Zoom R4 MultiTrak Recorder

I like multitrackers. Stepping away from a DAW can be very freeing. I still use my DAW of choice all the time, but I enjoy getting away from the computer setup. I’m behind a computer all day long with the work I do. I don’t want to associate that with my creative process all the time. Multitrackers allow you to be create in a similar way, albeit limited, without the mouse/keyboard, etc. I have had other Zoom machines in the past and they are great. I still have an old R8, which is an amazing unit. The R4 is small. It doesn’t have the bells and whistles that a lot of other multitrackers have, but that’s okay - what it does have is mobility. The onboard mic sounds pretty good, and the 32-bit floating thing is super nice - you don’t have to set gain levels, which is still weird for me to get used to. Once you are done recording, you can mix down to a master file of your project, and/or use your files in a DAW with no problem. Very versatile in this. It is made from plastic and I would be afraid to drop it. But I’m not planning on dropping it. Great little recorder that’s easy to carry around.

I took the risk and glad I did. I got this model for a little over a 100 dollars, by getting the Japanese Amazon one. Select it from the drop down menu when looking at sellers and select it there. Keep in mind that it takes almost a month to arrive, but when it does it is in English. No instructions are included, but downloading instructions are simple enough.Yes, this comes From the Official Japanese Amazon warehouse, and there is no difference from this model compared to the one released here in the USA.

The media could not be loaded. My only issues with it are that the sliders feel like they could break off, and it doesn't feel too sturdy. Other than that, this thing is awesome! I don't know why other recorders don't have 32-bit recording yet. I still need to explore it, but I am impressed with how my Hydrasynth sounds through it. It is perfect for recording improvisations and other musical ideas.

Its awesome get it!

Wish I had this 20 years ago. Works great with fantastic quality. Highly recommended!

It is great a recording sound, but it only has two stereo channels, nothing for USB-C or USB and there are no instructions on what the slides for channels 3 and 4 do

Firstly, this is an amazing little hand-held multi-track recorder for what it can do. Has some caveats. The concept is innovative, but the design is a bit archaic and is executed in a way that could be improved with the addition of a jog-wheel. When you have a multi-featured piece of gear like this, a jog wheel is critical.The Good:1). Immediacy - I produce all types of music (play a little guitar too) and this thing is great for capturing ideas at home or on the go. You just have to be patient (more on this later).2). Great sound quality - 32bit Float ensures no clipping/clicking/distortion and unwanted "hot" signals.3). Solid design, compact, and fit well in a studio with limited space (also has a tripod thread mount).4). Bounce infinite tracks that retain their layering as independent .WAV files on the micro SD.----------------The Bad:1). Navigating the interface is a pain. A jog wheel would have relieved a lot of button-pressing. For instance, you have to press 4 different buttons to return to the home screen, go back, go forward and make an entry. A jog wheel is a simple turn and a press.2). The guitar (insert) effects are mono, NOT stereo. So this means you only get one channel (Input a or b, but not both) for processing. While not entirely a deal-breaker, my workaround was adding a touch of reverb to widen the field on mono tracks and pan slightly to 'fake' the stereo effect! The saving grace is that you can layer up to 2 guitar effects on each mono track - that's a total of 8 independent effects, but it can get muddy fast, so a bit of track EQing should fix this3). Scrubbing on the timeline is exponential (the longer you press Rewind or Fast Forward, it speeds up faster), so if you hold down FWD or REW for too long you'll move well-beyond your punch-in or edit point.4). No visual feedback for track recorded data, so you have to watch the clock, which is okay - reminds me of the old tape counters on my Fostex 4-track recorder. The downside is you waste time cueing up to where you want to punch in without the visual aid of layered tracks.Overall, it just depends on what you're after. I already have a Headrush Gigboard for rigging, so I can produce layered stereo processing, but it would have been a game-changer if something small and compact like the R4 could offer dual-channel processing as well. If you are just looking to jam out on a bass/lead, this is a good grab for you. Beatmakers trying to get weird and other-worldly, edgy effects by processing audio signals will not have any luck unless you are okay with a mono-effects track. The distortion sounds awesome for a drum track though. I thought about returning it, but this small recorder is a novel product and I can definitely make use of it for capturing quick ideas before they escape me.----------------------Specs for a "dream/impossible" hand-held multitrack recorder:1- stereo insert processing2- seamless navigation (jog wheel)3- overdubbing on a single track4- looper5- count-in recording/punch-in6- variable speed for playback and recording7- Midi clock send-----------UPDATE DEC 12-12-24------------I FOUND MY DREAM EFFECTS LOOPER! Its called a Roland SP-404 MKII. I eventually sent the Zoom back. The 404 does it all.

Even with the highest SD memory card specifically recommended for this machine it cannot take too much punching in, rerecording takes, and processing without bugging out. I made what I believed to be a great recording. If you know what you're doing and play well, there's no reason you can't make very acceptable recordings. BUT...when you start to bounce and have used the machine to do multiple punch ins and rewinds it will crash and struggle to save more than one bounce. I made a recording recently that sounded so good, and yes, this machine within the confines of its limitations, can make great recordings for such a small limit, but It didn't save the last bounce!!! I lost it. it was gone. I looked in the setting, the files, the projects..it never saved the bounce. I don't want to use this recorder ever again for bouncing. 4 tracks only. I don't think this recorders made for bouncing yet, its memory & processing is to fragile. I even checked my SD card status and I wasn't even near filling it. I only used 10% of its capacity. So its some internal processing that can't handle too much usage then bouncing.