Digital Multi-Track Recorder / Control Surface.
Item: ZOMHD16CD
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47 People rated this product : 7 out of 10
8 People wrote reviews









9 out of 10
Feature:
The controls are totally intuitive, everything is laid out perfectly. The manual is very long and in-depth, though it is easy to read and understand. I don't use the CD burner at all... as I mix everything on my computer. I honestly haven't even bothered to see if it works. I did record a live concert the other night which I'll probably try to mix in the box and burn... we'll see. The drum machine is nice, but not so useful. I wish there were more metronome settings. But you can make your own. I haven't tried to load sounds onto the triggers yet, but it's on my mind.
Quality:
I was absolutely surprised that this thing was pretty god damn HEAVY when I picked it up. It's a solid piece of metal. It's extremely durable, even though I treat her like a baby. I wish there was a carrying case made for it, though.
Value:
This is the best in this price range... but, I must say. As soon as you have 8 simultaneous inputs... you're gonna want 16, 24, 32, 64... just like me.
Desirability:
If the XLR inputs were a bit wider I would dump my girlfriend.
Sound:
16 Bit/44.1 kHz... what else could you want? When buying a standalone recorder, this was my first requirement. All sounds are accurately captured, provided you capture them in the right way. Garbage in=garbage out, etc.
I only give it a 9 because I feel like the preamps could be better. But even if they were good, I wouldn't use them. I like my outboard pres better.
Ease of Use:
All the controls are extremely intuitive. Only thing I found a bit difficult was the mysterious "REC LEVEL" pot... wasn't explained in the manual at all. It raises your monitor volume of the inputted source(s)... thought the pot could have a better name.
The unit gets an 8 in this category, because I've noticed some problems. When recording more than one track at once... when I press 'stop' and zero the track (say I messed up and wanted to do it over) every now and then--completely without a pattern--track one, for some reason, disarms itself. There were a few drum takes I'd have to start over because I wasn't getting anything from the left overhead, etc.
Also... the wheel, every now and then, counts up when im trying to make it go down, and vice versa. I can work around this stuff... but I feel like eventually I'll get on the phone with zoom and see if updating the firmware will correct this.
Support:
Haven't dealt with them. I give 10s to support I never need.
Overall:
I'll get a couple of years of use out of this thing. Eventually it will be relegated to mobile recording projects, and I'll probably upgrade to a more serious desk. But this will work fine until then.
Submitted: 5/11/2008
Style of Music: Rock









9 out of 10
Feature:
Ok, the 'features' section gets a 10. Why? Well, because this thing let's you record 8 channels at a time with 8-XLR in's, 8-1/4", TRS-ins (two of which have hi-z switches for added guitar frequency boosting), and EVERY SINLGE INPUT (all 8 of em') HAS 48V PHANTOM POWER!!! That's just plain sick, especially since I use 5 mics which need this. Does any other 16-tracker boast that capability...didn't think so...
Quality:
Wow..that's about all I can say. This thing is sturdy to the max! It's soooo much heavier and sold metal-feeling than all of the other recorders in it's league (I've had the opportunity to mess around with the Yamaha & boss 16 trackers...and also the Zoom's predecessor, the MRS-1608). This thing has taken alot of bumps and shady, backroad car rides in nothing more than it's original carboard box...and it still works like the day I got it (about a year ago).
Value:
This is another '10' for the HD16. It out-preforms at least it's Yamaha and Boss competitors (like I said, I've tested all three), and it's better built than both of them as well, and it costs waaaay less than them, too...therefore...it gets a '10' for value. I'd easily have paid an extra $200 or $300 for this unit, it's a total steal at $700.00!
Desirability:
Well, I have it...therefore "I want it"...
...if my HD16 broke, I'd totally buy another one.
Sound:
It sounds fantastic! Especially for being a 16-bit recorder (with "24-bit conversion" of course...). Seriously though, it sounds awesome. The built-in effects and preset can be a little bit 'toy-ish' or 16-bit sounding...but if you mic your amps and everything (with halfway decent mics) and record that way, you can get superb results with this unit.
Ease of Use:
Somewhat intuitive. The instructions arn't the best, but instructions ALWAYS suck (especially when they're from another country). Basically, you'll have to do a few simple "starter projects" first so you can learn your way around, but after that (unless you have no recording experiece whatsoever), you should be fine. It's all about mic'ing techniques people....no matter what unit or method you use to record.
Support:
I'll say '7' just to be fair, because technically I've never needed them for anything, so I can't rightly give them a '10' or a '0'
Overall:
My band's CD sounds like we recorded it at a serious, pro-studio in LA, when in fact it was done quickly in a dirty basement with the Zoom HD16 and a couple decent mics. I'm not sure what the last couple of reviews here were talking about (and I'm not sure it's fair to give an accurate review of the HD16's features, sound, & use if yours was DOA...your local music vendor or where ever you bought it from should have fixed that for you, without having to deal with Zoom's support), but mine has been all but lifechanging! I give the Zoom HD16 a solid 9-9.5 overall...just cause nothing's perfect.
Submitted: 4/4/2008
Style of Music: All types of rock (hard, indie, alt, metal, etc)
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