@@JJKoester I just ordered this thing. I think even in 2023 it’s a good value proposition - especially for podcasting setups. Sucks that it will cost me almost a hundred Australian to get the Bluetooth dongle but I will just eat the cost and get on with it.
@@marratj I think there are some advantages for using the native driver when it is available but I don't know off the top of my head. You'd have to download the PDF of the manual.
This was a great tutorial on how to connect. To the point and without too much info that gets beginners lost. And hilarious. I love that you don't hold back! Thank you!
It's been a great pleasure watching your videos on the Zoom L-20! I had just bought the L-20, wanting to record live band rehearsals as well as use a digital mixer as an interface to use Ableton Live. When I subsequently started searching for review videos online, I came across yours. Unlike most review videos, yours is extremely instructional and easy to follow. A pure delight amongst a plethora of distractions.
Thank you for the kind words! I'm glad the video was useful. I was packing up the L-20 for a concert tonight when your message landed. It's a great little device. It's really hard to go back to a non-ISO board once you've started using one. We found this true for audio and for our vision mixers.
@@JJKoester How was the L-20 for the concert? We have an L-20 in our band room for a few years already but in some weeks we will take it outside for the first time to mix a small self-organised gig in the real world. Any tips?
nice one. thanks 🙏🏻 one advice: at 5:34 If you check "ascending" when making logic create the 20 tracks it will automatically setup channels 1-20 with the according inputs 1-20 😉
I think I should make a tutorial on how to use all channels on OBS without using an extra interface! This is the second vid I see about this. It works on both my iMac and MacBook
Hi! I saw your comment about making a tutorial on how to use all channels in OBS without an extra interface. This is exactly what I need because I've been searching for a solution for a year. Could you please explain how to do this? I'd really appreciate it!
In DAW (logic pro X) : Instead of setting input source manually, you can select number of audio channels you want to record,then in the input section, click ascending... This will put all inputs form input 1 ascending. Thankyou
Hey Jesse, I want thank you for all the knowledge on the Zoom L20...My first use I was ready to go because of your videos! My only frustration with the board was the fact the need for a audio interface to use multitrack (Only record Track 1 and 2) with OBS etc etc... Well i'm not sure you have addressed this in any of your vids yet...or anyone else for that matter...I called Zoom , their support is great...they gave me the answer....This is for Windows only, Open Control Panel, Then Zoom L-20 Control Panel, open Channel tab, Tick the master box and boom, multitrack at least for me in OBS! No audio interface needed...
Great presentation, thanks for making this! I have the L-12 and on one demo session I was struggling to get it to show up in Logic. Thanks to your video I now know, that I have to turn off the device before switching the modes from SD to Interface.
Got the L-20 a few weeks back. Loving it, it is my first decent mixer as I've gone with a hybrid option with multiple synths and modules using a DAW or DAW less. Got a few scenes setup. Not bothering to use the app as I'm right next to the mixer. Template setup in Studio one with the individual channels in a folder so I can arm all the individual all at once without the stereo channel which is on its own.
Great job! I think you had me at "wooptie-do" and "come at me, engineers", and of course your subscribe-interrupting-tangent at the end seemed to seal the deal! BTW, great video shots and editing!
Thanks for doing this...im not an audio guy but I bought one of these for video editing, voice over and now zoom calls. Overkill I think, but I never gotten a good instruction like you are doing. Dig your style and your video and audio are crisp.
The gear is extremely affordable considering the features on offer so I can totally understand someone buying this for simpler applications than full band live recordings. If I had more desk space, I'd leave it plugged in all the time. Alas, I have to clean up my toys when I'm done playing with them. Thanks for the comment! I hope you continue to enjoy the content we're creating on this channel.
Very helpful. Just got my L20 so thanks a million. Wrestled with the manual for about 30 minutes and and then simply sat through your video. Done. I'm now subscribed. BTW - love how you went at the ZOOM engineers on the Bluetooth fiasco - thanks for championing us common consumer schlubs!
On a board that has so many clever and well-implemented design elements, that bluetooth thing stands out. Honestly, I don't blame the engineers personally. I imagine that was a top-down mandate. All of the engineers I've ever known are driven towards economy of design and elegance. I'm just trying to give them some ammo when they have to go into the next meeting about the hits and misses of the board.
Thanks for this. I’m expecting my L12 in a few days and looking forward to use with Logic and to play and sing remotely at a live church service. Any additional tips would be greatly appreciated
Thanks for this detail as there is not a lot of L20 info on the net. A 101 on recording a band or something similar would be great having you insight into the recorder. Tips and tricks type tutorial.
so you need an audio interface to get your audio interface (the Zoom L-8/12/20) to work with OBS. i've been trying to figure this out for weeks without resorting to capturing the monitor outs on the Zoom into another audio interface that plays well with OBS. this seems addressable via software. i hope Zoom does something about this because this is insanity lol. thank you for the video though, you confirmed what i was afraid of. you got a sub from me!
Thanks for the video. You do a nice job on these. It's it possible to use a phone connected? Maybe through the RCA lines. So when we go on break we can play music
We do this at almost every concert we produce. We run headphone out from an iPad, convert than into RCA and plug it into inputs 19 & 20. Works a charm! We use it for preshow music and for the interstitial screens with audio (iPad can easily handle HDMI out if you have the adapter).
@@MichaelDaniels I don't know much about Androids. If it has a headphone out, all you need is a headphone to RCA cable (5-10 bucks). If it doesn't, I imagine that there's a USB-to-headphone connector that you can buy. If there isn't, you could always get a bluetooth device with a headphone out, tether the two and then run the headphone out from the bluetooth device into the board.
