Originally Posted By: Charlie Fogle
Stand alone digital multi track recorders such as the Zoom R8,R16,R24, L12, L24; Tascam DP-008,DP03 and DP-24,Dp-32 or the new D-24 all have proprietary DAW built in. The learning curve is better than any software DAW. The units are rock solid, some also double as an Audio Interface, will vary from two to 24 inputs and regardless of the actual channel count, can produce dozens of tracks. They are mobile, make great field recorders, have actual faders and knobs and normally the menu's do not go very deep. They all work flawlessly with BIAB tracks.

They can easily transfer audio files to and from a computer DAW and very seldom malfunction or crash.

Cost can be less than $100 used to just over $100 new to thousands depending on what you buy.

They operate as simply as turning it on, plugging in Mic's and line level inputs such as keys, electric guitars, etc, opening a song, select tracks, hit record and you're off. No drivers, sound cards, finicky plug-ins or wacky OS's.

You can learn a unit inside/out in a day...

They're not as fancy or popular as DAW's but at the end of the day, you can record, edit and publish a song from start to finish literally in the box --- The real box....


Hi Vincente, and Charlie.

I agree with Charlie in most of what he said above.

In fact, I (stupidly) worry about what workflow I should standardize for myself, sometimes thinking that I should stick to using a computer (DAW) for all of my workflow, or whether I should use my Zoom R16 for tracking, and then transfer the tracks to Reaper.

When I finally get BIAB, the question will be - "Should I do everything I can in BIAB, and then transfer the files to Reaper for final tracking and editing, or should I copy some of the BIAB files to my Zoom R16, track there, and then take all of that to Reaper?"

The reason that I struggle with this is that I find it really enjoyable to have the physical controls (such as faders) on the Zoom.

Here are some things that one might want to bear in mind about the Zoom R16 and R24
1. The R16 does not have any sort of drum track

2. The R24's 'drum machine' is terrible - really awkward to use

3. Both the R16 and R24 can be used in three ways: as a stand-alone recorder; as an audio interface; and as a control surface (to provide physical mixing controls - faders! - when connecting with a computer DAW)

4. In practice, the preamps in the R16 (and, I presume in the R24) sometimes provide barely enough gain to get a good signal when using the R16 as an audio interface



Last edited by drutgat; 10/13/18 09:52 AM.
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