As one who has spent some 30 years tracking with those who have put $15,000 and up into their Tascam and Otari open reel project studios, sat in with those who've bought time in quarter mil.+ studios with 2" tape machines and 6 foot tall rack mounts, and fiddling endlessly (and often haplessly) with cassette machines, I've got to say that the initial 2 weeks I've just had with my new little Zoom HD16 has been my most magical and best sound experience, bar none. My purchase of this thing came in a very weird way. Some months back, I learned that my coworker's son was getting his start to become a pro wrestler, and was already doing arena exhibitions. I asked if he had entrance music, and since he didn't I offered to get something together. In the process I'd gotten so frustrated with the results I was getting that I nearly tossed my Portastudio 414 across the room. The Zoom was a spontanious midnight purchase, whipping out the plastic... The next day I thought, "What the heck have I gotten myself into!?! I'm a analogue guy! A linear tape and dedicated-knobs-on-the-board type dude! I'm too old for this...Can I even live beyond tape hiss?!" I'd long suffered a horrendous "learning failure" with my dust covered Boss DR5, which for me has always been a soft button nightmare...It would probably be more realistic for me to somehow become a Kung Fu master and horizontally walk up the side of a tree. Anyhow, after an initial slight freakout, I read through a few key sections of the Zoom manual, plugged in my elderly Ensoniq VFXsd and kept getting those "ah-ha" moments. For my initial project, I've just used a little itty bit of it's features, keeping it to an analogue deck mentality; not even trying to use the built-in rhythm feature, or digitally ping-ponging, etc. Trying to think along the lines of just filling up some tracks while presetting the internal effects for each; learning I could keep it simple by just plugging whatever instrument into the 1st jack ("activating" the jack with it's on/off button)and assigning it to whatever track by pushing the button to whatever track (red glow=active/record; green glow=monitor/playback). Every track then automatically feeds and stacks into the Master track. Simple. Those of us who've used analogue Portastudios know the often futile struggle that it takes to get those tracks to sound truly "musical", beyond what otherwise sounds like four cheesy cassette boom boxes wired in series. Not so with this Zoom! I feel I could actually go ahead and burn a respectable and actually quite "presentable" CD for live auditorium mains playback right from the raw unpanned/unprocessed tracks! It seems to be that stinkin' good. But I'm gonna fiddle with it some in mixdown mode, do my pans and assigned processing and see how much further it can progress. To me the unit sounds pretty warm, and not at all digitally harsh and "gatey".

I live trigger my own drum samples by hand on a remote keyboard, and play my own bass lines so I haven't fiddled with the built-in rhythm sequencer. This Zoom is a work of metal art, nice and heavy. It would have been cool to have dedicated knobs for Pan, Low/Mid/High per track, but hey, it's no real big deal doing it this way - at least there won't be any of those knobs getting dirty and crackly!

This unit seems to be EXTREMELY musical, even right out of the box, in comparison to analogue cassette. The learning curve for using it LIKE one would an analogue deck is not all that bad. Make sure to read up on the basic operation sections in the manual before turning it on. You have to fiddle with it a bit, but do it wisely.

It seems great.

When you've grown up in an era when 16 tracks meant tens of thousands of dollars and huge 1" tape media, desk-sized mixing boards, rackmounted outboards even for simple processing, and separate mixdown units like a 1/2 track, or DAT, the $599. for this unit is ridiculously cheap. Like discovering you can get a new Bentley at the car lot for $5000.

I've so far had no contact with Zoom.

It's brushed metal, not gray plastic. It's compact and meaty. It does what you want...

Hobbyist

Rock, electric blues

For the price, I don't see how the sound could be better. Once again, the sound quality is going to depend on the skill of the operator. Knowledge of mic techniques is imperative.

Lots of features, many of which I won't use, but the ones I have tried have been excellent. I like the drum kit feature.

