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Complicated
By: JR and His Guitar
Submitted: 1/26/2023
1 person found this review helpful.
Product Rating
Product Review
TomPF confirmed everything that I thought about this unit. All these digital mixers require someone who is exceptionally tech savvy and probably went to a school which offers this curriculum!
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This machine has a lot of functions, so read the manual!
By: David H.
Submitted: 5/10/2021
1 person found this review helpful.
Product Review
I recommend reading the manual and maybe watch a few youtube videos because this thing does it all!
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Excellent piece for my needs.
By: Bgillis
Submitted: 7/28/2020
2 people found this review helpful.
Product Review
Excellent piece for my needs. Does everything and more
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Packed with features
By: Erasmo Cisneros
Submitted: 6/24/2020
1 person found this review helpful.
Product Review
Everything works, but takes a little time to get used to navigating through all the features and that takes time cause it is packed with a lot of them. Drum Machine, Audio Interface, Standalone Mixer, Multi-track Recorder, Phantom Power for mics. All good.
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Best Bang for the Buck
By: Blind Boy Bobby Ray Lightning
Submitted: 6/5/2020
11 people found this review helpful.
Product Review
Something this easy doesn't usually sound this good. I'm finally getting my studio at
63 yrs old, and I must say, I'm having a blast
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Powerful lightweight gadget
By: Samira
Submitted: 1/6/2020
1 person found this review helpful.
Product Review
The Zoom R8 is an incredibly lightweight easy to learn gadget that makes live recordings efficient and stress-free! I was extremely satisfied with this products capabilities and functionality.
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Everything you need on the go.
By: Pet Bat
Submitted: 12/16/2019
1 person found this review helpful.
Product Review
Well I've probably owned 5 digital portastudios so to speak and the ease of use and sound quality are as good as anything. Hardly need manual, very straightforward. Built in mics excellent surprisingly which is perfect for scratchpad as singer/songwriter use.I think the jacks could be improved but that's the only complaint. FYI Mine had no card or drum loops but I don't care. Excellent!
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CLEAN RECORDING
By: ALFRED J FERRARO
Submitted: 9/28/2019
3 people found this review helpful.
Product Review
I JUST RECEIVED MY ZOOM R8. I'M EXCITED TO DIG IN.
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This unit is not for real musicians more for beat makers
By: Ed
Submitted: 9/23/2019
1 person found this review helpful.
Product Review
I thought programming rthyms would be straight forward like the 02 04
You really can't program beats for songs easily. Oh mine broke after just 6mths of use the function switch is broken. Bought it brand new
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No SD Card Included
By: Grant Urias
Submitted: 3/27/2019
Product Review
Very good sounding recorder once you get past the learning curve- but it's worth it. Other retailers include a very small 2GB SD card - not with this one. I paid $11 for 32 GB- no big deal but you need one to record. AMS quick and accurate shipping . Happy so far!
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I am just getting the basics but it's easy to figure out
By: Paul J Rash
Submitted: 3/5/2019
2 people found this review helpful.
Product Review
It has a lot of features that I have yet to explore but for basic recording no problem
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SO - MANY - FEATURES!
By: Mike in Portland
Submitted: 2/5/2019
2 people found this review helpful.
Product Review
I was going to buy a truckload of gear, but I got this instead. That truckload of gear is all in the box. All of the pedals and amps any guitarist/bassist could want, a sampler, a drum machine, mastering effects, and probably a lot more features than most will ever get to, but it's there.
There is definitely a learning curve, but given all that this thing does, be realistic and expect that. This is a pretty complete recording studio that fits in a purse. There is a better manual on amazon, for free, and I recommend it to save time getting started. The more you learn, the better your recordings will sound.
Just for perspective, I spent just as much, nearly 20 years ago, on a tascam 4 track cassette recorder with none of the good stuff included.
Realize everything this little zoomer does - there is no bigger bang for your buck. This is your new studio.
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Excellent Recorder!!!
By: Jak Dupp
Submitted: 2/1/2019
4 people found this review helpful.
