Topic: Some questions about Zoom H4N

[nicegrin]

Hi!

Curious about the H4N.

Some questions...

1. If I understand correctly it is possible to record 4 tracks using BOTH a pair of XLR terminating mics AND a set of 1/8" terminating mics line in? Can anybody confirm this?

2. (Assuming the answer to question 1 is YES! )

How long will the H4N power two set of mics if the 1/8" terminating mics are used with a 9v BB and the XLR terminating mics use the H4Ns 48V phantom power? (Assume aswell that we use 2650 mAh rechargable AAs)

Anybody that could run a test?

Thanx a bunch!

/N

[capnhook]

Had my gear bag all packed up, was ready to leave early after recording a couple of shows last night.  Saw a feller with a H4n setting up, using the on-board mics, so I got my LSD2 back out of the bag and asked if he wanted to plug it in to record four tracks.  He put fresh batteries in, got my mic plugged in and sent phantom power to it, and recorded 4 channels for at least 2 hours.  I guess YMMV

[flintstone]

I tested the H4N's battery life.  The results were poor.

I got 95 minutes of battery life in one test recording stereo at 24/96, and 107 minutes recording at 16/44.1. I used mics that were powered via the XLR inputs.

These results are worse than other reviewers got.  Wingfield.com reports 4.4 hours recording MP3.  Zoom claims 7 hours of battery life.

The battery was garden-variety AA cells, purchased at a local store. You'd probably do a bit better using expensive rechargeable AAs.  Battery life would be increased if you turn off the H4N's phantom power and use an external battery box to power the mics.

Flintstone

[nicegrin]

Hi Flinstone!

Thanks for your answer!

Hm... 107 min is pretty poor indeed. I guess the 7 hrs Zoom claim is when having phantom power off!

What I´d really want to know (and would be aces if you Flinstone or anyone else here could give it a try) is what batterylife you will get if...

...you record on 44.1/16 AND you use rechargable batteries (2650 mAhs) AND a 9v batterybox to the mini plug mic via line in AND running a set of XLR mics with phantom on. 

That would be the ultimate test I guess...

/N

[fmaderjr]

Hi Flinstone!

Thanks for your answer!

What I´d really want to know (and would be aces if you Flinstone or anyone else here could give it a try) is what batterylife you will get if...
...you record on 44.1/16 AND you use rechargable batteries (2650 mAhs) AND a 9v batterybox to the mini plug mic via line in AND running a set of XLR mics with phantom on. 

You can't use XLR mics and line in to record 2 channels. 2 of the channels must come from the on board mics. I couldn't find the manual, but this is copied from Zoom's web site:
The H4n is the only handheld recorder that allows you to record on four channels simultaneously by using its onboard mics with either external mics or direct inputs. You can then use its built-in mixer to blend the channels for perfectly balanced recordings. Now your recordings can be richer than ever before.

It's not much of a 4 track recorder if you must must the built in mics for 2 channels.

[notlance]

Looking at page 31 of the H4n manual, it appears you can plug in an unbalanced 1/8" stereo mic level input that overrides the built-in mics.  I suspect with proper external attenuation you could connect a line level source to that input an have a mixer input to go with your mics.  However, I'm just going off the manual and I have never used an H4n so I could be totally full of it.

[flintstone]

I can confirm that the 1/8" mini jack on the rear of the recorder will allow you to record two external mics through this jack, while you record two more mics through the XLR jacks.  The preamp used via the 1/8" mini jack is considerably quieter (less self-noise) than the preamp connected to the XLR jacks.  The noise may be caused by the phantom power circuit.

Flintstone

[Shadow_7]

Different mics draw different levels of power from 48V power.  Different batteries deliver different levels of power.  If you use those energizer lithiums you could probably get a decent run time.  If you use NiMH batteries you charged a month ago, why bother even turning it on.

My Avenson STO-2's draw a lot of current.  I opted for a Korg MR-1000 instead of a Zoom H4.  8x AAs vs. 4x AAs.  And instead of a Fostex FR2LE, same selling point.  Not that it gets that great of battery life in my current configuration.  And it doesn't do four tracks or multitracking either.  But I can generally get at least 2 hours continuous recording.  As long as I didn't charge the NiMH batteries a month ago.

Take the phantom power burden off the recorder and you should get decent run times.  According to the specs on the Sound Devices MP-1, expected battery life (2x AAs) is 24 hours without 48V phantom, and only 5 hours with 48V phantom.  That's a pretty significant difference.  YMMV depending on mics, batteries, temperature, yada yada yada...

[SmokinJoe]

I went to see some band recently (The New Deal?) and the sound guy who travels with the band has an H4N, and he ran a board patch into the back, and ran the onboard mics for 4 channels, with the H4N stuck up on a stand by the SBD.  I asked how it likes it, and he said something like "It's better than I would have thought... we did this one spectacular gig that we wanted to make a live album out of, but the protools multitrack source was corrupt, and we used the source from this Zoom, and with a little tweaking it was plenty good enough".

To me that's what I would want it for... SBD + onboard mics and leave the 40 pound bag of 414's >v3 > r4 home.