Zoom LiveTrak L-8 8 Channel Digital Mixer & Multitrack Recorder Review
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- Опубліковано 1 гру 2019
- This video is a look at the new Zoom LiveTrak L-8 multitrack recorder/mixer/podcasting station.
This unit has some great features and is well worth having a look at. It's battery/USB powered using only 5watts consumption. It can record 12 tracks simultaneously and overdub (punch in and out).
It has smartphone connectivity with the lead supplied. It also has 6 sound pads to trigger jingles, sound effects or music. These can be stored in projects on an SD card as wav files. The L-8 can be used as an audio interface with 12 in and 2 stereo tracks out, it can also act as a card reader. It has 8 on-board effects, several reverbs, chorus and delay. There are 4 outs, a master out and 3 separate monitor outs customizable for performers.
The unit will appeal to podcasters, musicians and video producers/creators.
Thanks to FUNC ON THE ROCKS see them at www.funcontherocks.com
Please subscribe: / tapebank
Gear used:
Cameras and lenses -
Panasonic Lumix GH5 camera
Panasonic Leica 10-25mm F1.7
Sony PMW-350 broadcast camera
Fujinon HA18x7.6BERM-M6B ENG Lens with Digi Power Servo
DJI Mavic Air Quadcopter
GoPro Hero 7 Black
Atomos Ninja V
Audio:
Sennheiser 416 Shotgun mic
Sennheiser Laveliers x2 for interviews
Zoom LiveTrak L-8 Multitrack Recorder/Mixer/Podcaster
Zoom H5 portable recorder
Zoom F1 portable recorder for vlogging
Lighting:
Dedolights x3 set with DP20 projection adaptor
Flo Light 4 tube soft light fluorescent
Grip:
Vinton Tripods with Vision 8 and 3 heads
Hague Universal Tracking Dolly
Manfrotto with 500 fluid hed
Editing:
Adobe Creative Cloud inc
Premiere, Photoshop, Lightroom and After Effects
Movavi Screen Capture Studio
Final Cut X - Фільми й анімація
Excelente review👍👏👏 but the channel 7 and 8 are mono, no stereo, in manual are a diagram. For record a stereo instrument you need both input. Saludos desde Argentina 👍🙌
Nice video about the Zoome L-8 - for me it has been fantastic 👍
Thanks for watching…..all the best, Mike
Your production quality is very good: sound levels, audio clarity and lighting. Thumbs up.
Thank you for you kind comments
That's great, and we have both learnt something....👍
Well done! I'm getting mine today and so far your review is one of the best!
roberthanlinefilms
Thank you so much for your very kind comments. I’m sure you will enjoy the L-8.....
Wonderful video Mike! Extremely helpful. I just got mine today and loving how user friendly it is.
Thank you Taylor for your kind comments, I’m sure you will enjoy it and it will give you good service...best wishes
Thanks for the great review, Mike!
Thank you for watching Jason. Best wishes, Mike.
I waa going to purchase a presonus studio live 8 until I saw this thing. So many useful features for love recordings and podcasts. The presonus does have bluetooth connectivity though.
I think if your live recording the extra two XLR/line inputs and two stereo inputs would be very useful, not to mention the sound pads and audio interface facilities.
Thanks for your comment Doug....
Unfortunately the presentation does not show (at: 02:58) how to achieve a 12 in/4 out in a USB interface or DAW environment. For sure a thumbs up.
Sorry, maybe I'll do another with this in mind
Hello Mike, I got mine yesterday, I have already the livetrak L12 but I took this one because I needed one that I could use outside without wall power plug. After one day I find It, the L-8, Very useful! Thanks for your video Mike
Great, Thank you for commenting Franck. I think the power options on the L8 are so useful. It only consumes a tiny 5watts of power so you could be anywhere recording for hours with a decent usb power bank. Best wishes...
The competitor in the podcasting arena, the Rode RODECaster Pro Podcast Production Console, at a price point of $600.00 is very limited when compared to the Zoom Live Trak L-8 at $300.00.
really. can u run video through this mixer? i read something but still not clear.
It can be used with Adobe Premiere or similar video editing software through USB to record soundtrack/dubbing etc.
@@MikeWalkerCamera imagine a DAW with video editing - Reaper around $60.00.
@@bobcatt2294 I'd never heard of Reaper before your comment, I've just had a look and I will investigate and learn a bit more, looks interesting. Garage Band also integrates video files. Thanks for sharing...
I was planning to buy the L-12 but I saw your review with this L-8 and I think this is more useful for my podcast/ livestream dj and a one man band with less price tag. I noticed, there is no compressor. Do you need to buy another gadget for compressor or it is already fine without it? Thank you for your awesome review. Have a good day!
Hi Daddy Juan G,
I think you will find it fine as it is. The mic preamps are really high quality and geared for vocal recording and podcasting.
Also because it’s an audio interface the channels can be put back through a DAW such as Garage Band and more processing added if necessary. This can be done live at the same time as broadcasting and recording the session. Thanks for your comments and best wishes....
Does it have a noise filter for Podcasters? And does it have an auto mix feature that the F6 has? Btw picture is superb imo.
