Topic: Zoom H4

[spyder9]

That's it!   

[spyder9]

My H4 arrived today!   

Started right up, out of the box.  Took only 1/2 hour of playing with it, to get it where I want it (for starts).  Decent metering.  Phantom power works fine on the AT853Rxs, no issues so far.  Love the gain settings.  Very transparent sound.  I'll try to get some battery life times posted and do some more thorough testing.  Maiden voyage is Saturday night, hopefully.   

I ordered a Transcend 4GB SD card from newegg.  I'm hoping it makes it here by Saturday, for the 2Gb card I have is being included with my R09 deal I just made.   

[WiFiJeff]

I got my Transcend 4GB card this morning.  It did record a 4GB file to the card, will try to play with the file tonight to see what I got.  I find I get 4 hours at 24/96 with phantom 4mA per channel, with a 2500 mAh AA set.  I am going to try it with Neumann 184s tomorrow, these are less sensitive than the AT835ST I have been using so I am going to use M setting with levels maxed out (may have to go to H).

Jeff

[spyder9]

Awesome Jeff!  Did the Transcend 4GB show the proper time remaining and card size?  . 

+T on the nice job.   

[WiFiJeff]

Did the Transcend 4GB show the proper time remaining and card size?  . 

When I put it in, fresh out of the box, it showed 3.9+ GB free.  It showed the correct elapsed time as it recorded, up until it stopped when the card was full.  I have a CD ready with about 190 MB of 24/96 wav files of the Chopin Waltz Op64#1 from three setups, the H4 was fed by an AT835ST, against a SD722 fed by Josephson C617s and a Sony D1 with DPA4060s to an MMA6000, too much bandswidth for me to post as a dialup fossil but I'm happy to mail it to anyone interested who pms me an address.  The Neumanns should give a more interesting comparison, if I can ace the levels as I did with the ATs.

Jeff

[spyder9]

Sweet!     Nice work.  I think this puppy's gonna be a big winner.

[Carlos E. Martinez]

  I find I get 4 hours at 24/96 with phantom 4mA per channel, with a 2500 mAh AA set. 

Probably a stupid question. You got 4 hours recording @ 24/96 on the 4GB card or four hours from the 2500mA battery set?

I am going to try it with Neumann 184s tomorrow, these are less sensitive than the AT835ST I have been using so I am going to use M setting with levels maxed out (may have to go to H).

They are less sensitive or have less output? Old Neumanns used to be the latter.

In any case it should be a good test for the H4 preamps.

[WiFiJeff]

  I find I get 4 hours at 24/96 with phantom 4mA per channel, with a 2500 mAh AA set. 

Probably a stupid question. You got 4 hours recording @ 24/96 on the 4GB card or four hours from the 2500mA battery set?

I am going to try it with Neumann 184s tomorrow, these are less sensitive than the AT835ST I have been using so I am going to use M setting with levels maxed out (may have to go to H).

They are less sensitive or have less output? Old Neumanns used to be the latter.

In any case it should be a good test for the H4 preamps.

Four hours was running a 2GB card at 24/96 four times for one hour each, since that's all you can get on a 2GB card.  The 4 GB Transcend gives you actually 118 minutes.  I took the file tonight into cdwave, which reports it as having a header with the wrong file info.  If you tell cdwave to ignore the header, it loads correctly and can be split into nice pieces that will be read by Wavelab.

I was referring to output sensitivity, the ATs were rated 31.6 mV/Pa while the Neumanns are only 15. I hope I don't have to go to H, though I guess that would give a read on the preamp quality.

Jeff

[Carlos E. Martinez]

The 4 GB Transcend gives you actually 118 minutes. 

That's quite good.

I took the file tonight into cdwave, which reports it as having a header with the wrong file info.  If you tell cdwave to ignore the header, it loads correctly and can be split into nice pieces that will be read by Wavelab.

Is it recorded as a wav file, right? Can you import from Sound Forge or Audition?

I was referring to output sensitivity, the ATs were rated 31.6 mV/Pa while the Neumanns are only 15. I hope I don't have to go to H, though I guess that would give a read on the preamp quality.

I'd say the ATs are quite on the high side. I was having a look at some of the mics I use, like the AKG Blue Lines, and they are between 10 and 20 mV/Pa. A C414, quite used in the music industry, is 12.5mV. The C426 is just 11mV. The Neumann belongs in that group.

So I am quite interested in that test you intend to perform.

Things would get more serious if you were to use a dynamic, which are less than 2 mV! In fact you should perform such a test with a quality ribbon mic too, if possible. 

[guysonic]

Scanned the H4 manual, and still wondered if manual REC level adjustments can be made WHILE ACTIVELY RECORDING, or do you need to drill back into the menu (maybe with deck NOT actively recording) to control level settings? 

Also wondered if when in stereo mode BOTH channels can be ganged to change REC levels together, or does each channel need be level adjusted individually?

[vegas06]

Scanned the H4 manual, and still wondered if manual REC level adjustments can be made WHILE ACTIVELY RECORDING, or do you need to drill back into the menu (maybe with deck NOT actively recording) to control level settings? 

Also wondered if when in stereo mode BOTH channels can be ganged to change REC levels together, or does each channel need be level adjusted individually?

Yes you can make adjustments to the REC levels, as long as you don't have the "Key Lock" (Hold) set to on.

Both channels are ganged when using teh units built in mics.  But as far as I've been able to figure out, you can only adjust L/R/ channels independantly and not grouped when using external mics.

[it-goes-to-eleven]

So how does the hold work again?  You press the button down and hold it and after a bit it locks?  How do you unlock?  How well does it work in actual use?

How easy is it to change levels in a pocket - unlock, adjust, re-lock?

[spyder9]

So how does the hold work again?  You press the button down and hold it and after a bit it locks?  How do you unlock?  How well does it work in actual use?

How easy is it to change levels in a pocket - unlock, adjust, re-lock?

Yes, you press down on the "Menu" button and wait until the the "Locked Keys" message appears.  Just like the Nomad Jukebox 3.  You repeat the step, to unlock it.  Hold and Release takes about 5 seconds.

Changing the levels on the fly can  be a PITA.  There are no external buttons to do level adjustments.  You have to drill down through the menu.  You shift the "Menu" button down,  click on "Levels", and adjust each level appropriately using the Jog Wheel.  Then click the "Menu" button to save your settings, and relock the keys.  If you have mastered this, adjustment to levels should take only a few seconds.  It will need practice.  I assume most will use this recorder for their  rig.  Therefore, only used for special occasions.  You might be better served to just "set it and forget it"   I can't see adjusting levels while recorder is in your pocket without out a high risk of a mistake.   

[Will_S]

Especially at 24 bit, why bother with changing levels on the fly?  Just learn your gear and set them somewhere safe and forget about it.

Are there any problems with the headers on files <2 GB but on a 4G card?  Any problem starting a new file on a 4G card with >2G already filled?

Also, supposing one wanted to keep their files under 2G, how long does it take to stop and restart a recording?  Any way to split off a new track on the fly?

+T to the early adopters!

[it-goes-to-eleven]

Especially at 24 bit, why bother with changing levels on the fly?  Just learn your gear and set them somewhere safe and forget about it.

I mostly know what to expect for levels but not always..  Because you don't control what the performers on stage do or the soundguy..  I regularly run at a venue where I may need 50-55 dB of gain or only 20... You show up and are stage lip.. You don't know where the trumpets will be on stage, nor how loud they will be blown... Same with drum kits.  Being 6' from the kit.. Is it going to be brutal or is he going to play soft?