Topic: Zoom F8

[acidjack]

^ If you take Steve's word for it (and his is as good as any) the Zoom F8 compares favorably to the 744T, which is the same pre as the USBPre2 (I also like its sound a lot).

Placed my order today with Pro Sound. I could not justify the SX-R4+ for more than 5X the price when this has really all the features I need....

[404 Not Found]

I'm really tempted to order one of these units...
Still waiting for more real world experience from others.
 how's the external  hirose> battery experience ? is any one sure of pin assignments?
 

I have been using the Hirose 4 pin connection.  Works like a charm and have yet to drain any Ni batteries.  Doing past video work and having plenty of the Ni batteries, I had invested in a Cable Techniques Battery Bud II, of which I run the Hirose power to the F8, SD552 & SD MixPre-D at the same time, all in the Petrol bag.  A lot of stuff to say the least but it covers most situations I run into during a recording, leaving options to run thru the 552 as a Pre, direct to the F8 or the MixPre-D in MS mode, of which I have been running as a completely separate recording source using the AES3 out to the S/PDIF of the Marantz PMD661.


If you happen to have the old vid cam Ni batteries, then the Hirose power is a natural progression without having to re-invest in a new power source.

The recordings I am doing for the most part, are for bands and musicians of which I have been asked not to post.  The recorder is definitely getting use, and has been real easy to operate....absolutely no complaints!  Maybe one...I wish I had more shows I could record in the past month that I could share here!!!

[EDIT ADD]: I wanted to note and add that I have not run the Hirose connector for longer that 2.5 hr runs, so I can not really boast of the "total" battery time.  I will do a test on that this eve. for the results while running the MixPre-D, SD552 and the F8 all off of one NP-1 Style NiCd battery. 

[ArchivalAudio]

^^^^ no Ni batteries I do have a couple of Naztech Powerbanks (15000 mAh Li-po)   + other batts. would need a cable to the hirose connector or just go in the 12v dc in
It's so tempting....
I may order from Amazon... just because I have prime...

[vegeta_ban]

Recording Dead and company tonight and tomorrow. Running an experiment by sending the input signal through the output on my SD722 to my F8 miniXLR->XLR 1-2 on the F8. I will post both shows both sources for a comparison.

Stupid mistake though, didn't have phantom power turned on for my nak 1k or 300s before the start of first set and couldn't turn them on during recording. So only two sets on mics on the first set and all four on the second set.

The iPhone app worked great first set, but disconnected somehow during the second and woulnt reconnect. Probably more to do with my jail token iPhone than anything. I would recommend and iPad mini for the app, better size and smaller than the full blown iPad.

More later.

[stevetoney]

The iPhone app worked great first set, but disconnected somehow during the second and woulnt reconnect. Probably more to do with my jail token iPhone than anything. I would recommend and iPad mini for the app, better size and smaller than the full blown iPad.

There's a difference between shutting down the app completely on your phone and just minimizing it.  If you shut it down, you can't reconnect without first stopping your recording and going through the reconnect sequence by first long pressing the menu button.  If you just minimize it but keep the app active in background on your phone, when you call it back up you'll get a message that it's reconnecting and then after five seconds or so you'll be reconnected.  My bet is that you shut the app down completely during the second set.

I agree with your comment about the ipad mini with the existing app design.  I think there's a couple things they can do with the app to improve the design to make it more functional for use with the smaller iphone screen.  For example, when you want move one of the sliders, perhaps you could press a button to enlarge it on your screen (or long press the slider and it automatically enlarges) to change the scale for fine adjustment, which is very difficult to do now with the scaling of the sliders on a tiny iphone screen. 

[acidjack]

The iPhone app worked great first set, but disconnected somehow during the second and woulnt reconnect. Probably more to do with my jail token iPhone than anything. I would recommend and iPad mini for the app, better size and smaller than the full blown iPad.

There's a difference between shutting down the app completely on your phone and just minimizing it.  If you shut it down, you can't reconnect without first stopping your recording and going through the reconnect sequence by first long pressing the menu button.  If you just minimize it but keep the app active in background on your phone, when you call it back up you'll get a message that it's reconnecting and then after five seconds or so you'll be reconnected.  My bet is that you shut the app down completely during the second set.

I agree with your comment about the ipad mini with the existing app design.  I think there's a couple things they can do with the app to improve the design to make it more functional for use with the smaller iphone screen.  For example, when you want move one of the sliders, perhaps you could press a button to enlarge it on your screen (or long press the slider and it automatically enlarges) to change the scale for fine adjustment, which is very difficult to do now with the scaling of the sliders on a tiny iphone screen.

