Zoom Announces R4 MultiTrak, A Handheld 4-Track Recorder
The Zoom R4 takes the old-school 4-track cassette recorder and puts it in your pocket, and it has possibly the cutest volume faders ever.
Zoom has announced the new Zoom R4 Multitrak – a handheld 4-track recorder. It takes the old cassette-based home recording paradigm and not only digitises it, but enhances the quality and adds more features. If our teenage selves could see this – we would probably choke on our low-cost lager.
As well as the four main tracks – each of which comes with possibly the world’s cutest volume fader – you also get a further bounce track so that, in true ‘80s-style, you can mix your music down to free up space for further tracks. There are two XLR/TS combo inputs so that you can plug in guitars, bass, keyboards etc, and if you don’t have a microphone to hand, you can make use of the built-in omnidirectional one.
Additionally, there are effects including EQ, reverb, compression and guitar FX, and 32-bit float recording. Track levels can be monitored on the LCD screen, and there are dedicated transport controls. This being a portable device, it can run on batteries (either 4 AA ones or an external USB-C power pack) and will also function as a USB audio interface.
Features:
- 4 Tracks of Recording + Dedicated Bounce Track
- 2 XLR/TS combo inputs for guitar, bass, keyboards, microphones and more
- Built-in Omnidirectional Microphone
- Dual AD circuitry with 32-bit float recording technology
- Color LCD Display
- Built-in effects including EQ, Reverb, Compression, and Guitar effects
- 4 Faders for Volume Control
- USB Audio Interface Function
- Runs on 4 AA batteries or external USB-C battery
Perhaps, you might say that you could get a more comprehensive portable recording setup just by buying an audio interface for your phone and using an app, but there’s something about the R4’s old-meets-new aesthetic that makes it seem very appealing.
The R4 is price at just €219, but you’ll need to wait until December before you can get your hands on one.
Find out more on the Zoom website.
