ZOOM R20 sale for $299: is it time to buy?
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- Опубліковано 10 сер 2022
- The Zoom R20 multitracker started at $399 in the winter of 2022 and then quickly increased to $449 in spring 2022. At $400 - 450, it's not going to be the best recording choice for everyone. But recently, Zoom started a sale on the R20 and they dropped it to $299! Is it time to buy it if you are looking to record without a DAW?
In this video I discuss the value of the R20 at $299 and compare it to other popular recording devices on the market in the $100 - $1000 price range.
***Since the $299 sale ended at the end of August 2022, the price of the R20 has settled in at $349...which is still a solid deal.
Great video, Gaz. I'll look forward to your later videos, too,
The more I use my R20 the more I like it.
Anyone who is looking for a multi-tracker that has this type of functionality should jump on the deal. I've seen Zoom do this type of marketing before, and it represents a great opportunity to the prospective buyer. I'm surprised that there's not more videos being made from users of this machine. This is truly a unique offering and I suspect that we'll see a lot more multi-trackers using this type of GUI.
Hey Gaz, awesome videos bro !!! I just picked up an R20 on Black Friday '23. Sweetwater dropped the price 100 bucks and Amazon has them for like 319 but I went with Sweetwater cause if I have any problems it won't be a problem. Besides I'm a veteran customer. 299 would've been better and I didn't know Zoom had dropped the price back then or I would've had one by now !!! Much like you I started my recording journey on a Tascam 4 track Portastudio then moved up to the Roland VS 840. It wasn't the 880 but it had removable Zip disk and it got the job done. I'm really diggin the R20 despite the wish list I've prepared. I feel it is not worth 445 bucks because it's missing some critical tools that I thought would've been there but if you know what you're doing the challenge is minimal and Zoom is doing frequent firmwares updates so I hoping they figure it out and get it together cause the concept is dope. If they go 24 or 32 track and don't go bananas with the price I'm IN !!! Cheers !!! 🥂
Yeah, I think $349 is still a solid price for the R20. Sure, it would be nice if it had other features, but at $349...you can get your money's worth out of it. I agree that it's hard to beat Sweetwater customer service. I hope the firmware updates keep coming and I'm still hoping that Zoom creates a true flagship multitracker as a successor to the R24...
Wow I was just looking at this sale last night and have not came to decision yet. Thanks for the video.
Yeah, that lower price definitely gives you something to think about. I believe you still have maybe two weeks before you have to make a decision, though.
I've had my eye on these. I use a Tascam DP008ex and it is just good enough. It has a max of two simultaneous inputs, and the preamp sometimes disappoints but it is still very capable for a portable multitrack! Appreciate you sharing this!
That Tascam is a very capable device that is ideal for portable recording. I used it years ago and liked it, especially since you still get all those knobs for physical adjustments in a tiny package. For me, though, I can't go back to a multitracker that maxes out at 16-bit recording depth. That was fine in the 1990's and 2000's, but now...eh, I just have to work with something that records at 24-bit depth at minimum. 16-bit recordings just sound too hollow and empty by comparison after you've been recording at 24-bit for awhile.
You convinced me. Heading down Guitar Center right now to get one. I had the Tascam DP01FX about twenty years ago. Looking back, I realize how much easier it was to do everything in one unit, without having to use Windows or a Mac. It’s perfect for simple acoustic recording with a few overdubs. Thanks for reminding me about this option
I bought mine about 4 months ago, after the rebate offer had expired, for $349. I questioned my choice, because I could have gotten a Tascam DP-24, a bigger version of the DP-008 that has been a really good multitrack recorder, but has only 2 inputs/ 2 tracks to use simultaneouly. The Tascam would have cost $100 more.
Now I'm learning the Zoom R20, finding its limitations and my workarounds.
Thanks again for all your informative videos.
Hey, the Tascam DP-24 is still a good multitracker, but it's fairly old at this point and it doesn't have the same kind touchscreen features that make the R20 stand out.