As an amateur hobbyist recordist, I found this product fairly easy to use, given its many features. The controls are intuitive, and the manual is very good, written with the beginner in mind. I was recording and mixing in very little time at all, with a finished product on CD faster than I had imagined.

The first thing you notice taking the unit out of the box is how solid it feels. It does not appear to be cheaply made at all. I plan to use the unit at home, but would not hesitate to take it on the road.

This is not a professional recording studio, but for the price, you would not expect it. Very good value for the price. I was impressed with the sound quality for the price.

I have not had to deal with support, since I have had no problems as of this date.

Hobbyist

Rock/Praise & Worship

This unit sounds great! I tracked a drummer and then laid down my guitar and vocal tracks using the amps in the unit. I was floored by the outcome of the project. The Zoom blows away all other daw workstations!

Every feature on this unit is usable and sounds great. You really dont need to use Cubase but is a nice extra and you can use the unit as a control surface! I really like that it has metering for every channel, 80gb hard drive and a cd burner

Had it less than 24hrs and had a whole song recorded and mastered. Thats real drums, 2 guitar tracks, bass and vocals. Very easy and sounds great

Built like a tank

Alot of bang for the price cant beat it!

Havent had to use them so I dont know

Im a gear head the features on this tuns me on ALOT!

Active Musician, Recording Engineer

Black thrash death grind

It's really hard to fault this recorder for sound quality... there are so many variables involved (mic's, room acoustics, amps, etc.) if you hear something you don't like. I've had this for about a year now and I'll say it's pretty honest. I've got some amazing sounds and some not so good... but I honestly think that's due to my other gear, not this unit.

Amazing. Honestly. I love well-designed gear that is functional and intelligent. Zoom did a great job here. I was a little concerned about some of the "hidden" functions, but just spending a little time with this recorder and it all makes sense. Some of the effects are overkill and definitely goofy, but it's nice to have those effects on hand during the creative process.

There's definitely a learning curve, and many things aren't intuitive, but then I've never used a multi-track that didn't require some time investment to figure things out. Don't get me wrong... if you want to fire it up and lay down a few tracks and overdub a few parts to capture an idea, you'll have no problems at all. If you want to program your own drum beat (and how cool that's included in this device!!!) and use various input effects, then you'll need to study the manual and learn more about the device. It doesn't take long to figure things out... manual is pretty good, btw.

Built like a tank. Feels solid. Looks classy and pretty and impressive with the LED track lights (honestly one of the reasons I bought the unit -- I hate trying to see track levels on those tiny LCD screens. I've owned and used several older cassette multi-trackers and also used a nice computer setup (DAW). I got frustrated with the DAW because it was completely dependent on the computer itself (which adds ambient noise anyway). This unit never fails to record, never runs slow, never pops or clips because something is running in the background. The CD drive burns flawlessly and the computer connection is as straightforward as possible. I do treat it like a computer in the sense that I use a good UPS (uninterruptible power source) to avoid it accidentally shutting down during read/writes (which could obviously damange the unit... as others have mentioned).

Are you kidding me? I am constantly amazed that this unit sells for under $600. I've seen other units that have XLR inputs, but then don't supply an individual switch for phantom power for each input... this Zoom recorder does (e.g., Korg D888 doesn't). And it's got an 80GB HD which is more than adequate considering it's so easy to offload/backup your tracks on your computer via USB. And it includes DAW software, which I hooked up and fooled around with... which is a really nice feature (but I prefer doing all of my recording/mixing/mastering in the self-contained Zoom recorder).

I emailed Zoom to inquire about the latest firmware and received a prompt response back with directions on how to download the latest firmware (1.12 in case you are wondering). This firmware addresses a minor quirk that I noticed with recording status lights 1 and 4... so that was very cool.

Not much to say here... I really like the design and the features are amazing.

Singer/Songwriter

Rock/Folk/Country/Alternative

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.

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...

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.

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).

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!

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'

Well, I have it...therefore "I want it"... ...if my HD16 broke, I'd totally buy another one.

