Zoom’s pocket podcast studio

Posted on Jan 19, 2026 by Pro Moviemaker

The brand-new Podtrak P4next is a major evolution of Zoom’s portable podcasting recorders, which are packed with next generation processing to make broadcast quality production accessible anywhere

The £169/$180 recorder has four XLR inputs with high-gain preamps and up to +70dB of clean gain. Each input offers 48V phantom power, tone shaping, voice compression and AI-driven noise reduction that removes hum, traffic and ambient distractions while keeping speech natural.

For large shows, the P4next can host up to five guests, including two remotely via USB, TRRS or an optional Bluetooth BTA-2 adapter. All four headphone outputs have their own volume control, and a built-in mix-minus system prevents echo and feedback during call-ins.

To use it for a video podcast, it offers 48kHz/24-bit recording, mobile-video support and the important ability to send polished audio straight into a smartphone camera for social-ready clips – with no post-production required. The P4next also doubles as a USB-C multitrack audio interface, supporting PC, Mac, iOS and Android, making it useful for live streams.

It has four programmable sound pads, voice-guided menus, micro SD recording up to 2TB and flexible power options with AA batteries, USB or AC.

Float on by

Zoom is making a splash with its Instamic Pro Plus C, the world’s smallest waterproof 32-bit float recorder. With IP67 waterproofing, 135dB SPL handling, Bluetooth, 4.5 hours of battery and a built-in timecode, it’s a pocket powerhouse.

The mono costs £174/$180. The stereo version is £25/$20 more, but it doubles as a Bluetooth mic for action cameras and can wirelessly connect to the Insta360 camera series, the Garmin Virb Ultra 30 and the Go Pro Hero 12 and 13.