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For the L-6 I've been using a SanDisk 128GB card. Class 10, V30, A3. It's been perfectly fine. I think you could get by with a class 10, V10, A1 card though.

You mean use a USB stick connected to a hub? Yeah, you can. It's just inconvenient when you could buy a 128GB $10 microSD card and never have to worry about it again. I pop my microSD card out all the time and put it into my computer. That's my strong personal preference, but there's no wrong way to go. The only other thing about using a hub is that sometimes, after awhile, the R12 can randomly lose it's connection to things through the hub. It's rare, but it'll lose connection to a flash stick or a MIDI controller. So that's something else to consider when debating between USB stick and microSD card.

@ that is true. Although I already have the hub and a sd card not a micro sd. But it won’t recognize my sd card it says no sd available

Oh. Yeah, getting the R12 to recognize the hub's SD card reader may or may not work. It largely depends on the hub and how it assigns that full sized SD card port. And not all hubs will work with the R12. I plugged in two hubs that have ethernet ports at the end of them and those entire hubs did not work with the R12.

When I mean overdubbing, I mean opting to playback say, tracks 1-3 (which already had something recorded on them) and then recording track 4. And after that recording track 5. If you run the headphone out into another input it wouldn't keep things as separate tracks. Additionally, it won't work because as I demonstrate in the video, if you hit Play, you can't route any new sound through any of the inputs. Play simply plays back the last recorded song. You can't overdub any new sounds on top of that.

Ok, I understand what you’re saying. Would this be achievable via firmware upgrade?

I have no idea what Zoom might be cooking up in their R&D labs, but since there is no hardware button to arm tracks for recording vs. playback, and with the way I think the signal path is directed inside the unit, I don't think it's possible to do overdubbing. I don't think that's what they intended when they made this device. The L-8 and L-12 have overdubbing because they have a small LCD screen where you can select different projects. By contrast, the L-6 was likely designed to be a compact mixer for people with multiple small synths on their desk, or for people who need a tight set-up for live shows with the ability to record the live show while they were playing. If you want to record track by track to build a song, you'll have to move up to the L-8, or really, you might want to go to a multitracker like the R20 instead.

You can record to the separate sound pads, or you can drop a WAV file into the folders for the different sound pads on the SD card.

Mute the end of a recording? You can pull the track tab from the left side of the screen to mute specific tracks. Or to mute anything you just pull the faders down to the bottom of any track you want to mute, including the master fader. You can't really loop songs. In the R12 you can use sequence play to play a sequence of songs in a row, so I suppose you could put a song a couple times in a row to loop it. Here's a video about the R12's sequence play feature: th-cam.com/video/rqFTAICcQbo/w-d-xo.html

The iPad app is called R20 Control. It's the official app made by the Zoom corporation. Please note, it's for iPad only. So if you search for it on an iPhone you won't find it.

As I demonstrate in the video, there is no overdubbing. It's definitely primarily a mixing board that just so happens to have an easy and convenient way to create simple multitrack recordings. I actually prefer that it doesn't have a rechargeable battery because it's more versatile that way. If you are playing a live show and the rechargeable battery dies, you are in trouble. But the fact that you can quickly pop in a fresh set of alkalines can save you. And for day-to-day use, I demonstrate in the video that it's easy to power the L-6 for hours with a USB battery bank. And you can still just plug it into the wall if you need to. You can use the L-6 as an interface for your computer. However, using it as an interface for an iPad or iPhone has been problematic for me so far as I can only get it to work as a 2in/2out interface for iOS devices. But I do think it's very easy to pop out the microSD card and put that into a computer. That's mostly what I've been doing.

Definitely no MIDI sync happening. But it does seem feasible that they could build in a A to B loop feature with the markers in a firmware update. I just don't know if that will ever happen...

Happy to help!

After you MIX DOWN...that stereo .WAV file will end up in your AUDIO folder. You can easily hear it if you pop the SD card into your computer and select it there. However, if you want to hear it on the R12, you'll first need to re-import that stereo .WAV file into your current project or a new project. Here's how to import .WAV files on the R20, but it's pretty much the same thing on an R12: th-cam.com/video/JMmjrkenS8s/w-d-xo.html

@@GazRendar Thank you I will try that.

Thank you! I don't think there is a time limit for the sound pads, but admittedly, I haven't pushed that theory to it's limit. I've only loaded some quick one-shot samples. I'll try to put a long WAV file in there and see what happens. I hope to get a video about the sound pads made at some point soon.