Thanks for this informative video! This L-20 is a excellent mixer...Yes...buying the Bluetooth dongle separately was a pisser...but in fairness it works really great on my iPad,...🤣
Thanks so much for your video. Extremely helpful. I recently got the L-20, however when using it in Zoom Meetings I can only get mic inputs 1 and 2 to work. Same as in OBS. I use a Windows PC.
Hey! Thanks for your video. So I have a question or concern as you may call it. I have the Zoom L20. I discovered that it does not send audio input into my zoom video conferencing app. What do you think could be the reason for this. I use the windows laptop and have tried it on 2 different laptops. The input signal bar does not rise on zoom when I’m testing it. Please help.
So, I’m upgrading from the Zoom L8 to the L20 for my livestream podcast. Basically, I get a lot of guest on my show and needed more mics and headphones. Are you saying I will still need my L8 to run into OBS for this process? That would suck.
Really enjoyed this. I've had my L20 for a few months and use it four my four piece band gigs and recording in my home studio. I use Logic Pro. Couple of things: - while I'm overall happy with the L20, I'm a bit disappointed that it can't work as a control surface for Logic. Or am I wrong . . . ? - I paid for the bluetooth plug in. I kinda share your thinking that it's overpriced but I love being able to mix the band from the back of the house when we gig. I really like the L20 iPad app.
May I know using Logic Pro recording, gain input base on L20 gain knob or Logic Pro internal gain? Because if gain knob from L20 is zero, Logic Pro still have the signal.
I repeat what I said before in another video. Excellent demo. I have already subscribed to your channel and will follow closely. I also have the Livetrack L20. My only negative point is that, like the Tascam Model 24, it doesn't have all the buttons on one strap. I advise you to suggest to the Zoom manager that he think about it. We already know it would be more expensive. But I don't mind paying more. I love your presentation. Good job.
Thank you for all the details, this really gave me a clear presentation of what's possible with this unit. I would really love to see the video of how we can connect the Zoom to an iPad for recording if that's possible.
Thanks for the great videos! Was planning to buy one of these in the next few days and your comment on the wireless adapter is invoking a pause on that purchase. Why are you negative on the iOS wireless interface? Been looking high/low for a digital mixer with a simple means to edit basic volumes while walking the venue (instead of mixing from stage - lots, small venues often without FOH). There's also a strong requirement for a physical Compression knob which few digital mixers have as they pushed this to the control strip. Thanks again!
In the Zoom L-20 Control Panel for the L-20 Driver you can easily push the 1/2 channel selection to Master instead, doing away with all the additional device for capturing the master mix.
I did that, trying to go back and forth between the two options and even resetting the computer several times hoping that it would affect things down the stream but it just wasn't working with OBS. I'm hoping that as Zoom, Apple and OBS continue to update their software, that option works. The thing that surprised me the most was that Logic, Zoom and OBS all read the board in very different ways, regardless of what I did wth the driver settings and that makes me think it was software compatibility, particularly between the Zoom L-20 drivers and MacOS Monterey. Thank you for the comment! I really like finding out that I'm not broadcasting to an abyss.
@@JJKoester I'm currently running win10 and a ryzen 9 chipset. Zoom have made an apple centric product here, with only IOS remote application and no android option, which i was disapointed by. but I get it, Apple is the currentl market leader for audio engineers. So on Win10, I tried the master mix on channels 1/2 on Zoom (video calling software) and OBS with the same reasults. I set the system input as l-20 and then used same as system where applicable. However I've switched back to using channl 1/2 for vidoe calls as using L-20 for audio output there isn't a simple solution for not sending the audio in back through the master out. However I plan on getting a better monitor controller with multiples sources so i can route output either to the desk via USB or direct through the monitor outputs via the audio out on the soundcard. The other option will be to route a "monitor out" from the L-20 into a multi source monitor controller, then i can use my studio monitors for monitoring both the master and a monitor output. Actually, the lack of a sub group on the zoom really hinders this sort of simple routing. I was considering the Tascam model 24 prior to the Zoom purchase, but the 2 monitor outs rather than 6 was a no brainder when wanting seperat emixes for the whoel band, especially with multiple vocals and where guitars often muddy IEM for vocal use. So I think I might just reserve 1 of the monitor outs as a "sub-group". By the way love the production quality of the channel! Keep up the good work!
@@jimdoodle Thanks for this comment. You've given me a couple of quick ideas on other things to try with routing audio through the L-20 and into OBS and Zoom. I really didn't like my dumb solution in this video because it was basically "use a completely different piece of equipment" which isn't really good advice if you just spent a grand on an L-20. Also, you're making me think that I'm woefully undereducated when it comes to Windows. I haven't used one of those machines since 2002 and I wonder if I should invest in one just so I can do sibling tutorials, one with a Mac pipeline and one with a PC. I'll keep noodling with it and will post an updated video as soon as I find better workflow.
If Your ZOOM L-12/20 Is Updated To The Latest Firmware, You have to go into the USB Audio Output Settings in the mixer and change it so that All 20+ inputs Stream Out Of The USB-B As Master L & R and Not As A 22/22 In/Out Audio Interface. If You Don't Change It, Channels 1 & 2 Will Be 1 (Left) & 2 (Right).
@@JMMinistries where is that setting exactly? I was trying to host a zoom meeting for a large thing last night and couldnt figure out why only channels 1 and 2 worked
Thanks for this video with great content. I wanted to ask you a question: is it possible to use the Zoom Livetrack L12 / 20 with a band and make a Playlist and send the click to the drummer? I thank you for the answer
Nice tutorial !! When you record to sd card does it save all the scenes per fader and fx? And when you record to sd card does it record the channels with fx? And if I load a sd card mix , do I put the mode switch back to usb host to mix to a daw and the mix is loaded onto the mixer itself ?
