Description
Creators are evolving—and so are we. Zoom livetrak L-8 makes it easier than ever to mix, monitor and record professional-sounding podcasts and music performances in one portable, affordable package.
Zoom LiveTrak L-8 Podcast Recorder, Battery Powered, Digital Mixer and Recorder, Music Mixer, Phone Input, Sound Pads, 4
$525.55
Additional information
| Brand | Zoom |
|---|---|
| Model Number | L-8 |
| Number Of Items | 1 |
| Manufacturer Part Number | ZL8 |
| ASIN | B07YYQ93BT |
| Date First Available | 16 October 2019 |
| Manufacturer | Zoom Corporation |
10 reviews for Zoom LiveTrak L-8 Podcast Recorder, Battery Powered, Digital Mixer and Recorder, Music Mixer, Phone Input, Sound Pads, 4
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Kevin Mercier –
A bit more than what I was looking for
To things I borrowed a l8 zoom livetrak and l was able to do some things with it one drawback is that the unit records ln wave format play’s ln MP3 you have to know about mixer and recorders functions to get the best use out of the unit
Mark S Gahr –
Powerful, versatile and battery power
My first criteria was portability and battery power. For my purposes, the L-8 is like a field recorder on steroids. Very versatile. And of the negative reviews I’ve seen two things seemed be an issue for some users:Some called them cheesy and cheaply made – I don’t see it – I have two of these things and they are pretty solid. The other is that the Rode unit is better for Podcasting – maybe true, but this one doubles way better for small PA work.
Thomas Henry Horan –
Best podcast mixer! Also great for recording live rehearsals, etc.
This is a true 6-track (plus stereo mix) recorder. I really like the individual dB meters alongside each fader. Each of the six combination inputs (XLR/TR) is independent, so, you can have some as 1/4″ TR and some as XLR. 48V phantom power, but for some bizarre reason, no 2.5V “plugin power” like a lot of Zoom recorders have. Also, even though it can remember several setups, in practice, I had to “zero out” each channel fader manually each time I turned it on, or else, it would buzz etc. In other words, it’s a great–but, digital–mixer/recorder. It can run on batteries, or USB, but the USB power input is in a terrible location. Great prosumer audio quality, but not really “pro” music production. But, overall, a great value for the money!
Customer in Detroit –
Easy to use. Never mention you need to download drivers
Great Mixer once I got it to work. I used it to connect to a computer to do a livestream podcast. But I had to download drivers (never mentioned in instructions) and I had to bring all controls level low and back up to get it to work. It too me awhile to google and find out this information. That’s my reasoning for the lower rating.After I got it working, it worked good and easy to use.
Kerry W. Jones –
Great Versatility
Outstanding studio equipment. Great for all mixing as well as podcasting, especially the phone integration.
Hontr –
Descriptions are a little misleading
If you are someone who is looking for something like a GoXLR but with more faders, this is not what you’re looking for. The product descriptions and even the product manual mention that this can be used as a 12 in/4 out mixer when connected to a PC and put into PC mode, and, from the manual: “The USB input signals will be shown in order on the computer as MASTER L, MASTER R, CH1, CH2… CH7 L, CH7R, CH8 L and CH8 R.” which makes it sound like these individual inputs will show up in WINDOWS after you’ve installed the drivers. The reality is, you get ONE input and ONE output in WINDOWS. You need to use a DAW or similar program to be able to access the individual channels. This may not be a problem for some, but this is not the scenario I was trying to buy this for, so the manual and descriptions are a little misleading, as it just says “computer,” making it sound like it shows up without software.Apart from that, I didn’t use this much, so I won’t review much other than the issue I ran into. The mixer I got was firmware version 1.30, while the “most updated” firmware on ZOOM’s website is 1.12.