Active Musician & Recording Hobbyist

All types of rock (hard, indie, alt, metal, etc)

First of all, your fingers will make or break the sound - not the recorder! If your recording is clean, you'll get AMAZING results! No recording device on this planet will turn crap into gold.

Has everything you need for recording. EQ's, compressor, FX's and amp simulation. Best of all - you have 8 channels of simultanious recording!!!!!!!! Finally, one company that made this possible on a unit this size - THANK YOU!

You don't need a Ph.D. to understand this unit. Though, it is very useful to read the manual!

Solid metal casing. Knobs and faders feel solid. I was pleasantly surprized when I used it for the first time.

The Zoom is definitely worth the money!

Did not have to get in touch with Zoom.

Quite frankly, I can't live without it.

active musician

everything

Re-writing an earlier review . . . If you do not run any effects through the unit and simply use the onboard effects, you will find this product can produce just about any sound you hear in your head. I have had it 2 1/2 years now, encompassing 33 songs (about 3 hours of music). It seems like every time I step away from the unit a few weeks, then come back, I'm able to produce greater and greater sound quality. I play speed metal, and have abolutely been satisfied with the unit's ability to create monster sounds.

One must tinker with the onboard effects to shape the sound, but once you figure it out, wow! Though not unique to this device, the bounce feature is simply awesome for recording choruses. It sounds odd, but the best feature I've found in the unit is the vocal shaping effects, especially the low to high octave enhancers and de-enhacers. A hobbyist truly can produce some great background effects.

Once you understand the basics and begin integrating additional effects, you will be constantly amazed! Going from basic plug-and-play recordings to fully shaped sounds takes time. Be patient with this unit and you'll find yourself not only wanting to record more and more, but also will find the recordings themselves become easier and faster to complete.

I have found this to be durable, exceptionally well-constructed, and having a bevy of features that all work.

10, 10, 10. I owned a 4-track cassette recorder before this, and the difference is ridiculous. You can record any sort of music through this unit, and, with a little determined patience, can make songs that sound like they came from a million-dollar studio.

Have never needed to use them. My unit is now 2 and 1/2 years old. I have never expereienced lock-up, knob failure, or failure of any sort.

I think it's a technical marvel. I look forward to using it, and continue to learn from it. Again, I cannot imagine a more comprehensive unit at this price.

Hobbyist

Speed metal

The effects seem a bit 'noisy'. I've had best luck using a clean channel (no fx) and recording from a mic'd amp. Even the set of clean fx seem to overpower the recorded audio with a hum of some sort.

This unit certainly has a lot of features packed into it, the 80G hard drive is nice. I also like the fact that the audio is recorded as a .wav file, so there's no exporting from a proprietary format to a wav or mp3 format. That is a huge time saver.

Eh, this unit is OK for the operational aspects, but it takes a lot of key combinations which can be hard to remember. It just means a bit of a learning curve. It's no more difficult than the other recorders I've used, but it does take some repetition before your brain will remember all the key combos.

It seems to be a solid unit, but it's a bit quirky. For example, the USB interface will work fine once, but the next time I may have to reboot Win Vista to get it to recognize the device. Sometimes the rhythm volume goes whacko when I'm just advancing through the options. And sometimes it takes a reset (power off and then on) to get things back on an even keel.

For the price, this unit is well worth it. The feature set is impressive.

Haven't had to deal with support.

Nice unit overall, and it only took a few minutes to get my first tracks recorded.

Active Musician

Blues Rock

This Machine does what you wish your computer would do to record your songs. It doesnt Skip or have Pops. It sounds clear and the Dynamics are there. ITs Solid and made of Metal. It Makes me Smile when i see it because before this i was ripped off so much trying to make my computer a Recording studio when Just using this makes it FAR FAR easyer THAN i can import the Tracks and edit them Within my computer studio program. no hassles. Nice!

The sound from this product is REal Good, but remember its all about how you record your music. Study up a little. Learn how to MIC your guitars and amps. A little practice is a LOT of help.

