Added: 4 years ago
From: portlandmusic
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  • Gut gemachtes Video, sehr informativ. Hbe mir heute selbst das Zoom 4 gekauft. Prima, viellericht sollten Sie weitere Anwendungs-Videos zu diesem Thema ins Internet stellen.

    Thomas Westerburg, 68 years, Dortrmund,Germany

  • Put that recorder in a WindCutter WindJacket and you'll be able to record outdoors in strong wind with excellent results.

  • laaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaame

  • "A very classy protective pouch!"

    that made me chuckle.

    thanks for the review. I just ordered one and it was nice to listen to the comparison between this video and the mp3s on the site

  • Here is an example of piano recording:

    /watch?v=iZDn9Ne-HmI

  • @portlandmusic What is the point of recording the solo saxophone and guitarists and not letting us hear the playbacks?

  • Can't see the point of recording sounds but not letting us hear the playbacks.

  • @alanfalconer15: If you watch the video again its says to go on the site to listen to the original files. The URL has changed so just go to our site and do a search for the H2

  • @portlandmusic then it looks more like commercial for your website than review of the ZOOM

  • @portlandmusic or you could post them on youtube.

  • Good, super recorder..

  • I checked most of the manual of the H2 I just bought, very impressed by all the possibilities it has!

    However, I could not find anywhere a simple feature that you see on each mp3player with voicerecorder, viz. how to pause a recording. I mean: I make a recording and want to stop recording for a minute and to go on with the same file. I cannot believe that the H2 would not have this. Can anybody help me?

  • @joukek pauze button? o.o

  • @ritsch Yes, that's what I mean

  • biggest piece of shit i ever bought

    it runs on batteries or electric

    problem is i can t use it on my mac and it won t rip to itunes or media player so unless i leave it usb to the computer the files won t stay in itunes and come as unlocateable

    it s samson which is sam ash and it s useless

  • @nybassplayer LOL ! you probably bought an old version or a used one. You need to take 5 minutes and update the firmware so it will work on your current MAC OS. you can find the instructions and the file at the Zoom Website.

  • @nybassplayer The world is not run by Apple. I am pissed off with Apple users wanting everything to work seamlessly when you plug something into an Apple computer even if that fucks things up for the majority of people who don't use them and their proprietary formats. The last two cameras I bought recorded videos in MOV format. Why? To help the minority of Apple addicts have a no-brain time of it while the much larger group of PC users had to adapt and convert. Utter madness!

  • @nybassplayer

    Sorry, your problem is obviously between your keyboard and chair... I love this thing with my Mac G5 and Power Book and have found no compatibility issues... I have been using it for both video through Final Cut and audio through Pro tools and even Garage band.

  • That rob nelson guy was awsome,Im not just saying that because I got a guitar from him.

  • There's absolutely no change in the sound when the guy says he turns the H2 on, or when he moves it in different directions.... Commercial fake ?

  • @lessingesnus ...you're right and if you pay attention to what he says at the beginning of the footage, the audio on this video is not being captured by the H2 however, you can hear the example clips recorded by the H2 on the website.

  • What really is the AC power supply? Is that what charges up the Zoom H2?

  • Is the Zoom H2 chargeable? Or does it only rely on batteries to live?

  • @amadornotes The H2 runs on 2 non-rechargeable AA batteries and comes with an AC power supply.

  • batteries

  • this is great - I was thinking about the H4n - I'm a journalist just out of college and I want to do some "This American Life" style humanitarian reports...would you recommend the H2? I'm thinking it might be more appropriate regarding capturing sound for journalistic reports. Thanks for your response!

  • @doriankilledsibyl The H2 is great but the H4 is better if you have a need for external mics. Also the H4 is USB 2 which made a big difference for downloading large audio files and the interface feels much better.

    eric

  • @portlandmusic H2 is USB 2 ....overview my balls.

  • How do you adjust the metronome and listen to the right tempo before you start recording?

  • im thinking of all the fun riffs i could use with that opening beat

  • 1:51 - 2:20..........lolololol wtf????????

  • Dude.... let us hear it ffs.

  • @jordantiste Hear what? You heard sound recorded from it several times in this video :P

  • @ArcticExposure I'm sorry, i have no idea what went through my head when i wrote this comment xD

  • @jordantiste =) I just woke up and didn't understadn what I had written and why.. Got it now though.

  • Thanks for the review. Your friend is very talented on the drums!

  • Thanks for the review. You're friend is very talented on the drums.

  • Looks like the it only works as a 48khz 16 bit USB mic, not a full 96khz/24bit USB sound card.  Looks like the mics are standard electret condensers with the front aimed at 90' & the rear aimed at 120'.

