Zoom R20 Portable Multitrack Recorder

As a solo musician, I wanted something simple I can use to record my demos when the inspiration presented itself. It's not too easy to "travel" as it requires a special AC/DC adapter. I could not find a replacement for the adapter one time I forgot it at home. I did a bunch of research and could not find a way to buy another AC/DC adapter.I mainly use it to interface inputs on my Cubase DAW. It works amazing and it even controls the DAW's recording features from the R20 built in buttons.I really like it, but I have not used all the great features that come with it. Make sure you update the Firmware as soon as you get it. I have V.3 as of this writing.

Don't let the size full ypu this is a very capable unit. It's a great tool for rehearsal and song writer's or getting thoughts recorded quickly. The effects nice and are very usable. This unit is compact and powerful. But I suggest getting a stylist pen whit it when ordering It makes navigation on the screen way more efficient. This isn't going to replace a recording studio no time soon but it can help you a demo to pro jump easier with its 16 tracks out to computer or SD card... I like it so far.

I am a musician/producer who normally records at home but recently got an offer to play bass in a local punk band. We started talking about how we would record. I suggested we DIY it as opposed to going to a studio in town as it would save money and I'd do the engineering/production. While doing research on portable 8-16 track recorders I noticed Zoom had put out what looked like an updated version of their R16 unit. Because I had previously owned an R16, I decided to try this one out as $400 didn't seem like a bad price for what it could do.The biggest update is the multi-color touch screen. The previous model had a single color screen displaying only words stating commands. I definitely appreciate they added a grid interface as it makes it far easier to cut, copy, paste and delete. Also, the multi-color gain knobs and faders coordinating with the color of the stems is aesthetic and practical.Another big change is the inputs themselves. The R20 now has only 2 1/4 jack/XLR inputs with the other 6 being strictly XLR whereas the R16 had all 8 as 1/4 jack/XLR. Also, phantom power can now be run on inputs 5-8. I would consider this a good but not necessarily great change.It should be noted that the power supply has a fastener that attaches between the plug and the power port so the power won't be easily unplugged from the device.The software itself offers templates featuring drum loops for different genres and various sound settings for guitar, bass and vocals. This is all well and good but unneeded for me as I will end up transferring the files to my desktop and editing in FL Studio. Truth be told, there are a lot of features in the Zoom software I will likely not use for the aforementioned reason.The only real problem I have with this device is how lightweight it is. Some people might find that to be a good thing but for me, light plastic is far less durable than metal. That means you have to be EXTRA CAREFUL with it so no open drinks or placing it somewhere it can be stepped on or knocked over. Otherwise, game over.If you don't own a laptop but still want to record your practice sessions with your band, the R20 pretty much fills that need. Just keep it away from your clumsy bandmates (unless you're the clumsy one).EDIT: I forgot to point out that unlike the Zoom R16, the R20 has NO BATTERY OPTION so that ad they show of the bass player making the goofy face playing outside in the middle of a park where power outlets are not easily found may be misleading. Despite this, I'm still mostly good with this product.EDIT as of 12/24/21: I have run into a rather annoying issue with the multi-track interface of the Zoom R20. Previous to what I am about to describe which is happening, the R20 and FL Studio were working great with no problems. A few days ago when arming one of the channels on the virtual mixing board in FL Studio with any of the inputs for the R20, the sound automatically muted itself - when I disarm the channel, the sound comes back on. I have tried uninstalling and reinstalling the R20 drivers, shutting off all of my sound drivers except the R20 one and checking my settings on FL Studio. I am highly certain this is an issue with the R20 or it's drivers as I plugged in my Focusrite Scarlett Solo with FL and had no problems whatsoever. I've sent an email to Zoom regarding this issue and hope we can figure out a solution because this will affect the rating of this review.Update as of 5/10/22: No word from Zoom, no firmware updates on the Zoom company website regarding the aforementioned issue as far as I can tell so... we go from 4 to 2 stars.Update as of 12/14/22: Lost my power adapter so I called the company and asked if I could buy one. The person I talked to said they'd send one for free which to their credit they delivered. I'm improving the rating to 4 stars because at least their customer service was accomodating.

This is my third Zoom multitrack recorder. The R20 has many bells and whistles that are very handy and the touch screen is quick and easy to use. Very pleased that I purchased another Zoom awesome stuff

This is a very straight-forward, standalone multi-track which is easy to use, and can capture pro-quality audio, but there are a few features I hope Zoom considers for the next iteration.-- Touch screen is nice, but I would have preferred a physical zoom (or multi-function) knob next to the touch screen, along with finer resolution on the wave-forms. Pinch-to-zoom doesn't feel very precise, and moving tracks can feel a little jerky with the snap-to-grid feature turned off.-- Waveform graphic disappears during trimming, so you have to remember (using the grid) where you want to draw the line instead of being able to see the waveform while editing.-- Bluetooth requires a (sold-separately) dongle, and occupies the only USB-C port.-- Phantom power would have been nice for all 8 channels, but the R20 only has 4 powered channels.-- I personally would have preferred at least 2 more combo jacks, or (better yet) ALL combo jacks. Neutrik combo jacks are less than US$1 more than standard XLR jacks, and that's per-unit at retail.-- Speaking of the jacks: I don't love having them come out of the top for aesthetic and weight/balance reasons. Using all 8 inputs at once looks messy, and the R20 is pretty lightweight.--The 2 included combo jacks are also extremely tight; I have to pin the R20 down with one hand and pull pretty hard with the other to unplug a 1/4" cable. Perhaps this will break-in with repeated use, but it feels bad.-- Headphone jack (and knob) should be on the front or one of the sides of the housing, not the back.-- Click settings are pretty limited, with only 3/4, 4/4, and 6/8 options. Yes, it's not terribly difficult to just add/subtract 16th notes or 8th notes per the grid to get odd meters, snapping to the grid between the numbered sections, but it does complicate workflow. A metronome is a pretty simple program, so it really shouldn't be that difficult to have a fully-functioning metronome. I'm on firmware 3.4, and this still hasn't been updated.One complaint I hear from others is that the R20 doesn't have a MIDI port, but the included MIDI suite is actually pretty good, and you don't even need a controller because the touch screen is a controller. If you do have an external MIDI controller: you just need a MIDI-to-USB-C cable.Overall I like the idea of not having to be in front of the computer to track and do basic editing, and the unit itself is really light and portable; I could toss it in a small bag with some headphones and work on tracks just about anywhere. The R20 could have really been a solid competitor to something like the Tascam Model 12 -- especially with the built-in DAW and touch-screen -- but Zoom falls a little short of greatness with the R20.

I was looking for a multi-track recorder to get back into recording. The Zoom R20 has checked all the boxes I was hoping for! Easy to start a project, easy to add tracks and easy to take the SD card and load tracks on my laptop and from there easy to get the sound and mix.The touch screen functions are great and color coded inputs and track display are more reasons to love it.