No it doesn’t have a noise filter or an auto mix feature, you would have to use the sliders to dip each channel. Thanks for your comment....
great review...its eather this or a 1010 bluebox..
Thanks for watching....
I just got an L-8 and trying to record sound and video by using the Atem mini pro video switcher. I notice some mic hiss sound and wonder if you have any tips to cut out the microphone hiss. I am also using a zoom H5 microphone.
I'm not familiar with the H5. Is the hiss just on the preamp from the headphone monitor or is it being recorded? The preamps on the L8 are very good normally. If it's being recorded then maybe a notch filter or in line graphic eq might work....
Thank you for the review.
One question.
Can this unit monitor one track while recording a second, or third track?
There are 4 headphone / monitor outs. One is master out and the other three can have their own unique mix which can be saved and recalled through the menus......so I would think you could set up one of those to monitor one channel whilst recording another one or two....
Thanks for asking
@@MikeWalkerCamera thank you
Thanks for the excellent video… I have a question…
can you record a couple of channels that aren’t passed on to the master output?
Eg… I have a DJ mixer and this has a Master and Booth out… will plug those to the L-8 via 4 XLR Chanel’s…
Now, I will also plug a 🎤 into a 5th channel of the L-8…
What I want is the following… be able to record every channel separately (I know it’s possible)
But on the master I only want to have the mic and EITHER the booth or the master (of my DJ mixer)
That’s because this is going from master to my ATEM for live-streaming.
I hope this makes sense…
Possible?! 😅
I'm not sure without checking, I'm out of the country at the moment. There is no routing facility on this mixer so I would suspect it could be difficult. thanks for watching.
@@MikeWalkerCamera thanks for your reply. Seems after all it’s very easy to do… just have to mix with 2 fader down (recording would still happen and the sound won’t got to master) exactly what I wanted ;) magic. Thanks
Thanks!
Glad to be of help...
Hi Mike, thanks for this great video. Can you record multitrack separately with Garageband, i saw in another video it has some problem separating the inputs into separate tracks.
Hi, I haven't used it with Garageband and I'm not sure of the answer to this. I can't understand any reason why this should not be possible...but I have no experience of this...Thanks for your comment
@@MikeWalkerCamera thanks Mike, I just bought it hehe, I will try to figure out and let you know.
@@yokonoe That would be interesting, thank you....
How to link L8 to the Mac book pro as the interface? I have instored the L8 driver MAC. The audio I/F, I select the MAC/PC. but I can't see the interface in DAW.
Not sure why this is happening, but having said that it is not my area of expertise. Hopefully someone my help you in the comments....
May I ask? How do you get such quality background music etc in your video. Are you plugged directly into your camera or using its mike? Thank you for a great video I own a zoom L8.
The music in my videos is added in the edit. I use Adobe Premiere so it's just added to the timeline and doesn't involve the L8. Maybe I should do a video on editing my videos....Thanks for your comment, best wishes, MIke.
@@MikeWalkerCamera Thanks for the quick reply and all the information in the video. Please do a video of how to edit audio and video mix etc.
@@normancastelli3546 Hi Norman, have a look at this one, it is all about editing and production. might be of help in understanding how the sound and pictures are put together in the edit using a professional editing package.....ua-cam.com/video/fF0hx_6gV0M/v-deo.html
I understand what 12 in/ 4 out means but where are/ how do the 4 out work? How are they accessed on the hardware unit?
App Axis The 4 out are accessed on the 2 stereo channels 7 & 8 on the L-8.
Mike Walker Camera sweet! Im a huge fan!
is it possible to assign custom samples on those 8 pads? default ones for my opinion is unusable.
Hi VAAKS / VAKUUMS, Yes you can store your own stings/jingles in the L8. Thanks for watching, All the best, Mike
Can you playback multiple recorded tracks on the Zoom sd card or do you have to use a daw?
fv3video - yes you can playback multiple tracks at the same time and remix from the SD card.
@@MikeWalkerCamera thanks. That was the Point Of.Sale answer. Im buying..
@@fv3video I'm sure you won't be disappointed....
And record to what format?
@@davefiano4172 CD
This thing seems too good to be true... how does it sound vs Focusrite 18i8 which is same price point?
I can only vouch for the Zoom L-8 as I have not tried the Focusrite 18i8. I bought the L-8 primarily because it records multitrack internally and will operate by battery in any location without mains power using a power bank or similar. Thanks for commenting, best wishes, Mike.
Hi Does it have to be an iphone for the podcasting or can Android smartphone be used......
There is an adapter with the unit which is for android phones, I bought an adaptor for my iPhone.
Is it true that the audio interface/SD Card doesn’t save/transfer EQ/FX? I have a Soundcraft mixer that faces a similar dilemma
jetsandals yes the tracks are recorded without the onboard effects and at flat response. This means you can remix the tracks as many times and in different ways as you want. Also in your DAW like GarageBand, their effects and equalisation can be used.
Mike Walker Camera that’s unfortunate. Though it is nice that you have a raw copy when mixing later, it would be nice to also have a master version with the onboard settings so that you don’t have to figure out the mix again.