Some of those, I can answer. The ones I can't, I'll look up. 1) It will record the signal unprocessed beyond the gain. If you have effects and fader during recording, this will not be reflected in the audio file. 2) It will only record engaged tracks to the SD card but it does not record any effects to the SD card. So if a track has a signal but is not engaged for record, you won't find a file for that track on the card. 3) That is one I don't know enough about to answer. I honestly don't use the host feature. That's not because I think it's lame. I use the board more as a live mixing device that also records. Thanks for the comment and the questions! I hope the answers were helpful!
one thing about the Zoom strategy to sell a 40 dollars proprietary bluetooth dongle. It seems a stupid idea, but from a marketing point of view it is the best idea. When my band performs live, the use of the iPad remotely is very useful, if not indispensable in moments such as soundcheck. Having an iPad to control the settings remotely, away from the stage, to check the sounds, is priceless, also because we don't have a person who can do it for us, we don't have a sound engineer. So purchasing the dongle was mandatory for us.
I agree with the utility of the dongle. The thing that bugs me is that it's an add-on. They could have included it in the board and charged 100 dollars more and I still would have been happy with the price (the cost of this board is really generous considering its functionality). It's the nickel-and-diming that really gets under my skin. Also, it's the ubiquity of the technology. Why Zoom considered that a luxury feature and not a base feature is beyond me. My stinkin' lightbulbs have bluetooth and those don't cost 40 bucks. By separating the cost, they created extra hassle and advertising the amount they're ripping you off. They could have ripped you off secretly and more efficiently. It's a confusing decision.
Just got our Zoom LiveTrack L20, saw a video where someone said the main XLR outputs wouldn't work properly when using an XLR to a 1/4 cable. Our monitor speakers only have 1/4 inputs. Is this true? 2nd Question our bass player's bass when plugged into inputs one our two sounds horrible Hi On or Hi Z off. any thoughts. Thank you for your great tutorials.
Question for Ya, is this L-20 has an onboard graph EQ instead of an external graph EQ. When Using the L-20 for Live Performance, would the setup the same as your normal live mixer? Thanks
We want to bring a 2nd line out from everyone's mic into the H8 then bring one line out to say channel 14 of the L20. We can then use channel 14 as a talk back mic. What would be the process to do this? How do we get sounds out of the H8 into XLR?
Hi Jesse, thanks for this very useful tutorial. Q. Does the effect you apply to a channel affect all the different fader modes or just the fader mode you applied it on. Secondly, can you apply effects on the final output of any of the fader modes? Thanks again.
Does it matter what the mode switch is set to when using the board as a live mixer? Can you record live shows regardless of what the mode switch is set to? Doesn't say anything at all about that, and it might be a dumb question, but it is sort of a head scratcher for me.
Excellent question! If you're just using the on-board function and not connecting it to anything, the mode switch is irrelevant. You can set it to anything and it won't change the performance of the board until you're connecting it to a device. Cheers!
Ghosshhh 😂 Love your attitude, always keep it like that 🔥💯😂 I am in the market for a Digital mixer like this but, I use OBS for live streaming So, Its so dumb either on the zoom's part or OBS that we have find such dumb workaround So please Can you suggest some other brand digital mixer which is better and works flawlessly with OBS
Would you buy an L20 in 2024 ? Or is there something better. Can you record a session on the L20 and then later on put it into Logic to work on further ? Or create a drum track and then dump it into Logic. I am trying to decide between something like the L20 or an audio interface like the focusrite clarett 8 pre x. I want a system that is easy to learn and use. I want to record drums and other instruments. And i will be the musician and engineer. So the foot switch to start and stop recording seems like a good thing.
Great content! I’ve been using a Livetrak L-20 and two older 8-track recorders to capture a very large drum set, and then importing all the tracks into a DAW on a Windows computer-but I recently got a second L-20 and plan on getting a Mac Studio with Logic. I’d like to use both L-20s simultaneously in Interface mode directly into Logic. I’ve read that multiple interfaces can be used simultaneously by setting up a “aggregate device,” but that’s under a midi setting, so I’m unclear if that will work for audio. Have you ever tried interfacing two Zoom Livetraks into Logic simultaneously? Any thoughts or suggestions about doing this? Thanks!
@@roguesociety5803I did! I acquired a Mac Studio w/ Logic just last week, and while I’m still configuring and experimenting, I was able to easily create a 44 in, 8 out Aggregate Device using both L-20s. (I’m not routing the Outs through them, but nonetheless, that’s the default configuration of the Aggregate Device.)
Is there a tutorial for running the headphones from the USB return? I've got it working but can't figure out how to mute the main speakers and still hear thru the headphones.
If Your ZOOM L-12/20 Is Updated To The Latest Firmware, You have to go into the USB Audio Output Settings in the mixer and change it so that All 20+ inputs Stream Out Of The USB-B As Master L & R and Not As A 22/22 In/Out Audio Interface. If You Don't Change It, Channels 1 & 2 Will Be 1 (Left) & 2 (Right).
Hi great information. I have question for any reason I can’t hear anything through the headphones no sound, I can see that only that I can hear is microphones but inside logic I can’t hear anything, if you know something please let me know
Hi Jesse! I have a zoom L12 and I cant get any sound from my computer Im hearing hissing and when I push the Slate button I can hear sound I just cant hear anything on computer
Are we need any booster kind equipment if we want record keyboard? My zoom L-20 captured the sound quite well for some minutes then level became weak after that & doesn't go up
Agree about the dongle for blu tooth, it should be part of the board for the price it has; before I decided to get one in my quest for looking for a portable mixer that could mix my drums I also read complaints about how this mixer lacks the ability to mechanical faders, zero db indent on the sliders and a noise gate besides the compressor, also read someone complaining at the compressor as more of a gain control than anything; the thing is if Zoom will put all those features then the price would be higher; it is already high where it is considering the carrying case and adapter are separate; to me I was able to knock some bucks as discount but still close to 1K; it would be nice to have ALL those missing features for the same price but I guess they are reserving that for an L30 or L40 model? who knows!