Would be crazy if you could drop a playlist onto them. One long file of songs to play between sets

Ha...I guess that could work. I'll try it out.

That would be helpful, but I don't see an easy way they can do with that firmware since they didn't put any other buttons on the face of the unit. Maybe through the PC or Mac app that could be controlled, but that's probably about it....

@@GazRendar Maybe a combo of mute buttons with some other button. I guess the hardest part is supporting simultaneous partial playback and recording.

Yes, it should. You are supposed to be able to simultaneously record to the microSD card while it's working as an interface. The caveat right now is that I'm struggling to get it to work as an interface for iOS devices. I'm getting 2in/2out when I connect it to an iPad or iPhone, but I'm not always getting a consistent monitor return. I haven't been able to get 6 or 10 multitrack signals being sent to my iPad. I just get the L/R master sent. I'm not sure what's wrong yet, but I haven't had the time to sit down and troubleshoot with a variety of cables and setting changes. When I figure it out I'll be sure to post a video about it's use as an interface. But it's possible it still needs a firmware update to unlock it's full potential as an interface. I just don't know yet.

@@GazRendarI’ve seen this mentioned a few times so I asked them and here was their reply: We have isolated and identified the issue causing the L6 to not be recognized as a 12 channel interface with some iPads and apps. It will work as a 2 channel interface that sends the stereo mix to the iPad. Unfortunately, it is caused by a bug that needs to be fixed by Apple. We have submitted all of the information to Apple and we hope to see a fix as soon as possible. We will follow up with you as soon as we have any update.

Thanks. And it's MUCH smaller than the L-12...but it's still a pretty capable unit.

Why are people oddly critical about videos they don't have to watch when they have no idea how much effort or expense it takes to make them. I don't need those comments. It's annoying.

The R20 can only give you one effect patch at a time. Doesn't matter if it's an insert effect or a send effect. You can choose to apply that one effect patch to multiple channels at once as a send effect, but you cannot apply an insert effect at the same time you are applying a send effect. And since the insert effect is applied (inserted) between the input and the track, you can only apply one insert effect to one track at a time.

@GazRendar can I insert a different effect on tracks that I record separately like one track at a time ?

Yes. You can record a guitar onto track 1 with an insert effect...like distortion. When you are done recording that, you can then record a bass guitar with say....a delay effect onto track 2. Next you could record some percussion with a reverb effect and have that on track 3. And so on. If you record your tracks one at a time (which is primarily how I do it since I'm not in a band right now) then you can always add an entirely new insert effect each time.

@@GazRendar thanks again , on my zoom r8 I could pick a mastering effect on the final mix , is there a choice of mastering effects for zoom r20 ?

Yeah, I used the mastering effects on the R8, and for something that was easy to select and use, it did a pretty good job. The R20 does not have a pre-loaded mastering effect patch. I've made my own though. My mastering patches usually involve an EQ, a compressor, and then sometimes a sonic exciter or a slight reverb. I have to make adjustments every time, depending on the type of project I'm creating, but you can usually make it work with a little trial and error.

The mixer features are pretty solid. While the multitrack recording capabilities are simplistic, it is convenient to just hit the record button and you get a no-fuss multitrack recording. The compact size and powering options make it a versatile unit for a lot of people.

Unfortunately, no. Everything runs to the master. The only way to pull that off is to like, send one to five of the channels to AUX 1, and then plug in a new instrument into a 6th channel and run that exclusively to AUX 2 while completely avoiding the master out or headphone out. You could audition sounds and levels on AUX 2 then. But those AUX outputs are summed mono signals, so that's not ideal.

@ thanks so much. Darn must be a rarely desired function. Seems no compact mixers do this. Guess the 802VLZ4 will remain in the desk.

Yeah, those are definitely features of true mixing boards. These hybrid models are wonderful because they can do stand-alone multitrack recording without a computer...but the trade-off is that they are going to compromise on some of the more nuanced mixing board features.

Hmmm...it could be a defective unit. Or do you have the Hi-Z switch on? Make sure that's off first. Also go into the Track Settings for Tracks 1&2 and 9&10 and make sure you don't have something else turned on there, like Noise Gate or some kind of effect send, or a EQ with cut levels.

I'm trying, but I'm struggling to figure it out. I'm only getting 2in/2out with iOS devices and the monitor out isn't always working. Once I figure out how to hook it up correctly and know what all the appropriate settings are, I'll be sure to post something. But as of right now, it's not as plug 'n' play as I had hoped.