  • Are the Mics in the H2 better than the ones on the Q3? That is, if Im not interested in 360 recording or 120 degrees.

  • what settings did you use? 24/96 WAV ?

  • I'm pretty happy with my H2 I just use ext mics

    Simple condenser 9v powered

  • Many thanks for this video. I'm looking at buying one of these as there are some good reviews on Amazon. But it's nice to see someone upload a review to You Tube.

  • Is there a similar device which can do the video as well as the audio (all in one)? I am looking for simple!

    Thanks, Bill in VA

  • go to our site

    check out the Q3. More like a compromise between a excellent audio recorder with a built-in ok cam

  • Same, I was stupid and bought a camera with no external mic port, so maybe I could use this as the mic and then sync the AV later?

  • I can hear the wind outside, should have used the wind shield.

  • alrighty

  • Why didn't he use the wind cover outdoors?

  • Wasn't windy

  • Is it possible to record while listening to your previous recording in the H2

  • No and I'm not sure anything does that

  • lol... and the pinkies are flying at the beginning!

  • A very convenient video showing the device in a handy variety of typical circumstances. Thanks.

  • Sorry to down your product, but I bought it with excitement, and like other microphones I tried, pretty dissapointed. This is only good for recording vocals, instruments, and ambience. Not good for recording any other material in good high end quality. More for amateur work, than studio professional.

  • "This is only good for recording vocals, instruments, and ambience."

    I'm not an audio professional, but what else is there?

  • I'm sorry, I should of been more descriptive. It has neat features like Stereo and Surround Sound, but the actual sound quality... It's not good for recording material in high end sound format; the sort of quality you hear in professional music, or recorded vehicles, firearms, or other gadgets and sounds used in professional filming like hollywood and such.

    If you want to record like a band rehearsal, than this is for you. But if you want to record an actual music track, than no thank you.

  • Thats why you would go to a Recording Studio!

    DUHHHHHH!!

  • There are so much useful material that can not be recorded in a studio. That's why there's mobile microphones made, as good as studio microphones.

  • Umm nope these microphonnes are very handy for gigs, rehearsal, and just recording anything with sound!

    But this isnt a Pro microphone so instead you would use studio mics for that as the sound quality from this for a song would be quite terrible.

  • Umm. I meant in general. There are many outdoor material that are very useful for recording, thats why you need mobile microphones. Besides that, what are you disagreeing with? O.o

  • what do you expect in a unit this small?

  • Oh, I'm looking for something that has good enough sound quality, and is small to be used mainly for interviewing people or recording sound at an event or something

  • WOTGSmash never buy with excitement, only buy with a quiet eye.

  • please , let us know what you are comparing the H2 with when you say "More for amateur work" what kind of equipment do you normally use and how much does it cost?

    Thanks

  • I can't buy a immediate studio microphone that pushes to like $700 to over $1000, because I don't have the money atm. But I've tried other mics that range somewhere in the $100s.

    The Zoom H2 is a good device. It has neat features, especially the surround sound. The sound quality of the recordings are just not good enough for my taste. This is just my opinion, not trying to sound mean.

    I'm currently looking at this "Legendary" Shure SM58, and SM57; Give those a shot.

  • Sound quality is very subjective and certainly not worth arguing over. The shure SM58 or 57 are good indestructible dynamic vocal mics. Assuming you use those in a stereo recording situation musical or not, you still need to bring with you a stereo digital recorder, mic stands and cables. Having recorded music with 58's and 57's myself countless times, I can tell you that at the end of the day , I'll stick with my H2 for the convenience alone (I'll use my expensive mics for other situations)

  • Critically acclaimed records have been recorded using just SM57s. People need to stop being such namby pambys and just focus on making good music. The H2s and H4s are great devices.

  • The H2 is sick. I threw on onto a guitar case & recorded a jam. You can hear it on the video response. It picked up the sound f#*king awesome with no special settings. CHeers - Mando

  • How much time can I record with 4 GB?

  • Depends on the quality now doesn't it? Low quality, more time, high quality, less time. There are like 8 different settings.

  • 1. Does it come with the line-in cable?

    2.Would you recommend using it in place of an mp3 player?

  • i went to your website but couldnt find the original audio files

  • go to the website.

    on the left side of the page you'll see " digital recorders"

    find this microphone in the list that comes up

    on the right hand side of that page you'll see the audio files.

  • @sharris203 add this to the end of the address given up the top: /h2_audio/drums.mp3

  • Comment removed

  • 1. is the cable proprietary, or can you use most usb cables out there?

