Topic: Zoom H1 XLR 32bit Handy Recorder announced on Aug. 8 2024

[Ozpeter]

No worries about the delay in doing the recordings.

With your latest battery test, was that with the superlux mics plugged in with phantom power?

Yes, sorry, I should have made that clear.

And - see https://soundcloud.com/marco-pesente/zoom-f3-vs-h1xlr-first-as-recorded-than-normalized which is an interesting test - where the H1 XLR seemed almost to come off better than the F3 when it comes to noise, which is actually unlikely, but still, it's an interesting test which shows, to me, that the H1 XLR is no disaster in this matter.

[Ozpeter]

Briefly, I had a chance to try my Roland in ear binaural mics connected to the H1 XLR today - sorry no samples available - but the outcome was just fine.  I had to keep the output level down to 70 to avoid feedback - to my mind that output is quite powerful.  I also tried a USB mic with the audio interface option turned on, just in case there is an undocumented ability to support such devices - but no, it did nothing.

[adrianb]

I’ve been desperately searching for 120 degree XLR adapters so I can plug my 8040 cardioids directly into a recorder like this Zoom and create the ultimate portable, but it seems only 90 degrees are available.

Yes!  Me too!  if you find one, with rotatable connectors, do tell me!  Meanwhile I am tending to use my Superlux S502 for tests, though of course that does require a cable.  I am also going to test a couple of Naiant omnis built into XLR connectors, using the right angle adapters, but I suspect the stereo image will be poor at best.

Today I decided to get my mitre saw out and make some. Now I just need to glue them together.

(I’m afraid a rotatable version is beyond my capabilities!)

[Ozpeter]

Wow, I'm impressed!

[Ozpeter]

I could cry... A short sharp thunderstorm approaching showed up on the weather map.  I hurried a guest who was thinking of leaving out of the house so she would not get soaked getting to her car.  And only then did it occur to me to record it!  I quickly got out the H1 XLR and superlux stereo mic, just got them connected and my finger on the power button, when there was a flash and simultaneous bang of a very close hit, I nearly wet myself, all the power in the house went out, and I'd missed it by less than ten seconds!  Well, at some point in the next few years there may be another such dynamic range test opportunity...

[Ozpeter]

Here is my simulation of using the Zoom H1 XLR for recording classical music.

https://youtu.be/J1JkF4WvufI?si=_Wi22jFfkeAuUC99

In this video (no images, just explanatory text) I am simulating using the Zoom H1 XLR for recording an orchestra, then a piano, then a wind quintet, as if I had connected a good pair of stereo mics to it.

I did this by playing pre-recorded music into a Mackie mixer, and connecting the output from the mixer set to mic level, not line level, into the mic level XLR inputs of the Zoom H1 XLR. 

After each musical excerpt finishes, there is some silence, during which the input to the mixer was muted.  So what you hear is the input noise of the H1 XLR plus the output noise of the mixer's output stage.  Worst case scenario!

Personally I think it is fine.  I briefly greatly amplified the 'silence' and it can be heard that the most significant element in the noise is hum from the mixer.

Please let me know if you think there really is any noise issue with this device in this use case.  I'm happy but YMMV.

[adrianb]

Say hello to my newly created 110 degree XLR adapters. This shows my MixPre-3 with my microbooster pluggys attached and the capsules 16cm apart, but with my MKH 8040 microphones attached they are exactly 17cm apart.

Why am I showing this on the Zoom H1 XLR thread? It’s because this new recorder has motivated me to make these adapters. I’ve been looking for some 110 degree adapters for some time and it seems they are simply not available, but the H1 XLR, whilst not available in the UK, has the form factor to potentially be the ultimate portable ORTF recorder.

Sure, I could do this with the F3 but that doesn’t have a 3.5mm input, or the Tascam FR-AV2 but it would mess with my OCD having to read the display sideways.

Besides, the price of the H1 XLR is just too good not to give this setup a go.

(Yes, I know the right adapter is pointing down a bit but I will adjust this later)

[Ozpeter]

It seems very surprising that such adapters are not available.  I can't believe that adapters with variable joints could not be made, and rotatable connectors, so that one could angle them at will and rotate them as necessary.  Excellent work on yours!

[rastasean]

Here is my simulation of using the Zoom H1 XLR for recording classical music.

https://youtu.be/J1JkF4WvufI?si=_Wi22jFfkeAuUC99

Nice music. Did you play any of the instruments in the recordings?

When you opened up the recordings in your DAW, did you see the DC offsets that raised Curtis' eyebrows?

[Ozpeter]

There was something of the sort (DC offset) visible when I massively amplified the 'silence' at one point (just before you hear the piano).  I may be able to check that further fairly soon, using a more scientific method.  And no - the only time I play an instrument is when I play a keyboard using headphones, so nobody can hear.  Well, the sample music in that other video where I walked around with the MKH mics was me singing and playing - but in the last century!

[commongrounder]

A good way to get a clear picture of DC offset on a digital audio waveform is to make a recording with the XLR input shorted (a plug with pins 2 and 3 jumpered). This will reduce input noise to the minimum and will allow any DC signals developed in the analog or A/D stages to be more easily visible. Turning phantom power off also will help. These days I’m pretty surprised to see any DC offset in a recorder because most A/D converters have DC servos (essentially a high-pass filter at a couple of hertz) that corrects the offset before being printed. I come from the days of the Sony PCM-F1 where offset wasn’t servo corrected and drifted terribly while it warmed up. I installed externally accessible ten-turn trimmers on my PCM units so I could touch them up during recording sessions (using a video monitor!!). We didn’t have DAWs to do that in post back then!

[Ozpeter]

I come from the days of the Sony PCM-F1 where offset wasn’t servo corrected and drifted terribly while it warmed up. I installed externally accessible ten-turn trimmers on my PCM units so I could touch them up during recording sessions (using a video monitor!!). We didn’t have DAWs to do that in post back then!

Yay, that's my first digital recorder too (hired!).  And back in '83, I hadn't even heard of DC offset...

[Ozpeter]

My latest brief test, designed to show whether this recorder can cope with the decay of the sound of a cathedral organ into the acoustic.

OK, it's not a real organ in a real acoustic, but none the less, as far as I am concerned the H1 XLR would be fine for making such a recording fed from a decent stereo pair of mics.  If you turn up the playback volume enough to hear the noise, you'll damage your hearing near the end where I used the loudest stops.

https://youtu.be/3zXz_nYV_r4

And if it's good for that, I would have thought it was fine for typical rock gig recordings and suchlike.

[rastasean]

> My latest brief test, designed to show whether this recorder can cope with the decay of the sound of a cathedral organ into the acoustic.

I can definitely hear the noise while the organ is playing, but not at the end in the silence. Which means, i think any other recorder would also record the noise from your mixer and PC as heard in this video.

[Ozpeter]

Thanks for checking it out!

I can hear the externally generated system noise in the quieter parts if I ride the playback volume in my headphones, but if I leave it at the volume that suits the later louder passages, it's not noticeable.  (Until I did this test and briefly cranked the playback crazy high I was completely unaware of my PC's system noise!).  And that's partly the point of that test - even with the noise of the stages before the signal reaches the Zoom, it's not (to me...) a significant issue during normal playback.  And it's not one to which the Zoom is adding anything of any consequence. 

Maybe what I am saying is that noise gets maybe too much nit picking attention these days.  I suppose there is not much else to talk about, given that portable recorder frequency responses are basically flat.  There are a few categories of audio recording where devices with -127dBu are worth having, and of course I do understand that people want the best even if it doesn't actually make a practical difference, but this device's -122dBu should cover almost all users' needs. IMHO.