Capturing jam sessions in stereo while, say, DI'ing keyboard and bass/guitar parts, is easy or you could similarly take a feed off an FOH desk and DI a couple of instruments or set up a pair of ambient or audience mics to give you more options in post production. A number of applications are suggested in the detailed manual, and there is plenty more potential. Even without this, there are plenty of possibilities. Because the onboard mics are configured for stereo, your four-track options can seem limited, but you could bypass them using the mini‑jack input and a splitter cable for a pair of battery-powered mono mics. With the H4N, you still get a multitrack mixer, but the onboard mics and external inputs can be used simultaneously. The H4's four‑track mixer enabled you to do basic overdubbing, and to apply effects to your recordings, but despite having two mics and two external inputs, it wasn't capable of simultaneous four‑track recording. The controls of the Zoom H4N - particularly those on the side panels - are much more intuitive to use than those of its predecessor, the H4. All this is recorded to SD card (a 1GB card is included). Usefully, you can record broadcast WAVs, with markers for use when navigating or editing audio files, or burning CDs. Like the H4, you can record in different file formats, with a range of MP3 and WAV options, from the cruddiest, media-efficient MP3 to 24-bit, 96kHz WAVs. Power comes in via the included adaptor, or a pair of AA batteries. It means you don't always need to use headphones or external speakers to check things are operating as they should, or to locate a specific track or location within a track. This isn't for serious monitoring, of course, but it's a useful addition that brings the Zoom into line with more recent competition. You can also connect a stereo mic via a mini‑jack socket (with plug‑in power), to use instead of the onboard mics.Īs well as the line/headphone output, there's now a small speaker on the rear. The preamps have been upgraded they're not high-spec by studio standards, but are perfectly adequate for this sort of device. Combi sockets on the bottom panel allow the connection of external mics, or line/DI sources, and these sockets can deliver 24V or 48V phantom power. These are, again, configured for coincident stereo recording, but can be rotated between 90 and 120 degrees. The recording level and playback volume settings are controlled by dedicated buttons on the right and left panels respectively.Īt the top are more solid‑feeling mics than appeared on the H4.
The track-selection buttons double up to provide shortcut keys for some of the more commonly used functions - folder and file selection, playback speed (yes, you can slow down tracks, without pitch change, to learn your guitar licks), and recording format. Gone are the rather fiddly controls of the H4: you now have dedicated transport, input‑ and track‑selection controls on the front panel and the mystifying two wheel/button menu controls of the H4 have been replaced with a more intuitive system based around one menu button and a single scroll‑and‑click selection wheel. Other striking visual changes include a slightly clearer screen (the one on the H4 was already pretty good) and a new control layout. If noise is still a problem, there's an optional remote control that plugs into the main unit via a mini‑jack on the left‑hand side panel. If you do find handling noise an issue, there's a camera‑tripod mounting socket on the rear, and a separate mic‑stand adaptor for this. The H4N's body has a thick, rubberised coating, which tackles concerns about handling noise pretty effectively - not to mention making the whole device feel more solid, better weighted, and altogether more 'professional'. The H4N comes in at a slightly higher price but, like its sibling, boasts a feature set that makes other recorders look positively lightweight. It should come as little surprise, then, that Zoom are continuing to sell the H4, while releasing an improved model that addresses many criticisms made of the earlier model.
The H4's preamps could be better, navigating the menu can be fiddly, the casing might be a bit more robust, and so on, but on balance it's an excellent portable recorder.
With 'combi' jack/XLR inputs, 48V phantom power, a coincident stereo pair of mics onboard, and masses of extra functionality (from four‑track mixing to guitar effects and a USB audio interface) it's much more versatile than most recorders, and the sound is good for the price.
Zoom's H4 digital stereo recorder remains hugely popular and, despite a few reservations, is one of my favourites. The H4 remains one of the most flexible of the current crop of portable 24‑bit recorders, but Zoom have found plenty of room for improvement - and, more importantly, they've used it.