Zoom PodTrak P2 Review: The Best Podcast Recorder for Two Hosts?
The Zoom PodTrak P2 packs two mic preamps, a sound pad, and phone call integration into a compact box for just £76. Here's who it's perfect for and where it falls short.
Podcasting setups tend to fall into two camps: the single USB mic plugged into a laptop, or the full broadcast studio with a rack of outboard gear and a dedicated mixer. The Zoom PodTrak P2 sits neatly between them - and for co-hosted shows recorded in the same room, it might be exactly what you're looking for.
What is the PodTrak P2?
The PodTrak P2 is a compact podcast recorder designed specifically for two-person shows. It has two XLR inputs with preamps, a sound effects pad (four buttons you can assign short clips to - intros, jingles, sound effects), a headphone output for each host, and a TRRS jack for connecting a smartphone so you can record phone calls directly. It runs on two AA batteries and weighs very little, which makes it genuinely portable.
Zoom clearly designed this to solve a specific problem: you want to sit across a table from your co-host with your own microphones and headphones, without running two separate USB mics into a laptop and dealing with the inevitable synchronisation issues. The P2 handles all of that elegantly.
Sound quality
The preamps are honest. They're not exceptional by studio standards, but they're clean, quiet and provide enough gain for most dynamic microphones - though if you're using a Shure SM7B or another high-gain-hungry dynamic, you might find yourself running the gain knob near the top, which is where noise becomes more noticeable.
With a decent dynamic mic like the Rode PodMic at each input, the recorded sound is noticeably better than what you'd get from a typical USB mic. The converters are adequate rather than remarkable - but podcast listening is mostly on earbuds and phone speakers, so "adequate" is absolutely fine in context.
The sound pad
The four-button sound pad is a genuinely useful feature that's easy to overlook. You load up to 10 seconds of audio per button via a microSD card (included), and you can trigger them without interrupting the recording. For intro music, applause, or simply keeping your show sounding polished live rather than in post, it's a nice touch. Professional podcast studios have dedicated soundboards for this; the P2 gives you a scaled-down version for a fraction of the cost.
The phone call input
Connecting a phone via the 3.5mm TRRS jack lets you record remote guests without any software, internet connection or recording software - just the phone call itself. The mix-minus system (which prevents your guest hearing their own voice back through the line) works well. This is a simple, reliable way to do remote interviews without setting up conferencing software, provided your guest is happy to call rather than use a video platform.
Build quality
The P2 is clearly built to a budget. The plastic casing is lightweight and the controls feel a bit soft. That said, it doesn't feel fragile - more "sensibly economical" than "cheap." The XLR connectors are solid and properly seated. If you're using this on a desk rather than throwing it in a bag regularly, you'll have no issues.
Battery life
Zoom rates the battery life at around 4.5 hours on two AA batteries. In practice, that tracks fairly well depending on how hard you're driving the preamps. For most podcast recording sessions (rarely longer than two hours), that's plenty. You can also power it via USB-C if you'd rather not think about batteries, though the USB-C implementation does mean it won't charge while you're recording simultaneously.
What's missing
The PodTrak P2 has no built-in storage - you'll need a microSD card to record. It also doesn't have a built-in display showing levels (the LED indicators are basic), so you're setting gain somewhat by ear. And unlike some competing recorders at slightly higher prices, it has no onboard compression or EQ - what you record is what you get.
For remote podcasters who record guests over the internet, the P2's phone-call integration is a workaround rather than a proper solution. You'd be better served by software like Riverside or Zencastr that records both ends at studio quality, with the P2 handling only your local side.
The verdict
At £76, the Zoom PodTrak P2 is excellent value for co-hosted shows where both presenters are in the same room. It removes the complexity of two USB mics, gives each host their own headphone mix, and adds useful extras like sound pads and phone call recording in a portable package. It's not a professional broadcast console, but for independent podcasters who want to sound better without spending a lot, it's a smart buy.
If you're a solo podcaster, the PodTrak P2 is probably overkill - you'd be better served by a single USB mic like the Rode PodMic USB or Sennheiser Profile. And if you're running a larger show with three or more in-studio guests, look at the PodTrak P4 instead.