The Zoom is a GREAT machine. I use it at almost every rehearsal. Easy to use. The only draw back for me is that the screen is pretty small.

It was worth it.

Robert

The Cantabile Singers, Boulder - www.cantabilesingers.org

I have regularly used the Zoom H4 for the past several years. It will record at up to twice the quality of a CD. Locally and on-line it can be purchased for less than $300 (US).

 I have been more than happy with my Zoom H4.  It does take a few seconds to load, but not a major problem. The sound is really remarkably good, even on the ear buttons which come with it. It does, however,  seem to use up the AA batteries fairly quickly ... if you don't have it plugged in, which I almost never do. 

 

Dean M. Estabrook

d.esta(a)comcast. net

 

Possibly the wrong place to put this but  ... Zoom has a newer recorder, the H2, which has gotten better reviews than the H4, has 4 mikes instead of 2 (I don't know why the H4 has 2 mikes and the H2 has 4).  I just got one from Amazon for $165 or so and has done an excellent job with the recordings i have made with it so far.  The mikes can be used as 2 cardiods at 90 degrees, 2 cardiods at 120 degrees, 2 cardiods, one facing forward and the other back or for 4-channel recording.  I normally record in 24-bit mode and set the gain low enough that I dont' have to worry about clipping.  I just normalize after the fact.

 

Also note, the manual says it can be used as a tuner -- will give you the note and how far off from true value of the note and you can set the frequency of your reference A or you can use it as a metronome.  As far as i can tell, it will not wash the dishes or file the music -- but it is conceivable that these are undocumented features

 

Chuck Jonah

Hi!

  I bought the Sony PCM-D50 this last fall on Amazon for a little more and it has been wonderful. It has some features that are very nice including a nice limiter for if I get the levels too high, it can be turned on and record in less than ten seconds, and the recording levels are easily accessed with a dedicated wheel. It is also nice that it has 4gb of memory on board.

Can someone recommend the simplest way to record practice tracks for your singers? I am using the Zoom H4n recorder. I can record the parts easy enough, but I always have trouble moving the files to my pc and then creating various tracks. In addition, I am looking for a "user friendly" manual on digital recording. I have read and reread the Zoom manual and I find it so confusing. Thanks in advance for your able assistance.

 

Mark Downey

My kids got me a Zoom H4n for Father's Day last year and it is phenomenal. I sing in an acappella group called ACOUSTIX and take it on the road with me to capture recordings of our live concerts. I direct a men's chorus and use it to record rehearsals. It does a stellar job. I take the files, dump them into Audacity, compress the vocals a wee bit and occasionally add a bit of bass boost, if needed. You can gear a sample of the Zoom's capabilities by listening to a two channel (public domain) recording of Danny Boy on the main page of our chorus website www.nashvillesingers.org

Dear Mark,

 

I don't mean to muddy the waters further, but I have been using the Edirol R-09HR (not the original R-09) for a year, and everything that other people have said about the Zoom (except the four microphones on the H2!) is true of it as well, including the fact that it takes about 2 seconds to transfer dozens of sound files to my computer.

 

When I was shopping I read every comparison of the available portable recorders in that category I could find. There is a lot of information out there--even a website that allows you to hear recordings of similar music by each of the recorders. I no longer remember what it was that decided me on the Edirol (possibly the sound comparisons, although of course that could be deceptive), but I have been completely happy with it.

 

Allen Cohen

Allen Cohen's comments are spot on.  For basic rehearsal recordinsg, the Zoom H2, H4, H2n, Edirol R-09, and R-09hr will all give you similar recording quality and ease-of-use.  If you will be using these as stand-alone units, you can basically take your pick and be happy with any of them.

 

However...  there are some differences to consider if you plan on doing more than recording rehearsals using the built in microphones.

 

- The Zoom H2 and the Edirol R-09 do not have phantom powered inputs for external condenser microphones.  If you would like use some nice (and probably expensive) microphones on a stand to record a concert, you will need the Zoom H4 or H4n.

- Of course, to accomodate the large XLR microphone jacks, the Zoom H4 and H4n are larger and more cumbersome than the H2 and R-09.  If you want a recorder that you can slip in your shirt pocket, you will need the H2 or R-09.

- The Zoom recorders (H2, H4, H4n) do not have true LINE inputs.  That means they are general unsuitable for recording the signal from or a sound-board or microphone preamp.  The recording quickly becomes overloaded and distorts.  If you want to record the signal off of other audio devices (e.g if your school has hanging mics and a mixer), you will need the Edirol R-09.

- Don't be fooled by the 4 microphones on the H2.  More microphones does not equal better results.

 

Good luck.  Go forth and sing!