Zoom PodTrak P4 Podcast Recorder, Battery Powered, 4 Microphone Inputs, 4 Headphone Outputs, Phone and USB Input for Remote Interviews, Sound Pads, 2-In/2-Out Audio Interface

I've owned and used the Zoom P4 for over 6 months at the time of this review. It has held up nicely with no issues. I'm quite gentle with it, so I can't speak to it's durability.Pros:The audio quality is crystal clear.There is plenty of clean gain available.Each of the 4 mic inputs has +48 phantom power & mute option independently from one another (options that many interfaces and mixers do not have).Though I have not taken the P4 anywhere, it's very lightweight and portable.It has options to use either batteries or 5V usb to power it. And when using batteries, it does power up for quite a while. Much longer than any recording session I've ever done.This option gives the ability to have battery backup for recordings.I like the ability to connect phone and computer to it and send and receive audio from both devices.The P4 is a great option to use as a phone audio interface. I've used it quite a bit just to record high quality audio to my phone. And it's great to use for clean audio on phone calls as well.The mix- function works flawlessly. Making it super easy to use the P4 for call in conversations without feedback echo to the caller.It will record hours and hours of audio with even a small 8gb micro SD card installed.The P4 allows for dual (or triple) recording simultaneously.Recording on an installed SD card and a computer and/or phone (or any other USB or trs/trrs device).This makes this interface very versatile.It's super easy to record or load pre-recorded sound to the sound pad.The sound pad has a volume control, just like the 4 mic gains and 4 headsets.Cons:16-bit/44.1 khz max recording/transmission resolution.Most USB interfaces & mixers have a minimum of 16-bit/48 khz resolution.I will say that in practice I cannot distinguish the difference in sound between the 2, however.Because of ultra compact size of this unit, there is no XLR or line output. Though you can use one of the headphone outputs if necessary, the sound quality will suffer a bit, as noise (hiss) will be introduced. The higher the volume, the more the noise.The P4's all plastic exterior doesn't instill confidence that it will withstand accidental abuse.

We have been Podcasting for a couple of years now. We started with some of the worst equipment and tried different setups over the years. Using a soundboard is the best way to record a Podcast. XLR microphones are almost a must for quality. I have been looking at the podtrak now for 6 months and I finally bit the bullet. I am pleased that I had. For one the ease of use as well as the portability leaves us with options. I use it strictly as a soundboard. The amazing quality of the sound stands out.The fact that you have 4 XLR inputs as well as 4 separate headphone outputs at this price range is truly earth-shattering. The ability to independently adjust the microphones as well as the headphone's volume is truly a godsend. Add in 4 programmable sound pads, I don't think you can do any better at this price.Now should we want to go on location or record outside our studio, this piece of equipment naturally is made for just that. It's portable and fits right in the palm of your hand comfortably. It's lightweight, this may or may not be an issue as far as durability but handle it with care. Provide an SD card and record away.The knobs are small however are still tactile and have a very precise feel to them so adjustments can be made on the fly with precision. Is this a top-tier device that costs a few grand and produces the greatest-sounding recordings? No, it's specific as to what it does, however, it does it perfectly and the features are truly worth a lot more.The only review I can not give is battery life. We have it connected to a computer at all times for power. If you are not getting long battery life, this is the 21st century. Get a power bank for like 15-20 dollars and I would guess depending on how big a power bank you have you can get over 8 hours or more. If you are using the batteries lower the contrast of the screen to absorb less power.