Considering Podcast Gear?

Podcasting has become very popular in South Africa. If you inner story-teller is wanting to break free, you will soon be considering good gear.

The Zoom R8 combines multiple audio production tools in one compact device. In addition to being an 8-track recorder, it's a pad sampler and a rhythm machine, and can even serve as a DAW control surface and computer audio interface.

We recently tested the Zoom R-8.

The Zoom R8 combines multiple audio production tools in one compact device. In addition to being an 8-track recorder, it's a pad sampler and a rhythm machine, and can even serve as a DAW control surface and computer audio interface. Advanced features such as built-in stereo condenser microphones, dual mic/line/instrument level inputs, onboard DSP effects and chromatic tuner complete the picture, making the R8 a great choice for home recordists and road warriors alike.

The R8 provides dual inputs on combo connectors which can accept either XLR or ¼" balanced or unbalanced cables. Both can handle mic- and line-level signals, and Input 1 can also handle instrument-level signals from passive or active electric guitars and basses. Phantom power of +24 or +48 volts can be applied to both inputs, allowing the use of external condenser microphones. There are also dual balanced ¼" TRS output jacks and a headphone output with a dedicated volume control.

Over 140 studio-quality DSP effects are provided. These include insert effects such as equalization/dynamics processing and send-return effects such as reverb and chorus/delay. In addition, there are guitar amp, bass amp, and mic preamp models and effects specially designed for use on vocals and stereo instruments such as electronic keyboards, plus mastering algorithms like multi-band compression. Effects can be applied during recording and mixdown, or can be used for playback only.

A USB port allows the R8 to send and receive digital data and to act as an 2-input/2-output interface for DAWs such as the included Cubase LE. When operating at a sampling frequency of 44.1kHz, input signal can be routed through the R8's onboard DSP effects.

Just 4 AA batteries—either alkaline or rechargeable NiMH—are required for power. Battery life when using alkaline batteries is more than 5 hours, even during continuous recording. Alternatively, you can use the included AD-17 AC adapter, which allows you to power the R8 from any standard wall socket. The R8 can also be powered via USB when connected to a computer.

The R8 records directly to SD cards, with support for both standard SD and SDHC cards up to 32 gigabytes, for a maximum of 100 track hours. Using SD media for recording ensures increased reliability and means that you never have to be concerned about hard drive failure.

Our findings:

1. This is a good entry level integrated recorder.

2. It has all the functions that you will need to record your podcast and connect to telephone guests.

3. Zoom is a well-know audio recording brand which is widely used at our company. The equipment wears well.

The one thing we had against the Zoom R8 is that the build quality feels cheap and plastically, especially if compared to the build quality of the Rode Podcaster.

The unit performed well in a working radio studio and was easy to use.

The Zoom R8 comes with a free download license for Steinberg’s Cubase LE music production software, providing not just the ability to capture incredible audio in every box, but to do spectacular things with them.

Take your recordings to a more professional level. Steinberg’s powerful and state-of-the-art audio software used by creators around the world now comes with every Zoom R24, R16, and R8 purchase.

Currently shipping with: Cubase LE8 for Mac OS X 10.9/10.10 and Windows 7/8/8.1

It is great value for money.