might be the case if you have the patience of Job to program the 70 steps for every song. It is supposed to have a "beat recognition" feature for when you play original stuff, but we could never get it to work. So we have an extremely overpriced 2 input at a time only recorder with Casio level drums if we want to make the next big 80's electronica hit. I would have been better buying a radio shack "Digital Recorder" for $30 bucks and played a $50 casio toy into it and gotten the same quality for 1/100000th of the frustration. Consider me SCHOOLED.
Oh, and by the way, I was a recording engineer in the Military and a civilian broadcaster for 18 years. I DO know how to run electronic/computer equipment. Just found this beyond frustrating.

Got one used it 3 or 4 times worked well then I put it in the box pulled it back out a few months later and now it won't record all the other functions work great but since it is a recorder that doesn't record WA LAA. Paper weight

This piece of equipment has no ability at all to edit recorded wav files. In fact, it does not even show wav files after recording. It has zip editing ability. It does have use as a hardware controller of a DAW. That's how it should be sold. For the money, it is way over priced. The only positive is that you get a free copy of Cubase LE, which you can install and have the R8 control the Cubase. So you can use Cubase for editing.

Im not sure if the R8 I purchased is working properly. The mic in dosent work at all and the external mic sounds terrible. I dont like the way you have to do a million things to record and its a project in itself just to get fxs piped in. I ordered a different recorder and probable going to throw the r8 right in the trash.