Audio interface or Zoom H-4?

[cjbprime]

Hi!

I'm -- to coin the dreaded words -- new to recording. I'm a classical guitarist, and want to record solo guitar in my quiet front room. I've had a pair of Rode NT-5s suggested as a decent place to start for microphones, and now I'm looking at the missing interface for getting recordings out of them.

Many guitarists are using the Zoom H-4 portable recorder, which makes sense since it's very convenient -- I don't have any need for portability, though, so my question is:

* is there likely to be an appreciable difference between the A-Ds and preamps in something like the Firebox or Audiobox vs. the Zoom H-4?
* if so, is a pair of NT-5s a good enough pair of microphones to expose that difference, or is it all the same when you're only spending a few hundred dollars on the mics?

Thanks in advance for any advice! Having the Zoom H-4 is quite attractive to me since I'm running Linux and don't like the look of the driver situation there, but if the preamps aren't up to a classical guitar recording with the mics that I'm thinking of then I'll take my chances with something like the Firebox instead.

- Chris.

 

[Waffleness]

I would normally recommend going for the interface, as moving audio about on your PC is a lot easier than on a MD or CD recorder.

But... you said the L word... I haven’t had a lot of experience with Linux and recording, but I know there is a fair amount of free software out there for it (rose-something is it?). If you’re good enough with Linux to warrant buying an audio interface and can get the drivers working then definitely go for the PC approach. Otherwise go for the Zoom, or equivalent piece of hardware.

 

[cjbprime]

Thanks for the reply, Waffleness.

I would normally recommend going for the interface, as moving audio about on your PC is a lot easier than on a MD or CD recorder.

Huh, I think I had the opposite feeling -- that it's going to be easier to record by hitting a button on the Zoom and not having a laptop around at the time, and then I could do all the tinkering I want using the .wav file later.

But... you said the L word... I haven’t had a lot of experience with Linux and recording, but I know there is a fair amount of free software out there for it (rose-something is it?). If you’re good enough with Linux to warrant buying an audio interface and can get the drivers working then definitely go for the PC approach. Otherwise go for the Zoom, or equivalent piece of hardware.

That's right, there's rosegarden, ardour and audacity. I'm actually a Linux programmer by day, so I suspect I can get the drivers running; the problem I'd expect to see is that there simply aren't drivers for many firewire interfaces, or the driver that's there has incomplete features. Still, I could make sure to buy an interface that other people have working already.

I guess it brings me back to the same question, though, which is whether to expect a serious difference between the final result when going through an H-4 vs. something like a Firebox. If they have similar preamps and there's not much to choose between them, I think I'd swing towards the H-4. (Or, I could be persuaded that they both have awful preamps and I need to spend a little more to get something with better ones in order to record from the mics I've chosen.)

Thanks again!

- Chris.

 

[cjbprime]

Replying to myself: in particular, it looks like the Edirol FA-66 has great Linux support. So to make it concrete, I'm wondering what differences I might expect in audio quality when recording with an Edirol FA-66 vs. a Zoom H-4.

Thanks so much!

- Chris.

 

[Outlaws]

I was actually considering that Edirol before I went with the AudioFire4 for reasons tantamount to flipping a coin. Skip the Zoom, get the actual interface. There is great quality inside these little boxes.

I think Reaper is available for linux. I am using it on XP, but I might make the switch with it to my Kubuntu system if all is well and good for a little while longer. Check out that program. My only expectation for it when I first downloaded it was I would be removing it after 20 minutes, given it was the full version with no restrictions, something you don't see on Windows apps. I was wrong.

 

[cjbprime]

Thanks again for the advice, all.

I think I'm leaning back towards the Zoom, because I can imagine doing more recording if I don't have to get up and go over to a computer all the time. My main worry's still that the advantages of the Rode NT-5s won't show through when hooked up through the H-4, but I'm having trouble finding any data that might verify that. There do seem to be people using NT-5s with the H4 -- perhaps it just makes the mixing/eq stage later more important to get right.

Still, if I do end up needing to upgrade to a firewire interface, it won't be a particularly expensive upgrade, and it's possible that the recorder will be independently useful.

Hope that all makes sense!

 

[Outlaws]

In that case, I would do yourself a favor and research if there is any appreciable difference between the preamps included in each unit, as they will more or less be the main coloration of your microphone signal.

 

[cjbprime]

Hi,

In that case, I would do yourself a favor and research if there is any appreciable difference between the preamps included in each unit, as they will more or less be the main coloration of your microphone signal.

Yeah, that's what I was trying to do here. Any further suggestions on how to?

 

[Outlaws]

Hi,


Yeah, that's what I was trying to do here. Any further suggestions on how to?

Find someone who has used both....which given they are basically apples and oranges for a recording unit, may or may not happen.

All I can is if you want to maximize quality, get something that also offers a Line In that is not corrupted by an onboard preamp. Then you can get an outboard mic pre in the future. That will make best use of your mic.