Zoom HD16CD

ZOOM HD16-CD Details ^top

A personal studio with power and simplicity

When inspiration strikes, you need a recorder that's responsive and easy to use so you can capture your ideas as quickly as you get them. And when it comes to arranging, mixing and mastering, you need functions that enhance all of your creative instincts.

The Zoom HD16 gives you versatile, intuitive multi-track recording with a clear, intuitive interface. You can send your recorded WAV files to the included DAW software in your computer via its USB connection. Then, use the unit as a control surface to adjust, fade, pan and mix every aspect of your project. Recording, arranging, mixing and mastering has never been easier or more immediate.

MULTI-TRACK RECORDING

A responsive tool for professional multi-track recording With a large, 80GB hard disk, the HD16 provides about 240 hours of recording time using 16-bit/44.1 kHz sampling in WAV format. Each track has ten virtual tracks, so you can record multiple takes to get each track right. The HD16 allows recording on up to 8 tracks simultaneously to capture a live performance of your band, or even a complete drum kit - all on separate tracks! With the HD16 you can record live or in your home studio with confidence... you have all the tools you need.

Bounce to a dedicated mastering track Once you have captured individual tracks, push the mixdown key to bounce your tracks to a stereo track. In addition to your audio track contents, you can include the rhythm track and effects return signal. This frees up tracks so you can record additional instrumental or vocal parts. Even large ensembles that exceed the default number of tracks can be managed this way. And you don't need an external master recorder for the final mix.

Get creative with versatile editing functions The HD16 offers powerful editing capabilities. In addition to standard copy, move, and erase functions, you can trim the overall length of recorded data, adjust the tempo with time stretch, create precision fade-ins and fade-outs and even reverse the contents of a track. With tools such as pitch correction and a harmonized pitch shifter, your vocal tracks will sound like you recorded them in a full production studio.

Locate function supports pin-point editing Directly access any point on any track using up to 100 freely specified marks. A-B repeat makes repeated playback or recording of a specific sequence quick and easy. Auto punch-in/out ensures that you get the exact result you want.

Build tracks from looped material The phrase loop function lets you put build a full-fledged loop track simply by lining up audio phrases. Create the backing for an entire song with just a few keystrokes, by specifying the playing sequence and repetition count. Use parts of recorded data or WAV/AIFF files as loop material, or get sources from a computer via USB or from the CD-R/RW drive. The comes with 96 ready-to-use preset loops containing drum, bass, and guitar phrases to build your project from the ground up.

DRUM & BASS MACHINE

Real drum & bass machine with sampler function. With over 500 drum sound sources, the HD16 offers versatile percussion choices from rock drums, funk drums, jazz drums to every kind of acoustic and electronic drum sound you can imagine. But that's not all. 20 preassembled drum kits with 27 sounds each (3 banks x 9 pads) are onboard. The HD16 includes vintage drum machine sounds with numerous auxiliary percussion and special effects sounds.

A sampler with 70 seconds of sampling capacity lets you assign any part of an audio track or an imported WAV/AIFF file to the onboard pads allowing you to build as many as 1,000 distinct drum kits. Eleven bass sound sources including electric bass, acoustic bass, and synthesizer bass are also built in.

475 preset rhythm patterns. The selection of preset rhythm patterns covers a wide range of styles from rock and pop to jazz, funk, club and more. Choose from a wide variety of intros, fills, and ending patterns to quickly create a rhythm track for your project. Set your groove with the nine touch-sensitive pads for real-time rhythm programming. Up to 511 original patterns can be created and stored. Standard MIDI Files (SMF) can be imported and used to play internal rhythm sounds as well as external MIDI sources. A software plug-in for programming and editing patterns is also included.

MULTI-EFFECTS

Utilize studio-quality effects At every step of your project, you have access to 130 types and 370 patches of DSP effects. Effects are configured with seven modules featuring various settings for guitar, bass, and vocals. Two types of send/return effects are ideal for fine-tuning the overall ambience of a song. And all three effect types can be used simultaneously. Optimize the dynamic range with a compressor/limiter and minimize noise with Zoom Noise Reduction (ZNR). Choose from a wide variety of studio-quality effects including chorus, flanger, phaser, delay, and reverb. Or you can synchronize delays or modulation to the song tempo with BPM effects. The HD16 also offers the "8x COMP EQ" effect for use on up to eight inputs simultaneously to individually optimize dynamics and frequency response when recording multiple tracks at once.