The Quality so far as i see it is Great. I love it. HARD METAL DESIGN!!! Made for Musicians.

Recording Engineer, Music Adventurist.

Rock, and country rock

This thing sounds amazing, especially if you're using mics. The onboard effects/algorithm presets can sound a little "16-bit" and toy-ish, but if you mic your stuff or use this as a live recording console...it sounds crystal clear and very professional (especially if you're using nice mics).

It has pretty much everything you need. And even if there's an operation that you want to execute that this thing doesn't have a designated button or operation for, there's usually a roundabout way of doing it anyway...once you learn how the unit works. I guess if I absolutley had to say something, I'd ask for a larger LCD screen, but you get used to it being so small, and it is really brightly-lit.

Very easy to use once you get "the gist" of how they desinged it. The instructions manual is pretty lame, and it makes things sound alot harder than they are and adds more steps to any given operation than is really necessary, but from what I've heard, the instructions manuals are like that with every other brands multi-track recorder as well, not just the zoom (they're probably all bad translations between japanese/chinese to english).

Wow! I bought this unit after having a fair amount of success with the MRS-1608. The HD16 is bomb proof...much sturdier that the 1608 even. It's housed in an incredibley durable metal chasis...definitely made for the mobile musicians! The durability and quality of it's production is probably the thing that impressed me the most about this unit...I'll leave it at that.

Superb value! Especially when compaired against it's pricey competitors (the yamaha, boss, & fostex 16 trackers) it's a steal in terms of the quality/price ratio.

Haven't needed em'...yet (fingers contiually crossed!)

It looks extremely sexy, especially the new LCD level meter...verrrry nice!

Active musician, recording hobbyist

Rock (all kinds)

So FarThis Machine Still RULES!! The sound can be Flat but you Can Adjust the way you set up your mics and try taking the time to Get to know the machine. I havent noticedany "EXTRA" noise all i hear on my recordings is what i recorded and that includes the noise from the air conditioner, the creak of my chair and the sound of my computer. Im not using Great Mics either. I use Mainly an MXL 990 condenser Mic. It Works, Nothin wrong with it.

I would have to say the Absolute BEST BEST parts about this product are that I can Record music directly to its hard drive without Latency issues. Than Import the Songs Files through the USB connection on the HD16cd into my computer, Than Drop the SOng fileinto Cubase, Cubase see's it with No problems and Imediatly Puts Every Single track i recorded in the right order and timing. Than, i set my Hd16Cd to Control Surface modeso i can Mix the Song Down!! I'm sure there are easyer perhpas better ways with Computers at this point but i dontlike having tot Buy a new computer to compliment my Recording Software, i want my Recording Software to complimnet my Recordings, Which is why Importin the songs into Cubase is Great cause i Can Edit the Heck out of them when needs be and It was FAR less painfull than Dealin with soo many computer problems while trying to record complex songs or Lengthy ones.

Just practice the basics, keep it up and you can get Great sounds from any number of lower end recorders.

Made for silly Musicians, its tough and meant to be bumped.

I havent had to use the support at all.

The thing looks great. Great is Sexy right? I think so

Active Recording Engineer, Music Adventurist

Rock, Country Folky rock stuff

I rated this a 9, only because the A/D converters are not "high end", but they are very workable. Sound really comes down to how you eq it going in and what kind of an environment you are recording in. Trust me you can get a crappy sound with the high end A/D converters. I'm quite please with the sound, and thought everything was very quiet. Keep in mind that the Beatles recorded their albums on equipment that isn't close to this kind of quality.

The only feature I wish it had was a monitor hook up. Everything is very nicely laid out, and clear to understand.

Very easy to use. Sit down with the manual and learn the steps to get sound on to the machine and then it's a piece of cake. Manual is very clear and up front.

Solid build. Appears as though it would hold up for many years.

Very much worth the price. You would spend $700 for one song in a professional recording studio and possibly not get it to sound as good as you can with this machine.