@@GazRendar I'm in the exact same boat. I found a work around when recording/playing multiple devices. Just record and save the midi notes on your DAW. Then push record on the L6 and play everything back. For now, that does it for me. Thank you for attempting to figure it out. 32 bit float is great though. Wish they made a 32 bit interface with multiple connections

You win! Yeah, that's pretty much the point of the video. I've gotten comments from unhappy users over the past two years complaining that the R20 and R12 do not have a bounce feature. I guess technically they do not because most true bounce features will put that bounce track directly into your project. Here you need to go through one more re-import step. But functionally, it's the same idea.

Happy to help!

It's a DIY kit that I bought for about $50 maybe a year and a half ago. Shortly after I bought it the thing wasn't listed on the internet anymore, so I didn't make a video about it. You can't sweep the frequency on it, but it does have a dial on the top to slightly adjust the gain. It's kinda fun to use and it can actually be useful when adjusting EQ settings for any device.

Ha, I get a lot of comments about that. It's a DIY kit that I bought for about $50 awhile ago. Shortly after I bought it the thing wasn't listed on the internet anymore, so I never made a video about it. The thing is pretty fun to use though, and it's actually useful when adjusting EQ settings for recorders or synths.

@@GazRendar yeah I found it. 3.12inch OLED Music Spectrum Display Analyzer-Audio-Level-Indicator-VU-Meter - AMAZON

Yeah, you can record onto the SD card at the same time the audio passes out of the USB cable in interface mode.

@@GazRendar Thank you very much. This is very good news for live broadcast implementers. The lack of audio interface recording capability is a fundamental drawback of the Zoom H8, for example. Redundancy is the basis of professional work during broadcasting. I own a Zooma H8 and a Behringer Flow 8 and it looks like the Zoom L-6 will be able to replace both. One more question. Is the audio interface mode also sending a mix?

Bluebox is $250 more and pretty much never goes on sale. Bluebox is all 3.5mm inputs. If that's all you need, then the Bluebox is nice. Bluebox is also even smaller than this. For better and worse, Bluebox has a touchscreen. But you're not plugging a mic into a Bluebox without needing some kind of preamp and adapter cables first. If you need to plug in a mic or two, the L-6 has those two XLR inputs which make it more versatile. If you only have compact synths, and you have the extra $250, and you don't mind not having a power button, the Bluebox is likely the better choice. But if you have a range of gear and you need the occasional mic, the L-6 probably wins at the cheaper price point.

@@GazRendar appreciate the reply

I agree. The problem is I can't really get the interface to work with iOS yet. I don't know what's going on, but I can only get 2in/2out and the monitor on doesn't always work. I've been testing out a variety of cords and adapters and playing with the settings, but it's not working consistently. Not sure if it needs a firmware update or not for that.

@ well that is disappointing because that is the main feature I purchased it for. Hopefully it will be sorted out soon. I perform jam sessions live and the biggest issue I have had with a standard mixer is that I don’t have enough fx sends and returns to create interesting sounds on the fly and a way to capture the performance to individual tracks live. The L6 is supposed to solve that issue for me.

I think I read it needs to be connected to the power for all tracks to show up in iOS

It's definitely not for everyone. It all comes down to what a person values for their individual needs. I think part of the price is the compact size of the device and 3 different powering options, another part of the price is a pretty good set of inputs for the size, and then you also get quick and easy stand-alone recording with an SD card and the last part of the price is 32-bit float operation, whereas all the competition in the sub-$200 range is 16 or 24-bit. But if a person doesn't need the compact form factor or 32-bit operation, and if they don't need to record directly from this mixer, then they definitely should look elsewhere for their mixing needs.

Yeah, that's on my to-do list, but I haven't quite figured out how to get it to work. I'm only getting 2in-2out with iOS devices and I'm getting inconsistent performance with monitor feedback. Once I figure out all the settings I'll put together an instructional video, but I either haven't figured it out yet, or it needs a firmware update. Not sure.

You maybe can in a pinch, but depending on how the out jack on your synth is wired and grounded, it could potentially cause damage to the synth since the synth is already a powered device. Sending phantom power on accident to a dynamic mic doesn't usually cause damage because it's an unpowered piece of equipment. But since your synth is going to already have it's own electrical current inside that is flowing in one direction, sending a phantom powered current back in the opposite direction has the potential to fry some circuitry inside.