That OBS is such a PITA. Luckily I have a Zoom H6 too as was using it before I got the L-20. Do you think OBS will fix this in a future release. In the meantime I'm jus going to use one of the monitor outputs to the H6 so I can keep the Main Out for my monitors as I have a Blue Yeti and do most of my OBS work with that.
Thank you for the video, as you mention I want to use this with an iPad pro m1! Is it possible to multitrack r20 into iPad and in Cubasis or GarageBand? Thank you in advance :)
I haven't gotten into the Bluetooth connectivity but as I understand, it's strictly for interface controls and there's no audio transmission to their app. Not even the stereo mix. That said, you might be able to use the Host jack to connect audio to your iPad. I haven't tried that and if you have success with it, please leave a comment.
04:09 Disagree. The Bluetooth dongle allows you to control this gadget using apps on different devices. Think "everybody gets to adjust their own IEM monitor mix" in a live situation. Well worth it!
Don’t need anything dawless unless you want to you can do everything that is needed for making music, Daws are great from I hear I never had a computer in my house so argument is that it’s cheaper but 2000$ - 3000 cp. and iPhone newest ones are depending size 500-600 not changed so point is if tech is available one day zoom and other’s will work just perfectly. Some compare to Daws are so inexpensive free apps but again no cmtr same as trying what I know anyway. Zoom l-12 amazing l-8 is slightly different but in a good way both I’ve gotten together it’s great. Daw people say multi track recorders are like 12,000$ no maybe some other point rent a studio
Please show us how to connect to an iPad/iPhone. If it’s just through the camera usb adapter the video is unnecessary and a simple comment will do. Thanks!
I was hoping to learn about using the Zoom as my audio output device, but sounds like that's another video. If that video is out there, can you shoot me a link? I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong. My monitors are powered up. My master outs are hitting my monitors. Volume is up. Output device in set to Zoom. I see input signal. If I switch to my headphone jack, I hear signal. I just can't seem to figure out how to get audio from these damn monitors.
I want to say yes but I don't know how many instruments you have and how you mic them. All 20 tracks on the L-20 recorded as isolated tracks (except for the 17/18 and 19/20 which record as stereo pairs which can be separated to isolated tracks later). We use this for live shows with the bands I produce and we love it. Here's a concert we produced with all audio being recorded on the L-20: ruclips.net/video/yh8j-eFnQ9A/видео.html
4:50 it's probably worth noting that you would be able to use this with Linux (without a dedicated driver) if you leave in in class compliant mode.
Thanks for mentioning that. As a non-Linux user, I wouldn't have known. Cheers!
@@JJKoester I just ordered this thing. I think even in 2023 it’s a good value proposition - especially for podcasting setups. Sucks that it will cost me almost a hundred Australian to get the Bluetooth dongle but I will just eat the cost and get on with it.
Is there even a reason why you wouldn't just keep Class Compliant mode enabled at all times?
@@marratj I think there are some advantages for using the native driver when it is available but I don't know off the top of my head. You'd have to download the PDF of the manual.
@@TerenceKearns The manual doesn't state anything useful about it, just that Class Compliant mode is required to connect to iOS devices.
This was a great tutorial on how to connect. To the point and without too much info that gets beginners lost. And hilarious. I love that you don't hold back! Thank you!
It's been a great pleasure watching your videos on the Zoom L-20! I had just bought the L-20, wanting to record live band rehearsals as well as use a digital mixer as an interface to use Ableton Live. When I subsequently started searching for review videos online, I came across yours. Unlike most review videos, yours is extremely instructional and easy to follow. A pure delight amongst a plethora of distractions.
Thank you for the kind words! I'm glad the video was useful. I was packing up the L-20 for a concert tonight when your message landed. It's a great little device. It's really hard to go back to a non-ISO board once you've started using one. We found this true for audio and for our vision mixers.
@@JJKoester How was the L-20 for the concert? We have an L-20 in our band room for a few years already but in some weeks we will take it outside for the first time to mix a small self-organised gig in the real world. Any tips?
nice one. thanks 🙏🏻
one advice: at 5:34 If you check "ascending" when making logic create the 20 tracks it will automatically setup channels 1-20 with the according inputs 1-20 😉
Dude! Thank you for this comment! Next 1-minute tip video I make will be exactly that.
"Dumb" tape on back of unit absolutely KILLED, good review -thanks :-)
The outro is hilarious! Thanks for mixing some humor with the hard truth. I only wish this board had motorized faders.
Simply a tremendous service to all of us new l-20 owners. Bravo!
So glad it's useful! Best of luck with the gear! We're loving ours.
I think I should make a tutorial on how to use all channels on OBS without using an extra interface! This is the second vid I see about this. It works on both my iMac and MacBook
L-12/L-20/L-20R audio driver version 2 supplementary manual (download the manual, there is the solution wit obs!!!)
“We can scrap anytime you want.” SUBSCRIBED!!!
Still no reply from Zoom. Very suspicious.
@@JJKoester Zoom: “we don’t make drivers” 😂
Subscribed
This video keeps saving me from a lot of head aches ..., Thank you so much for posting this. I would be lost with out it ...
Hi! I saw your comment about making a tutorial on how to use all channels in OBS without an extra interface. This is exactly what I need because I've been searching for a solution for a year. Could you please explain how to do this? I'd really appreciate it!