Haven't had to deal with support.

I don't buy equipment because it looks sexy. It's functionality is exactly what I wanted. It's looks are fine. I like the digital read outs on each track. Gives it an analog board feel.

Recording Engineer / Active musician

Rock / pop / progressive

The sound of this machine was always dependent on how and what I put through it. My acoustic guitar sounded like what a Fishman preamp should sound like. I ran true distortion through my amp and then used a mic to run into the zoom(like live recording)and it sounds great. Like any other machine you can't come into this one with high gains, you have to start at a good midpoint and test your peak levels.

This product of course has many features that are extremely valuable, but don't try to master your mix with this machine. If you are going to you this product to make a quality cd (as I did) spend the extra money to let someone else master your mix. That is the only feature that I did not use on this product.

If you come into this with no experience like me, you'll need to study up a little. My friend turned it on for the first time and we had a demo recorded in 15 minutes. It is all about experience

I recorded a full (beautifully sounding) cd with this machine plus several hours of live music and other things. In my studio where I keep this machine, the roof had a major water leak. The water from the busted water line poured down directly on my Zoom for a good 10 minutes. Plus the machine sat in that soaked condition for 2 days before I found it. I LIE NOT!! After turning the machine up on its side and blowing a fan on it for 2 days, the thing ignited back to life to my surprise. This machine is still in use today and I have owned it now for 2 years.

You shouldn't be able to buy a machine like this for this cheap.

Have needed none.

There is no appeal of any kind for this machine. It just works and that is what I demand or my money back.

15 years playing guitar

christian rock

The sound is actually quite good. Pretty good pre-amps, decent guitar sound choices.

Has more features than you could need. The link to your PC and cubase as a control surface is awesome!

The only reason I gave this a 7 is because its not plug and play. Theres a lot of reading and figuring things out before you can start really recording. But once you get past the rather long manual and learning curve its pretty good. the modes and commands are very intuitive. once you learn a series of buttons for different commands, you can basically figure out most of the other commands by yourself without the manual.

nice and heavy. solid sturdy knobs and faders. easy to read LED's and display.

theres a ton of value here. you cant find another product with all these features for $600!

Havent had to use them yet.

active musician

rock, metal

hd16 is better than any toy i have ever had will beside my drums i never new how eazy it is to operate all my friends think our cd is studio cut then when i tell themhow it was proudues they freak out im telling u guys thanks my bands cd is kicking ass the money i saved to buy this product is all well worth it .thanks four the afortable freedom u have given me to creat music the way we hear it. Y.O.U. is the name of my band were are a 3pease band but our recording are 5,6,7,8,times multy track which gives us a huge sound FREAKEN THANKS THANKS guys alex medina 47yrs.old

no accessories least used features drum track, dule cd bunner would be cool

too eazy

well made no problems no worries on the road

YES

neen service now cant get any help repair #s or service contack # not avelable

i like it

4years

rock

I have owned this now for 1 year, and have logged about 200 hours on it. Call me stupid, but only recently was I able to get the kind of sound I heard in my head. And the secret to it was using no outside pedals of any kind. I plugged everything directly into the device and went through the machine's effects--no pedals whatsoever. While the recording sound was good prior, now recordings sound like studio tapes, with spatial fullness--layered, wide, and rippin'.

The onboard effects are very, very good. There are just so many of them that it has taken a while to acclimate to them. The vocal shapes, I recently have found, allow one to record layers of vocals with different effects, and shape backgrounds into a huge audience of shouts, screams, and choruses. Experimenting with other effects as well.

You need to know seven or eight things to begin recording multi-track songs. I read the manual through before even turning on the device, and still was ignorant. I was able, though, to record and mix a 12-track song within about 6 hours the first time--not a great recording, but not a bunch of discord either.

Some reviews say the device conked in a week. I guess I got lucky with mine. No issues at all. Hard metal case. Easy faders and rubberized splash pads. Everything sturdy and durable so far.