I don't know how the app works (since I haven't used it yet) but a sound guy showed me the iPad app for his Behringer SBD the other night. He mentioned slider control, and showed how if you just held down your thumb on the slider and "rolled" your thumb forward, it would move more incrementally. No idea if the Zoom app has that function, just figure it's worth a try if you haven't...

[stevetoney]

^  That could work.  I do think technique could have a function in improving control.  I'll give it a try and report back.

[404 Not Found]

Using the Hirose connection & running the MixPre-D, SD552 and the F8 all off of one NP-1 Style NiCd battery, I monitored the meter on the F8 noting the Ext. battery and I was able to run this for 6 hours before the meter dropped to red at a 12.0v to 11.9v reading.  standard safety power shut-off on the F8 happens at 9v reading, so there was still some power before a complete shutdown.

[stevetoney]

Using the Hirose connection & running the MixPre-D, SD552 and the F8 all off of one NP-1 Style NiCd battery, I monitored the meter on the F8 noting the Ext. battery and I was able to run this for 6 hours before the meter dropped to red at a 12.0v to 11.9v reading.  standard safety power shut-off on the F8 happens at 9v reading, so there was still some power before a complete shutdown.

I've thought seriously about getting one of these to decrease the number of batteries I have to take to the show.  The thing that kept me from taking the plunge was that I'd have to re-configure all of my cables with hirose connectors on one end.  The other thing about it is that by spreading batteries across devices, I don't have to check on and change out the one battery as often since each battery will last alot longer since it's only powering one device instead of multiple devices.  That would be handy to have as an option though for lightening the load.

[vegeta_ban]

Below is the Philly Dead and company show I recorded with the Zoom F8. I will edit my SD 722 version soon for the comparison.


https://archive.org/details/DC2015-11-05.telefunken.ela.m.260.banaszewski.9624.flac

Dead and Company
Thursday November 5, 2015
Well's Fargo Center
Philadelphia, PA

Source: Telefunken ELA M 260 cardioid TK60> Sound Devices 722 (pass through)>Zoom F8

Recorded at 96kHz 24 bit

Notes:

Conducted an experiment by sending the signal heard by the 722 through to the Zoom F8 to compare the two recorders. 
Recorded from the back left corner of the floor by the taper section.  Thanks to J and P for coming with me to these shows!

Setlist:

Set I:

Here Comes Sunshine
Loose Lucy
Candyman
Half Step Mississippi Uptown Toodeloo>
Bird Song
Cumberland Blues
Casey Jones

Set II:

Iko Iko>
Feel Like a Stranger
China Cat Sunflower>
I Know You Rider
Drums>
Space>
Playin in the Band>
Standing on the Moon
Sugar Magnolia

Encore:

U.S. Blues

Taped and edited by Jeremy Banaszewski

[vegeta_ban]

I figured out that you can turn the phantom power on through the app, gotta press the pfl buttons for the channel and you can adjust the limiters, hpf, etc from there.

[stevetoney]

The iPhone app worked great first set, but disconnected somehow during the second and woulnt reconnect. Probably more to do with my jail token iPhone than anything. I would recommend and iPad mini for the app, better size and smaller than the full blown iPad.

There's a difference between shutting down the app completely on your phone and just minimizing it.  If you shut it down, you can't reconnect without first stopping your recording and going through the reconnect sequence by first long pressing the menu button.  If you just minimize it but keep the app active in background on your phone, when you call it back up you'll get a message that it's reconnecting and then after five seconds or so you'll be reconnected.  My bet is that you shut the app down completely during the second set.

I agree with your comment about the ipad mini with the existing app design.  I think there's a couple things they can do with the app to improve the design to make it more functional for use with the smaller iphone screen.  For example, when you want move one of the sliders, perhaps you could press a button to enlarge it on your screen (or long press the slider and it automatically enlarges) to change the scale for fine adjustment, which is very difficult to do now with the scaling of the sliders on a tiny iphone screen.

I don't know how the app works (since I haven't used it yet) but a sound guy showed me the iPad app for his Behringer SBD the other night. He mentioned slider control, and showed how if you just held down your thumb on the slider and "rolled" your thumb forward, it would move more incrementally. No idea if the Zoom app has that function, just figure it's worth a try if you haven't...

Wow!  Tested this out tonight and it's night and day!  Just like your sound guy said, you just hold your thumb on the slider and that activates the slider.  Then roll your thumb up or down to move the slider or knob, or alternatively just leave your thumb in place and just sorta rotate your iphone around your thumb.  It really works great!!!  The sliders and knobs both move up and down in 0.5db increments and using this technique I could easily set everything at the precise point without any problems whatsoever. 

Thanks for this tip.  It really makes for a huge improvement in control using the app!  Yay...happy happy joy joy!

PS:  Gonna make changes to the F8 review to note this 'discovery'.

