Zoom PodTrak P8 Podcast Recorder Overview
Zoom’s PodTrak P8 is a fully-comprehensive podcasting tool. It has all the features you need to create pro-quality podcasts - and you don’t need to be a technical wizard to achieve the best results! It’s effectively a powerful podcasting studio and is a portable and easy-to-use package. Get casting with the PodTrak P8 today!_
Professional Quality Podcasts
If you’re looking for an all-in-one podcasting solution, you cannot go wrong with the PodTrak P8.
You can plug in up to six mics at once and each input feature Zoom’s premium mic preamps with up to 70dB of gain - so any mic you use will sound its best. Once you’re plugged in, you have access to handy settings that allow you to dial in your perfect sound with ease.
First up is the Pre-Amp Slider, which is used to set each mic’s gain settings and features a handy meter that tells you when your signal is in the “Good Range”. Next is the Limiter, which can prevent the signal from overloading/clipping.
You can then reduce unwanted background noise with the Low Cut and make your voice darker or brighter with the tone adjustment slider. At the end of the chain is the Compressor/DeEsser, which gives your voice that slick, professional sound.
All-In-One Package
These adjustments are made via the intuitive colour touch-screen, which makes the Zoom PodTrak P8 an absolute breeze to use. All the functions you need to edit, tweak and monitor your podcasts are right at your fingertips! You can either use the intuitive editing tools that are built-in (which let you split, trim and fade clips using the touch screen) or transfer the files to your computer for the final mix.
Someone’s On The Line!
Your phone-in guests are catered for with the Zoom PodTrak P8, thanks to a dedicated phone-recording channel which is accessed via a TRRS input. If you want to record a guest using a computer you can switch Channel 6 to USB mode. This is great if you’re using conference software. A very handy Mix-Minus feature prevents echo and feedback.
Multiple Recording Options
The physical slider, inputs and individual headphone outputs are all colour-coded, taking the hassle out of setting up the right levels for your guests and co-podcasters. Each headphone out has its own level control and there’s also the main stereo out for your studio monitors.
If you want to record directly to your computer or live-stream your podcast - you can! - as the Zoom P8 doubles as a 2-in/2-out audio interface. It’s compatible with PC, Mac, iOS and Android devices.
Take It To The Next Level
Using the 9 multi-colour sound pads, you can instantly launch sound effects, music clips and other audio during your podcasts. There are 4 banks of sounds with 9 clips in each bank that you can use to store custom sounds, in addition to the 13 that come with the P8.
Studio On-The-Go
A huge advantage of the Zoom P8 is its portability, enabling you to record professional podcasts wherever you take it. It can run off of 4 AA batteries (which provide up to two hours of recording time) or a USB power supply.
The straightforward nature of the Zoom PodTrak P8 means you can focus on making a great podcast, without having to worry about the sound!
- PodTrak P8
- AD-14 AC Adapter
- Quick Guide
- Full-color LCD touchscreen display
- Record up to 13 tracks simultaneously
- Six mic inputs with XLR connectors and optional phantom power
- Individual volume sliders, mute buttons and “on air” indicators for each channel
- Limiter, Low Cut filter, Tone Control, Compressor/De-esser in each Mic Channel
- Dedicated channel for recording phone interviews
- Optional BTA-2 Bluetooth enables wireless call recording
- Mix-Minus function automatically prevents echo and feedback from call audio over a computer or smartphone
- Nine assignable Sound Pads with four banks
- 13 pre-loaded sounds including applause, laugh track and more
- Six headphone outputs with individual volume controls let everyone hear clearly
- Onboard editing with Trim, Split, Fade functions
- 13-input, 2-output USB audio interface
- Class-compliant mode for iOS compatibility
- Battery power provides up to two hours of use with four AA batteries
- Records directly to SD, SDHC and SDXC cards up to 512GB
- Simultaneous recording over USB and to SD-card possibile
- Up to 16-bit /44.1kHz audio in BWF-compliant WAV or a variety of MP3 formats
- I/O
- Number of input channels: Mic inputs: 6 (mono), Smartphone input: 1 (stereo)
- Number of output channels: 2 (6 headphones and L/R speaker outputs)
- CONNECTORS
- MIC: XLR jacks (2: HOT)
- Smartphone connection jack: TRRS mini jack (4 contacts, TIP: L, RING 1: R, RING 2: GND, SLEEVE: MIC)USB
- USB: Type-C for audio interface and mass storage functions. (Use a USB cable that supports data transfer. USB bus power is supported.)
- Headphones: 3.5mm stereo mini
- Speaker output: TRS jacks (balanced)
- AC adapter: Power supply connector for AD-14
- Phantom Power: +48 V
- RECORDER
- Formats: WAV 44.1kHz, 16-bit, mono/stereo
- Recording media: 4–32 GB cards compatible with the SDHC specification (class 10 or higher); 64–512 GB cards compatible with the SDXC specification (class 10 or higher)
- Audio interface: 44.1kHz, 16-bit, 2-in/2-out
- Display: 4.3" (480Å~272) full-color touchscreen LCD
- POWER
- 4 AA batteries (alkaline, lithium, or rechargeable NiMH)
- AC adapter (ZOOM AD-14): DC 5 V/1 A (supports USB bus power)
- ESTIMATED CONTINUOUS OPERATION TIME:
- Recording 44.1kHz/16-bit/4ch audio to SD card using batteries (when +48 V is OFF and headphone impedance is 32 Ω)
- Alkaline batteries: about 2 hours
- NiMH batteries (1900 mAh): about 3.5 hours
- Lithium batteries: about 6.5 hours
- (The above recording time values are approximate. Continuous battery operation times were determined using zOOM in-house testing methods. They will vary greatly according to use conditions.)
- WEIGHT & DIMENSIONS
- External Dimensions: 295 mm (W) Å~ 248 mm (D) Å~ 61 mm (H)
- Weight (unit only): 1.43 kg