Got this after investing several weeks reading reviews and then several hours at a big music store listening to the demo songs on the machines. In hindsight, a great purchase.

Can't comment because haven't needed, but it seems unfair to rate it a 1, and thereby reduce my review dramtically.

After getting a few sounds to sound the way I want, this is the strongest musical product I have ever purchased. When my "sound testers" hear it, they absolutely can't believe the sound came from a machine 2 feet by 1 foot. VALUE is SUPERB.

Hobbyist

Speed metal

This is an overall excellent investment. I'd owned the Zoom 802 eight track for the year prior to this. Initially I wanted to go back to the old one as the pre-programmed sounds seemed to suit my tastes better. However, the quality of the HD 16 is far superior, the sound is much clearer, no buzz, great sounding mic settings. You can also program some great guitar sounds. The ones present are for real rockers and heavy metal guys, and so I end up changing them.

The drum machine is great, although I wish it was easier to just stick in a roll at will. Recording and then burning your own CD is my favorite, although as with the last machine I didn't need to finalize the CD for play on audio systems, which was a little misleading. The inputs are easy and accessible.

This is easy to use, but obviously easier is you have a background in sound engineering - which I don't. However, I have enjoyed learning new tricks. Saving the sound modifications on the empty settings has confused me so far. I have saved the modified settings on the particular track, but I want to make permanent modifications to the pre programmed sounds and have so far been unsuccessful. The manual is very clear and you just have to keep reading.

The quality seems excellent.

I bought the 8 track as a factory resealed at a big discount. It worked perfectly and was an incredible deal. I paid the 'New' price for the HD 16 and still think that it is fabulous value. If you are a songwriter /musician you will love finally putting your creativity on CD.

Haven't used it yet.

After reading Daniel Pink's 'A whole new mind', I am well aware that the appearance of a product is becoming increasingly important in how it sells. This is a nice looking product, but a fine artist could improve it.

Active Musician/Hobbyist

Popular,Jazz

Great sound is what you put in, remember crap in crap out. I have had a fantastic experience and my 2 cd's have been duplicated and put out for sell. If you take your time on the mastering side you can get big studio results. It just tkaes patience.

Best set of onboard mastering tools I have ever seen in a unit like this.

So simple even a novice sound man can use it quickly.

It is a tank, had a few issues with the plastic buttons but a little super glue fixed the thing right up and it has worked flawlessly ever since.

I have many units but this is my go to in any situation. My Tascam, Boss, and Yama are all collecting dust.

Only one issue with the cd burner and tech fixed it over the phone.

Great looking machine

Musician, Recording Engineer, Producer

All Types

I debated over the new Zoom 16 or the new Zoom 24. But this unit just sounded better. I am not completely sold on SD Media yet and having to keep purchasing sd cards to use with the new Zooms in the long run would cost more than the units..(At at least $80-100 for a 32 gig sd card) and the units only recognize up to 32 gig. With the Zoom 16 HDCD you have an internal 80gig HD (if it goes bad slap another one in it) and a cd burner. And just like the new 16 and 24 you can use it as a DAW controller. So even though they discontinued this unit, I purchased it anyway feeling comfortable about my decision. The recordings are as good as what you put into it (Just like any DAW)I recorded a tune and it was nice and clean.

Every feature is usable. THe plus is the 80gig HD and CDRW

The usability of this unit is incredible. I decided on this unit over the Tascam Neo 24 after much research.

THis unit is encased in metal not plastic so it is well made and seems to look like it will stand the test of time.

The price is a very good price especially since other items like this from Tascam and Boss don't perform as nicely as the Zoom and are double the price.

This is the only part I am mad about. It had every manual for every language EXCEPT English. THe software bundle was also missing. When I contacted Zoom they told me I could download it from the website...I don't know about you but that's an added expense printing it and I don't want to read it off the screen (my eyes are bad enough). So I am not happy with Zoom's Customer Support.

