It is sad that Zoom does not provide accessories for H2n the way they do for H4n.I ordered the accessory kit along with my zoom recorder and I'm very happy with the product. It worked out to be $ 30 cheaper than buying the kit separately. I know I have everything I need and it's super awesome to get 8 GB memory card. There's also a two GB memory card that comes with the recorder while this vendor throws in a class 10 superfast memory card along with the kit. You also get a few additional cables and earphones.
I tried few test recordings yesterday and am very happy with the quality of the audio. I confidently recommend this product and this is the best option if you're planning to buy the accessory kit along with the zoom recorder.Oh my this sound is GREAT! For most of your podcasts, you'll want mono, so set the little top mic setting for xy or MS (mid side-stereo plus cardioid), and you'll get the best cadioid pickup for the buck anywhere. This unit is specifically designed for field work, conferences, concerts, interviews, etc. and the recorder syncs flawlessly with both Audacity and Sony sound forge.
Use xy for single interviews or group q and a, and 2 channel (premixed) for bigger conferences. Most podcasts are in mono, so even xy/ cardioid is a little overkill, the quality is so good on this. Be sure to set the hold feature, which disables everything but mic gain during recording so you don't accidentally push something! A mic gain at 5 to 6 works perfects for conferences, workshops and one on one interviews. I've only tried this for a few concerts, and they came out excellent, but I'd guess journalism and interviews are the primary niche for this little gem. One caveat: if you pick 4 channel (concerts), it will NOT premix-you'll see all four in Audacity or Forge, a good thing if you know what you're doing!
You can even combine MS with a separate mic, using two to four of the onboard mics with your own condenser to capture both the room or audience and your interview! Plug in headphones (NOT noise cancelling) to listen in real time to "what you hear/ what you get."
Cons, it's a battery eater if you use it extensively (advertised at 20 hours, more like 12-GET the A/C adapter!), an investment in rechargeable batteries would also be good. There are also dedicated MS (Midside) mics, which work to pick up more ambient sound, premixed in the recorder, than XY (cardioid/ stereo) alone, but for interviews xy works a little better than MS, unless you mix out the side features in favor of cardioid in the final MP3. The "ideal" podcast mic picks up a little reverb, albeit at lower volume from the side and back, along with the direct, front facing "stem of the apple" cardioid voices. MS can be a good option if you're in that controlled a setting.
Biggest Surprise, for its size, it really does music well, although I bought it mostly for voice podcasting. Easily formats right out of the recorder for mp3 (converts it's native WAV to Mp3, although you can also do that with your software in post if you prefer), and loads into Audacity with no sweat. Thumbs up if you're looking for a field unit for web journalism, interviews, classes you'll rebroadcast, etc.
Remember one thing: the quality of the mic also is limited by the quality of your sound card, and if you're using a laptop, you might want an intermediate mixer/ recorder rather than replacing your card. See our listmania podcast list for lots of these bells and whistles!
Buy Zoom H2n Handy Handheld Digital Multitrack Recorder Bundle Now
I purchased this recorder for cryptozoology field research and it works fantastic,easy to use but word of the wise,use lithium batteries to record for 10 hours plus,I tried rechargables and they lasted about 4 hours but other than that I recommend this.Read Best Reviews of Zoom H2n Handy Handheld Digital Multitrack Recorder Bundle Here
With the right settings, professional quality recording can be attained from this Zoom model, i.e., crisp, clear natural sounds down to whispers and cricket level.There are only two things that make this recorder deserve a 4.5 rather than 5 star rating.
First, there are only two buttons used for recording and managing recordings, namely the Menu and the Play buttons. Because these are the only buttons used for practically everything, they are "overworked" and through time they will surely wear out faster and earlier than other designs that have multiple supportive function buttons.
The other thing is the Wavelab LE7 audio editing and mastering software made by Steinberg for this particular Zoom model is probably a give-away laboratory sample. Just as Steinberg described, it is far (about 85%) from the professional software. It shows the editing basics to learn from and that's all. Use it to edit your recording and the edited record would be like you made your recordings in the middle of a bustling huge building construction site!
To edit and make a perfect recording using this almost perfect recorder, keep on recording, playing back and deleting until the record is perfect enough to your satisfaction.
Want Zoom H2n Handy Handheld Digital Multitrack Recorder Bundle Discount?
This is my first digital audio recorder, and it is meeting my needs and more. It is a convenient size, so that I can record without being disruptive. The stereo separation is really decent, and you can choose several stereo modes. I like the results of music recordings better than the "official" CD of an event, because it captures the audience experience, not just what was captured by the performer mikes.It took me several tries to figure out how to switch from record mode to play back mode, but it's really simple, once you get the hang of it. I'm still learning the audio editing software that comes with the Zoom H2n, but it seems to have a lot of capability.
Overall, I'm really happy with the purchase, and I'll get a lot of use out of this recorder.


No comments:
Post a Comment