    2. compatible with vista 64x ?

    3. does it have folders, and how many of them are there in the device?

    4. How much space in GB is there in the device? Is it compatible with SD cards?

    5. do you sell it in canada, or ship to canada? Or give me some popular Canadian online music equipment stores.

    THANK YOU ;)

  • 1. is the cable proprietary, or can you use most usb cables out there?  it comes with a USB cable

    2. compatible with vista 64x ? yes

    3. does it have folders, and how many of them are there in the device? yes

    4. How much space in GB is there in the device? Is it compatible with SD cards? SD up to 4 GB

  • Is there a HD video recorder out there with the H2 capabilities?

  • If you wanted to have the video of you playing but the sound quality of the zoom h2 what do you do?

  • Check out my site to see HD video and H2 audio merged together.

  • It can record to either wav or MP3, if that's what you're asking

  • I've got this. It's good for music and podcast but not great for field recording. Not sensitive enough with the on board mic & the wind screen didn't work very well. It's cool little device though.

  • What an amazing device.  I was already pretty sold, but this video did it for me. Love this video. Thank you so much.

  • Why didn't you edit the sound and vid together?

  • because at the time I did this video the Audio of Youtube wasn't as good as the MP3 bandwith I used for the separate files and it gives a reason for people to make the effort to go to our site.

  • Excellent video. Well done! I love my H2.

  • I just tried plugging in a cheap un-powered lapel mic into the H2 to try to record voice dialogue with a hidden mic, but it did not work at all. I then tried a powered mic (rode videomic) and it worked fine.

    Do you know what type of lapel mic might work with this?

  • Education ? Just a sales talk.

  • yep Simon, it's what we do, we sell stuff

  • i don't mind that it's a sales talk. Very informative video.

  • how can i multitrack, i see a small 1/8 line input in the side, i don't think i can plug my gtr cable through it

  • how much does this cost?

  • did you really watch this video?

  • Would this work for recording a guitarists using A LOT of distortion with a drummer and a singer screaming playing HEAVY METAL MUSIC in A ROOM?

  • yes

  • I heard that it could be used as a USB mic and I was wondering how well this thing compares to some of the more expensive USB mics out their right now like the Samson G Track or the less expensive Blue Snowball or CAD mics.Also,does it have any tone shaping settings like bass,treble or gain? And how well does it handle high SPLs and would it work OK for close cabinet micing like the Sennheiser E906 dynamic?

  • I'm not sure, haven't compared. The one thing that is obvious is that the USB mics you mentioned will only give you a mono recording , the H2 would give you stereo tracking. I wouldn't recommend for micing a guitar cabinet.

  • say i don't just want audio, i also want video with it. how would i mix a vid recorded with a vid camera with the audio recorded?

  • ..in your Video editing software

  • How well will it record in a really closed in small room where all the instruments are closer together and therefore closer to the recorder?

  • hello im thinking of buying one of these,just wanted to know if you can multitrack record on it? thanks

  • this drummer is just  amazing!!! OMG

  • If i buy the h2 zoom, can i record myself with hip hop music? or does it just sound good with rock

  • love the beginning grove

  • Great great review!

  • Does the H2 have a playback feature?

  • A line out only... no on-board speaker. Comes with some earphones.

  • The new upcoming Zoom H4n will have a built-in reference speaker. Watch our namm vid on it.

    Eric

  • Thanks Eric and Co! Fantastic "cheap little video." I was thinking about buying another brand, but your little video has opened my eyes to a great product. thanks for sharing!

  • Lawl. I'm looking around for a demo of the H2, and all of the sudden, Rob is drumming in front of me! Ha! Good job, guys at PMC.

  • All of THE sudden?

  • I'm not sure what you're referring to but I saw your channel and I think you're pretty talented kiddo

  • I'm thinking of getting one of these. If I'm using the plug-in power adaptor for a long session, can the backlight stay on permanently, or does it have to go dark after 10 seconds or so? I'd need to see levels and data on a backlit screen all the time, obviously! Thanks.

  • I have an h2.

    Yes, you can set the backlight to be on all the time, with or without using the plug in power. You can also set it to go off after 15 seconds, 30 seconds or turn it off completely. It is WELL worth the money in my opinion.

  • Hi Eric, thanks for the video. I checked out the audio files on your site and man, I was blown away! They sound like something recorded in a studio! Are you seriously saying that those files were the raw recordings from the H2? Or did you edit them at all? If they are raw, I am very impressed.

  • Thanks. The only thing I did to the files was to export them as MP3, which means that the uncompressed version sounds even better.