Totally agree that the bluetooth dongle should have come with the device. What a bummer. Great tutorial Koester.
It's the biggest miss on a piece of equipment largely defined by its hits.
In DAW (logic pro X) : Instead of setting input source manually, you can select number of audio channels you want to record,then in the input section, click ascending... This will put all inputs form input 1 ascending. Thankyou
Hey Jesse, I want thank you for all the knowledge on the Zoom L20...My first use I was ready to go because of your videos! My only frustration with the board was the fact the need for a audio interface to use multitrack (Only record Track 1 and 2) with OBS etc etc... Well i'm not sure you have addressed this in any of your vids yet...or anyone else for that matter...I called Zoom , their support is great...they gave me the answer....This is for Windows only, Open Control Panel, Then Zoom L-20 Control Panel, open Channel tab, Tick the master box and boom, multitrack at least for me in OBS! No audio interface needed...
Yes I want to learn about how to hook it to iPad thank you you’re doing great by the way
Great presentation, thanks for making this! I have the L-12 and on one demo session I was struggling to get it to show up in Logic. Thanks to your video I now know, that I have to turn off the device before switching the modes from SD to Interface.
Got the L-20 a few weeks back. Loving it, it is my first decent mixer as I've gone with a hybrid option with multiple synths and modules using a DAW or DAW less. Got a few scenes setup. Not bothering to use the app as I'm right next to the mixer. Template setup in Studio one with the individual channels in a folder so I can arm all the individual all at once without the stereo channel which is on its own.
Again… NAILED IT!!! Killer video!!
Thank you so much for the comment! We really appreciate it.
Great job! I think you had me at "wooptie-do" and "come at me, engineers", and of course your subscribe-interrupting-tangent at the end seemed to seal the deal!
BTW, great video shots and editing!
Still haven't heard from any Zoom engineers. They're probably just scared...
Very interested in the connectivity with iPad. Thanks for your amazing info.
Thanks very much-nicely done and clearly explained!!! Thank you!
Glad you enjoyed it and thanks for the comment!
Thanks for doing this...im not an audio guy but I bought one of these for video editing, voice over and now zoom calls. Overkill I think, but I never gotten a good instruction like you are doing. Dig your style and your video and audio are crisp.
The gear is extremely affordable considering the features on offer so I can totally understand someone buying this for simpler applications than full band live recordings. If I had more desk space, I'd leave it plugged in all the time. Alas, I have to clean up my toys when I'm done playing with them.
Thanks for the comment! I hope you continue to enjoy the content we're creating on this channel.
Thank you for the OBS hack!!! because I was going crazy trying to figure out, why am I only getting Track 1& 2
Very nice tutorial. Thank you so much!!
Very helpful. Just got my L20 so thanks a million. Wrestled with the manual for about 30 minutes and and then simply sat through your video. Done. I'm now subscribed.
BTW - love how you went at the ZOOM engineers on the Bluetooth fiasco - thanks for championing us common consumer schlubs!
On a board that has so many clever and well-implemented design elements, that bluetooth thing stands out. Honestly, I don't blame the engineers personally. I imagine that was a top-down mandate. All of the engineers I've ever known are driven towards economy of design and elegance. I'm just trying to give them some ammo when they have to go into the next meeting about the hits and misses of the board.
Great video! ONE QUESTION, can the L20 be used to control the FADERS in logic (not just be used as an input device)?
Such a great tutorial! liked and subscribed!
Thanks for this. I’m expecting my L12 in a few days and looking forward to use with Logic and to play and sing remotely at a live church service. Any additional tips would be greatly appreciated
Thanks for this detail as there is not a lot of L20 info on the net. A 101 on recording a band or something similar would be great having you insight into the recorder. Tips and tricks type tutorial.
so you need an audio interface to get your audio interface (the Zoom L-8/12/20) to work with OBS. i've been trying to figure this out for weeks without resorting to capturing the monitor outs on the Zoom into another audio interface that plays well with OBS. this seems addressable via software. i hope Zoom does something about this because this is insanity lol. thank you for the video though, you confirmed what i was afraid of. you got a sub from me!
Great pace and presentation.
Thanks for watching! I really appreciate it!
Thanks for the video. You do a nice job on these. It's it possible to use a phone connected? Maybe through the RCA lines. So when we go on break we can play music
We do this at almost every concert we produce. We run headphone out from an iPad, convert than into RCA and plug it into inputs 19 & 20. Works a charm! We use it for preshow music and for the interstitial screens with audio (iPad can easily handle HDMI out if you have the adapter).
@@JJKoester thank you for the quick reply. I have an Android phone that uses USB c. Do you know what type of cord I am looking for?
@@MichaelDaniels I don't know much about Androids. If it has a headphone out, all you need is a headphone to RCA cable (5-10 bucks). If it doesn't, I imagine that there's a USB-to-headphone connector that you can buy. If there isn't, you could always get a bluetooth device with a headphone out, tether the two and then run the headphone out from the bluetooth device into the board.
@@JJKoester But with that set up, can you take calls like the L8 can do, and allow all users with headphones to talk/listen to the caller?
Thanks for this informative video! This L-20 is a excellent mixer...Yes...buying the Bluetooth dongle separately was a pisser...but in fairness it works really great on my iPad,...🤣
Having trouble streaming the usb audio. Thanks for all your help. I use the rca cords too🤷🏿♂️
Thanks so much for your video. Extremely helpful.
I recently got the L-20, however when using it in Zoom Meetings I can only get mic inputs 1 and 2 to work. Same as in OBS.
I use a Windows PC.
