# Field recorders: Zoom H4n Pro or something else?



## DimensionsTomorrow (May 12, 2021)

It’s been a long time since I’ve looked into field recorders and I’m wondering what people recommend.

I recently picked up a flute and I’d like something I could take to a practice space to record it. Other applications I’m thinking are recording stuff like hand percussion and guitar amps. I’d like to stick mostly to the built in mics if possible for the flute and percussion, although for a guitar amp I would probably use an external mic (since I already have a decent one).

Is the H4n Pro a good choice? Is there something better I should be considering?

Looking through features, I like that it has auto record, a tuner, and built in metronome, so seems well-suited for instruments. The onboard effects also might be nice.

Any input or suggestions would be appreciated.


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## DimensionsTomorrow (May 12, 2021)

PS: Celebrity endorsements usually don’t appeal to me but...😉😂


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## vividmoog (May 13, 2021)

*Hi,

The H4,H5, F6 are all worth looking at subject to your budget and needs.

Regards*


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## sean8877 (May 13, 2021)

I own an H4n Pro, it's great for me for open air recording of band practices/gigs and if need to record a quick idea for the guitar or keys and I'm not at my studio. I assume it would be good for you application also, sound quality with the built in mics is very good IMHO.


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## DimensionsTomorrow (May 13, 2021)

sean8877 said:


> I own an H4n Pro, it's great for me for open air recording of band practices/gigs and if need to record a quick idea for the guitar or keys and I'm not at my studio. I assume it would be good for you application also, sound quality with the built in mics is very good IMHO.


Thanks. I’m leaning towards the H4n Pro, but am also having a look at the H6. Tough decision.


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## el-bo (May 13, 2021)

I think you really have to spend big bucks if you want anything more that rough-cuts and non-critical recordings, from internal microphones. percussion is normally quite easy to capture, because of the short hits and the space in between the hits. It's a lot easier to clean up this kind of audio. For other stuff, not so much.

What's your reservation with using the external mic?


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## DimensionsTomorrow (May 13, 2021)

el-bo said:


> I think you really have to spend big bucks if you want anything more that rough-cuts and non-critical recordings, from internal microphones. percussion is normally quite easy to capture, because of the short hits and the space in between the hits. It's a lot easier to clean up this kind of audio. For other stuff, not so much.
> 
> What's your reservation with using the external mic?


Mainly just setup time, portability, etc. I’m not totally opposed to external mics.

The H4n Pro built in mics sounds nice in these clips.






I’m honestly torn between the H4n Pro and H6 at the moment. I’m trying to decide if it’s important to me to be able to use the H6 as an audio interface for my iPad, which I hadn’t even considered. It seems to me the only thing the H6 is missing from the H4n Pro is electric guitar inputs and effects. I’m not sure I would need those though as I own a Strymon Iridium and some nice effects pedals that would certainly sound better if I wanted to record guitar direct to it for some reason. The H6 is a bit bigger but also has much better battery life it seems.

My gut still tells me that in reality the H4n Pro is probably closer to my real needs.

This sounds nice too:


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## el-bo (May 13, 2021)

DimensionsTomorrow said:


> Mainly just setup time, portability, etc. I’m not totally opposed to external mics.
> 
> The H4n Pro built in mics sounds nice in these clips.
> 
> ...



I'm not so sold on the Steve Gadd clip, but the first one does sound surprisingly good. However, it sounds so good that I'm thinking it's been treated in post. I've never heard any con/pro-sumer model with such a little amount of self-noise from the microphones.

That's why people tend to recommend something like the mikroUši or the Clippy/Primo EM272 EM264









mikroUši


mikroUši /mikrouʃɪ:/ are a pair of stereo-matched, high-quality omnidirectional electret microphones. Compared with regular built-in microphones supplied with many recorders, mikroUši have exceptionally low noise and high sensitivity, in addition to their tiny size (only 6.8mm in diameter). They...




store.lom.audio











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Clippy Stereo EM264Y - micbooster.com


Clippy EM264Y interference. Please read all description before purchasing. We have found that the EM264 capsule is unusually vulnerable to electro magnetic interference, particularly mains hum and lower frequency buzzes. They are good for outdoor use by nature recordists but indoors some...