At $299, I think the R20 is an excellent value if you want a computer-free multitracker. I still think at $349 it's a very good buy. I bought mine for $399 when it first came out, and yes, while it clearly has limitations, it's mostly served my needs. I don't regret the purchase at $399. The regular price is now $449, though. At that price, I'm not sure I would give it a great recommendation...it starts to enter into a new price level where it only makes sense for a select group of musicians.
Glad to hear the videos have helped. I've been slowed by health and a variety of things in the past 6-8 weeks, but I hope to get back to posting more regular videos very soon.
Very helpful info, thanks.
You are most welcome!
Great video Gaz, thanks mate. You have a lot of great information on this machine. I'm still on the fence about sending mine back, but maybe I don't know enough about it yet. I had been watching it at $449, pounced on it the day it hit $299. And I'm probably the one guy that still shops at Musicians Friend LOL, why would you say that? Haha too funny. The touch screen on this is what I think they would have had in the 80s if they had touch screen anything back then.
I used to love Guitar Center in the late 90's/early 2000's when I started playing guitar and bass, etc. But they become too corporate, over expanded, and now they are just a stale place to get gear. I greatly prefer Sweetwater these days, even though they were recently bought out by a giant corporation/hedge fund.
And yeah, if you are expecting the touchscreen to work as smooth as your recent smartphone you are going to be disappointed. I had low expectations for the screen when I bought it, and as I've gotten used to it, its not so bad. If you just touch spots to select things it's ok. The pinch to zoom in and zoom out is finnicky. You have to have a light touch and be sure to pinch perfectly horizontal or perfectly vertical and do it slow and consistent. All that said, a $8 disc stylus does make the user interface better. But I won't fault you for returning it if it's not your cup of tea. I still wish it had a couple more physical buttons, or a jog dial.
Great detailed review 👌
Thank you!
Good video. I bought this because there weren't many alternatives to this and I wanted to upgrade my old Boss BR600. (Got it for £332, which is the going rate in the UK) Kind of surprising there aren't more companies currently bringing out multi-track recorders.
Thanks. I know DAWs have taken over the music recording world, but there still is a place for dedicated multitrackers. I wish there was a greater selection out there too. But the R20 is a nice upgrade from those old Boss or Roland units.
Boss BR-600 still a very capable device in and of itself.
Excellent video! I like your commentaries on the R20. I have the R20 and R8. I still use the R8 more because of the mastering effects. The R20 is great and has so much potential. I hope Zoom continues to put out firmware. Would be great to have mastering effects.
Yeah, I like the built-in mastering options of the R8 and have used them a bunch over the past ten years. I'm still working on my own methodology to mix down on the R20. As soon as I have some things that I like I'll be sure to make a video about it.
@@GazRendar I'm looking forward to more of your tutorials. You should be paid by Zoom, since their tutorials are garbage.
Thanx for this Gaz. I come from a land down under and just checked the price at my local seller off the back of this video. $895 Aus. Although I'd love 1, given I have an audio interface, financially it would be far cheaper in Oz to upgrade 1 of the cut down DAWs that came as bonuses with some of my gear purchases, e.g Ableton Live 11 Lite, Reason Lite 11, Studio One 5 or even get a Reaper licence. Sad really because I always prefer the hands on of hardware Go well. B.
Throw in a novation control XL with reaper and you'll have the physical controls and it's still cheaper...
here waiting for a new bargain to gather mine! on the mean time getting by with a modest h4n. the value i see in this unit (as an instrument player) is the chance to track ideas on the fly and easy focusing on my performance, rather than sitting on a PC wich for me is an absolut mood killer. on the other hand the DAW is undefeated when editing what has already been conceived and defined.
Yeah, you have to primarily be an instrument player/vocalist to get the full value of the R20. The synth musicians won't get as much out of it. And yes, there is just no way the R20 or any multitracker can complete with the editing features of a modern DAW...but I just don't find myself excited to play in front of a computer while clicking things with a mouse. When I'm playing an instrument I just want a simple box in front of me that will let me record and then layer tracks on top of tracks. The R20 does that well.
