Zoom LiveTrak L-8 8-channel Digital Mixer/Recorder

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.

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 Micro USB is outdated.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.

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.

Another 5 star product from Zoom
Another 5 star product from Zoom. Very flexible, simple to use. Preamps offer plenty of gain, headphone outputs are loud. Works well as an audio interface. Connect this to a USB power bank and get high quality recordings anywhere. This is my first digital mixer, I’ve always used audio interfaces. This can do so much more than a typical usb audio interface for the same price and quality.

The mic pre amps sound amazing. Very low noise and make my shure beta 58 fuller. Very impressed with the quality of the inputs and outputs. It is highly configurable. Recording capabilities exceed my expectations with all separate tracks and very intuitive interface. The effects sounds very good… For vocals, try the vocal 1 setting and about half 2/3 of the way on the knob and use efx slider to add more or less. Now the only flaw I find is that only one effect can be used and that goes for all tracks. So you can’t combine effects or even use a different effect on a different track. If it could do that I could do away with an external fx. That said, the vocal 1 effect is good enough for most vocal recordings.Highly recommended!

Cumplió la expectativa que yo tenía, para producir, hacer Lives, trabajar fuera de una estudio, dentro del estudio, es altamente recomendable. Tiene muchísimas funciones, prácticamente limpié mi escritorio pues es una interfaz, un preamp, etc.

I produce podcasts for a living – at work we have the “looks like a death star super sexy looking” originator of the “podcast recorder” market. I’ve been using that beautiful piece of hardware since not long after it was released. When I need to buy a podcast recorder for my home studio, I choose the Zoom LiveTrak L-8.1. Audio is great.2. Mic pre-amps are classic Zoom (and the pads are nice)3. You can record ONLY the tracks you want to4. You can see settings “at a glance” (no menu surfing during operation)5. Getting 2.25 AA batteries recording on 4 channels with dynamic mics6. Headphones have separate mixes (seriously? so good)7. Seven mixes (“scenes”) – show presets!8. You can manage the pads internally.9. Did I mention you can run it on AA batteries or USB power pack10. When connected to a computer, it’s a very capable audio interface11. The audio out from the XLR is very good12. AA batteries…I mean…record walking down the street (awkward) or front steps (cool)13. Light14. Almost $300 cheaper than competitors?!!?You’ve probably noticed I love it. I do. That said, cons, light means plastic, but it doesn’t feel cheap. That’s about it.