"come at me zoom engineers". "we can scrap anytime you want". 😂🤣😂🤣😂
11:21 - Whoa………………. sounds like somebody didn’t have their coffee this morning !?!?!?!?!!
Your complaining definitely earned a like from me!
Have you ever figured out how to do automated punch in/out? I love the way my L-20 sounds for live recording, but I hate the recording controls.
great tutorial and very helpful
Hey! Thanks for your video. So I have a question or concern as you may call it. I have the Zoom L20. I discovered that it does not send audio input into my zoom video conferencing app. What do you think could be the reason for this. I use the windows laptop and have tried it on 2 different laptops. The input signal bar does not rise on zoom when I’m testing it. Please help.
So, I’m upgrading from the Zoom L8 to the L20 for my livestream podcast. Basically, I get a lot of guest on my show and needed more mics and headphones. Are you saying I will still need my L8 to run into OBS for this process? That would suck.
Really enjoyed this.
I've had my L20 for a few months and use it four my four piece band gigs and recording in my home studio. I use Logic Pro.
Couple of things:
- while I'm overall happy with the L20, I'm a bit disappointed that it can't work as a control surface for Logic. Or am I wrong . . . ?
- I paid for the bluetooth plug in. I kinda share your thinking that it's overpriced but I love being able to mix the band from the back of the house when we gig. I really like the L20 iPad app.
May I know using Logic Pro recording, gain input base on L20 gain knob or Logic Pro internal gain? Because if gain knob from L20 is zero, Logic Pro still have the signal.
I repeat what I said before in another video. Excellent demo. I have already subscribed to your channel and will follow closely. I also have the Livetrack L20. My only negative point is that, like the Tascam Model 24, it doesn't have all the buttons on one strap. I advise you to suggest to the Zoom manager that he think about it. We already know it would be more expensive. But I don't mind paying more. I love your presentation. Good job.
Thank you for all the details, this really gave me a clear presentation of what's possible with this unit. I would really love to see the video of how we can connect the Zoom to an iPad for recording if that's possible.
Thanks for the great videos! Was planning to buy one of these in the next few days and your comment on the wireless adapter is invoking a pause on that purchase. Why are you negative on the iOS wireless interface? Been looking high/low for a digital mixer with a simple means to edit basic volumes while walking the venue (instead of mixing from stage - lots, small venues often without FOH). There's also a strong requirement for a physical Compression knob which few digital mixers have as they pushed this to the control strip. Thanks again!
In the Zoom L-20 Control Panel for the L-20 Driver you can easily push the 1/2 channel selection to Master instead, doing away with all the additional device for capturing the master mix.
I did that, trying to go back and forth between the two options and even resetting the computer several times hoping that it would affect things down the stream but it just wasn't working with OBS. I'm hoping that as Zoom, Apple and OBS continue to update their software, that option works.
The thing that surprised me the most was that Logic, Zoom and OBS all read the board in very different ways, regardless of what I did wth the driver settings and that makes me think it was software compatibility, particularly between the Zoom L-20 drivers and MacOS Monterey.
Thank you for the comment! I really like finding out that I'm not broadcasting to an abyss.
@@JJKoester I'm currently running win10 and a ryzen 9 chipset. Zoom have made an apple centric product here, with only IOS remote application and no android option, which i was disapointed by. but I get it, Apple is the currentl market leader for audio engineers.
So on Win10, I tried the master mix on channels 1/2 on Zoom (video calling software) and OBS with the same reasults. I set the system input as l-20 and then used same as system where applicable. However I've switched back to using channl 1/2 for vidoe calls as using L-20 for audio output there isn't a simple solution for not sending the audio in back through the master out. However I plan on getting a better monitor controller with multiples sources so i can route output either to the desk via USB or direct through the monitor outputs via the audio out on the soundcard.
The other option will be to route a "monitor out" from the L-20 into a multi source monitor controller, then i can use my studio monitors for monitoring both the master and a monitor output.
Actually, the lack of a sub group on the zoom really hinders this sort of simple routing. I was considering the Tascam model 24 prior to the Zoom purchase, but the 2 monitor outs rather than 6 was a no brainder when wanting seperat emixes for the whoel band, especially with multiple vocals and where guitars often muddy IEM for vocal use.
So I think I might just reserve 1 of the monitor outs as a "sub-group".
By the way love the production quality of the channel! Keep up the good work!
@@jimdoodle Thanks for this comment. You've given me a couple of quick ideas on other things to try with routing audio through the L-20 and into OBS and Zoom. I really didn't like my dumb solution in this video because it was basically "use a completely different piece of equipment" which isn't really good advice if you just spent a grand on an L-20.
Also, you're making me think that I'm woefully undereducated when it comes to Windows. I haven't used one of those machines since 2002 and I wonder if I should invest in one just so I can do sibling tutorials, one with a Mac pipeline and one with a PC.
I'll keep noodling with it and will post an updated video as soon as I find better workflow.
If Your ZOOM L-12/20 Is Updated To The Latest Firmware, You have to go into the USB Audio Output Settings in the mixer and change it so that All 20+ inputs Stream Out Of The USB-B As Master L & R and Not As A 22/22 In/Out Audio Interface. If You Don't Change It, Channels 1 & 2 Will Be 1 (Left) & 2 (Right).
@@JMMinistries where is that setting exactly? I was trying to host a zoom meeting for a large thing last night and couldnt figure out why only channels 1 and 2 worked
Thanks for this video with great content. I wanted to ask you a question: is it possible to use the Zoom Livetrack L12 / 20 with a band and make a Playlist and send the click to the drummer? I thank you for the answer
Nice tutorial !! When you record to sd card does it save all the scenes per fader and fx? And when you record to sd card does it record the channels with fx? And if I load a sd card mix , do I put the mode switch back to usb host to mix to a daw and the mix is loaded onto the mixer itself ?
