This does at least secure firmly into its socket in the back of the unit. The additional functionality compared with the R16 has made it impractical to run the LiveTrak either from internal batteries or from bus power, so the included wall-wart power supply is a necessity.
Although it is made almost entirely of plastic it feels reasonably robust, despite a tendency to emit creaking noises on occasions, and the layout of the top panel is admirably friendly and clear, with plenty of space between adjacent buttons and knobs.
Physically speaking, the LiveTrak occupies nearly twice as much real estate as its predecessor, though it’s still relatively compact. It turns out, though, that the LiveTrak is far more than an updated R16 - and in some ways, it’s also less. Once again, it seems, Zoom’s core aim has been to create a USB device that will work well as a front end for a computer-based recording system, and which can also be removed from your studio and taken to rehearsals, gigs and location venues for stand-alone multitrack recording.
Star Trakkin’Īlmost nine years on, the LiveTrak L‑12 looks a lot like that ‘more professional’ version of the R16. Stand-alone recording was restricted to 44.1kHz, there was no digital I/O, and metering was basic. With only a single stereo output, mirrored on a single headphone socket, monitoring and cue-mixing options were very limited. The R16’s capacity to run on six AA batteries meant that phantom power was available only on two inputs, and compromised the quality of its preamps and other analogue circuitry. However, I’ve always felt there was scope for a more ‘professional’ implementation of the same concept. (You can read that review online at There was a lot to like about the R16, and I bought and still own the review model. For the first time, a single piece of kit allowed owners to quickly and easily make location recordings anywhere before bringing them back to the studio for computer-based editing, overdubbing and mixing. An innovative combination of multitrack recorder, mixer, fader control surface and USB audio interface at a very attractive price, the Zoom R16 bridged the gap between ‘in the box’ and stand-alone recording. Way back in September 2009 I reviewed a product that could be seen as its ancestor. That process continues with the LiveTrak L‑12. Building on their affordable H-series of hand-held recorders, they’ve created a professional field recorder, the F8, and their current audio interfaces in the TAC and UAC lines give nothing away to competition from more familiar names in that field. In recent years, though, the Japanese manufacturers have been moving steadily upmarket. Most of us have probably owned one of their guitar multi-effects pedals, or a budget rackmount reverb unit: equipment that might not have rivalled Lexicon or Eventide in quality, but certainly offered excellent value for money. To musicians of a certain age, the name Zoom is synonymous with ‘cheap and cheerful’. Zoom reimagine the stand-alone multitracker for the DAW generation. A single set of channel strip controls governs EQ and a few other settings for the currently selected channel.
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