Domain Name Com's Zoom H4 Handy Recorder

Zoom H4 Handy Recorder

Domain Name Com's - : Zoom H4 Handy Recorder

- Great portable recorder for the price
I did a lot of research before buying this and so I wasn't surprised by much about it. Overall I'm very happy with it, I got what I expected. It sounds good and although, the controls are a little fiddly, it isn't that hard to use. One thing everyone should be aware of is that the audio files aren't time and date stamped in any way. If you need or want that you'll have to look elsewhere. It's annoying, but not a deal breaker for my use. At the price the H4 goes for, I think it's a really good deal for the quality you get.

Rating:

- Field recording with the H-4
After having read many of the reviews about this little nifty machine I decided to give it a try in a direct-sound production as the main recorder for dialog. In order to be compatible with audio suites we decided to record in the 48 KHz / 24 Bit mode. I know that the machine is not specifically designed for film/TV field recording, but it did its job very well.

Advantages at first sight:
# 1: It does not weigh 8 ½ Kg (about 18.7 lbs.) what a Nagra IV used to.
# 2: No reels, no heavy batteries, no shoulder harness.
# 3: The recording quality and the S/N ratio are far above that of an open-reel machine and equal any DAT or HD-recording system.

So far so good. Since the microphone/gain controls on the H-4 are not accessible during recording, I decided to feed the audio (boom & radio-mikes) through a SHURE FP-33 field mixer and connecting it via two XLR cables to the H-4. Besides, one can NOT hold it in the hand and record through the built-in mikes due to severe noise from handling the machine.

First I had to calibrate the H-4 with the FP-33 to see where my levels were, so I set the IN 1&2 switches both to "L" and then calibrated the 1 KHz tone to -24dB on the H-4. Why so low? The limiter of the SHURE mixer works OK for analog, but clearly overshoots the 0 dB limit of any digital recorder thus causing distortion / clipping.
The dialogues came through crisp and clear, but I still had to watch peaks since the limiter of the H-4 did not catch them accordingly. I still haven't figured out if the built-in limiter only works for the internal mike (MIC) or works as well on the input (IN 1&2).

I live and work in Costa Rica, so sometimes the "Latin Way" interferes with the normal production logistics which I was used to in Germany and the States.
Production forgot to buy batteries, so they gave me a strip of regular Panasonic Blue-Ones. BEWARE! A set of two lasted about 10 minutes, just enough for one scene, without risking the recorder going "off-line" in the middle of a take. We barely made the first morning (exterior shooting), and then got some decent alkaline AAs.

Cons:
1. The more data you have on the SD-card, the longer the machine takes to fire up / load / initiate. I use an 8 GB Transcend card, which lasted me - in a "normal" 16-hour working day - for four (4) whole days and still had about 1.5 Gigs left over.
2. The XLR inputs do not have the usual safety latch. So, if you are moving around, be sure that your cables are always plugged up to the hilt. And, re-check them before you start recording again.
3. The readability of the display is poor in daylight, and so is the status-light of the "Record" button. Is it on? Is it recording? One has to monitor the output of the H-4 directly so one knows at least if the machine is "off".
4. I upgraded the firmware immediately after getting the H-4 to Ver. 2.20. Still it takes up to an hour and a half to download, via USB, about 1.5 Gigs of audio (Vista Ultimate / 2 Gigs of RAM / fast 500 GB HD).
5. The Zoom H-4 has a twisted learning curve. It takes some time to get used to the two kinds/options of menus. But that has been discussed at length in other reviews... (see those).

Overall I am surprised by the excellent quality of the recorded audio. I even did a couple of recordings of a Mariachi band, using the built-in microphones, and at home I was astounded by the crispness and the stereo-field resolution.

So, leave your bulky machines at home, and start using the H-4 for your field recording. ... and you'll save about US$ 750 compared to other digital SD-recorders.
Don't forget the clapper, because otherwise you are going to be in deep trouble trying to sync your audio to your video in post-production.

Rating:

- perfect
This is the perfect compact recorder. I'm using it for my piano practicing, and the sound quality is excellent. I must say the worst thing about it is that it is so revealing! I can hear all of my mistakes!

Rating:

- Excellent device
The Good:
The small size, high sound quality and diverse recording formats make this an excellent mobile field recording device. The internal stereo microphone produces a very good audio image, and XLR inputs make it usable with any pro audio mic. I was surprised by all the on-board effects, mixing, an bouncing capability. You can manually set gain and input levels to accomodate any environment. Basic recording is simple, requiring only three steps to "roll tape".

The Bad:
It is a four-track device, but you can only record two tracks at a time. The switches are small and the interface requires some juggling to get to the advanced features. Also, if you're using this device for film, the internal clock doesn't sync up precisely with DV clocks... It is noticable during long takes and requires stretching or shrinking the audio track to match the video track (a simple step, but cumbersome).

Rating:

- Excellent recorder
I love this recorder. The only things that I don't like is that there is no lock for the microphones (they COULD come out during recording, although it hasn't happened - yet) and that it won't work on 48V powered microphones with the batteries (you must plug it in, although I don't think that it states that in the directions). The menu button also seems a bit flimsy. Other than that, it is a terrific machine with great sound.

page 2 of 23
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Domain Name Registration


	Register Domain Name
	Private Domain Registration
	Domain Name Auction
	Bulk Register Domains
	Transfer Domain Name
	Bulk Transfer Domains
	Manage Domain Names
	Email Accounts

Website Creator


	Website Creator Build Your Own Website
	Website Templates
	Mobile Website Templates

Website Hosting Plans


	Hosting Plans
	Dedicated Server
	Virtual Dedicated Server
	My Server - Account Login

Secure Server Certificates


	Introduction
	Technical Documents
	Purchase Secure Server SSL Certificate

Software


	MS Office Student
	QuickBooksPro 2008
	Digital Photo Editing How To Create a Foto Album
	HTML WebPage Editors
	Top Firewalls
	Networking Software
	Internet Security
	Local Area Networks
	Security & Firewalls
	Software Downloads
	Internet Utilities
	Children's Software
	Programming

Electronics


	MP3 Players
	Camera & Photo
	Office Electronics
	Computers & Ad-On's
	Handhelds & PDA
	GPS & Navigation
	Home Automations & Security
	Compare Prices on Electronics
	Ink & Toner Finder
	Monitors & Projectors
	Internet Webcams
	Blu Ray Disc Drive

Contact Information


	Office Locations
	Customer Feedback

Domain Names Electronics Software
Manage \| Register \| Email Login

Home \| Domain Name Registration \| Software \| Electronics \| Web Certificates \| About Us \| Contact Us \| Help