With Zoom h4n, I advise not too use >4GB SD cards. I took a 32GB and it takes 30s each time H4n is switched on to scan the bloody card.
Top Tip … Thanks
With Zoom h4n, I advise not too use >4GB SD cards. I took a 32GB and it takes 30s each time H4n is switched on to scan the bloody card.
I use the H5N with a 32GB card, and the startup is not bad, like 5 sec at the most. I guess they figured out how to improve that. The thing is pretty damn handy. Mics are top notch, and if you want you can record up to 4 lines in at once, on separate tracks. The limiting/compression is pretty great too - awesome for recording a live band that is close and loud. I use it a lot to record right off my mixer when I’m jamming on hardware and don’t feel like futzing with the computer.
Better to set levels right than use the onboard limiter no?
Better to set levels right than use the onboard limiter no?
unless you use it as an effect…
I only recorded people talking by holding it in the room. The quality was fine to me. It’s just that easy to use!
Better to set levels right than use the onboard limiter no?
Yeah, ideally. Hard to manage sometimes if it is fluctuating a lot and really loud. I usually just use it as a fail-safe to avoid clipping, but it can be a cool “brick wall” sort of effect if you ride it hard and are going for that sound. It will also do this thing where it records a second track at 12db lower than the original as a backup in case the main track clips. Takes up double space though, obviously.
Ah that’s cool. The Sony does a similar thing as the backup track except it keeps it in a buffer and dynamically switches between the two (with volume compensation) if the track goes over the threshold. Not 100% clean but pretty good also.
Backup track is brilliant 
Maybe it’s the SD that bugs the H4n : I took a high quality one but it may not be totally compatible for some reason…
I should test other SD cards…
I’ve been using an Olympus LS100. Jez Riley French, a trusted source who was very generous with his time was pretty insistent that their pre-amps are superior to anything else in my budget ($300-500 zone). I also got some Naiant x-x omni mics.
I just put up some recordings I whittled down from 2014 from some areas of South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho if you want to hear what they can do. Can’t recall which are built-in mic and which are the Naiants, but most are the Naiants, but I do think the pre-amps are fantastic based on my couple years of experience 