Achieve professional-level results with mastering effects Multi-band compressor, normalizer and other mastering effects assist you in the control of dynamics and listening level of your final mix. With 21 mastering presets onboard, we put the experience of seasoned recording engineers at your fingertips. Create a final mix and master that rivals the major labels. These tools are also very useful when importing audio from analog sources such as LPs or cassettes.

Advanced amp modeling with Zoom G Series on-board With 18 different guitar amp models such as Fender, Marshall, Vox and Mesa Boogie, and 6 bass amp models such as Ampeg, Bassman and Hartke you can connect your guitar or bass to get a distinct power amp and speaker cabinet character. And a built-in tuner keeps your instrument ready for your recording session.

DIGITAL MIXER

Professional control layout and panel design The HD16's faders, control knobs, and level meters are arranged in a clean, professional layout modeled after expensive mixing consoles found in the best studios. Each track has a rotary encoder that quickly adjusts parameters such as 3-band LOW/MID/HIGH EQ, two effect send actions, panning and more. A solo function lets you specify each track for individual monitoring. Its controls, with a unique, studio console design make recording your project immediate and intuitive. We include scene memory to store up to 100 settings for quick recall.

Combination XLR-1/4" line inputs Onboard combination XLR-1/4" line inputs connect to an internal preamp with phantom power to provide unsurpassed flexibility for your recording set-up. The HD16's eight of these connectors. Because the HD16 features individual phantom power on/off switches, you can configure a multi-mic environment with a combination of up to eight dynamic and condenser mics. A high-impedance switch allows direct connection of sources such as guitar, bass and keyboards. Master outputs are also available as analog RCA jacks or an S/PDIF optical output. Two headphones jacks are also provided, so a performer and an engineer can separately monitor the recording and playback. Like professional consoles, the HD16 even lets you create a monitor mix that is separate from the master output.

EXPANDABILITY

Quick connection to a computer via USB cable A 2.0 USB port supports high-speed data transfer at rates of up to 480 Mbps. Simply drag and drop audio files in WAV format recorded on the HD16 to the computer. Fine-tune song arrangements with DAW software, or convert files to MP3 for uploading to your web site or sending by email. The possibilities for personal recording projects are endless. Data backup, restore and importing of WAV files are also quick and easy.

DAW software control surface capability You'll find the studio recording console features so convenient and intuitive, that you'll want to keep using them when the HD16 is connected to a computer. Using either USB or MIDI, the HD16 can act as control surface for a DAW application. The faders, keys, and rotary encoders can be assigned to control the mixing functions of the software, which makes transport control and mixing operations like fade, pan, and EQ adjustments much more "physical". Adjustments that are difficult with a computer mouse, such as using multiple faders simultaneously are a breeze with its control surface. The HD16 also comes with Steinberg's Cubase LE, so you can use your computer for sophisticated graphics-based mixing and arranging right away.

Support for synchronized playback using MIDI time code or MIDI clock MIDI time code and MIDI clock output capability lets you synchronize playback operation with an external sequencer or recorder. Or set up a larger system to coordinate the HD16 with other computer DAW software or additional multi-track recorders.

Write an audio CD right away The HD16 comes with an onboard CD-R/RW drive to let you burn audio CDs or backup data CDs quickly. Disc-at-once writing is supported, which is great for producing live albums or mixes without gaps between tracks. Capturing the audio data of a CD for use as V-takes is also possible.

16-track playback, 8-track simultaneous recording with 160 V-takes
8 balanced XLR - 1/4" phone combo inputs with phantom power
16 bit / 44.1 kHz linear PCM recording in WAV format
Over 100 effects for guitar / bass / vocal recording, mixing, and mastering
Drum / Bass machine with touch-sensitive pads and over 500 drum sounds
Built-in CD-R/RW drive and 80 GB HD
Control surface function for DAW software
Bundled with Steinberg Cubase LE
Sampler function lets you add original drum sounds to Drum Kit
Expanded sampling memory to 60 seconds
Built-in USB 2.0 port
Easily viewable 5-segment LED level meters

Review of ZOOM HD16-CD

RATING:

Sound Quality	10
Features	10
Ease Of Use	10
Value	10
Reliability	1
Overall	1

I loved it for all of two months. Now it's in for repairs since end of February and won't be returned until sometime in April according to repair center. Not too happy!!!