Don't get rid of that H4, though! That's still handy for quick recordings. You just can't really edit much directly on a device like that or add effects. However, if you record something on the H4 (at 24bit/44.1kHz) you should be able to import it into a project on the R20 if you eventually buy one and build a song from there.
they raised the price to $450. i still have the OG zoom HD8 with a hard disk drive and a cd burner. still works! hahaha
Those old school multitrackers aren't bad! I really wish I still had my old Roland VS-880...I loved that thing...
And yeah, the list price is now $449. I guess that price can be ok for some people, but it's not great. The new sale price that Zoom has used a couple times now is $349. I think that's very reasonable for a subset of musicians who like the immediacy of recording with a multitrackers vs. a computer + DAW.
Thanks. Nice video. I'm in the market for a multitrack recorder for live recording. This ticks all the boxes.
Yep, the R20 works well for live recording with multiple tracks with a variety of effects and options to edit and mix later. If you just want a mixing board for live recordings that can also record to multiple tracks - but you don't care about effects and mixing/editing later, you could look to the L-12 instead as another consideration.
Hey, I just bought a R20 the other day since the sale was too good to pass up and I'm waiting for it to arrive. I've been watching a lot of your videos to familiarize myself with the unit, and they are very informative. Nicely done! I am curious though, have you done any tutorials on how to punch in? I know a lot of DAW's have the ability to playback a bit before the punch in actually occurs so you can play along into the part where you made your flub and it will sound more natural. (I hope I am explaining this in a way that makes sense to you) Does this unit have similar capabilities,?
Congrats on the purchase. Hope it works out for your recording needs.
I really need to make a punch in video. People have been asking in the comments lately.
The short answer (with v2.40) is that you cannot do automated punch-in/punch out with the R20. On other multi-trackers I've set one marker to trigger a punch in and the next marker to stop recording. Or I've done that with a footswitch input on my R8. The R20 doesn't have a footswitch input.
You can punch in and punch out to record over a section of a track, like to fix a guitar solo, but you have to manually hit the record button while the R20 is playing. That works just fine if you have an empty couple of counts on that track before you want to record a new guitar solo and a couple empty counts after the guitar solo before the guitar picks back up again. But rarely are your recording timings going to be that clean.
The other thing to do is to just record that new guitar solo (or whatever) onto a fresh track. Then tightly trim it. Then goto the track that you want to add the new guitar solo to...splice it out, and add in the new guitar track with the touchscreen editing options. So the touchscreen editing allows you compensate for not having auto-punch in and punch out. I made a video about trimming that sort of gets to that idea:
ua-cam.com/video/vHLHkb5ZFD8/v-deo.html
I just hope in the future that we get some sort of punch in punch out with the bluetooth app, or they add the functionality to marker points on the R20. We'll see if they keep upgrading the firmware...
@@GazRendar yeah, I thought since the touch screen interface was modeled after a DAW it might allow you to set markers and just automatically punch in/out. Those are good work arounds though. I think it will still be manageable to fix some flubs this way. I just got the unit today and I’ve only just begun to play with it. It seems like a solid piece of gear, especially for the sale price. Thanks again.
I wish they just took the R24 and gave it the R20 touch screen for the easy editing and navigating. I'm on the fence between R20 or Tascam DP24SD. Both seem good for one man band home recording which I do.
One thing I noticed the DP24SD can do is automated mastering so your final song sounds good. Is there EQ/mastering on R20? The current sale price of $299 is a great deal for R20.
Zoom officially discontinued the R16 and basically replaced it with the R20. I wonder if they are planning to do similar things with the R8 and/or the R24 in the future.
Even though it's much older, the DP24SD is a viable option based on what you're saying. But there are some differences to think about.
1) Both do 8 track simultaneous recording. Tascam has more 1/4" jacks, though. But as a one man band, maybe not a concern for you.
2) 16 tracks for R20 and 24 for the Tascam, but that's a little misleading. The R20 has 16 mono tracks (which can be converted to up to 8 stereo tracks) while the Tascam has 8 mono and 8 stereo. Or 16 mono. So that's closer to a wash in my opinion. I like more mono tracks with pan controls, and then just create a stereo mix down.