I've been using mine for 3 years running now. I don't use it every day, and there are even weeks where I don't use it. But when I use it, I use it alot for a stretch and then walk away to come back to a project later. I think it's fairly durable. I'm guessing the touchscreen would be the first thing to fail, just because it's multitouch and compared to the faders and buttons, that's probably the weak point of the unit. Still, if you take care of it I think it'll last years and years.

@@GazRendarExcellent

@ Thanks!

I haven't found anything about the R20 (or the R12) that mentions read and write speeds. However, I think the internal bus speeds of the R20 are slow simply because 24-bit data at 44.1kHz sample rates isn't that taxing. I suspect the biggest bottleneck is the CPU and internal RAM of the R20 itself. I've used several different SD cards in the R20 and I haven't noticed any difference in their performance. If you get any class 10 card, I think you are going to get the max performance that the R20 is capable of. Maybe if you got an A3 card it might be a little better at managing lots of projects on there, but so much of that is also dictated by the reader components in the R20 itself that it likely it doesn't matter much...if at all.

@@GazRendar - I first used a SanDisk 64gb card rated an 50 MB/s in my R20, formatted in the R20. There was considerable lag in rendering the timeline. Then I switched to a Lexar Pro 16gb card rated at 150 MB/s, formatted in the R20. The difference in speed was immediately noticeable. I don't imagine the CPU in the R20 is lightning fast any day of the week, but I did see a difference with the faster card. Neither card was brand new, so perhaps the age, previous use, played a part in my results. The only other difference in the specs on the cards is the size. The smaller 16gb card was faster. Larger cards often take longer to boot up, but once they boot up, it should there be in difference? I don't know.

That's interesting. Your 16GB has higher speed ratings, but it's also SDHC. The 64 card would be SDXC. I suppose it could also be possible that the R20 just takes longer to handle the extra blocks of data that come with SDXC cards. I've mostly used 64-256GB cards in the R20. I've noticed that it seems to lag more once I get to 20-30 audio regions, and it also lags more once the card is at least two thirds full. Zoom does list SD cards that they specifically tested to work well with the R20. I haven't bought any of those to see if there truly is a difference between what they recommend and the random assortment of cards that I've been using. If I have the time maybe I'll see what odd collection of SD cards I have laying around and try to do some speed tests with the R20 and R12 to try to identify specs that truly influence lag speeds on the device. Thanks for the tip!

That's the spot-on assessment. It's definitely a mixing board first. If people want to buy it, they have to think of it that way with the recording feature as being a secondary part of it's core functionality.

​@@GazRendar Nice walkthrough! And yeah, IMO the best usecase for this is a small performance mixer that can be used to capture live shows super easily and re-mix a bit too. I have a tascam model 12, which is great for the porta-studio feel, but this is so much more portable for a small show, I wish I had it for a modular open-mic I just did!

Hi Jennifer, The L-6 might be a good unit for you. I haven't put the preamps through a thorough test yet, but in quickly using them with an AKG C1000S condenser mic on phantom power they seem solid and noise free to me. I just started using the sound pads and will put together a more comprehensive video about them when I fully test them out. But you can drag files to the folder on the SD card to load sound samples into the pads, or you can use the PC or Mac app to load and organize them. You can also record directly to a pad, but it's harder to do that correctly and not have dead time between hitting the record button and actually sending sound to the L-6 to be recorded. You need to use the app to toggle the sound pads between one shot use or looping. I've had several visually impaired people reach out to me over the years asking about the accessibility of recording devices, namely the R20 and R12. I do not think those two products would be easy for visually impaired users, even with the iPad app. By contrast, a visually impaired person can likely use most of the functions of the L-6 once they are familiar with the unit since there is no LCD screen. I think the most challenging element will be using the encoders at the bottom of each channel to make all of your adjustments. As you turn the encoders to the right, a LED ring lights up around perimeter of the knob giving users a visual cue as to how high they adjusted their levels. You'll have to do all of those adjustments by ear. However, once you get a good mix you can save one or two different scenes to always give you a known starting place for your commonly used mics or other equipment. If you moved to a slightly larger Zoom L-8 mixer, the advantage there would be the physical faders that slide up and down. That tactile feel and positioning might be easier for you to use. On the downside, the L-8 does have some options that are routed through its tiny LCD screen. So even with its rotary encoders and visual LED lights, I think the L-6 might be better than the L-8 for you. Besides the L-6, you may want to check out the Zoom H6 essential handy recorder. It also has a $299 list price, although it has been out for one year now and I have seen it on sale. That has a built-in X-Y microphone at the top and 4 combo XLR quarter inch jacks on the sides. You can also pop off the X-Y mic capsule at the top and replace it with another capsule that gives you two more combo jacks. That device is controlled by a set of stop, play, forward and reverse buttons on the face of the unit and will probably be easy to set things up and record for you, especially since the record button is a large concave button right in the middle of those other buttons. There is a small LCD screen at the bottom to use the more advanced features, but Zoom built some accessibility features into that device that will read out menu prompts. To navigate the menu you use a selector wheel and enter button on the lower right side of the unit. The H6 essential also has a 3.5mm headphone out with a physical wheel for volume control and a 3.5mm line out. You can power it with batteries or through the USB-C port and it has a microSD card slot. Overall, based on your needs, I would probably recommend that you focus your comparison shopping between the L-6 and the H6 essential and go from there. Hope that helps...