The slanted fader lights is a VERY sexy feature on this unit. You don't have to constantly lean over the unit to make sure your levels are adequate.

Active Musician, Recording Engineer

Country, Classic Rock, Pop

It sounds good but Boss has better/real sound

Effects are great once you get to learn how to use them. Read the book and this thing will do wonders.

I have to read the manual. I went step by step and the features this thing has are fantastic. I was looking for a system that does not need a computer hooked up to it and this thing does it all.

I first had the 8 track. It had a hum on it once you switched on an effect so I sent it back and replaced it for the 16 track. The 16 track was fantastic but when I came to record a CD, the player did not work. Thank GOD I purchased this thing from ZZOUNDS.COM, they were understanding enough to replace it for me. Why a product with so much potential be made in BFE from cheap parts is beyond me. Dear Samson, there are people out there ready to pay for a decent product. Your idea is great but you are killing the product with cheap parts to try and save pennies.

For what this thing does, drum machine, tuner, effects, harmonizer, recorder, ecc..... It is the Bomb! It is a shame that Samson does not think the same.

My 10 goes to ZZOUNDS.COM. They were very helpful and patient because I had to return this product twice.

If the thing was not made from cheap parts it would be fantastic

active Musician

Reggae

25 years of music, played in bands, song writer

Rock, easy listening, country

I started with a Zoom MRS1266 and upgraded a few years later to an MRS 1608. After a lot of use, my 1608 developed a few annoying glitches but I still wanted to replace it with another 1608. Now, I see Zoom replaced it with the HD16CD.The see-everything-at-a-glance LCD screen is gone and replaced with a piddly little one that's at the wrong angle to view well. Level indicators are now on each channel and take a lot of eye movement from side to side to check on things. The inputs are now on top of the machine so it looks like spaghetti junction in a studio, before you even start. Even worse, the CD now ejects from the SIDE of the machine (1608 is from the front). So, you're sitting at a recording studio and there's usually space in front of the studio where you're sitting operating it. Ideal for a CD to eject. Now, on the new version, you have to have 6" of space on the right of the machine (where you might want an amp, or keyboard)just for the CD to op out. My 1608 lives in a purpose built cabinet... so I'd have to cut a hole in the side of it! Oh, let's not forget that the headphone input is now on top of the machine, so your lead trails across the sliders instead of being at the front where it used to be. A really daft machine, in my opinion. Although I love the Zoom architecture and way of doing thisngs, there is no way I'd buy one of these.

pro musician

rock

I have used multiple multitrack recorders and this by far has the best sound quality. You have to give the learning curve but if you take the time this machine will blow you away.......

The Hd16 is fairly easy to use. You have to read the owners manual and just keep practicing the smae steps.

The Hd16 is top quality.......

Best multitrack out there for the money......

I had a question so i mailed tech support. They answered my question by email within 24 hours....Thanks

I like the way it looks.......

Active Musician

Ambient Rock

It was great!!!

They were great!!!

They were great!!!

It lasted two months before I had to send it in for warranty repair!!!

If it isn't reliable, it's not too valuable!!!

It's been in for warranty for two weeks and I'm told it won't be another three weeks befor they get to it!!!

I don't have it. The factory does!

hobbyist

comedy/banjo

The sound is pretty good the sound is like my playing but theres somthing about the mix that comes across not to good,the demo's on the machine sounnds better than what you record no matter what the source is cd,pc etc: the only tip i have is transfer to your pc and do a lot of mixing from your software like pro tools.

the best features are drums and metro they helped us stay on the beat! the worse is teh fx gotta mess with it a lot.

dont have much to say about the getting great sounds the machine to pc is pretty good you can use that.

the (new) 16 I RECEIVED HAD LOOSE KNOBS AND THE FADERS FELT DIRTY.

THE PRICE SHOULD BE AROUND $450.00 AT BEST

I DELT WITH ZOOM BUT GOT NO WHERE THEY SOUND LIKE THEY CARED LESS.

