Anyone have experience with the Samson H4?

[beachball]

I recently got a Samson H4 (used) and I am having some difficulty with it... just wondering if anyone has an H4 or has some experience with one? I am brand new and would appreciate any help or advice anyone has to offer.
Thanks!

 

[TheChikenMaster]

Do you mean the zoom h4n?

 

[beachball]

Just the Zoom H4

Thanks for replying. It is not the H4N it is just the Zoom H4. Anyone had experience with it?

 

[moresound]

No just got the H4n. But I read on several occasions that there's a few bugs with the h4.

So it can't be that different what's up?

 

[beachball]

Thanks - I just got one for Christmas. I am VERY new when it comes to anything to do with recording, so I'm not 100% sure I'm trying to work it correctly, but it doesn't seem to be working correctly. My wife bought it as a Christmas present for me (got it off of ebay). I have been trying to record in 4-track mode based on what the operation manual says, but I am not able to play the tracks back all the time. And when I have been able to play them back it sounds like the sound is cutting in and out. I am also getting a "memory card error" intermittently, and it has also automatically formatted the card a few times. I am going to try to get in touch with Samson Technologies, but I have no idea how hard that's going to be, as they are in Japan I believe. Anyway... any websites you could recommend for starters, or any suggestions you might have?

My wife bought it a little over two months ago, but I didn't get it until Christmas, and it has taken a couple weeks to get to where I am at. I'm afraid it might be too late to file a complaint with ebay.... any help would be very much appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Richard Monroe]

The H4 is a unit I researched before buying an H4n. The H4 is plagued by a number of design and manufacturing problems, Aside from being fragile, it has gain staging issues which make it prone to clipping, even with the compressor/limiter engaged, and it is very picky about what cards are used in it. Unfortunately, the problems with lost and dropped data have been reported by multiple end users, and has often been traced to cheap switches/buttons. The H4n corrected all those problems, but I'm afraid that doesn't do diddly for you if you have an H4. The best you can do is complain, and see if you can get Samson to replace the unit with an H4n. The H4 was a revolutionary concept, but they tried to build it too cheap. Good luck-Richie

 

[bunt]

Confirmed SD Cards are here: http://www.zoom.co.jp/english/products/h4/SDlist.html

Latest Driver is here:http://www.zoom.co.jp/english/download/software/h4.php

Customer Support is here: http://www.zoom.co.jp/english/support/index.html

FAQs are here: http://samsontech.com/faq/h4faq.cfm

I'd start by calling customer support at the number listed in the link above. Explain what's going on and be ready to identify your SD card and software versions, etc.
I also have the H4n, so I don't have personal experience, but a friend of mine has an H4 and his seems to work okay