-Dan Long dlong37@cfl.rr.com
-Apopka Florida, 03/14/08

Review of ZOOM HD16-CD

RATING:

Sound Quality	9
Features	10
Ease Of Use	8
Value	10
Reliability	9
Overall	9

I was hesitant to buy a Zoom product after a not so good experience with a guitar effects unit bought in the 80's - but now I am totally impressed! The features sold me: 8 tracks simultaneous recording nice mixer layout with a clean and logical arrangement of inputs, faders, level meters, and other controls built in effects and rhythm machine plus the ability to act as a controller for the included Cubase LE. Plus the abiity to burn the CD onboard. Where else will you find all that at this price? The layout is simple but smart, easy to work with for the most part. Some of the button sequences you need to press are not so obvious (do I use the Project Utility key, or Edit, or is it one of the multi-purpose drum pad keys???) and the manual could be better written, but the most common functions are easy to figure out and to work with. I like the input jacks that can accept either a balanced XLR mic cable or a Hi-Z guitar cable - a smart touch that makes the input section less cluttered while increasing the utility. My old Zoom pedal was plastic and cheaply made this recorder is solidly built and the buttons and faders have a sturdy feel to them. A few buttons were a bit sticky when I first started using it, but after I used them for a couple days they worked fine - I guess they just needed a little loosening up. The parameter knobs don't have as rugged a feel to them as the other controls, but they work OK. The sound is great. Very little noise. The effects are outstanding (though a few of them are gimmicky). Most of the presets are very good and useful as is, but they all can be tweaked. I have never really been satisfied with digital amp models but the ones here are pretty decent and cover a good range of sounds. The reverb is outstanding - there is a Budokan preset that is really convincing. And the rhythm machine is great and again very flexible, including the ability to assign your own sounds to the pads. I also like their FAST (Formula Assisted Song Translator) method of programming the rhythms: (1+2)x4 means play patterns 1 and 2 and repeat this 4 times - simple and saves lots of work when you program a rhythm track. In summary, this is a smartly thought out, feature-packed, and well built digital multitrack that I think is an incredible value! I am an engineer by training, and this is a well-designed and manufactured piece of equipment. I have had it less than a week, so maybe I will find the flaws later, but right now I am in home recording heaven.

-Ken Dales
-Elizabethtown, NY, 01/14/08

Review of ZOOM HD16-CD

RATING:

Sound Quality	9
Features	9
Ease Of Use	9
Value	10
Reliability	10
Overall	10

I wanted to express my appreciation of Musician's Buy for another great deal. This Zoom MTR is everything I expected and more. I did not want to spend a lot of time trying to learn how to operate a recorder. This unit is very user friendly and has an intuitive interface. You will definitely need to read the manual several times to learn about all of the intricate features but it won't take long before you are burning CD's of your newly recorded songs. I recorded three decent songs within the first week. The drum and bass tracks are surpisingly realistic and add a lot of bottom end when played on my stereo. You will probably need to learn how to write your own drum patterns to get the fills you need and that will take some time. I have also plugged a bass directly into the Hi-Z input with great results. I went through an EH LPB-2ube preamp that sounded great but I think the internal bass amp simulators would sound just fine. I have tried the guitar amp simulators and they sound OK but I still like the miked sound of my vintage Fender amps better. You won't be disappointed with this unit. The build quality seems very good and the layout looks better to my eye than the Boss or Tascam units. It comes with Cubase which I have not tried to use because I wanted to keep it simple for now because this unit will do everything I need without a computer. I just have a Shure SM57 and a Rode NT-1A condenser mike and I can do everything I need except record a live band or full drum set. The other reason I went with the 16 track unit is you can record up to 8 tracks simultaneously if you need to. This unit is loaded so you won't be disappointed. I am an amateur at recording but for the home studio, this unit has all I need.

-Sthebluesman
-New Orleans, LA, 01/03/08

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