    E

  • So, how do you think the H2 compares to the Edirol R-09HR? People seem to rate the R-09 higher, but is that just snobbery?

  • In all honesty the R09 has better mics and can use the higher capacity SDRAM cards. It also comes with a remote controller, which I think is pretty cool. In the end, I would say the H2 is still a better value.

  • Yeah, it is roughly half the price, and I suppose any improvement the R-09 might offer is barely noticeable to anyone other than professionals? Do you have any audio files of the R-09HR in action on your site, or know of any so I can try and evaluate the two?

  • I just got one for Christmas (work in radio sales) and it is awesome. I am using it to record testimonials, client and clips for use on air. It is nicely mnade, sturdy and it does have every accessory. Nice job by manufacturer!

  • "a very classy protective pouch" haha

  • it's all about the pouch man, all about the pouch!

  • dude nice drummin

  • I really want 1 of those. i am dirt broke though. gunna scrap up some money around. hopefully within a few weeks this thing will pay it self off. and i loled when he put it on the mic stand.

  • is it possible to connect mics into the h2 and if so what kind of mic do u reccomend to pick up sound for my bass drum

  • can u hook a microphone into the h2 and if so what kind of microphone do u reccomend to get a good bass sound out of my drums

  • gotta have on of those

  • Question. I play guitar and my friend plays drums. We want to record, but I am going to use a computer amp-modeling system to record guitar separately. What I am thinking is to use the H2 to record my friend's drum track. Would I be able to put his drum track as part of a file? I think this is very similar to nailzgunn's question, but just wanted to make sure.

  • thanks!

  • Great review, the only problem is I can not find the files you recorded on your site. Can you provide me with the exact link, Thanks. I just bought myself and H2 really want to hear the uncompressed sound quality.

  • Most clear overview ever. Excellent job! And I love this device.. Now I'm going to get myself one too :P!

    Grtz

  • Hi I just got the h2 for my birthday and I was wondering if I can play a file and record to that file? Like a four or two track?

  • nope

  • hey,

    i have a band and we need something to record our jam session's, we have 5 instrument's to record, DO YOU THINK THIS H2 WILL WORK FOR US???????????

  • YEAH!!!!!!!!!

  • Eric, nice video quality and a pretty good run-down of the features. Thanks!

    I would also have liked to know what kind of batteries this baby uses, and if the USB can recharge it.

  • Thanks.

    It uses 2 standard AA Batteries. Non rechargeable thru the H2. I was pretty surpised of how long the batteries lasted the first time I used it.I thought the battery indicator was defective.

  • hey,

    im in a deathcore band and we need something to record...with the h2 can we just put it in the middle of the room and record then put it onto our computer via usb and put it onto our myspace page and possibly even a demo if it sounds good enough?

    i dont want to spend $199 only to find it cant handle so many layers

  • The H2 will record just like what your ears can hear, simple as that.

    You just need to pay attention to recording levels and placement.

  • Great video. Is is suitable for voices as well? I'm thinking of using the Zoom H2 for recording meetings. The Zoom will be in the middle of the table and has to record voices 360 degrees around. The persons will be sitting about 1,5 to 2 meters away from the mic. You reckon the H2 can manage?

  • The H2 is what you need

  • hey could you explain to me if/how multitracking is possible with this? i would like to record a rhythm track with it, upload that to my computer, and possibly make a lead track to fit over that. do i need special software or can i do it with this mic?

    also, how does the h2 compare to the h4 in that way of multitracking?

  • Love the video, one question though, is this recorded decent enough to record from my acoustic electric, and from a shure mic

  • yes and you won't need your Shure mic

  • Hello, there! Great video!

    Do you think this recorder would work well as a replacement for a shotgun-mic for home-made movies, since it's kinda cheap?

    Thanks!

  • Not quite what I would call an alternative to a shotgun since shotgun Mics have a very different pattern than a 90 or 120 degree XY stereo pattern. However, and depending on your cam, it will give you better sound that your cam built-in mics.

    Eric

  • hi im having a small problem with my H2, when i record my music it sounds kind of "flat", is there anyway to make it more "dynamic"?

  • flat? what are you recording?

  • I found some online H2 samples on the midnightrunner podcast out of seoul, korea. You can find that podcast by going to appl_e's site and looking for podcasts.

  • Is the H2 ok for recording my upright U3 on? Bearing in mind its a very loud piano with deep loud extended bass. I would like to overlay the sound with video from my camera, is that easy to do? Cheers

  • take a 1/8" to 1/8" male to male jack connector cable.

    go from the headphone/line out to the mic input of your DV cam and as you monitor your recording on your H2, it will send that line signal to your camera, pretty clean too. Makes sense?