David B Dowlen –
Good for standalone, not the best for Computer interface
I bought this because I have experience using sound boards and was hoping to cut out some post production on my podcast sine I could adjust it before recording during sound test. For that it is a solid little board, great combination for running a podcast. If you are not used to sound boards it could be a little daunting and you would have to think hard between this and the Rodecaster Pro.Pro’s:Portable, battery capable.6 Dedicated Microphones2 Flexible channels for sound pads, phone inputs and suchMore control over recording set up because you can adjust individual channelsOn Board Recording via SD CardCon’s:Not the easiest to incorporate as a Interface for the computer.Micro USB instead of USB -CI am pretty much satisficed with this board, however they could use with 1 or 2 small upgrades.I have a Zoom Podtrak P4 that I bought before this. Great little device. It’s big brother could use the USB-C upgrade that it has. Micro USB is outdated. You also have to go to ZOOM’s website and down load drivers to use it with your computer (Which I did not find in the instructions, had to go to YouTube to find that out). I didn’t have to with the Podtrak 4, just a USB-C connection and I was in business.Upgrade the micro USB to USB-C so the computer can talk at a higher quality and send better sound back and I would upgrade this to a 5 Start review.Overall it is a good little board with a couple small imperfections. When I am doing in person interviews or a stand alone show I love it, just wish it interfaced with my computer a little more like it’s baby brother.
Jules –
Good standalone unit for podcasting – definitely not what you hoped for music production
so first off, this is an *amazing* little package. it’s so small and light, really does run off batteries (amazing!) and has an excellent mixer (with sliders!), an excellent recorder, multiple ways to plug stuff in, the 4 headphone outs alone are a standout feature as well.without a doubt for someone looking for a mostly portable way to do podcasting this thing is unbeatable, especially at the price. worked really well with my MXL990, SM-58 mics + direct input from a keyboard, and ipad, and acoustic guitar.however, be aware of the following *severe* limitations for music mixing/recording which eventually made me return the unit and get a separate mixer/recorder setup (please be aware that i am not an experienced sound engineer, don’t know the lingo, i just know how to move sliders, turn dials, and go “hmm, that sounds good”):* 80 ohm headphones are not going to perform their best. even at max volume they are at most running at half the volume i’d want when recording music* the unit cannot seem to handle deep bass very well. there is noticeable popping distortion when hitting loud low frequence notes, especially sustained (such as from a synth bass). at first i thought this was only through the headphone but when i hooked up external rockit 5 speakers i noticed the same. note that there is no clipping going according to any of the meters / lights. i had to lower the master volume to 60% for it to go away (and crank up my speakers). given this and along with the above headphone limitation you end up not having enough power in your ears for a proper sound stage.* there is no effect out/send! unless you put effects BEFORE you plug an instrument into the board you are stuck with the onboard effects only. this may not be a problem for an electric guitar since the effects are usually part of the performance but for a vocalist these are brutally limiting. basically you have to either record dry (or onboard effects only) in order to have a clean vocal track. this sucks for the vocalist who can’t get an approximation of what they will sound like. most vocal remixing is a very subtle art and not having a raw vocal track to work with is a deal breaker.* in combination with the above lack of effect send, there’s no onboard compression. this seems a really bad oversight for a podcast unit – compression is one of the most important effects for spoken audio. not a big deal for me because i do compression on recorded tracksso ya, an impressive unit – but in my opinion you will be *sorely* disappointed if you use it for music production.
Hiroyuki Ikezi –
Works OK, setting requires too much button pressing.
I make live recordings. This mixer/recorder works but I do not like setting up procedures, because it requires too much button pressing. I returned it to Amazon and stick to simple interface + ProTools.
Taylor Latham –
Buy it. Stop putting it in “wish list” or “save for later”. Trust me.
Amazon recommended I rate the “thickness”. Look, I’m not sure what they were asking me but this thing is a lot of things so I gave it 5star thickness. If you’re a beginner, buy it. Go to mixer mode and go to town. If you’re intermediate like me, buy it. You can record jam sessions or concerts or even the phone calls your wife tries to pretend she never had with you. If you’re a pro, buy it. Look up a guy named David Shanhun on YouTube. He actually does some really impressive stuff (I have no relation and make no money from this endorsement. He’s actually not super famous, just does a great job showcasing this thing). Bottom line, if you have $400 go ahead and spend it on this thing. You know you’re bored as hell and the LiveTrack can do a lot of cool stuff.