Zoom R4 (Standalone DAW Alternative)

[Tonray's Ghost]

I am the type of person who absolutely hates using the PC when doing anything guitar playing related....BUT...I do so much want to record some songs and ideas just to fulfill my creative yearnings.

This Zoom R4 looks pretty interesting to me...kind of like an updated version of the old Tascam DP-006 stuff (which I also am looking at). Looks easy enough to use and might be the 'something' that gets me to put more effort into making music (playing everyday is not the problem...I love to do that It's cathartic, it's just catpturing those moments that gives me headaches.

[BatUtilityBelt]

If you want to record your ideas, the R4 would probably help you do that quite well. I'm sure it's a decent pro-sumer recorder. Having said so, I have to add some caution about going DAW-less. For reference, I have an R20 I use to workshop ideas. It's just a little more DAW-like than the R4. But I only use the R20 to get ideas down quick and dirty. When I want to get serious recordings of the same music, I move over to the DAW. I don't even port the music from the R20 to the DAW. Instead, I start over in the DAW workflow. The reasons for that are too numerable to go into. Suffice to say I find the DAW-less setup far too limiting to get the best I can from both gear and inspiration. But for work-shopping ideas and capturing whatever surfaces in a jam, the R20 has a slightly faster workflow and I think the R4 would too.

[Tonray's Ghost]

If you want to record your ideas, the R4 would probably help you do that quite well. I'm sure it's a decent pro-sumer recorder. Having said so, I have to add some caution about going DAW-less. For reference, I have an R20 I use to workshop ideas. It's just a little more DAW-like than the R4. But I only use the R20 to get ideas down quick and dirty. When I want to get serious recordings of the same music, I move over to the DAW. I don't even port the music from the R20 to the DAW. Instead, I start over in the DAW workflow. The reason for that is too numerable to go into. Suffice to say I find the DAW-less setup far too limiting to get the best I can from both gear and inspiration. But for work-shopping ideas and capturing whatever surfaces in a jam, the R20 has a slightly faster workflow and I think the R4 would too.

Great input, thanks !

[tonebender]

I wish I even knew what DAW stands for or what it does. Sometimes I feel like a caveman.

[BatUtilityBelt]

I wish I even knew what DAW stands for or what it does. Sometimes I feel like a caveman.

I hear you. In one way, things were easier before Digital Audio Workstations. But in another way, they simplify things by putting them all in one place with a cohesive workflow. To be honest, I miss the old ways.

[Tonray's Ghost]

I wish I even knew what DAW stands for or what it does. Sometimes I feel like a caveman.

I hear you. In one way, things were easier before Digital Audio Workstations. But in another way, they simplify things by putting them all in one place with a cohesive workflow. To be honest, I miss the old ways.

You know way back when I first started playing around with the guitar, I used an old cassete recorder to help me learn some riffs. Now I have a couple of dozen sound files on my phone just so I don't forget certain things I come up with spontaneously. But that's where it ends, in fact sometimes I listen to some of the stuff I have saved on the phone and I'm amazed and can't even re-create it today ! I am waiting until that Zoom R4 becomes available in Thailand as it seems like just the ticket for a hack like me. It seems new so usually a few months lag before some stuff shows up here.

PS and I might add I spent a frustrating hour this morning trying to play with Reaper and my GP200 interface. I know I had it working with the old GP100 unit but again this is on Win7 and was enough to convince me the standalone unit is just what I need to idiot proof the process.

[tlarson58]

I am what many would refer to as a "technophobe." I bought an audio interface back in Covid for zoom meetings not knowing quite what it was. Now that I've coupled with Reaper, I ca't imagine going back to menus and little buttons. I hit record, stop, return (ad infinitum), throw on a second track and repeat. Easy peezy.

That said, the R4 seems to be a nifty, capable device.

[Tonray's Ghost]

Here is a quick intro by Zoom corp:

[sabasgr68]

I wish I even knew what DAW stands for or what it does. Sometimes I feel like a caveman.

I hear you. In one way, things were easier before Digital Audio Workstations. But in another way, they simplify things by putting them all in one place with a cohesive workflow. To be honest, I miss the old ways.

Yes, and like Steve said, Digital Audio Workstations also translate as the software or program to record on the PC. Like a mixing board. I remember there was a time where I also wondered what a DAW meant. For quick recording and mixing, I find Audacity pretty simple and straightforward to use. Learning curve is mild.

[sabasgr68]

I am the type of person who absolutely hates using the PC when doing anything guitar playing related....BUT...I do so much want to record some songs and ideas just to fulfill my creative yearnings.

This Zoom R4 looks pretty interesting to me...kind of like an updated version of the old Tascam DP-006 stuff (which I also am looking at). Looks easy enough to use and might be the 'something' that gets me to put more effort into making music (playing everyday is not the problem...I love to do that It's cathartic, it's just catpturing those moments that gives me headaches.

I remember me wanting the Tascam DP-004 or 006. Because it was physical and not virtual. I mean, I like to push and press buttons and switches.

[Tonray's Ghost]

I am the type of person who absolutely hates using the PC when doing anything guitar playing related....BUT...I do so much want to record some songs and ideas just to fulfill my creative yearnings.

This Zoom R4 looks pretty interesting to me...kind of like an updated version of the old Tascam DP-006 stuff (which I also am looking at). Looks easy enough to use and might be the 'something' that gets me to put more effort into making music (playing everyday is not the problem...I love to do that It's cathartic, it's just catpturing those moments that gives me headaches.

I remember me wanting the Tascam DP-004 or 006. Because it was physical and not virtual. I mean, I like to push and press buttons and switches.

Exactly ! If I have to fire up my laptop/pc connect cables and what-not...i'm not going to work at recording anything. Now, I could easily see transferring raw files from the unit to the PC and use something like Reaper to then fine tune the piece. That is my vision anyway. I hope it comes to Thailand this year and is not too expensive.