Thank you for the extremely detailed response. 😀 I probably should have started by mentioning that I have several audio and video gadgets for different purposes, including two of the Zoom essential recorders. I do love their accessibility, and I loved the old age 6. I also have a P4, which I primarily use to insert sound pads, usually via a mixer, of which I also have a few. Yes, the H6 is easy to use for recording, but, the preamps are a little bit terrible, and there is very little that you can do in the way of EQ. so, for my company recordings, I do usually end up using some kind of audio mixer, sometimes with other auxiliary devices like the P4. What appeals to me about the L6 is that it seems to have everything all in one device. and, it’s interesting that you do point out the encoder issue. You’re actually the second sided person to do that. I have another friend who is considering this, and we both smile at these comments. Because, even on your typical analog mixer, it’s our ears that determine our settings, regardless of where those knobs are set. 😀 so, I don’t think that will be a problem. if that is all that concerns you, I’d say it’s probably a go. i’d be curious to know how it would do with a dynamic mic if you have one, as those generally need more preamp. But, I do also have a road NT one, NAKG Mike, and the Lewitt Ray, as well as a Sennheiser shotgun Mike, all of which tend to perform well with just about anything. I really appreciate the time you took with your response. I do think I’m going to give one of these a try. Thanks again for all the great videos. I do wish I could see your paper crafts though. 😀

Oh, if you already have several Zoom recorders and you can operate them well, then you mostly know what you are getting here. I haven't tested the H6 essential yet, but if I had to guess, it probably uses a similar preamp, if not the same preamp that the L-6 has for the combo inputs. They both use the dual analog to digital converters with 32-bit float coupled to auto-switching high and low gain preamps. In in my other 24-bit Zoom equipment I always had to turn the gain up to at least 60%, and often as high as 80% for dynamic mics, especially for normal volume talking. For singing with some power behind the voice I could turn the preamp down to 60%. If you go with condenser mics you'll probably be ok. If you like to work with dynamic mics to capture conversations with the L-6, you might need to spend some time normalizing the recorded dialogue. The L-6's EQ settings aren't too fancy, but they are readily accessible with a button push and an encoder twist. For quick fixes, they get the job done. If you are already familiar with using sound pads for the P4, then using them for the L-6 shouldn't be a problem for you. The sound pads get routed to the master out and headphone out. They do not get recorded in the individual WAV file tracks on the SD card. I hope to get a sound pad tutorial video up sometime soon. Good luck with the L-6 if that's the direction you decide to go.

@@GazRendar Thanks yet again. Very helpful. I hoped they might use different preamps, given that this is a mixer unit. But, as with most Zoom devices, I'll likely have to stick to using condenser mics. Really appreciate all the info.

It actually occurs to me that a couple of fetheads would probably remedy the situation. I have one already, so may purchase another. Because, I do, in fact, sometimes need to do interviews, for which i would wish to use dynamic mics. you may not wish to share this, but I am curious as all get out. You clearly have some breadth and depth of understanding of all of this. And, it seems, also some real musical ability. And yet, pocket operators and paper crafts. :) Nothing wrong with it, I love it actually. But, it does make me wonder what on earth you do? Is this all just side fun, or does it off shoot from your work? As someone who has to deal with the public and their various reactions often, I always appreciate when someone takes their own time to provide information like this, as well as to respond to random questions from people like me. So, again, thanks for your attention to my questions and your thoughtful answers.