3) The Tascam essentially has some effects pre-sets that allow you to master your song during mix-down. The R20 does not have the pre-sets. However, the R20 does have a 3-band EQ for each track and you can master during mix-down...you just have to create your own effects to do it. I've been playing around with that and I have some formulas I like so far. I just need to put it together in a video to show people how I'm handling mix-down and mastering.
4) Considering the current sale prices...that's a $200 difference, or 67% more for the Tascam.
5) If you see yourself trimming audio recordings and putting guitar solos together piece-meal, the R20 is going to make those tasks easier with the touchscreen.
6) The footprint of the Tascam is bigger than the R20
7) I think the Tascam maxes out at 32GB SD cards, the R20 can handle 512GB for sure and I think 1TB. Not a big deal, but you might have to buy many cards for the Tascam and just a single card for the R20 and leave it in there.
8) The R20, being newer and having the touchscreen has much more potential for growth through firmware updates. But that's a gamble - will Zoom continue to develop it?
9) The Tascam has many more physical controls - personal preference, but I greatly prefer the physical buttons and knobs
10) The Tascam supports a footswitch for punch in and out recording and I think effects. R20 lacks a footswitch...maybe they make up for it with the bluetooth app, but the app isn't available yet.
There are other subtle differences, but to me, those were the big ones I considered when I bought the R20 at $399. There is no universal choice - everyone's needs are personalized. Hope it helps in your decision making.
@@GazRendar Thank you for the detailed and quick reply! I like your idea about you making a video for R20 mix-down and mastering. That's a great idea that I'd like to watch.
It's time to wait until all GM Sounds are included and Change beats and Tempo in the same Song, I think..and I'm waiting for the Luxus Version with Autotune and Audio Quantize..in this case you can do the same and more with Interface and Garage Band or Cubasis 3 for Android
Great videos! I have a question. Can I use an adapter (XLR male 1/4 INCH female) to plug instruments in the XLR connections so it's possible to record them as line (instead of plugging conventionals XLR mics to record these instruments by miking amps)?
The answer is...sometimes. It depends on the instrument and the cabling. Running a 1/4" jack out of a guitar with passive pickups and converting that to an XLR doesn't work. You don't get enough quality audio signal at a usable volume and there's too much background hum. A bass guitar with active pickups can sometimes work if you turn up the gain on the R20. Powered synths with 1/4" jacks that take advantage of the cable's grounding actually work fairly well. However, you don't want to have a long cable with a 1/4" jack on one side and XLR on the other because the audio signal is susceptible to noise and hum. I've had success keeping the cables at 6 feet or shorter when trying to convert from 1/4" to XLR.
This is great! 👌
Did you buy one as an upgrade from your R8 yet? Or still thinking about it?
@@GazRendar i'm still happy with the R8. It still works fine. Maybe in the future, i don't know.
Yep, the R8 is still good. And if you are mostly using it one or two synths at a time like with POs, or an OP-1, or an SP-404...you're still probably good with it. But if you wanted to upgrade...$299 is the price to jump in at!
@@GazRendar yeah man. Thanks for the Tip i hope that many people will buy it!
Hi! loved your video, do you know if the Zoom R20 will be a good purchese instead the zoom H6 for field recording?
i mean, for shortfilms or film production, i´m building a mini audio car so i´ll apreciate your opinion, congrats for your channel i loved it.
The R20 vs. the H6 will depends on your specific needs. First, do you need ultimate portability? The H6 can run off batteries whereas the R20 needs to be plugged into a wall or a very large batter pack or a DC converter or something. Second, how many simultaneous inputs do you need? If you can get away with just 4 inputs, the H6 will be sufficient. But if you need to simultaneously record 6-8 separate tracks, you'll want something like the R20. Finally, do you have to edit audio tracks directly on the device? Or can you wait to bring the tracks to a computer and do some editing there? The H6 is just not good at splitting tracks, copying and pasting, and any kind of real track manipulation.
So if you simply need a recording device and plan to do any track editing with a computer later...you'll likely benefit from the H6's portability and ability to record at 24-bit/96kHz. If you need to simultaneously record 6 to 8 tracks, and/or you want some capability to edit tracks directly on the device, AND you can power the unit where ever you are, then the R20 might be the better pick for you.
