AV News 177 - August 2009
Zoom H4n
L a w rie L ittle
I first heard an AV sequence made with an H4 in September last year and
was impressed with the quality of the sound, then there were several very
useful articles in AV News. (See Page 44 Issue 174, November 2008 and
Page 36 Issue 175, February 2009)
I wanted to upgrade from my mini disc recorder and was about to have a
demo of the H4 at Live Sounds of Newcastle upon Tyne when they ran-out
of stock! By the time they had new stock, the H4n had arrived, so I had a
demo of the H2, H4 and H4n!
After a good look at all three machines I choose the H4n.
The reasons for my decision are:
It had a big clear 1.9
inch screen and a very
good mic pre amp.
The case appeared
stronger and fitted my
hand better than the
other two.
You can fully adjust
recording levels before
and during recording.
Menu access is via a
push button, on the
left-hand side and a
separate dial wheel.
Four-track recording may not be
necessary for an AV sequence at
present but it is available for future
projects.
I already have some decent mics
acquired over the years.
Finally, if I had chosen the H4 I
would always think I should have
gone for the H4n!
Having used the machine in earnest recently, a couple of things have
"come up".
1 The wind shield that comes with the recorder is not very effective and easily
falls off, I hold mine on with a rubber band!
2 The screw-in plastic mic clip holder that comes with the H4n is not reliable,
the first time I used it, the top of the stick with the tripod screw broke away
from the main body! It is only glued to the hollow tube to a depth of a couple
of mm, so I will not trust it. A better option is to use a small ball head from
a tripod and screw that to a mic stand or just use a tripod.
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