Good question. I'll test it out and maybe put that in my next video about it.

I tested it. When you are recording and you hit MUTE on a track, that track is indeed muted in the Master WAV file, however, the mute never happens in the dry individual track that is recorded to the SD card. I should definitely include that in a future video to let people know about that.

@@GazRendar That's perfect for live DAWless recording. One more question that's not addressed in any documentation I've seen. Is there a size/length restriction for the sound pad audio files? I'm assuming if it can fit on the SD card, you can use any length audio. Thanks for your input!

I made a follow up video to address all the specific recording questions. See link below, but I don't think overdubbing is possible and don't see that being "fixed" with a firmware update: th-cam.com/video/pKm4lGzMJgo/w-d-xo.html

It might be possible, but I haven't specifically tested that yet. I don't know if the L-6 is a true MIDI "Thru" or if it's more of a MIDI "Out." If it's MIDI Thru then it likely just passively allows all MIDI signals to go through the L-6. But if it's an Out, it might process the MIDI IN signal in some way and not transmit everything through the MIDI Out. I've only started to play around with the USB connection as an interface and the MIDI connection. I'm running into technical challenges with each. I don't want to post a video about either until I fully understand what's going on.

I don't think you really can. I believe the interior signal bus has all 6 of the channels going to the master output. There is a branching path in the bus chain that will split off sound to the AUX out (I think it goes Channel -->EQ-->AUX +and Master-->Pan), but that sound from any and all channels will always still travel to the master out and headphone out. I think the L-8 and L-12 allow you to set up separate signal flows to get custom mixes going to various headphone and AUX outs. The best you can probably do with the L-6 is NOT use the master out. Instead, just use the two AUX outs to get two separate signals. You send the click/count in to AUX 1 and everything else to AUX 2. That means you probably can't use the compressor and that the AUX outs are going to be summed mono signals, so when you listen in earphones it's just gonna be the left side. I think that's all you could probably do with the L-6 for your type of set up.

@@GazRendar Thanks for the reply, that's very helpful. It's a shame that the Aux still goes to master and headphone outs, but nice idea about using the Aux outs and not the Master - I'll give that a try and I'll let you know how I get on 👍🏻🙏🏻

@@GazRendar Feeling very pleased with myself, as after some trial and error, I've worked it out! This method allows you to connect the Master Outs to PA/FOH and only the backing track will come through. The click track will be available via both the Aux 1 and Aux 2 jacks, meaning you can have 2 pairs of IEMS connected; 1) Put the backing track in a mono input (eg input 5) and the click track in a separate mono input (eg input 6) 2) THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART; connect the L6 to the L6 Editor, and in the drop-down menu, select Aux Send Point on the left hand side of the screen and click the EDIT button. Then for whatever channel the click track is on (in this example Channel 6) set the AUX 1 SEND and AUX 2 SEND to 'Pre Fader'. What this does is allow you to mute the click track so it does NOT play through the Master Outs, but you will hear it if you plug your IEMs/headphones in to either Aux 1 or Aux 2. (previously, before I set the Aux Sends to pre-fader, one of the problems I had was that when I played a click track through the L6, and muted the main volume for whichever channel the click was on, it muted it in all outputs. By setting the Aux Sends to pre-fader you have managed to basically 'split' the click track output so only you can hear it, not the audience. 3) Once your IEMs are connected to Aux 1, On the Channel Strip, select Aux 1 and balance in your ears the Backing and Click track levels via the Channel 5 and 6 rotary knobs. In this example Channel 5 will increase/decrease backing volume and Channel 6 knob will do the same for the click track. You can do the same for IEMs connected to Aux 2 by selecting Aux 2 on the Channel Strip. 4) Ensure that you have either the Level for Channel 6 (Click track) set to zero, AND/OR select the mute on for Channel 6. Now you can hear the click when plugged in to Aux 1 or 2, but it won't come out through the Master Out. Hope that makes sense - I'm very pleased I've got this to work, it's the difference for me between whether I keep the L6 or not... 😀👍🏻

Well, sort of...but not likely what you are thinking. If you are thinking it's a DAW with just MIDI files for 8 different tracks where you just move the bpm from 108 to 120 and all those MIDI notes seamlessly move to 120, that's not at all what happens with the R12. Sure, the R12 can have one synth track that is MIDI data, but everything else is recorded as WAV audio files. You can time stretch individual audio regions, and it works, but it takes the R12 some time to process that (it's very taxing on a CPU). And you have to do it region by region. The R12 doesn't have the CPU horsepower to just move your whole song from 108 to 120 and have it automatically time stretch everything to fit 120. You can definitely do it if you only have 1 or 2 tracks created. But if you have 8 tracks created and each track has a couple audio regions in it...it's going to be impractical to time stretch all of that.

