Customers are positive about the PodTrak P4 Podcast Recorder's portability, sound quality, ease of use, and price. They appreciate that it is a portable device that is easy to use and produces excellent sound quality. Customers are also happy with the price of the recorder, considering it to be good value for the quality.However, some customers have expressed concerns about the battery life of the recorder, stating that it drains quickly.
This summary was generated by AI based on customer reviews.
The vast majority of our reviews come from verified purchases. Reviews from customers may include My Best Buy members, employees, and Tech Insider Network members (as tagged). Select reviewers may receive discounted products, promotional considerations or entries into drawings for honest, helpful reviews.
Page 1 Showing 1-20 of 96 reviews
Pros mentioned:
Audio quality, Ease of use
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
I’m Amazed at this product
|
|
Posted . Owned for 3 weeks when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
This thing is amazing, just what I needed for my podcast. Not only is it awesome that u can connect 4 mics at a time but, the fact it has phantom power just makes it that much more awesome. Highly recommend good quality, lightweight, super portable. It’s a podcaster, journalist, or musicians dream.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Ease of use, Xlr inputs
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
The Go-To portable and studio Podcast device.
|
|
Posted . Owned for 1 month when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
This is THE go-to device for podcasters all the way through pro level. It has an amazing toolbox of features including 4 xlr inputs (seperately controllable), 4 headphone outputs (again volume adjustable for each individually), a 4-button clip players (e.g. intros, outros, laughter, or anything you want from your recordings). Stores in a useful package of files. But most importantly, you can record directly conversations you make on your cellphone, or on your computer. And it is portable. Can handle a huge SD card (i'm using a 128 GB). Simple learning curve. I highly recommend the Zoom PodTrak P4.
I would recommend this to a friend
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Great compact all-in-one podcasting device
|
|
Posted . Owned for 2 weeks when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
I got rid of my Zoom H6 recorder in favor of this PodTrak P4 which I got from Best Buy. Why? Cuz this P4 device is specifically designed for podcasting live in-person and is also able to bring on remote guests by smartphone and/or USB channels with its built in "mix minus" functionality so the other person on the phone won't hear his own voice echo which will spoil the audio. The Zoom H6 recorder does not have this important mix-minus feature. I should also mention that I also have the Rode Rodecaster Pro podcasting device which I like a lot. The PodTrak P4 is no Rodecaster killer, but the P4 has one overriding attribute which is its very compact lightweight form factor that you can tote around town easily. I recently made a YouTube video about the Zoom P4 for providing a quick startup guide, plus including useful tips and tricks and necessary accessories to get to maximize the usefulness of the PodTrak P4. Here's the link to the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNShNb3o9L4&fbclid=IwAR1Csz54Le8ehlnyb2dHWaea-9hxNNCVOU_wGhHga1aZY9cbKlbZCoLrd1k
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Audio quality
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Sounds good
|
|
Posted . Owned for 1 month when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
My son purchased this for his podcast he wants to start. He likes it so far, it sounds great!
I would recommend this to a friend
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Totally recommend this
|
|
Posted . Owned for 2 months when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
First time using this type of device but it’s perfect, from mic ports to recording to saving to making effects and so forth, you will be glad when you use it.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Audio quality, Ease of use
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
Overall great. But had a few issues...
|
|
Posted . Owned for less than 1 week when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
This rig overall is great. Very easy to use. Had it up and running 10-15 minutes after opening the box. But the reason for the four stars and not five is due to “write error” messages I kept getting upon some recordings (not all). I contacted Zoom on this. They had no answers, no known issues. Also no planned firmware updates at this time addressing this issue. I tried two different high quality / high speed SD cards. Still got the error message at various times. Then I bought a brand new higher quality / higher speed SD card. STILL kept getting the write error message randomly. Finally returned the unit to Best Buy and picked up a replacement (from Best Buy). This one had a similar issues whereby when I depressed the sound button while I was recording, the sound assigned to the respective button would play for about three seconds and then either loop back to the beginning or jump to another assigned sound to another sound button. OK, that’s the bad. Now for the good - audio quality is excellent. All the features are truly great and designed with the podcaster in mind. The best feature for me is the ability to do phone interviews or phone cohosting. I won’t get into HOW it all works. But suffice it to say it’s very easy and sound quality is great doing this. I’d still recommend this unit if for nothing else all the features made for podcasters especially the phone integration (which has mix minus by the way). I’m confident Zoom will address and fix the aforementioned issues via firmware. All that said, maybe I was just extremely unlucky and got two units that were part of a bad batch. Who knows.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Audio quality, Ease of use, Price
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Very Pleased
|
|
Posted . Owned for 1 month when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
First and foremost, Best Buy had this item available before ANYONE else! That was the kicker. I needed it for my business and was able to get it 2 weeks early!
It works perfectly. It's small and able to fit in a bag, records clean, consistent audio, and is easy to pick up and begin using. Great price for what it offers. Every other company is charging almost twice for similar features.
Great buy!