Some of those, I can answer. The ones I can't, I'll look up.
1) It will record the signal unprocessed beyond the gain. If you have effects and fader during recording, this will not be reflected in the audio file.
2) It will only record engaged tracks to the SD card but it does not record any effects to the SD card. So if a track has a signal but is not engaged for record, you won't find a file for that track on the card.
3) That is one I don't know enough about to answer. I honestly don't use the host feature. That's not because I think it's lame. I use the board more as a live mixing device that also records.
Thanks for the comment and the questions! I hope the answers were helpful!
@@JJKoester yes that helps but I don’t understand why they wouldn’t include those scene settings on a master file on the sd card thanks 🙏
@@akaixl83 Let me look into that. There might be a way to save your board settings to the SD card and not have to deal with the Host USB.
thank you for a great overview
one thing about the Zoom strategy to sell a 40 dollars proprietary bluetooth dongle. It seems a stupid idea, but from a marketing point of view it is the best idea. When my band performs live, the use of the iPad remotely is very useful, if not indispensable in moments such as soundcheck. Having an iPad to control the settings remotely, away from the stage, to check the sounds, is priceless, also because we don't have a person who can do it for us, we don't have a sound engineer. So purchasing the dongle was mandatory for us.
I agree with the utility of the dongle. The thing that bugs me is that it's an add-on. They could have included it in the board and charged 100 dollars more and I still would have been happy with the price (the cost of this board is really generous considering its functionality).
It's the nickel-and-diming that really gets under my skin. Also, it's the ubiquity of the technology. Why Zoom considered that a luxury feature and not a base feature is beyond me. My stinkin' lightbulbs have bluetooth and those don't cost 40 bucks. By separating the cost, they created extra hassle and advertising the amount they're ripping you off. They could have ripped you off secretly and more efficiently. It's a confusing decision.
@@JJKoester good point indeed!
Just got our Zoom LiveTrack L20, saw a video where someone said the main XLR outputs wouldn't work properly when using an XLR to a 1/4 cable. Our monitor speakers only have 1/4 inputs. Is this true? 2nd Question our bass player's bass when plugged into inputs one our two sounds horrible Hi On or Hi Z off. any thoughts. Thank you for your great tutorials.
Question for Ya, is this L-20 has an onboard graph EQ instead of an external graph EQ. When Using the L-20 for Live Performance, would the setup the same as your normal live mixer? Thanks
loved the review ,remarks & the nun puns wha !wha! :)
Excelent presentation.
Glad you liked it! Also, thanks for commenting!
We want to bring a 2nd line out from everyone's mic into the H8 then bring one line out to say channel 14 of the L20. We can then use channel 14 as a talk back mic. What would be the process to do this? How do we get sounds out of the H8 into XLR?
Hi Jesse, thanks for this very useful tutorial. Q. Does the effect you apply to a channel affect all the different fader modes or just the fader mode you applied it on. Secondly, can you apply effects on the final output of any of the fader modes? Thanks again.
Does it matter what the mode switch is set to when using the board as a live mixer? Can you record live shows regardless of what the mode switch is set to? Doesn't say anything at all about that, and it might be a dumb question, but it is sort of a head scratcher for me.
Excellent question! If you're just using the on-board function and not connecting it to anything, the mode switch is irrelevant. You can set it to anything and it won't change the performance of the board until you're connecting it to a device.
Cheers!
Ghosshhh 😂 Love your attitude, always keep it like that 🔥💯😂
I am in the market for a Digital mixer like this but, I use OBS for live streaming
So, Its so dumb either on the zoom's part or OBS that we have find such dumb workaround
So please Can you suggest some other brand digital mixer which is better and works flawlessly with OBS
Also, is it possible to connect my phone to a zoom meeting through the USB cable on back then converted to USB c on my Android phone?
Would you buy an L20 in 2024 ? Or is there something better.
Can you record a session on the L20 and then later on put it into Logic to work on further ? Or create a drum track and then dump it into Logic. I am trying to decide between something like the L20 or an audio interface like the focusrite clarett 8 pre x. I want a system that is easy to learn and use. I want to record drums and other instruments. And i will be the musician and engineer. So the foot switch to start and stop recording seems like a good thing.
Excellent! Thank you
Hi in the app there are not gain control ??? And the volume of monitor out don’t save in the scenes???
Hello JJ, how are you. I have a very simple question. What display do you get on the L20 when you are in the interface modus and connected to the daw?
I very much enjoyed the dad jokes sprinkled in :)
Great content! I’ve been using a Livetrak L-20 and two older 8-track recorders to capture a very large drum set, and then importing all the tracks into a DAW on a Windows computer-but I recently got a second L-20 and plan on getting a Mac Studio with Logic. I’d like to use both L-20s simultaneously in Interface mode directly into Logic. I’ve read that multiple interfaces can be used simultaneously by setting up a “aggregate device,” but that’s under a midi setting, so I’m unclear if that will work for audio. Have you ever tried interfacing two Zoom Livetraks into Logic simultaneously? Any thoughts or suggestions about doing this? Thanks!
Hey there, did you find an answer for this?
@@roguesociety5803I did! I acquired a Mac Studio w/ Logic just last week, and while I’m still configuring and experimenting, I was able to easily create a 44 in, 8 out Aggregate Device using both L-20s. (I’m not routing the Outs through them, but nonetheless, that’s the default configuration of the Aggregate Device.)
I am interested in recording several tracks simultaneously to iOS. You mentioned to leave a comment if I was interested in this.