Very stupid question probably but there are no dedicated stereo tracks on this unit. Can you just use two mono tracks to record the stereo output of a digital piano ?
C'mon now...no such thing as a stupid question, right?!
The R20 has16 tracks. The physical faders can control either Tracks#1-8 or Tracks#9-16 at any given time. You can flip that control back and forth quickly while in fader view. All those tracks are mono, but they have great flexibility to stereo link them. So you can turn it into a 8, stereo-track recorder if you wish. The only caveat is that you can only link adjacent tracks, starting with an odd track as what ends up being a left side to a stereo track. So Track#1 can only be stereo linked to Track #2, Track #3 can only be stereo linked to Track #4, and so on.
But yes, very easy to link two mono tracks into a stereo track so you can record the left and right outs of your digital piano.
Seems the sale here in Canada is about $350 USD down from $450 USD.
It's still on as of today.
I've used the R16 without issue for around 10 years, but it doesn't have a cut and paste function.
Can I record tracks on my R16 and then use that SD card in the R20 and vise versa?
My drums use a lot of inputs, but it'd be great to pull the card and use it in the R20.
Especially, considering I currently need to move the R16 a couple feet away from my drums in order to record guitars.
Yeah, seems like the sale went from $299 to $349 now, which is still a good budget-level price for the R20. If you are moving from an R16 to an R20 the biggest thing you'll miss are the 8 combo jacks. The R20 only has two combo jacks. But the R20 does support up to 4 condenser mics with phantom power. Also, the R20 does not have the built-in mics that the R8, R16, and R24 have. Other than that, the R20 is a pretty clear upgrade over the R16. I think the sound quality is slightly better too.
I don't have an R16 to test it out, but I doubt you can just use the same SD card with the same projects and go back and and forth between the R16 and R20. That's because the R20 has a different file folder tree and organization compared to the R16. So those two devices won't know how to "look" in the correct folders to find the individual projects and recorded tracks.
However, if you have old projects and old tracks that you recorded at 24-bit 44.1kHz with the R16, you should be able to import those tracks into new R20 projects. It will be a one-time, time consuming process, but it's doable. And then you will have migrated everything over the R20. But moving files from the R20 back to the R16 probably won't be easy. So once you goto R20, I recommend you finish your recording projects there. I made a video about importing audio regions/tracks into the R20:
ua-cam.com/video/JMmjrkenS8s/v-deo.html
@@GazRendar ok, thanks. Swapping cards between the two units would've been ideal, but I'll figure a new plan.
What do you think the chances are ZOOM is still going to release the app? That was a HUGE selling point for everyone I know that bought one… Seems like they have misrepresented the R20. When I 1st ordered mine it was because in the actual video made by Zoom, they were using it basically 100% through an IPad. Without the app it’s not at all what we were sold.. But it’s still pretty sweet. I’ve never even used mine once. I bought the WiFi adapter also.. Soon as I found out the app wasn’t available I never even opened it
I think the chances are high that Zoom releases the app for the R20. They advertised the app too much to not release it. However, if I had to bet, - I'll guess it's not going to come out until sometime between November 2022 and early January 2023.
I just bought one last week. ARGH!!!!
Dang, sorry! If it was just last week you might be able to call/email and get a price match if you send a screenshot and link to the price on the Zoom website or on Amazon.
is this possible to sync to external sequencers/instruments/midi devices?
It does not have a sync or MIDI clock. However, I'm experimenting with a work-around that is close to being useful for things like Pocket Operators and Volcas. I'm trying to perfect the technique and then make a video about it.
Just bought one $299
It's not a perfect machine by any stretch...but if you can get it for $299 - $320 I think it offers a lot of recording value for musicians who don't like to record with a computer.
Zoom claims that the r20 has the best preamps ever set in one of their interfaces. Have they addressed the r24's noisy preamps?
I don't have an R24 to do a side-by-side comparison. However, I feel like the R20's preamps are clean and at normal recording gains for guitar, bass, and mics I'm not noticing background hiss. I plan to do a preamp test video, I just haven't gotten to it yet.