NO RAEALY

Recording Engineer

Country

ITS STILL A LEARNING EXSPERIANCE, NOTE REALLY KNOWING ALL IT CAN DO ITS SOUND QUALITY IS VERY GOOD

this has so many options and features its not something you learn over days but weeks

it very easy to start making good music ,but when you read o about all the editting features, your project will never end

so far had it for a month and its working just fine and I bought the out of box version

Hobbyest use to be active musian 20 years ago

classic rock

In the space of a few hours i have gotten more great sound our of this than all my struggles with PC based recording systems. With the ease of controls you get, you can easily mix your tracks, add effects, change the levels, etc. You can get a great professional sounding project with only a little effort. I've had this for a few months now and we are getting high quality mixes with our band--more in 3 months than the past 2 years.

the simultaneous inputs is what drew me to this machine. You just can't get 8 simultaneous inputs anywhere for this price. We like to record our band live in our practices--2 guitars, bass, drums, piano and vocals. Add those all up and I get them all in at once. Then with the ease of the controls, I can quickly adjust input and add reverb, pan instruments to where I want them on the spectrum, add effects, etc. the product itself feels very substantial--not plastic. controls all feel smooth and have a good touch. the only annoyance i have had is dialing through the choices and remembering the sequence of buttons to push sometimes--but that comes with familiarity. the ease of burning a CD witht eh built in CD burner makes this a double pleasure--just select the tracks and push go--boom! You've got a CD.

After struggling with a couple of PC based systems, this was a snap. it was like god answered my prayers when a buddy of mine talked me into looking at this product. What is absolutely the best part of this is that the MANUAL IS READABLE and useful. It walks you through all the steps and is very clear and understandable. I had my first simple recording with drum, bass, and two guitar parts with effects in about an hour after opening the box. I'm getting great stuff and still have finished the manual yet. You can burn a CD right our of the system with the built in CD burner. Pick the songs you want to burn and push go.

I have no regrets and love this. I have already recommended it to a friend who is out buying one right now.

I've looked and looked and this is the best value for the money. you can't get all the stuff you get here with ease of use for this klind of money.

I haven't needed support so can't answer this one.

I love it and highly recommend it.

Hobbyist

Rock, blues

I couldn't believe the sound quality. I've been in ProTools studios, Mackie based, etc. and the quality is really close for a whole lot less money or time.

A remarkable all in one recorder...80GB, on board drum machine, CD Burner, etc. I can go from idea to completely mastered demo CD with ease.

I give a 9 only because I don't care for the the way the manual is laid out. The Quick start pages should be right up front. The button combinations to get desired effects will take some getting used to. I recorded 4 little unmastered projects of 4 minutes each in my first sitting with this.

Built like a tank...full metal chassis...nice sliders too. The light bridge gives the look of added quality even if it's cosmetic. I think this box will hold up to just about anything I'll be doing. I'm keeping it in my home studio so no road worries, etc.

If you can find a machine with more features...ie. can serve up CDs, with this much memory, with an onbaord drum machine and bundled with Cubase software for less money get it.

Haven't needed them.

This thing just looks sweet! My bandmates who have Mackie boards, ProTools, etc said that they might consider one of these too.

Semi-pro guitarist, vocalist

Smooth Jazz, R&B

Hard to tell what this thing sounds like. When I took it out of the box, set it up, plugged it in, and turned the switch to the "on" position--it didn't do anything--no boot-up sequence, nothing, nada, zip.

Again, if the thing doesn't work--all the promised features are worthless.

If not functioning is easy, yeah it's easy to use. I know that's sarcastic--can you tell I'm frustrated over paying $700 for an oriental POS.

Ya think I'm gonna give high marks for quality for something that didn't work?

Knowing what I know now about the product--Samson Technologies should be paying people to use their crap.

I'm still waiting for the return authorization from the dealer so the jury's still out on this one. I'll give a five just to be generous.

Hobbyist