Hello, please, how are the screen settings so that the sound is output to the speakers, and why can't I hear the recording? It is necessary, please
Is there a logic project temple available for download?
the Eleven Rack does the same thing!!!! AWESOME!!! LOL
Is there a tutorial for running the headphones from the USB return? I've got it working but can't figure out how to mute the main speakers and still hear thru the headphones.
Where recording path stops? Does eq settings affects recorded tracks?
If Your ZOOM L-12/20 Is Updated To The Latest Firmware, You have to go into the USB Audio Output Settings in the mixer and change it so that All 20+ inputs Stream Out Of The USB-B As Master L & R and Not As A 22/22 In/Out Audio Interface. If You Don't Change It, Channels 1 & 2 Will Be 1 (Left) & 2 (Right).
How do you update to the latest firmware?
where do i find that menu?
Hi great information. I have question for any reason I can’t hear anything through the headphones no sound, I can see that only that I can hear is microphones but inside logic I can’t hear anything, if you know something please let me know
Hi Jesse! I have a zoom L12 and I cant get any sound from my computer Im hearing hissing and when I push the Slate button I can hear sound I just cant hear anything on computer
Are we need any booster kind equipment if we want record keyboard? My zoom L-20 captured the sound quite well for some minutes then level became weak after that & doesn't go up
Agree about the dongle for blu tooth, it should be part of the board for the price it has; before I decided to get one in my quest for looking for a portable mixer that could mix my drums I also read complaints about how this mixer lacks the ability to mechanical faders, zero db indent on the sliders and a noise gate besides the compressor, also read someone complaining at the compressor as more of a gain control than anything; the thing is if Zoom will put all those features then the price would be higher; it is already high where it is considering the carrying case and adapter are separate; to me I was able to knock some bucks as discount but still close to 1K; it would be nice to have ALL those missing features for the same price but I guess they are reserving that for an L30 or L40 model? who knows!
Is there a more advanced tutorial on not using headphone output as the main output when recording on daw?
There could be!
If you use ASIO plugin for OBS you can use all 20 channels in OBS
That OBS is such a PITA. Luckily I have a Zoom H6 too as was using it before I got the L-20. Do you think OBS will fix this in a future release. In the meantime I'm jus going to use one of the monitor outputs to the H6 so I can keep the Main Out for my monitors as I have a Blue Yeti and do most of my OBS work with that.
Firmware update solved this
Thank you for the video, as you mention I want to use this with an iPad pro m1! Is it possible to multitrack r20 into iPad and in Cubasis or GarageBand? Thank you in advance :)
I haven't gotten into the Bluetooth connectivity but as I understand, it's strictly for interface controls and there's no audio transmission to their app. Not even the stereo mix.
That said, you might be able to use the Host jack to connect audio to your iPad. I haven't tried that and if you have success with it, please leave a comment.
@@__officialtony__ thanx :)
If you want to join tracks 1 and 2 as left right stereo on the H6 you, must push the button 1 and 2 at the same time.
Does the zoom l-20 work with presonus studio one?
Is auto mix available + noise gat ?
😂😂😂😂😂😂The end was hilarious
04:09 Disagree. The Bluetooth dongle allows you to control this gadget using apps on different devices. Think "everybody gets to adjust their own IEM monitor mix" in a live situation. Well worth it!
Love the content! Plz center your belt buckle on your pants. Love the videos on the products.
Do you have any tips on interfacing an L20R with a computer running win 10?
Unfortunately, I don't. We are very mac focused in this office and PC is a known wall of ignorance we haven't had the time to address.
Do I need a SD card to use the zoom L-20. Somebody told me it's needed ans when taken out the board doesn't work.
I'm pretty new to DAW, can you use all channels at once via usb.
so as a band could we record live via DAW with 16 tracks at once?
Don’t need anything dawless unless you want to you can do everything that is needed for making music, Daws are great from I hear I never had a computer in my house so argument is that it’s cheaper but 2000$ - 3000 cp. and iPhone newest ones are depending size 500-600 not changed so point is if tech is available one day zoom and other’s will work just perfectly. Some compare to Daws are so inexpensive free apps but again no cmtr same as trying what I know anyway. Zoom l-12 amazing l-8 is slightly different but in a good way both I’ve gotten together it’s great. Daw people say multi track recorders are like 12,000$ no maybe some other point rent a studio
I wanna learn about recording usb audio with irig and my zoom please.
ASIO drivers allowed me to use more than tracks 1 and 2 in OBS.
i have a problem with software not show on my computer (it say Adequate ) what should i do
Plzz tell me the software name is for zoom L 20
Please show us how to connect to an iPad/iPhone. If it’s just through the camera usb adapter the video is unnecessary and a simple comment will do. Thanks!
I was hoping to learn about using the Zoom as my audio output device, but sounds like that's another video. If that video is out there, can you shoot me a link? I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong. My monitors are powered up. My master outs are hitting my monitors. Volume is up. Output device in set to Zoom. I see input signal. If I switch to my headphone jack, I hear signal. I just can't seem to figure out how to get audio from these damn monitors.
Also wanting to know how to do this.
I just subscribed
More on Garage Band please !
Excellent suggestion! We've added a full video on Garage Band connectivity to our production board.
Cheers!
Same! Great video btw. Liked and Subbed!
I want to know, will I be able to record all my instruments at once on their own track?
I want to say yes but I don't know how many instruments you have and how you mic them. All 20 tracks on the L-20 recorded as isolated tracks (except for the 17/18 and 19/20 which record as stereo pairs which can be separated to isolated tracks later). We use this for live shows with the bands I produce and we love it. Here's a concert we produced with all audio being recorded on the L-20: ruclips.net/video/yh8j-eFnQ9A/видео.html
I keep getting a "version error" when i load my SD card back into my L-20? what am i doing wrong?