ONE YEAR OF USE: Zoom LiveTrak L-12 Digital Mixer / Recorder Follow-Up Walk-Through

Time Codes:

00:01 to 1:34 - INTRO
1:34 - WALKTHROUGH BEGINS

1:35 to 4:27 - MONITOR OUTPUT / HEADPHONE JACK CLARIFICATION
- 3:30 - Confirmation of Monitor/Headphone jacks being TRS
- 4:00 - Individual Monitor Mixes vs Hearing the Master Mix

4:27 to 6:35 - PANNING EXPLANATION
- 5:00 - Explanation on how panning works across the different mixes

6:35 to 14:00 - ZOOM L-12 EFX / EFFECTS
- 7:00 - About the EFX Return Fader
- 7:37 - Setting individual channel EFX levels
- 8:05 - EFX Return Demonstration
- 8:50 - Choosing an Effect
- 9:20 - Sending Effects to Monitor Output Busses
- 11:53 - EFX / Effects Activation Summary
- 13:25 - EFX / Effects Mute Button

14:00 to 15:58 - EQ EXPLANATION

15:57 to 18:20 - ONE KNOB COMPRESSION
- 16:06 - Turning on One Knob Compression / Demonstration
- 16:45 - How Compression is reflected in SD card recordings

18:20 to 21:08 - SLATE FUNCTION
- 18:50 - Accessing Slate Menu
- 19:03 - Setting Slate recording level
- 19:10 - Setting Slate Recording Channels
- 20:15 - Slate audio demonstration

21:08 to 21:48 - STARTING RECORDING DEMONSTRATION
- 21:20 - Arming and starting recording

21:48 to 25:18 - USB FUNCTION
- 22:01 - How USB works through USB in to a computer
- 22:40 - USB Master Mix channels
- 23:20 - Possible work around for getting Master mix in to the basic USB function
- 23:55 - USB input in to channels 9/10 or 11/12

25:15 to End - DEBRIEF ON MY EXPERIENCE
- 25:25 - Soundbleed
- 26:16 - Reliability
- 26:20 - My personal use case (I'm not a musician)
- 27:00 - My SD Card Experience
- 27:47 - My cons list
- 29:13 - My solution to the "clicking" issue mentioned in the previous video

[jonmy]

The firmware 2.0 update does a great job putting the effects to the monitor. Most singers would want to hear some form of reverb and this was a big limitation. I'm glad Zoom did this update! Also good that the effect is not recorded on the the tracks to the SD card as this is better done in the DAW. Just wish they did a SOLO button next to the MUTE but it's not a deal breaker. Good vid, thanks

[grantborden]

Zoom did an upgrade to the audio interface driver and now you have the option to switch the master mix out to channels 1 and 2.

[tomwilson]

23:00 the driver software now lets you change the order of the inputs, to make the stereo mix inputs 1/2 on USB. Mic 1 then becomes input 3, and so on. I don't know if this was a change to the firmware, since I've only had my unit for a couple of weeks, but that's definitely how it works on Windows systems now.

[kirkbolas]

About your click when you say hack...

You said you solved it by integrating a DI box between your dbx channel strip out and going into the mic pre on the L12.

I had a few of thoughts..

1) Although not likely, could there have been an impedance mismatch corrected by the DI? Matching Impedance is the primary job description for a DI, as I’m sure you’re well aware of. I’ve experienced some odd artifacts like pops, click and scratches in the audio due to my active preamp equipped, hi-z source bass guitar being jacked directly into a line level, lo-z input channel on the FOH mixing board. If I tried to adjust the Eq, blend or volume controls on my bass, the rather annoying artifacts I mentioned occurred.

2) The DI accomplishes what it does with a transformer (again I reckon you know this) and one of the results is that the input and output circuit are physically isolated from each other, only being coupled inductively. I wonder if you were experiencing some sort of intermittent ground loop issue in your system. In my experience running FOH in a venue this ground loop issue manifests as a hum or once in a while as a hiss.