micbooster.com







https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUrCwJndalU

https://soundcloud.com/georgevlad/dawn-chorus-on-the-farm

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or even binaurals such as the ones from SoundProfessionals:









Sound Professionals SP-TFB-2 - Low noise in-ear Binaural microphones SP-TFB-2


Low Noise In-Ear Binaural Microphones. Select sensitivity and cable/connector combinations below




www.soundprofessionals.com













Master Series by Sound Professionals MS-TFB-2 - Ultra-low noise, in-ear Binaural microphones MS-TFB-2


Ultra low noise In-Ear Binaural microphones - Made in USA




www.soundprofessionals.com










SP-TFB-2 results on SoundCloud - Listen to music


Explore all things SP-TFB-2 in the SoundCloud catalog.




soundcloud.com










SP-TFB-2 results on SoundCloud - Listen to music


Explore all things SP-TFB-2 in the SoundCloud catalog.




soundcloud.com





https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKpXwppVs9Y

In each case, they should be able to be powered from any microphone jack on a small recorder. So you could grab a really small recorder, such as the Olympus LS-P$ and have a really stealthy and great quality rig. O royu could stay with the Zooms for the XLR inputs (The USI and Clippy mics also come with even more sensitivity, with XLR connections).

Not making any recommendations, here. This is just the rabbit-hole I fell down when originally looking to upgrade my Zoom H2N. I ended up deciding that the better bang-for-buck would be to get external microphones. Unfortunately, I've not been able to afford them yet, otherwise I'd have more concrete recommendations.


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## Al Maurice (May 13, 2021)

It really comes down to what you want to do with the recording.

It's not just about the mics, as with most of these recorders or audio interfaces, it comes down to the integrated preamps. Some of these have a very high signal to noise ratio. Usually it's fine at low gain levels, but sometimes you need to increase the volume to get a decent output. That's when the noise starts to increase. Also sometimes the dynamic range is quite low, and you can quickly hit the threshold where the amplitude starts to clip.

Moreover these devices have built in stereo mics which are designed for specific applications, so if you want to mix to mono then they might be out. The pro devices usually at least have XLR jacks so you can then utilise external mics in separate channels. But some are quite low powered and don't reach the phantom power 48V level accurately. 

Also they mostly record to SD cards too; so ensure they can handle the capacity you need. And check out the battery ratings for how long they can be used before running out of charge.

So I suggest you check over the specs, reviews and online videos or any decent audio recordings that are available before you make a purchase.


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## sean8877 (May 13, 2021)

Al Maurice said:


> The pro devices usually at least have XLR jacks so you can then utilise external mics in separate channels.


That's something I like about the H4n Pro, if you're in a live situation you can grab a stereo board feed and record it through the XLR inputs.


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## ptram (May 13, 2021)

I can't compare them, but to widen the choice you could also check the Tascam DR-100 mk3. All I can say is that I have it, and it sounds good.

Paolo


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## Alchemedia (May 13, 2021)

If you don't need XLR inputs check out the *Sony PCM-A10*. It has 16GB of *internal memory* (expandable via microSD memory card slot--Zoom maxes out at 32GB) and is powered by a *rechargeable battery* and you can get up to *15 hours* of use (in high-quality LPCM 96 kHz/24-bit recording mode) with just one charge (3x Zoom H4N). Also remote controllable via Bluetooth smart phone app. Same price as H4N and sounds better to me as it appears to have better mics & preamps.


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## DimensionsTomorrow (May 13, 2021)

Haha. So much to consider.

I thought this trumpet sounded pretty good with a bit of reverb with the H1n.


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## heisenberg (May 13, 2021)

I agree with el-bo's assessment on the Steve Gadd piece almost certainly having so little evident "self-noise" from the mics that it must be treated in post but man o man is that Gadd piece amazing to listen to. Damn he is good.


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## giwro (May 13, 2021)

I have the H6, and (with the addition of pro mics and an AC adaptor to support Phantom power without breaking the bank on batteries) it works very well - I've been using it for live recordings, and have just about finished sampling a pipe organ with it. Onboard mics are fine, but it really shines with better mics.


