New Music Gear Monday: Zoom F8n 8 Track Field Recorder

Some of you do sound design in addition to music and have to capture sounds in the field. Others want a good way to capture a multitrack of your band playing live or in rehearsal without the hassle of setting up a computer. That means some sort of dedicated field recorder, and while there are some really good ones available, they’re also fairly expensive. Enter the Zoom F8n, an 8 track field recorder with a slew of features at price that no one probably thought was possible a few years ago.

The Zoom F8n picks up where its predecessor F8 left off with a few new features previously found in only the highest priced field recorders. First of all, it has 8 analog XLR/TRS combo inputs that couple to new low noise preamps that have up to 75dB of gain. Those inputs also feature new look ahead limiters that anticipate clipping before the signal is recorded so that the recording always stays clean. It’s also possible to record to both the removable SD card and a computer via USB simultaneously, and there’s a pre-record function that allows you to capture up to 6 seconds of audio before you hit the Record button.

Speaking of SD cards, it’s possible to record simultaneously on two SD/SDHC/SDXC cards (up to 512 GB each) allowing for redundant recording. The F8n’s dual-channel recording mode allows you to create safety tracks by doubling up the recordings from inputs 1-4 onto tracks 5-8. Tracks can be controlled independently, allowing you to customize each safety track with different gain, limiting, and more.

Hearing what you’re recording is important, and the F8n incorporates a new louder and cleaner headphone amp. There’s also something new called AutoMix™ that automatically adjusts the levels of your mix to reduce the amount of ambient sound. That said, there’s also wireless remote control via an iOS app so that you can control the unit via your iPad.

There are 3 ways to power the F8n.  The first is through 8 AA batteries, but there’s also the usual AC adapter included with the device. What’s new here is the 4-pin Hirose connector allows the use of external 9-18 volt DC battery packs. Best of all, the F8n can switch power sources at a user-defined voltage level for uninterrupted recording.

This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to features on the recorder, but as mentioned before, it’s hard to believe what you get for the price of the unit. At $999 it’s a huge bang for the buck. Keep in the mind that even though the F8 has been discontinued, you can still find them available for a few hundred less if you don’t need all the new features.

Check out the dedicated info page here or the video below for more details.