I’ve been thinking about how to mitigate this for a computer-less music rig, and right now my hypothetical solution has been to use just one of the headphone mixes to isolate each track one at a time into a multitrack recorder. Then I can send either a full mix or each track one at a time back into one of the line inputs (and of course disengaging the original headphone connection to prevent any possible feedback loop) and save everything to the SD Card.
What do you think? I’m not sure if you can switch each instrument mix on-the-fly while recording, but I’m not sure if that would be necessary.
Sorry jetsandals, I missed this comment. You can record the master WITH the FX so would that not be all you needed. It will record the 10 tracks without FX and at flat response but the Master track which is the 11-12 would have the EQ and FX as you did the mix.
Thats because real pros edit and master their mix after recording in the daw.. Just think of it.. Your FXs are not perfect in an 1h set. What can you do later? Nothing! But in the DAW you can edit as often as you want. I always prefer a RAW Mix - so you can use your better plugins like izotope, valhalla, soundtoys, fabfilter and waves or whatever later with much better quality. Or even make Master V1 V2 and so on...
Aloa He I don’t feel that I thoroughly elaborated what exactly I’m trying to do, so I’ll clarify and answer your questions:
* First off, I do this for fun and my own self fulfillment, so I couldn’t care less about how the “real pros” at the corporate labels are constantly pumping out the heaps of garbage that is mainstream music. I’m going to continue to learn the best techniques (even the one’s used by those guys), but not to satisfy anyone’s gatekeeping.
* There’s differences between recording studio music and recording performed music. I’m trying to go for the latter, using a live rig of synths and drum machines, but I’m not going to get too much into specs. The other aspect of this build is that it doesn’t use a computer for it’s day to day use. Sure I could take my raw files to a computer afterwards to mix, but what’s being performed and heard doesn’t involve a computer, DAW, or plugins.
* In order to most effectively use this build, I wanted to make sure that I had options in terms of how I could save my individual recording tracks. And so from what I’ve gathered earlier: Only the master mix would have the FX/EQ applied and the individual tracks would be raw, and while those are two good options (not even including the headphone mixes), why couldn’t I have individual tracks with the FX/EQ or the Master without those? Sure I could add them raw in a DAW and make them sound better, but the copies of individual tracks with FX/EQ applied wouldn’t be for editing. I would use them as reference tracks for each raw track, since it’s harder to discern the FX/EQ of each part in the master mix. They don’t have to be perfect, that’s what the raws are for.
* The way I’m accomplishing all of this is with the L-8 and a Multitrack recorder and feeding one of the three headphones mixes to the multitrack and recording each track individually, then I can run that back into the mixer and isolate it in it’s own headphone mix to prevent a feedback loop. This allows me to use the mixer to record the raw tracks, multitrack to get self-reference tracks (and add more FX/EQ), and then back into the mixer again to get an additional Master track from the multitrack.
Mike our Zoom 8 live track will not synch with our pc. Do you have any tips to get it going
Are you syncing video and audio or just audio? which programme are you using.
Video signals through HDMI take longer to reach than audio which is more or less instant. If that is the case you need to delay the audio signal by about 7 to 12 frames, (I'm guessing) to match up and sync.
hi mike just audio we are using the zoom as a medium to broadcast a radio show
@@norriehunter7436 The PC just connects through the USB lead, and plays back through channels 7&8.
Another way to store content is to use the six soundpads where you can use your own wav files or mp3 files and store them for playback. Why the PC is not connecting must be some setting on your PC.
Thanks for the review. Please add an De-esser on your voice in postproduction next time. I'm listening on headphones and your 'S' really hurts. ;-)
Oooh sorry about that, I’ll bear it in mind. Hope you found the review helpful despite this....thanks for commenting.
I've just finished a review on a cheap mic. I've taken your advice and put a de esser all the way through it. I'll publish it tomorrow - tell me if it's any better....
It's just too bad it does not have Bluetooth as similar to the Rodecaster Pro. It would have been perfect.
Maybe in the L8 Mark 2.....?
Price for the mixes
www.gear4music.com/PA-DJ-and-Lighting/Zoom-LiveTrak-L-8-Mixer-for-Podcasters-and-Musicians/35VB
No Compressor? i'll pass
JYMBO if compressor is a must go for the L12, I nearly did but for my use this is fine the preamps are really good....thanks for commenting
@@MikeWalkerCamera The Yamaha MG10xu has a compressor, i think that's the better option as it's cheaper
@@JYMBO Yes looks nice but I definitely need the onboard recording facility. It's horses for courses I would say. We all have different priorities, if not there wouldn't be as many choices out there. Thanks for replying...
Why does every product reviewer have to be British or Aussie speaking with the “sounds like a drunk guy” accent? I mean come on man. If you’re gonna put something out for the masses, enunciate well enough to cover all English speaking people.
Hi King’s Highway Where are you from? I am from Yorkshire so have an accent of that area. Not sure what “sounds like a drunk guy” means but it’s the first time I have heard this “expression”. It has however given me a source of amusement so thank you for that.