After reading many reviews on this nifty little machine, I decided to make an attempt to direct the production of sound, as the main recorder box. Compatible audio suite we decided to record 48 kHz / 24 bit. I know that the car specifically designed for film / TV recording field, but has done its job very well.
Advantages at first sight:
# 1: It does not weigh 8 ½ Kg (about 18.7 lbs.) what a Nagra IV used to.
# 2: No reels, no heavy batteries, no shoulder harness.
# 3: The recording quality and the S/N ratio are far above that of an open-reel machine and equal any DAT or HD-recording system.
So far so good. Since the microphone/gain controls on the H-4 are not accessible during recording, I decided to feed the audio (boom & radio-mikes) through a SHURE FP-33 field mixer and connecting it via two XLR cables to the H-4. Besides, one can NOT hold it in the hand and record through the built-in mikes due to severe noise from handling the machine.
I first had to calibrate the H-4 with FP-33 to see where my levels were, I started the 1-2 IN switch is at "L" and then calibrated the tone of 1 kHz at-24dB on the H-4. Why are low limiter mixer SHURE works OK for analog, but clearly exceeded the limit of 0 dB of any digital recorder causing distortion / clipping.
The dialogue came sharp and clear, but I still had to look at the peaks as the limiter H-4 does not capture accordingly. I have not yet understood whether the built-in limiter works only for the internal microphone (MIC) or works well the contribution (in 1-2).
I live and work in Costa Rica, so sometimes the "Latin Way" interferes with the normal production logistics me been used in Germany and the United States.
Production forgotten to buy batteries, gave me a strip of regular Panasonic Blu-Ones. WARNING! A set of two lasted about 10 minutes, enough for a scene, without risking the recorder to go "off-line" in the midst of a recovery. We just made the morning before (outside shooting), so I have some decent AA alkaline batteries.
Cons:
1. The more data you have on the SD-card, the longer the machine takes to fire up / load / initiate. I use an 8 GB Transcend card, which lasted me - in a "normal" 16-hour working day - for four (4) whole days and still had about 1.5 Gigs left over.
2. The XLR inputs do not have the usual safety latch. So, if you are moving around, be sure that your cables are always plugged up to the hilt. And, re-check them before you start recording again.
3. The readability of the display is poor in daylight, and so is the status-light of the "Record" button. Is it on? Is it recording? One has to monitor the output of the H-4 directly so one knows at least if the machine is "off".
4. I upgraded the firmware immediately after getting the H-4 to Ver. 2.20. Still it takes up to an hour and a half to download, via USB, about 1.5 Gigs of audio (Vista Ultimate / 2 Gigs of RAM / fast 500 GB HD).
5. The Zoom H-4 has a twisted learning curve. It takes some time to get used to the two kinds/options of menus. But that has been discussed at length in other reviews... (see those).
Overall I am surprised by the quality excellent recorded sound. I also made a couple of recordings of a mariachi group, using the built-in microphones, and at home I was amazed by the freshness and the resolution stereo field.
So,, leave your bulky machines at home, and begin using the H-4 for recording field. ... and saves about U.S. $750 compared to other SD-digital recorders.Do not forget the clapper, why otherwise you are going to be in trouble trying to synchronize audio with video post-production.
Advantages at first sight:
# 1: It does not weigh 8 ½ Kg (about 18.7 lbs.) what a Nagra IV used to.
# 2: No reels, no heavy batteries, no shoulder harness.
# 3: The recording quality and the S/N ratio are far above that of an open-reel machine and equal any DAT or HD-recording system.
So far so good. Since the microphone/gain controls on the H-4 are not accessible during recording, I decided to feed the audio (boom & radio-mikes) through a SHURE FP-33 field mixer and connecting it via two XLR cables to the H-4. Besides, one can NOT hold it in the hand and record through the built-in mikes due to severe noise from handling the machine.
I first had to calibrate the H-4 with FP-33 to see where my levels were, I started the 1-2 IN switch is at "L" and then calibrated the tone of 1 kHz at-24dB on the H-4. Why are low limiter mixer SHURE works OK for analog, but clearly exceeded the limit of 0 dB of any digital recorder causing distortion / clipping.
The dialogue came sharp and clear, but I still had to look at the peaks as the limiter H-4 does not capture accordingly. I have not yet understood whether the built-in limiter works only for the internal microphone (MIC) or works well the contribution (in 1-2).
I live and work in Costa Rica, so sometimes the "Latin Way" interferes with the normal production logistics me been used in Germany and the United States.
Production forgotten to buy batteries, gave me a strip of regular Panasonic Blu-Ones. WARNING! A set of two lasted about 10 minutes, enough for a scene, without risking the recorder to go "off-line" in the midst of a recovery. We just made the morning before (outside shooting), so I have some decent AA alkaline batteries.
Cons:
1. The more data you have on the SD-card, the longer the machine takes to fire up / load / initiate. I use an 8 GB Transcend card, which lasted me - in a "normal" 16-hour working day - for four (4) whole days and still had about 1.5 Gigs left over.
2. The XLR inputs do not have the usual safety latch. So, if you are moving around, be sure that your cables are always plugged up to the hilt. And, re-check them before you start recording again.
3. The readability of the display is poor in daylight, and so is the status-light of the "Record" button. Is it on? Is it recording? One has to monitor the output of the H-4 directly so one knows at least if the machine is "off".
4. I upgraded the firmware immediately after getting the H-4 to Ver. 2.20. Still it takes up to an hour and a half to download, via USB, about 1.5 Gigs of audio (Vista Ultimate / 2 Gigs of RAM / fast 500 GB HD).
5. The Zoom H-4 has a twisted learning curve. It takes some time to get used to the two kinds/options of menus. But that has been discussed at length in other reviews... (see those).
Overall I am surprised by the quality excellent recorded sound. I also made a couple of recordings of a mariachi group, using the built-in microphones, and at home I was amazed by the freshness and the resolution stereo field.
So,, leave your bulky machines at home, and begin using the H-4 for recording field. ... and saves about U.S. $750 compared to other SD-digital recorders.Do not forget the clapper, why otherwise you are going to be in trouble trying to synchronize audio with video post-production.
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