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get on a computer DAW, nor can it do as drastic a time change as the best such programs. But it does work very well for small tempo tweaks, and can be used on audio tracks recorded in a conventional manner as well.Tempo setting is as easy as tapping the new dedicated Tempo button, or as precise as dialing the precise number. Computer connections When you hit the USB button, the R24 can enter one of three modes: Reader, where its SD card appears on your computer desktop as a disk volume for drag-and-drop file import and backup; Storage, where you can import audio files or Projects from a USB drive attached to the R24 or store them to a USB drive to share with friends, no computer needed; or Audio I/F, where it becomes an audio interface and control surface. The interface drivers work with Windows XP SP2 or better (including Vista and 7, 32- or 64-bit), and with Intel Macs running OS X 10.4.11 or better, and for DAWless users, Zoom includes a copy of Steinberg Cubase LE 5. The R24 appears as an 8-in/2-out interface to your DAW; the onboard effects can be used on inputs if you’re recording at 44.1 kHz, the tuner is available should you need it, and you can create a zero-latency monitor mix of all eight inputs with adjustable levels. The control surface sends standard Mackie Control and/or MIDI Control Change messages for the transport buttons, the five keys above them, and the faders; these can easily be assigned to any functions you wish, although as with the R16 I miss having a bank of knobs for pan or effects-send control. Final notes The R24 has a number of new tweaks that make it somewhat more useful than the R16 already was as a recording interface. Relatively unheralded improvements like phantom power on up to six mics are going to make more difference to the computer recordist than the addition of drums and loops, and will lead to more professional-sounding recordings. I was tickled to see that my complaint about the R16’s Pan/EQ buttons also controlling unlabeled functions (like Send levels) has been addressed on the R24 by a front panel flowchart showing all the features controlled by this button’s submenus. While I strongly appreciate the added features and improvements on the audio recording side, I am of two minds about the R24’s loop sampling and rhythm capabilities. On the one hand, they’re very primitive and hard
RECORDING JANUARY 2011

to use compared to what you can do with even the simplest computer-based DAW software. On the other hand, even in 2011 we have a significant number of recording musicians out there who truly hate working with computers, and who would love to have a viable and musical-sounding alternative to building tracks on a DAW. For those folks, the R24’s sampler and rhythm machine will be heaven-sent. The R24 remains portable and easy to use. It lets a musician pop on a pair of headphones, plug in an instrument or mic (or two, or three, or eight!), and just get to making music. About the only major thing you can’t do with the R24 alone is create a finished audio CD, but

for that, there’s still the onboard playlisting function that lets you assemble and play back completed lists of projects to an external CD recorder. While the R24’s new features lean toward those who want to work without a computer, its USB connectivity leaves open the option of adding a DAW later. With or without a DAW, the R24 represents a significant step up from the already capable R16, and stands out dramatically in a crowded market of interfaces, controllers, SD-based recorders, and samplers... as all of the above. Price: $499 MAP More from: Zoom, www.zoomfx.com.

http://www.zoomfx.com http://www.kiqproductions.com http://www.kiqproductions.com

Recording - January 2011

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