    Eric

  • Thanks for your reply, I only have a compact canon camera though not a DV cam, not sure if it has a mic input. I heard that I could record the picture of me playing with the camera, and record sound seperately with a high end mic (not too expensive though), then somehow put them together with software I guess to create a decent video, with better sound than my onboard mic on the camera. Not sure if its possible to get the 2 different sources of sound and video to combine perfectly in sync.

  • This is an excellent video, and an excellent DR. I seem to be having trouble finding human voice samples recorded with the H2, because I'd like to hear what it sounds like and compare my finding with what I've herd from the Edirol R-09HR.

    If you can recommend a place where I can download said samples that would be fantastic.

    Thanks once again for an amazing vid!

  • I love the sound of the R09HR (we're talking about the HR)and the fact that it uses the new High capacity SD ram cards. Not a ton of accessories provided but nice 24/96 sound.

    Eric

  • Thank you so much for that review! I'm really interested in the H2 but the music store in my city sells them but knew nothing about them. I'm tossing up between the H2 and the Boss Micro-BR. Do you know if there is much difference between the quality of their inbuilt microphones? I'm liking the idea of the 4 track, but not at the expense of a good acoustic sound from the microphone. I was really impressed with the audio files on your site from the H2. Thanks again!

  • We get this question often. The Micro BR is more a song writer tool but also has only one mic, so ,no stereo recording without an external stereo mic. As far as fidelity, I think you'll get a much better recording with the H2 but less features

  • just a quick question,

    where did you place the h2 while recording the drums? it sounds amazing!

  • I I remember , about 10 to 15 ft

  • Dang!

    That's crayz far and the sound was incredible! One last question, which would you recommend for recording drums, the Zoom H2 or the Zoom H4?

  • the H4 and H2 use the same mics, so I dont think it would make a big difference

  • Hey guys. I bought one a week ago. Love the simplicity. Only negative so far is the inputs of line/mic input clip way too easily.

    The input volume does not reduce the clipping.

    Online recommended a Radio Shack phone attenuator for under $10. It works perfectly

    without even turning down the attenuator.

    It reduces the voltage just enough to eliminate the input clipping. I'm using it

    in lieu of an ipod arrangement for practice

    songs off the inet.

    Dave.

  • Thanks very much!! Great demo! I was wondering whether to get one or not! That demo nailed it, cheers! :-))

  • ....cont...

    Any chance you could do an A/B next handheld recorder review.

    Thanks again, and this was great review that you did....:thu:

  • LMFAO , that's excellent drumming , I'll stick around for the 6 minutes for sure :-)

    Good sound too........

    By the way how do you interface a recorder like zoom to video ?

  • "By the way how do you interface a recorder like zoom to video ?"

    I did not. The audio of the video is not the H2, go to the site to check out the actual H2 audio featured in the video. But I do have a tip for you: you can always take the line out output of the H2 and connect it to the external mic input of your cam while you monitor the H2 in pause. makes sense?

  • Thanks portalandmusic, I went to the site but was unable to locate any audio links...

    By the way the camera audio and visual quality is probably good enough for what I'm doing LOL.

    Is that because of a good sound card or that and a good vid cam.

    What camera are you using?

    I don't even have a web cam, do you have any recommendations on them for someone wanting to post on youtube etc....

    + I like your aux audion in suggestion , makes good sense.

  • ...you have to kind of move your eyes to the right of the page and you'll see the links.

    The camera I used for this vid was a very cheap Camera. Sound quality is subjective.

    Thanks

  • WOW! Thank You Brother... i was NEEDING something like this for a Book concept I was about to start... I AM SOLD!!!

  • Great video especially with the sound extracts on your website. Thanks a lot

    Zealo from Paris

  • Love this casual video, complete with humor. I'm ready to buy!

  • Thankyou Eric, very helpful and much appreciated.

  • Great demo! you sold me Eric!

  • Have to say, the best Zoom H2 review I can find. Thank's for going over it. The quality sounds great, your website's also looks great. Keep it up. Oh & your all very talented. =)

  • I have just received my new H2 and I am already stuck.

    I have set it up and tried recording. Now I want to get that recording onto my computer.

    I have done everything the book said- but I cannot find an H2 icon on my desktop, so I cannot access the recorded file!

    In the booklet they do not show a picture of what the icon looks like so I do not know what I am looking for. My desktop is already nearly full and I cannot find any new icons!

    How can I find my recording?!

  • Mac ? Windows? operating system?