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Size, Xlr inputs
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
Great Functionality in a Small Package!
|
|
Posted . Owned for 2 weeks when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
After doing research on what audio interface to buy, I settled on the Zoom Podtrak P4. While small in size, it has a surprising amount of features that only far more expensive products offer, such as 4x XLR inputs, 4x headphone jacks, 4x programmable sound pads, and support for smartphone connections. Additionally, the preamps are very good and it offers 70dB of gain for your microphones! So yes, it can support gain-hungry mics! It has 2 USB-C ports (1 for an AC adapter and 1 for connecting to a computer). What's nice is that it can be powered from either port, in addition to being used as an audio interface.
Other positives include the manual gain and volume dials, use of full-size SD cards (no worrying about small microSD cards & adapters), and compact size.
This product is clearly designed for podcasters in mind and is compact enough for fieldwork.
Having used Zoom products before, one of the downsides is that it's made out of molded plastic. So it doesn't feel very sturdy, but it'll be fine as long as you take care of it. Another drawback is that it only records in 44.1KHz at 16-bit, so it doesn't conform to video sound standards. However, for podcasters, that's acceptable. I do wish it had more sound pads, but that's a minor issue and probably what the larger P8 is for. The final downside is that, when used as an audio-interface, it sends data to the computer as a stereo mix only, however, it can simultaneously record each separate input onto an SD card.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Audio quality, Ease of use
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Very satisfied
|
|
Posted . Owned for 1 month when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
I bought it for podcasting and it does the job well and it’s easy to use and good quality!
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Audio quality, Price
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Excellent product
|
|
Posted . Owned for 1.5 years when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Amazing device to record podcasts on the go. Good price and high quality.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Audio quality
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
So easy, so fun
|
|
Posted . Owned for 1 month when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
I wasn't quite sure I needed—or wanted—this at first, but decided to try it out, and I'm happy I did. It's made multitrack recordings (speaking, not music) a process that's much simpler, more portable and easier to set up. And the quality is higher and much, much more reliable than it was with my own set-up.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Audio quality, Ease of use
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Good, But Be Mindful of Mic Requirements for Gain
|
|
Posted . Owned for less than 1 week when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Terrific tool for recording podcasts on the go. I do notice a bit of background hum if you have to turn the gain up beyond 5 for your microphone that is not phantom powered. I am using the RODE PodMic with this unit. It is a nice mic and works well, but is dynamic so it does't need phantom power. There is a hum if I turn the gain toward 6. It is only noticeable when not talking and could be addressed a bit in post but just a note.
But the feature set, portability, and flexibility of use is really good. I am connecting it to my Mac and using Audacity to record while also having it record to the SD card at the same time. It is really nice to have inline recording as a backup. This feature alone is worth the price.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Ease of use
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Cool device!
|
|
Posted . Owned for 3 weeks when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Operates as advertised! Very cool solutions for starting podcasters.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Ease of use
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Good and portable.
|
|
Posted . Owned for 1.5 years when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Good product for recording audio. Love the portability of this product.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Price
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Podcasters stop and look here
|
|
Posted . Owned for less than 1 week when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
This. It is a power packed and feature laden podcasting platform. 70 db of gain to bring up even the most stubborn dynamic mics. One push mute and unmute for each channel. Mix minus for usb and direct cell call channels. Supports direc cell call in on one input, as well as tablet call through skype/zoom/others.
This is an amazing piece of gear that is half the price point of competition. Well worth it.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Audio quality
Cons mentioned:
Battery life
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
Excellent entry level mixer.
|
|
Posted . Owned for less than 1 week when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
I bought this as an upgrade from my standard Tascam recorder for podcasting, as I now run 2 podcasts and felt having one recorder would cut down a ton on editing and make call-ins and interviews much easier. I was right. The price is excellent for my first mixer ($3-400 cheaper than the other top 2 mixers). Did what it was supposed to and with excellent sound quality. My ONLY complaint and why it doesnt get 5 stars, it really needs an external plug in option. Advertised to run 3 hours on batteries and it died 1 hour 14 minutes in. Had to stop and get batteries and my guest was mod sentence. So, really inconvenient. However, they were the batteries provided, so maybe the new ones will do better. We will see. But for $220 it is worth every penny.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Ease of use
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Love it
|
|
Posted . Owned for 1 year when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
excellent for a content creator or anyone on the go
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Ease of use
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Bestbuy for production
|
|
Posted . Owned for 3 weeks when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Excellent device! I love how useful it is in podcasting and Video production!
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Ease of use
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Looks complicated but is very simple!
|
|
Posted . Owned for 1.5 years when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
No Issues after a year of use. Very easy to understand and use!
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Ease of use
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Zoom P4 review
|
|
Posted .
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
I couldn't be happier with this product. It works great and so portable. My only gripes are that they should included the cables that go with this unit. I couldn't just plug and play right out of the box. Once I got my accessories, I have not stopped using the P4.
They also should include a user manual with the the quick guide.
This little unit has a lot of features that a quick guide just can't cover.