KVR Audio

Gregjazz · Post by **Gregjazz** » Thu Oct 19, 2006 4:12 pm

The other cool thing (I was reading the manual last night) is that although it's only a 4-track recorder, you can really keep on adding as many instruments as you like, since it has the ability to bounce whatever 4 tracks you already have into a mono/stereo file, and then reimport it into a new project.

Also it comes with a tuner, suitable for guitar/bass/etc. The 60 effect presets it comes with are totally editable, and they are project-relative (although you can import preset settings from other projects). So this recorder could be a great portable unit for recording sound effects or sampling instruments, but also a great practice tool, or way of creating some little jams in it.

Two cons: it comes with a 128MB SD card. This is not enough, so the first thing you're going to want to get is a 1 or 2 GIG card. The other con is that it is made of plastic (isn't everything these days). It's made in China. I wouldn't say it's flimsy at all, because the design is very compact, but still, if I dropped it, I have a feeling I know what would happen...

Why can't they make things with more metal exteriors anymore? I have an Alesis QS6 from 1995, and it's metal. It feels really durable. I noticed that the new Alesis QS6 is made from that light grey plastic material. Not cool. I'd rather pay more to get something that at least feels much sturdier.

Anyway, I'm sure I'll get lots of use out of this unit, and it's well worth its price tag.

Genetic_Junk · Post by **Genetic_Junk** » Thu Oct 19, 2006 4:40 pm

As soon as I get credited for a $300 mic return, I'll probably be picking one up.

sonicfire · Post by **sonicfire** » Thu Oct 19, 2006 4:48 pm

get a 20$ mp3-player with line-in recording and direct MP3 encoding (or plain WAV)

larm · Post by **larm** » Sat Oct 21, 2006 6:36 pm

@Gregjazz (+ other Zoom H4 owners):

H4 looks like a dream toy!!!

Should I (to paraphrase the bladerunner(tm) sound track) "indulge myself" with one ?

Will mostly use it for field recordings when on vacation and similar. Hope the stereo recording is ok..

Good price also

Atomsplitter · Post by **Atomsplitter** » Sun Oct 22, 2006 12:14 am

I was just wondering the same thing, the Zoom H4 looks great i think im going to get one, thanks for suggesting it

Gregjazz · Post by **Gregjazz** » Sun Oct 22, 2006 2:18 am

I recorded a gig today and here are some samples. Actually, I just brought along the recorder just in case and ended up recording a few sets. I set it up on a chair next to me, so it's sorta in the middle of the band. I used the X/Y pair of mics that are attached to the unit.

Keep in mind it's not the best sound setup, our monitors are 12s which have a resonant frequency somewhere around a low D--our mains are really nice 15s, so the audience gets the good audio. Also the Zoom H4 is sitting on a chair, so I'm sure some of the bass frequencies get magnified. I need to get a camera tripod.

But the overall quality is pretty good IMO, and it was very quick and hassle-free to set up and record. I didn't even have a pair of headphones to check the levels, the meters were enough.

I play keyboards and kick bass in my left hand: http://www.gregjazz.com/upload/pick_up_the_pieces.mp3

I play electric bass: http://www.gregjazz.com/upload/chameleon.mp3

Genetic_Junk · Post by **Genetic_Junk** » Sun Oct 22, 2006 5:26 am

Thanks for the samples Greg. If you find a convenient time maybe could record some samples in quiet environment with the built in mics with the gain at max. I've read that faint beeps or clicks can be heard at times when the back-light is being accessed.

Yes the quality is plenty good enough for a $300 unit. Where were you playing?

Gregjazz · Post by **Gregjazz** » Sun Oct 22, 2006 6:09 am

Genetic_Junk wrote:Thanks for the samples Greg. If you find a convenient time maybe could record some samples in quiet environment with the built in mics with the gain at max. I've read that faint beeps or clicks can be heard at times when the back-light is being accessed.

Yes the quality is plenty good enough for a $300 unit. Where were you playing?

I heard about the beeps, too, but I heard that that problem was mostly with other recorders such as the M-Audio MicroTrack. The Zoom H4 turns off its backlight automatically after a short time--which is actually configurable in the sense that you can adjust how many seconds it takes for it to turn off, or you can turn it off/on completely.

I'm going to try to record those quiet-environment samples soon too, mostly to test the quality of the preamps, and see how much noise the mics pick up in relation to my stationary recording setup. I have heard some H4 samples from other people on other forums, and the noise level tends to sound pretty good.

So yup, it's awesome for a $299 price, but I would be willing to pay more if they made it out of a material that feels more sturdy.

You also might have heard rumors of the jog wheel getting "stuck", but don't let that scare you. What that problem is, actually, is that you can only press the jog wheel when it's centered, so if it's a bit off, it won't really press in. I don't find this a big problem at all.

larm · Post by **larm** » Sun Oct 22, 2006 8:24 am

The mp3s sounds ok on headphones aprt from lacking some treble luster (and a bit off-centre

) but as you said, guess that's just placement issuie

Would be nice to hear the quiet-environment samples too

Gregjazz · Post by **Gregjazz** » Sun Oct 22, 2006 4:19 pm

I think it's also important to mention that it was windy outside (not to mention pretty hot and we were directly in the sun), so I had the windscreen over the mics. That probably contributed to deadening the highs.

thecontrolcentre · Post by **thecontrolcentre** » Sun Oct 22, 2006 4:28 pm

I have an iAudio U2 mp3 player, which has a built in mic and can record in WAV or MP3 format. The memory is 1gb, its about the size of a Rizla packet and cost me £45 ...

dusted william · Post by **dusted william** » Sun Oct 22, 2006 4:32 pm

Thanks, Gregjazz.

I can't wait to hear it in some other settings.

There was a place on the net that took stock portable digital recorders and would replace the preamps and stuff. Does anyonw know who they are?

-dw

dusted william · Post by **dusted william** » Sun Oct 22, 2006 4:55 pm

I found them on the net

http://www.oade.com/digital_recorders/h ... index.html

They are closed until Nov 5th though. I hope they decide to do some mods on the zoom...if it is even needed.

dw

Nikolas · Post by **Nikolas** » Tue Oct 24, 2006 10:34 pm

Greg.

The recordings sound ultra cool.

REalyl clean for such a "hurried up" set up!

Well done on your choice... (And btw, for your playing and your band)

looking forward to the new samples mate !

tony Smyth · Post by **tony Smyth** » Wed Oct 25, 2006 12:00 am

FWIW, another Edirol R09 man here. Only drawback for me is the slight flimsiness of the build. Really easy to download to your computer. Inbuild mikes are pretty good too.

What digital recorder?