Topic: Zoom F6 (32-bit float equipped)

[jerryfreak]

yes i already did that, with both units.

[goodcooker]

I bought one of these today at a steep discount on Reverb.  Excited to get my hands on it and give it a workout...not that there's any shows coming up soon for me.

[jerryfreak]

wow, $380 is a smokin deal

dont believe the "you cannot clip it" hype tho

[voltronic]

wow, $380 is a smokin deal

dont believe the "you cannot clip it" hype tho

It's not that you can't clip it, but you probably won't, unless you're using very sensitive mics and/or recording really hot levels.

Amazing deal, for sure.

[goodcooker]

Been fooling around with the F6 at home and I like it so far.

Navigating the menus is a little clumsy but the more you do something the easier it gets.

The preamps sound pretty good at least in a home test recording things around the house and some guitar and mandolin.

Maybe one day shows will return and I can get out and use it for real but it's getting worse where I live not better.

[jerryfreak]

Maybe one day shows will return and I can get out and use it for real but it's getting worse where I live not better.

we just gotta get thru winter. there will be 100+ million vaccines deployed before summer even gets here

yeah the menus are a bit counter intuitive. whats advantageous is if youre not using all 6 channels all the time you can keep 2 setup for line-in,  etc.

to me the 'enter' and the 'back' buttons seem like they are always in the wrong place. also i pity anyone with fat fingers, not a lot of room

[goodcooker]

Anyone use this in interface mode? I can't get any of my DAWs to recognize it as an input device.

[jerryfreak]

Anyone use this in interface mode? I can't get any of my DAWs to recognize it as an input device.

have you selected the proper mode in the menu? (pg 141)

https://zoomcorp.com/media/documents/E_F6_04.pdf

[goodcooker]

Anyone use this in interface mode? I can't get any of my DAWs to recognize it as an input device.

have you selected the proper mode in the menu? (pg 141)
https://zoomcorp.com/media/documents/E_F6_04.pdf

I tried both modes in the menu and several programs (Wavelab, Reaper and CD Wave Editor) and it didn't show up as a device in any of them. I don't "podcast" per se but I would like to be able to use interface with loopback mode to add some dialog to my Mixlr stream when I do my Straight from Tape broadcasts when I'm doing transfers of old or rare stuff.

[jerryfreak]

hmm that’s strange. work for me on win 7.

you sure that usb cable is good? do you have any other usb-c data devices?

[fguidry]

Anyone use this in interface mode? I can't get any of my DAWs to recognize it as an input device.

Working here, Win 10 and REAPER. Downloaded and installed latest Zoom drivers??

https://zoomcorp.com/en/us/field-recorders/field-recorders/f6/f6-support/

Fran

[goodcooker]

Anyone use this in interface mode? I can't get any of my DAWs to recognize it as an input device.

Working here, Win 10 and REAPER. Downloaded and installed latest Zoom drivers??
https://zoomcorp.com/en/us/field-recorders/field-recorders/f6/f6-support/
Fran

I did a fresh install of all the drivers and updated the firmware to the latest version. I can see the device in Reaper and Wavelab but I'm still getting errors. I'll come back to it later and see if I can figure it out. I don't have a lot of time to do my Mixlr broadcasts right now anyway work is kicking my ass.

[voltronic]

  Big news! Zoom released firmware version 1.70 on 5/12/21. Item number 2 from the release notes why this is big news:

Version 1.70
・ Released as the following bug fixes in May 2021
1. The internal timecode sometimes gains one frame when an external timecode is disconnected while
the timecode is set to “Ext mode” or “Ext Auto Rec mode”.
2. Improved low frequency characteristics of the filter used for internal processing.

The low-frequency noise is what has kept the F6 from being full-on "pro" in the specs department. If this firmware lowers that noise down to the level where it is for the rest of the spectrum, then we can finally call the F6 a professional-level recorder.

[jerryfreak]

nice... i asked a few weeks back and they didnt have a release date. Lets rerun our tests with official FW and post em up!

[voltronic]

OK, here are my test results from RMAA with both the 1.50 and 1.70 firmware.

- RMAA generated a 32-bit FP / 192 kHz test file
- Connected MOTU M2 line out to F6 channels 1&2 with balanced TRS>XLR patch cables
- M2 output level set to max
- Played test file in Foobar while recording on F6 at 32-bit float / 192 kHz
- Recorded file from F6 transferred to PC and analyzed in RMAA to generate report
- These tests were NOT done in the same sitting, but conditions were identical


When looking at the Frequency Response data, make sure you scroll down to compare the 20 Hz - 20 kHz numbers in both documents, and not just the 40 Hz - 15 kHz numbers.

I find it curious that the noise floor in the new firmware is a bit higher, when performance is otherwise improved in other areas, especially the LF noise. I suppose there are always tradeoffs when choosing filters.
PDF files are below.

F6 1.50
F6 1.70