Every podcaster wants to, first, sound professional. Secondly, they want to have everything they need right at the edge of their fingertips. Now, the new Zoom PodTrak P8 takes the guesswork out of production. Stop worrying about fixing things in post. Fix them at the source with the only complete podcast studio you’ll ever need.
Zoom PodTrak P8 ()
Sleek, stunning, and visually intuitive, the Zoom PodTrak P8 can handle anything with ease.
Zoom PodTrak P8 Key Features:
- Color coded touchscreen management
- Preamps that provide up to 70db of gain for hungry dynamic microphones
- “On Air” button for full broadcast studio style control
- Mobile recording via 4 AA batteries or an external USB power source
- USB C connectivity
- 6 XLR mic inputs
- 6 headphone outputs with dedicated volume control for each
- 9 programmable sound pads
- Bluetooth functionality
- Supports SD, SDHC and SDXC cards up to 512GB
- On board editing capability
- Mix Minus option to prevent echo from phone or Skype calls
- 2 TRS jacks for hooking up monitors for your control room or mixing needs
While there are similarities to other hardware out there, Zoom goes a step further. The board has a stainless steel look which makes it, simply put, eye candy. The visual navigation colors for monitoring the interface feel serious and powerful. They force your eyes to focus on where they need to be so you can quickly and easily make on-the-fly adjustments.
Second, buying pro gear with large amounts of clean gain can get expensive quickly. Most prosumer-style mixers can’t handle gain-hungry mics like the Shure SM7B or the Electro-Voice RE20. With the PodTrak P8, you don’t have to run out and buy a preamplifier to give you additional gain because you have 70db straight out of the box. In summary: it saves you time and money.
Zoom PodTrak P8 ()
There’s also an “On Air” button found on each channel. This is an incredibly handy option to have at your disposal. Many shows out there tend to utilize Skype, Zoom, and every day phone calls. The problem is, when hosts are introducing guests, the audience hears them clanging around in the background and it makes for a poor listening experience. Simply press the “On Air” button on their channel when it’s their time to speak, and eliminate any unnecessary background noise while saving listeners’ eardrums.
Keep in mind, when the button isn’t in use, you can still hear whoever is on hold in your headphones, but they won’t actually be recorded to your SD card or DAW until you press the button for them to jump in and be, well, on the air!
Zoom’s goal with this release is clear: make podcasting easy from the moment you open the box. No hassle. No fuss. Whether you’re in a studio or your living room, the PodTrak P8 is the only tool you’ll need to get your podcasts done like a pro.
Feature photo via Zoom