The problem might have some dependency on whether you’re using a dynamic mic vs. a phantom powered condenser mic. As explained to me, either type can illicit the problem, but it’s dependent on the other equipment that is involved in either passing (dynamic) the signal or creating (condenser) it in the first place.

On the one. hand the dynamic mic’s lower peak to peak output voltage requires more heavy lifting from the dbx. The condenser on the other hand, integrates an additional, active circuit, namely the phantom power needed to create a charge on the plates inside the mic.

The word “hack” creates a larger impulse than many other words when striking the diaphragm of either mic type, and I wonder if enough potential is created to exploit an intermittent ground loop issue, sort of like a given minimum activation energy in a biologic system. There are a few odd ground loop issues that can exist in the presence of multiple low potential components passing a signal, or so I’ve been told. I don’t fully understand the mechanism very well, but I’ve experienced this enough to know it’s real. Perhaps a real, credentialed engineer can chime in and better explain intermittent ground loop issues.

A third thought occurred to me. Your dbx and the input path of the L12s channel strips both have compression circuitry. It seems to me, intuitively anyway, that you might want to see how the compressors ultimately affect your gain staging. You’re a professional and I reckon you’ve already considered this, but on the slight chance you haven’t, it bears looking at.

I’m not convinced the L12 is the sole actor in this. The first cause may very well lie in your upstream gear.

Last thought...

Did the click artifact go away with your present L12’s firmware upgrade?

[bobdimartino]

can someone explain what a slate track is?

[kevykev]

i actually like how whatever is recorded is sent dry with no effects or eq. As an amateur producer, thats exactly how I want it. I can always go back and alter the dry sound however I please.

[ErwinBtje]

So you can use the slate function to talk back to different mixers with the fader mode.. But can you also talk back without recording?

[wireguy]

I know while recording Live you can have Verb and FX but the RAW SD card files will dry..But! can you send one of the headphone mixes (with the new software fx are in mixes) to another channel and record that so FX show up in Master mix?

[anievestor]

Great video. Can you speak about how to connect it to a PC and connecting it to a DAW like studio one

[sgkountz]

Thank you for the video because I was going crazy setting up OBS with the L12 audio outputs. When I seen your video explaining the channels 1and 2 for "dumb audio software" it explained the issue of why I wasn't getting out audio from my other channals. Thank you for clarifying that issue in the video!!!!

[alantuttphotography]

Would love to know more about your podcasting setup with this mixer. Am also looking forward to your review of the L20 and how it compares to the L12.

[dozerblade]

I use the L 20, and your chat was useful to me, . On mine there are 2 ways you can set the metering and I was hoping you might cover that and the scene modes, it's a shame there is no sub mix, so I mix and export to sd card and then import to the stereo channel, aux would be nice as well.
The most annoying thing on the L 20 is where they situated the recording functions, halfway up the board where it is really difficult to use, not at the bottom like your machine .

[aintnothinbutdablues]

Zoom should be paying for these great explanations.
Far better than reading the manual!

[LiveeviL]

The DI (if it's a passive type) probably isolated the signals using the internal transformer. There might have been a ground or other signal issue, maybe a static build up, and the DI box just isolated the incoming and outgoing signals.

[MarcCalhoun]

Thanks for this video, I been trying to figure out the fx issue for 2 days!!

[LiveeviL]

On the Record using the Play button, I believe it's actually using the Pause, not really the Play. This was common in the days of recording with tape. You set Record while pressing Pause to "arm" the recording and then use the Pause button to start and stop the recording as needed.

[sergeipiano]

Are the A, B, C, D, E monitor mixes over in stereo?
I know the master output mix is.

[ayoungethan]

The driver issue is a windows problem only. The device is class compliant so works seamlessly with Linux and Mac os. When windows becomes class compliant it won't be an issue.

[Nikolaiwww]

Ok...so my question will then be...if you record...voice, guitar, keyboard....and then you mix it down? Or is there no way the effect is getting on the sd? Seems allso wierd that you cant record like guitar with reverb, change it to hall and then record voice....

[opiedrums]

Is there a way to save and recall each monitor mix? So that way they don't have to be reset wach time you power it on?