Product Review
Great unit for home recording or using on the go. Takes AA batteries so you can take it with you easily. Easy to learn and use. Very user friendly. Small unit and very portable. PLUS AMS payment plan and fast shipping, makes it a no brained decision!!!
Thanks AGAIN AMS!!!
Sure could use a coupon for an amp I want for my bday!!! LOL
review title:
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Not user friendly
By: Jay
Submitted: 1/25/2019
2 people found this review helpful.
Product Review
I’m fairly new to multi track recorders but have used them in the past. However this Zoom R8 has been nothing short of a headache. The instructions are vague and useless to a novice such as myself. I’ve not been able to use it since purchasing it. I planned to have my daughter use it to record vocals but we’ve not figured out how to upload wav files successfully. I would suggest looking for a more user friendly multi track recorder.
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I love my zoom R8 recorder
By: Terry Greene Music Mogul
Submitted: 12/27/2018
2 people found this review helpful.
Product Review
This is a very simple recorder to use right out of the box i started recording my ideas right away from start to finish with mixing and all i just love this home recorder for my home studio the very best that i have used in years.
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Simple, quality, versatile, and worth every penny!
By: Mike
Submitted: 10/4/2018
3 people found this review helpful.
Product Review
Whenever I buy anything that's over twenty bucks, I research like crazy before I spend my money. I can say with certainty that if you are interested in becoming a better songwriter, this Zoom r8 is the very best choice. Here's why I am so sure.
1. The simplicity of the r8 is awesome and it's clear that Zoom took their time in designing the button layout and inputs so that everything feels natural. Watch a YouTube video or two and you are going to be happy with how quickly you are able to operate the r8. I can arm a track, set levels and be recording in under a minute; overdubbing is even faster.
2. The sound quality is clear and warm on playback. The sliders move with the right amount of weight so that you can dial in your levels without worrying about knocking the other sliders up or down.
3. This recorder is capable of doing a whole dang album if you wanted to! Its drum program actually sound surprisingly solid and full of punch. What really grabbed my attention and impressed me was how cool the distorted tones were on this! Clean is easy, it has all that from straight forward to ambient, but I was actually digging the onboard tone for my guitar. 4. This is so much more fun than I thought it would be. I have improved my vocals, vastly improved my timing, and most importantly I am writing better than I ever have. This truly is worth the price and you can never go wrong with the free shipping, no sales tax and the piece of mind that after the 1yr manufacturers warranty runs out, AMS gives you an extra year long warranty that begins when the manufacturer warranty ends.
review title:
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Amazing 8 track recorder!
By: Michael LaFave
Submitted: 9/5/2018
2 people found this review helpful.
Product Review
Super easy to use. The built in condenser mic sounds great. Can easily be used during live performances for backing tracks. I highly recommend the Zoom R8!!
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Great product
By: Bernardo Cofresi
Submitted: 11/2/2016
5 people found this review helpful.
Product Review
Just a week of playing with it!! It has so much features,learning how to use all of them is going to take some time and practice! Started with clean guitar,added onboard effects: super sound to record! The Machine has all you need to make super recordings!!
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love it
By: Noel
Submitted: 2/15/2016
1 person found this review helpful.
Product Review
Super unit
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very hard to use
By: con astone
Submitted: 8/31/2015
6 people found this review helpful.
Product Review
very hard to use instructions are very complicated records well but it is not easy I recorded a few tracks but I wiped them out by pushing the wrong buttons the manual was not helpful at all you have to be a brain surgeon to figure them out very well made but hard to use
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Zoom R8 is awesome!
By: Stephen from Texas
Submitted: 3/4/2014
0 people found this review helpful.
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CAPABLE BUT CONFUSING
By: TomPF
Submitted: 2/19/2014
11 people found this review helpful.
Your general opinion of this product.
I've had this thing for almost a week, and I've yet to lay down anything CLOSE to a song because it's got SO MUCH going on and apparently has TONS of features and things built into it, but the manual is VERY POOR in explaining how to bring it all together. I had to get on YouTube and watched a 36-minute video of a guy doing it from start to finish, and that helped somewhat, but my head is STILL spinning on how to geet this machine to do all the marvelous things that it's supposed to do!