[ArchivalAudio]

Below is the Philly Dead and company show I recorded with the Zoom F8. I will edit my SD 722 version soon for the comparison.


https://archive.org/details/DC2015-11-05.telefunken.ela.m.260.banaszewski.9624.flac

Dead and Company
Thursday November 5, 2015
Well's Fargo Center
Philadelphia, PA

Source: Telefunken ELA M 260 cardioid TK60> Sound Devices 722 (pass through)>Zoom F8

Recorded at 96kHz 24 bit

Notes:

Conducted an experiment by sending the signal heard by the 722 through to the Zoom F8 to compare the two recorders. 
Recorded from the back left corner of the floor by the taper section.  Thanks to J and P for coming with me to these shows!

So just to be clear, this is just going line into the F8, and not utilizing the Mic Preamps in the F8? So bassically the 722 and the F8 should sound nearly identical or the F8 should sound like the flavor of the 722?
I'd be curious in a comp of the mic Preamp flavorings.   Unless you can get another set of the same ELA M 260's it would be difficult to do a side by side comp, while they would be different songs a set 1 and set 2 could suffice.
Maybe someone could to a similar comp with schoeps or neumans , the same mics in the same stereo pattern (array) NOS, DIN, ORTF whatever... on the same stand...


thanks
--Ian

[stevetoney]

Below is the Philly Dead and company show I recorded with the Zoom F8. I will edit my SD 722 version soon for the comparison.


https://archive.org/details/DC2015-11-05.telefunken.ela.m.260.banaszewski.9624.flac

Dead and Company
Thursday November 5, 2015
Well's Fargo Center
Philadelphia, PA

Source: Telefunken ELA M 260 cardioid TK60> Sound Devices 722 (pass through)>Zoom F8

Recorded at 96kHz 24 bit

Notes:

Conducted an experiment by sending the signal heard by the 722 through to the Zoom F8 to compare the two recorders. 
Recorded from the back left corner of the floor by the taper section.  Thanks to J and P for coming with me to these shows!

So just to be clear, this is just going line into the F8, and not utilizing the Mic Preamps in the F8? So bassically the 722 and the F8 should sound nearly identical or the F8 should sound like the flavor of the 722?
I'd be curious in a comp of the mic Preamp flavorings.   Unless you can get another set of the same ELA M 260's it would be difficult to do a side by side comp, while they would be different songs a set 1 and set 2 could suffice.
Maybe someone could to a similar comp with schoeps or neumans , the same mics in the same stereo pattern (array) NOS, DIN, ORTF whatever... on the same stand...


thanks
--Ian

Ian.  If you go into section 2 of my F8 review, I've included some links to some F8 samples.  One of the samples is a comp of schoeps mics through a Psp3 and then into the zoom F8.  The other is the same setup recording the same music straight into the F8 without the psp3 in the chain.  Since i have four m934b mics these were done simultaneously from the same Mic stand... One pair something like four inches above the other.

[ArchivalAudio]

Below is the Philly Dead and company show I recorded with the Zoom F8. I will edit my SD 722 version soon for the comparison.


https://archive.org/details/DC2015-11-05.telefunken.ela.m.260.banaszewski.9624.flac

Dead and Company
Thursday November 5, 2015
Well's Fargo Center
Philadelphia, PA

Source: Telefunken ELA M 260 cardioid TK60> Sound Devices 722 (pass through)>Zoom F8

Recorded at 96kHz 24 bit

Notes:

Conducted an experiment by sending the signal heard by the 722 through to the Zoom F8 to compare the two recorders. 
Recorded from the back left corner of the floor by the taper section.  Thanks to J and P for coming with me to these shows!

So just to be clear, this is just going line into the F8, and not utilizing the Mic Preamps in the F8? So bassically the 722 and the F8 should sound nearly identical or the F8 should sound like the flavor of the 722?
I'd be curious in a comp of the mic Preamp flavorings.   Unless you can get another set of the same ELA M 260's it would be difficult to do a side by side comp, while they would be different songs a set 1 and set 2 could suffice.
Maybe someone could to a similar comp with schoeps or neumans , the same mics in the same stereo pattern (array) NOS, DIN, ORTF whatever... on the same stand...


thanks
--Ian

Ian.  If you go into section 2 of my F8 review, I've included some links to some F8 samples.  One of the samples is a comp of schoeps mics through a Psp3 and then into the zoom F8.  The other is the same setup recording the same music straight into the F8 without the psp3 in the chain.  Since i have four m934b mics these were done simultaneously from the same Mic stand... One pair something like four inches above the other.

I seem to have missed you link of your review, would love to check it out. Is it in this thread? I spent some tim looking but must have missed it. can you either PM me the link or better yet post it here?
Thank you in advance.
--Ian