If you want to see a good comparison between the R20 and R24 (that uses sequenced synths, not guitars) you should check out Floyd Steinberg's channel. He made a nice comparison video and you can hear what I've been hearing - that the R20 has a little cleaner, a little brighter preamps.
does it come with the cables?
It only comes with with the power adapter.
What if an R24 could be had for the same price as the R20?
needed features vs improved sound quality.... Arrgh. And I'm sure the sale ends very soon.
Neither option is a homerun for my anticipated use case - but the price point... and DAWless.. Arrgh. lol
I think the sale ends August 2022. No idea if it will be extended. But once you see a sale like
You can perform extensive recording on either the R20 or R24 and create songs with surprisingly good quality. $299 is a solid price for the R20, though. I'd suggest the R24 if you frequently need to record with more than two simultaneous 1/4" inputs or if you really, really need an optional footswitch for punch in/punch out recording and effects. Outside of that, given that it's $200 cheaper right now, I'd typically suggest the R20 over the R24 for most people...especially guitar/bass/drums/vocal focused musicians.
@@GazRendar Thanks for the feedback. Currently used R24s are cheaper than a new R20 on sale... ...and I think I am going to need the 1/4" and midi clock. But the R20 does sound better... (I'm wanting to get back into music after years away - so not sure what all I'll need just yet... Alot of my gear is ancient. lol) Thanks again. Very helpful.
I do think the R20 sounds better than the R8 and the R24. But the R24 is still really good today, even though it's over 10 years old. But if you think you are going to hook up some synths and sequencers to a multitrack all the time, the R24 on those 1/4" alone could be more useful to you. But if you want to do some light editing directly on the device, the R20 is going to perform better. At $300 or less, both will let you record good stuff...as you mentioned, neither option is perfect in all situations, but they both are fun, immediate, tactile recording experiences. Good luck with your choice!
Which one is better - R20 or R16?
Eh, it kind of depends on your needs. For one, the R16 is discontinued by Zoom, so it's harder to find these days. Zoom still makes the R8 and R24, though. The R8 and R24 are a little different because they have sample pads and a built-in sequencer (which is old, but it works ok). The R8 and R24 each feature a footswitch input for easier punch in/punch out recording, if you need that.
The only real hardware advantage the R16 has is 8 combo input jacks compared to just 2 combo inputs on the R20. The R16 only has two inputs which can supply phantom power. The R20 has 4 inputs that can supply phantom power. I think the R20's preamp for all the inputs sounds a little brighter and better than the R8, R16, R24 line. The R20's touchscreen is also so much better for simple audio editing: moving tracks, splitting tracks, copy&pasting.
So if you need eight 1/4" inputs for simultaneously recording up to eight tracks at once, the R16 is better (honestly, I'd probably skip the R16 and consider the R24 for that instead). Otherwise, if you can get by with just two 1/4" / XLR combo inputs, I think the R20 is better than the R16. I made a video about working with the two combo jack limitation of the R20 here:
ua-cam.com/video/EuVe58WC-ZE/v-deo.html
Hope that helps.
@@GazRendar Thank you for the answers. Well, I'm deciding between R24, R20 and Zoom L-8. Do you like the Zoom L8?
The L8 and L12 seems pretty great, but they are different. The L8 and L12 are definitely mixing boards that just so happen to also do recordings to SD cards (same for the Tascam Model 12). So if you ever have a need to play live performances and you want to plug a few things into a board for yourself, or an entire band, AND you want to sometimes record stuff, the L-series is for you. But if you never really have the need to play live and you just want to record and have a good music recording experience, the R24 or R20 will be a better fit for you. If you want to record music and do podcasts with multiple people talking and each person has their own headphones on, then the L-series is better because you can route selected channels/tracks through different headphone outs. On the R24 and R20, all the audio goes to the single headphone out or single monitor out the same way.
The 24 has drums. End of discussion?
You mean the R24? Sure, the R24 has sample pads and a sequencer for drums, but I don't know if that's the end of the discussion. The R20 does a MIDI track and you can use the built-in drum sounds with a MIDI controller/piano roll to create your own short drum patterns that you can quickly copy and paste into a full drum track. For the R20, it's more if you want the color touchscreen to perform light editing directly on the device. If that's no use to you, then other multitrackers can be a better option. The R24 is also a little more expensive, which factors into buying options for some people.