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## DimensionsTomorrow (May 13, 2021)

giwro said:


> I have the H6, and (with the addition of pro mics and an AC adaptor to support Phantom power without breaking the bank on batteries) it works very well - I've been using it for live recordings, and have just about finished sampling a pipe organ with it. Onboard mics are fine, but it really shines with better mics.


That’s great to hear. I’m leaning heavily towards the H6 at the moment, but still giving it a bit of thought.


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## el-bo (May 13, 2021)

heisenberg said:


> I agree with el-bo's assessment on the Steve Gadd piece almost certainly having so little evident "self-noise" from the mics that it must be treated in post but man o man is that Gadd piece amazing to listen to. Damn he is good.


Just to clarify, it was the first video example that I was referring to. But likely the same with the drums. But with drums there's more signal to hide the noise. When I said I didn't like the Gadd example is because I found the sound to be pretty flat; dull, even. Perhaps I just need to listen with fresh ears.


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## Nimrod7 (May 13, 2021)

My favorite recorders are the MixPre series from Sound Devices.
32bit float recordings, and outstanding quality preamps.

The MixPre-3 II is their entry level.








MixPre-3 II - Sound Devices


3 Preamp, 5 Track, 32-Bit Float Audio Recorder. If you record field audio, sound effects, podcasts, voice-overs, music, audio for film, or are just starting your audio journey, the MixPre-3 II is for you!




www.sounddevices.com





On the cons, side they don't have a build-in mic, and the battery is costing extra.
Also not comfortable as the zooms probably to hold them on hand, and move, most likely to mount them somewhere.


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## DimensionsTomorrow (May 13, 2021)

el-bo said:


> Just to clarify, it was the first video example that I was referring to. But likely the same with the drums. But with drums there's more signal to hide the noise. When I said I didn't like the Gadd example is because I found the sound to be pretty flat; dull, even. Perhaps I just need to listen with fresh ears.


I sort of like the Gadd one (I’m biased because I really love Gadd), but it sounds to me like it was recorded in a really dead space.

Also, it’s a recording for their ad, so I would assume it is recorded in pretty much ideal conditions and not representative of what I should expect of course.


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## Satorious (May 14, 2021)

No experience of any of the others - but I do love the H6, find it useful for all sorts of sound-recording situations - not just music - field recordings/interviews/live performances/dictation etc. I use a combo of the mics modules it came with (depending on purpose) + external XLR based mics - very easy to record from multiple sources simultaneously and good battery life to if you aren't using phantom power.


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## el-bo (May 14, 2021)

DimensionsTomorrow said:


> I sort of like the Gadd one (I’m biased because I really love Gadd), but it sounds to me like it was recorded in a really dead space.
> 
> Also, it’s a recording for their ad, so I would assume it is recorded in pretty much ideal conditions and not representative of what I should expect of course.


Steve Gadd is a great drummer. That's not the issue. It just feels like a very dynamically restricted recording. He's keeping all hits pretty similar in volume, and of course there's no snare-on hits, cymbals or hats. That ensures there are no surprise peaks on the recording, and means they can place the recorder that close and not have to worry. To catch the hats and the kick from that position would've involved ramping up the input volume to a level that the toms would've been impossible to play. For that they'd have had to pull the microphone back, introducing more of the room etc. Ultimately, imo, they've ended up with quite a flat and dull sound...that seems also to have been hi-passed. 

I'm not saying it's done as some grand deception, but its not what I want to hear when judging a recorder. Those who are going to go for the stereo recording of a kit would perhaps want to hear it under expected conditions i.e A fully, dynamic performance that uses all pieces of the kit. 

Anyway, I did do some digging and found this. I think it's a much better example of what can be achieved. The results are obviously going to be room-dependant, but it does show a good ability to capture a full range. With some judicious process, the details can really come to the fore:


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## Nick Batzdorf (May 14, 2021)

I haven't read this thread, but my field recorder is a Blue Mikey Digital plugged into my iPhone. It's not something I'd use for recording a concert pianist, but it's fantastic for interviews.

The stereo field is very focused, so it's just a little more than mono. And while I never use automatic level controls, the one in this thing is astonishingly good.


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## Nick Batzdorf (May 14, 2021)

el-bo said:


> Steve Gadd is a great drummer


...which is like saying the sun is hot.


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