BudgetMC
Spread the Love, People!
Zoom H2. VERY easy to use on the fly. Lots of functionality. Good sound.
D
dogsferatu
New member
comparisons
the October issue of Bass Player Magazine has a review of a handful of portable recorders... I believe the latest issue of EQ does too... I had already purchased my H4 the month prior... its a really nice tool, use it mostly for live recordings at the venue I work at... best features are that you can plug in an instrument cable or a xlr in the same slot... and it doubles as a four track...
the October issue of Bass Player Magazine has a review of a handful of portable recorders... I believe the latest issue of EQ does too... I had already purchased my H4 the month prior... its a really nice tool, use it mostly for live recordings at the venue I work at... best features are that you can plug in an instrument cable or a xlr in the same slot... and it doubles as a four track...
The REAL Jigsaw
New member
Thanks guys. The multi-track feature is a must for me, even if it's just for live stuff. Would have liked it if they made the H4 in black, but what are you gonna do about it?
Also would have liked it if they made these things rechargeable. AA batteries are so
o last gen.
Also would have liked it if they made these things rechargeable. AA batteries are so
o last gen.
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C
camembert
New member
Yep, AA batteries are a PITA but what do you do when you're in the field and you're running out of charge on the proprietary batteries that came supplied with your unit. I lke the flexibility of carrying spare packs of (expensive) AA batteries in my bag. By the way, it's silver, not grey!
O
oretez
Hwy 50
and the little plastic tray used to attach it to various stands is black and once the Velcro straps are fastened most of the silver/grey is hidden
the two, of current generation of handhelds, I've used extensively are the H4 and the original Edirol R09. The Edirol came first and my big disappointment was it's almost complete lack of overdub capability.
The Edirol, though, has a lot more hours on it then the H4 and is still used as the recorder of choice for the snapshot off the board stereo feed from live shows. It is a subjective response but for me the mics were just a little better, (if I remember correctly the H4 uses the same capsule as the C02) unit was just a bit more portable, controls I used just a bit easier to access then the H4.
Original exposure to H4 was from a review/preview unit and was happy enough with the unit that I purchased one after I returned the review one. The H4 will record only two simultaneous tracks, then only @ 16 bit in 4 track mode (through its first firmware upgrade). Nor can you mix external I/O with the onboard mics. Even at the time I reviewed it this seemed like a troubling oversight. As being able to plug a guitar in while using the onboard mic would have made a near (at the time of release) perfect traveling resource, easily compensating for its larger then the competition size.
A consistent collaborator was pleased enough with my H4 that just in the last month they picked up one, even when my advice had been for H2 (as size was one of their main selection filters). Latest firmware supports at least 8 gig SDHC cards (my R09 only supports up to 2 gig)
while more then double the cost of the h4 the Edirol R44 will support 4 simultaneous track recording (and supports the SDHC cards, plus will function as a computer A/D interface (via USB)) It is larger then H4 and weighs about 3 lb.
the two, of current generation of handhelds, I've used extensively are the H4 and the original Edirol R09. The Edirol came first and my big disappointment was it's almost complete lack of overdub capability.
The Edirol, though, has a lot more hours on it then the H4 and is still used as the recorder of choice for the snapshot off the board stereo feed from live shows. It is a subjective response but for me the mics were just a little better, (if I remember correctly the H4 uses the same capsule as the C02) unit was just a bit more portable, controls I used just a bit easier to access then the H4.
Original exposure to H4 was from a review/preview unit and was happy enough with the unit that I purchased one after I returned the review one. The H4 will record only two simultaneous tracks, then only @ 16 bit in 4 track mode (through its first firmware upgrade). Nor can you mix external I/O with the onboard mics. Even at the time I reviewed it this seemed like a troubling oversight. As being able to plug a guitar in while using the onboard mic would have made a near (at the time of release) perfect traveling resource, easily compensating for its larger then the competition size.
A consistent collaborator was pleased enough with my H4 that just in the last month they picked up one, even when my advice had been for H2 (as size was one of their main selection filters). Latest firmware supports at least 8 gig SDHC cards (my R09 only supports up to 2 gig)
while more then double the cost of the h4 the Edirol R44 will support 4 simultaneous track recording (and supports the SDHC cards, plus will function as a computer A/D interface (via USB)) It is larger then H4 and weighs about 3 lb.
H
hairylarry
New member
M-Audio Microtrack II
jigsaw,
The M-audio Microtrack II is competitive on price. While it is not as feature laden as the Zoom H4 it is smaller, has an analog compressor, and built in batteries.
Which to me is the downside. When you run out of charge you can't change batteries so you have to go down and recharge. AA batteries may be showing their age but you can get four packs of rechargeable AAs for about ten bucks and keep eight or twelve of them charged all the time. Change batteries between sets and keep on recording without having to plug into the wall. I think the Microtrack or the Zoom will work with a USB battery pack. Anyone have any info on this?
So it looks like I'm going with the Zoom or both. I'll just have to watch my levels and try not to go into auto gain control. Do my compression in post.
I am glad to hear it takes the larger capacity SD cards now. I have two 4 gig micro SDs with SD adaptors. Anyone have any luck with cards like these?
Thanks,
Hairy Larry
jigsaw,
The M-audio Microtrack II is competitive on price. While it is not as feature laden as the Zoom H4 it is smaller, has an analog compressor, and built in batteries.
Which to me is the downside. When you run out of charge you can't change batteries so you have to go down and recharge. AA batteries may be showing their age but you can get four packs of rechargeable AAs for about ten bucks and keep eight or twelve of them charged all the time. Change batteries between sets and keep on recording without having to plug into the wall. I think the Microtrack or the Zoom will work with a USB battery pack. Anyone have any info on this?
So it looks like I'm going with the Zoom or both. I'll just have to watch my levels and try not to go into auto gain control. Do my compression in post.
I am glad to hear it takes the larger capacity SD cards now. I have two 4 gig micro SDs with SD adaptors. Anyone have any luck with cards like these?
Thanks,
Hairy Larry