Unsure of the quality of this product. I bought it knowing it was a "B-stock" unit, but it has no visibile external damage, scratches or blemishes on it. It has totally locked up three times in less than a week to where I had to empty the batteries out to get it to even shut off. That doesn't bode well for it. All the switches, knobs, and display appear solid and the unit itself is well constructed of quality materials though.
I bought a Zoom product over other brands because they generally have a reputation for being easier to use and more feature-packed than other brands. You should also know that I'm a senior mechanical engineer who has been doing audio and video for decades, as well as playing music. As stated above though, this is a VERY complex piece of equipment to take out of the box and understand. There is no "simplified mode" or "Quick Start Manual" to get you started right away. Making matters worse is the manual, which appears to have every feature explained, is poorly written. Close to the beginning of the manual, there is a two-page chart that shows "how to make a recording" but then in every step it refers you to other pages deep in the manual to figure out each feature. A product this complex should have a simple diagram or directions to get a BASIC recording done, and perhaps more complex features explained after that.
The physical design of the unit is neat and appears well laid out. It also appears absolutely LOADED with features based on others comments, reviews and YouTube videos, but I have yet to experience those for myself. Maybe I'll crack the code on this thing and find out it's the greatest thing since sliced bread, but it's been a frustrating experience so far.
One of the things I did experience is that there are literally HUNDREDS of high-quality effects for clean and distortion, bass, and acoustic guitars. There are also some very impressive drum rhythms in there. They sound GREAT! Way better than I expected. I plugged one of my Les Pauls into the unit and the effects sounded fantastic.
Only had it less than a week, but it's already frozen three times with all buttons, sliders, and even the on/off switch frozen. I had to remove the batteries and the external power to get it to reset.
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an awesome tool full of great capabilities
By: Joseph from blissfield,mi. usa
Submitted: 7/22/2013
1 person found this review helpful.
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Unbelievable machine!
By: Tim E. from Detroit MI USA
Submitted: 2/16/2012
3 people found this review helpful.
The unit is well made, though I wouldn't advise dropping it. I'd never used a ZOOM product before and this was a good way for me to be introduced to their merchandise.
The Sound! I hooked it up to a Yamaha monitor and scrolled through a few of the Mic programs. I can't sing well, but the R8 made me sound like a pro. And the overall sound is crystal clear. Also the portability is very handy. It fit snugly into my keyboard case.
The R8 is really easy to figure out. I only had to pick up the manual twice so far and I've had it for three weeks. The manual itself is well written and easy to understand.
Like I said earlier, the sound is unbelievable coming from a machine this small. I have worked with other multitracks, but none of them sounded this good.
So far, it has proven to be very reliable, handling multiple takes and punch ins with no glitches.
Your general opinion of this product.
I love this product. If it breaks I would gladly replace it. There are so many features packed into it, that I could record studio sounding CDs with no problem.
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Great product
By: Jim B from chicago il
Submitted: 11/28/2011
2 people found this review helpful.
Your general opinion of this product.
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Entirely recorded on Zoom R8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccOmMuCdFjs
By: Eddie from Los Angeles
Submitted: 7/22/2011
Your general opinion of this product.
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Great Recorder
By: Greg from Hernando, Fl
Submitted: 7/8/2011
I love this little recorder.
Nice and compact, but not so small that you can't comprehend menus to get to normal recorder functions. All the sliders and knobs are set up like the big boys. The ability to just use the built in condenser mic's is huge for me, as well as direct and mic inputs.
Manual will take you through everything you need to know. That pretty rare anymore.
It has on board effects, that if you just want the idea recorded are fine, but nothing great. Going direct with a guitar is not a good idea going for happy tones anyways. Mic a cabinet and happiness will follow.
Looks durable. It is plastic, so don't play catch with it with friends.
Your general opinion of this product.
It is a big recorder in a small package.