It would be nice, but I'm not sure if the internal signal busses were designed to be able to overdub. I could be wrong, but I suspect that cannot be fixed with a firmware update. Considering there is no screen on the device to create and name projects, whenever you hit REC on the L-6 is creates a whole new folder on the SD card and all the track files are saved as brand new files. There would have to be some serious reprogramming to somehow allow the user to hit the REC and not create a new folder, but instead overwrite one of the WAV file tracks with an overdub. There is no way to selectively arm tracks on the L-6 either, so I'm not seeing how you can set up certain tracks for Playback and other tracks for REC writing. My guess is that overdubbing isn't going to happen on the L-6. It's not designed for that. You'll have to step up to at least an L-8 if you want that, or move to a multitracker like the R12 or R20.

The AUX sends are mono. It looks like the AUX jacks accept TRS cables, but I think that's set up to send a balanced signal a long distance to a PA system or second mixing board. The L-6 only sends sound on the tip of the TRS cable, and it's a summed mono sound from whatever channels you have sending signal there. You can plug headphones into the AUX jacks, but you'll only get sound in the left ear, and it will be hard to control the volume in a useful way. I think it's a good compact mixer for one person. If you want a mixer for a multi-person band, I think you are better going up to the L-8, which has multiple headphone outs.

@@GazRendar Thanks...i actually own the L20 but was looking for a keyboard mixer fuction from this

Yeah, you could maybe use it on stage for a set of keyboards, but it could be limited. You could opt to not use the master out and instead connect a couple keyboards/synths to the L-6 and then selectively route what you want to AUX 1 and other sound to AUX 2. But you're going to get a mono sound. Maybe that's ok for stage speakers where all the keyboards get AUX 1 signal, but for something that's in your ear that has a metronome plus a lower mix of the keyboards from AUX 2, you'll probably only hear sound in the left ear unless you split that mono signal across both ears.

I haven't covered the sample pads yet. But yes, what you load into the sample pads is actually saved into specific folders of the SD card. However, that also means that if you swap in a whole new SD card that you'll have empty sample pads.

@GazRendar thank you very much for the response. I own a zoom R20 and a zoom r24 and I don't know if the files will work into one another they probably won't and that's kind of disappointing and I also understand that they are two machines, some of these companies hopefully Zoom we'll get this computer thing out of the middle or at least go Android. That's why I'm keeping an eye on this product. Thank you so much again.

A freshly recorded file from the L-6 won't work with the R20 or R24 because the L-6 files are only 32-bit/48kHz. You first have to move the L-6's WAV files to a computer, use some software to convert them to 24-bit/44.1kHz, and then you can import them into an R20 or R24. Doable, but will annoyingly take time.

Once you load a rhythm loop into a Track, you just control it relative to your other tracks with the faders.

Oh, cool, thanks!

I'm not sure since I haven't seen that error pop up for me. I only have two guesses... First thing to check is the current firmware version (I show how to do that in the video). When I bought the R20 3 years ago it shipped with v1.0. If R20s now ship with v3.4 on them, then when you try to run a firmware update the software will only see the 3.4 BIN file, so it won't detect a new firmware file and may just ask you to turn the power off. That's my first guess. Only other guess is that when you transferred the BIN file to the SD card that you might have accidently put it into a folder. It can't be in a folder. It has to be in the root directory of the SD card.

You might not benefit at all. They are two different class of devices. The R20 is a multitrack recorder that is designed to help you build songs one track, or even just one audio region at a time. The L-6 mixer is a mixing board first and foremost. So for me, I now leave the L-6 on the desk and a leave a bunch of stuff plugged into it so I can turn compact synths on and off easily and it all goes to the same place with the same headphones. The L-6 also gives me more 1/4" jacks than the R20 does. I don't use the L-6 to build songs one audio region at a time. I use the L-6 to just kinda jam and work things out and I can quickly record an idea if it sounds good....but once I record it on the L-6, I need to move that to a computer to do anything else with it. With the R20, I have already song ideas and I record them one instrument at a time.