Tapeless 4-Track Looping With The Zoom MRS-4

[@jonesvox1]

The little Zoom MRS-4 is still my favorite 4 track. If you use the LP mode to record it actually reduces the frequency response to that of cassette…without the excess noise which is characteristic of tape. Plus, I use the MIDI out to sync the Zoom to MMC so I can use the smart drummer of GarageBand (iPad) to create really “retro” sounding productions. The overall design and size of the Zoom MRS-4 has never been surpassed. It’s only true weak point is the media it uses (SmartMedia Card…128mb max) , which predated much more versatile SD cards by only a short time period. Great video 👍🏼

[@SecondhandSynth]

I don't think I have played around with the LP mode. I'll have to try that. Cheers!

[@MrKreuzQuer]

I love this fiddling around with the old stuff while creating something new. Nicely done !😀

[@SecondhandSynth]

Many thanks!

[@gwugluud]

4-track cassette was The Bomb back in the day. 1980. I'm 63, lol. Home recording was nothing like it is now. Good demo. Zoom gear is great. I dig the unique use you're doing with this.

[@SecondhandSynth]

Thank you!

[@swingsblues]

Such an interesting video, and really well shot. Thanks for this!

[@SecondhandSynth]

Thank you! Appreciate it.

[@andyjett]

Still use MRS-4 for my recordings. Using 128mb smart media card gives you possibility to make 4 complete songs around 4 minutes each, which is quite enough when you’re a songwriter. Very good and stable recorder by the way filled with amazing features Zoom always tried to fill all their equipment with.

[@SecondhandSynth]

Love to hear you are still using it to make full tracks. It's such a pure medium to use to make music with. No DAW just old-school destructive track bouncing and mixing down. Keep on rocking! Cheers!

[@mebeasensei]

Thank you ..I am a song writer with no patience. Even GarageBand was too much… later I bought Logic Pro…I wanna go back to basics. And I found this in the back of an old suit case. Hardly ever used. Gonna give it a go.

[@GlennMichaelThompson]

Unique and clever use of a digital 4 track recorder. Very cool!

[@SecondhandSynth]

Thank you!

[@georat16]

Very cool. "Let's make the most of what we've got." Let's be creative with the gear that doesn't cost too much. Very cool! G

[@iiaaiiaannaaiiaaii]

This is a cool idea, thanks for sharing this.

[@olegfare4625]

underrated

[@krzysztofwaclawski9002]

Interesting video, thanks! I have mrs8 which I have love/hate relationship with. Thought of trying to go completely dawless with it and boss br900 but gave up. Another thing is the track markers you can use them creatively too.

[@baxter2k5]

Is there a way to change the playback speed like slowing down a tape?

[@davidrothschild8913]

Have you also tried using the metronome to make the loops more accurate?

[@SecondhandSynth]

I have. I usually like to put a chord pad on each for ambient vibes but I did try some drum tracks. Not what I'm usually using it for but it worked well.

[@gwugluud]

And yes-I-know-this-isn't-cassette, just to head off the weirdly bitter trolls who were about to hurl plateaus of insults at me, and wish my death, etc

[@SecondhandSynth]

You have to preemptively head 'em off... they are out there. ;-)

[@chupathingy5862]

I bought this recorder as a cheap recorder for my eurorack. The manual is nearly impenetrable. I've learned more in the last 20 minutes than after a year of nearly daily use.

[@SecondhandSynth]

Oh nice! I'm so glad to hear that. Yeah, it's surprisingly deep all things considered. I haven't personally figured it all out either. Lots of features that go underutilized. But I think it's worth it if you can pick on up for cheap. Cheers!

[@chupathingy5862]

@@SecondhandSynth there's also an official pc program for managing the card. It's kinda janky and I don't think it runs on anything higher than like xp or 7, but it's super useful for converting tracks between wav and zoom format. You can also do some rudimentary mastering.