@@GazRendar I could import cool Ez Drummer Midi Loops into the R20's memory. Although of course having the loops there already is more practical. The question is if the r24's preamps are good enough. I always see people using mic external preamps in the r24 to prevent noise recording but I have never tested it myself. Are r24's preamps all that bad or not at all? Are the ones in the R20 better? So no extra gear is needed to record clean mic/bass and guitar signals?
is it still on sale?
Yes. I think at least until the end of August 2022
This decision does not benefit us at all. And it will produce the devaluation of our R20. Is it a consequence of the failure of the model? Or is it due to an imminent release of a new model? Many Thanks Gaz for your help.
I don't know about devaluation of the R20. I'm not going to jump to conclusions, but the simplest explanation is that August 30th is the end of Zoom's fiscal year and they decided to have one last sale to try to improve their numbers.
We bought the device when it was brand new, and you always wind up paying full price. I accepted that and I can be at peace with it. 6 months after you buy a TV or a phone the price always goes down these days. I also assume the R20 price is going to bounce back up to at least $399 on September 1, if not all the way back to $449.
I actually view the sale as a good thing. If they sell many more R20s in the next two weeks that means there are more units out there, which should provide more incentive and justification for them to create more and more firmware updates. At least that's my hope...
@@GazRendar Sometimes you have to pay tax on inventory too. Could be a driver.
Its still not wurth that money without a midi clock. And its defenitly not the best because of that. Its the same as a external interface that needs a daw for a midi clock. Sobm a external interface with midi clock and 6 inputs, that costs normally150 dollar
Yeah, if you are exclusively a synth person I tend to agree. But if you play guitar, bass, drums, sing or play acoustic strings with a mic or something, AND you don't want to be near a computer, then having a stand-alone box like this can really help with your creative flow. Unfortunately, if you are strictly a hardware synth person, then you have to spend a lot more to move up to a Bluebox or TX-6 to get computer-free multitrack recording with the full suite of synth recording settings that you want.
@@GazRendar just using a dp02 from tascam from 20 years ago. Its has a midi beat clock. Even in the older times they used a sync track, because it has no midi master. Als these new multitrack recorders became useless to me. The last one they made with a master clock is the dp24 and 32. But then upgraded to dp24sd without a midi.the rhytm in the R20 uses midi like any otyer synth. Sobwhy not using it to go together woth the tracks.? Every song you hear is made with syncing to the rhytm. And trying ro get with it instead of going with it is bad. Only bad songs so a bad multitrack recorder like all new ones without midi master clock. There are tons of complaints on forums abaut that. Only new poeple that try to make songs buy this. Not experianced People. Im in few groups on fb hwj and hardware jams, 1000nds off poeple every day week makings songs. All on a midi master clock. 1/500 pople make analoge guitar voice songs and mostrly sound like crap. On yt i see they use every new gear there is on the market. Bit all these new mtr are falling out of the boat. Instead they struggle with a computer and groundloops and wierd static noises or usings external interfaces or a old mtr with midi, because there is no new mtr Ith midi. Ohh yes there is 1 the model 12. Not the mode16-l 24. The 16 and 24 is mtc and thats not what whe neee. Mtc is for movie industrie. We need midi song position pointer, midi beat clock start stop. But you can master, like in the R16 or like with a tascam. Also the zoom R series sadly no Midi but exelent mastering. If there was a R16 affordable with midi master clock. Then all these new ones without would be available for decades in the stores. Because guitar and voice is A unplugged style from 30 years ago
No A-B Repeat
Correct. As of v3.3 anyway, there is no true auto-looping A-B repeat. You can set markers and manually loop it by pressing buttons, or you can simply tap the region of interest and extend it with a touch and drag outward for a minute or two on the timeline, but there right now there is no set marker A, set marker B, and have it auto-loop to infinity setting. I'm hopeful that's something that can be added in the marker sub-menu with a firmware update, but no idea if Zoom is working on that or not.