[RWP] Zoom H6

Mon Aug 12 23:29:07 EDT 2013

The LS100 is a very clean machine. The internal mics, when taken 
individually, are pretty nice, but I don't particularly like the image 
they give, and they are in bad need of a windscreen, purchased 
separately, of course.
They are, however, rated at 140DB SPL, and I can very well believe that. 
It's got plenty of headroom. It's probably the best portable recorder 
you can find in terms of self-noise until you get to the multi-thousand 
dollar Sound Devices recorders.
It's XLR inputs are quite nice as well, which I can't say for the H4N.
It's a little on the power hungry side when compared to some of the 
smaller recorders, and it runs on a LI50B battery, 5 volts, I think.
It, like everything else, has it's quirks as well.

On 8/12/2013 11:22 PM, Goldfinga Productions wrote:
> Okay.
> I guess I could work with that… I learn more about the stuff every day.
> Is the LS 100 any good?
>
> On Aug 12, 2013, at 11:17 PM, Patrick Perdue <patrick at pdaudio.net> wrote:
>
>> They're a little noisy, but it's the general sound of them that gets me more than the noise. And mic noise won't be so much of a problem in those types of environments anyway.
>>
>> Also, I've never seen a point in recording any higher than 48 khz with any of these recorders. Bit depth matters more than sampling rate for dynamics, which is why I was particularly annoyed to find that I couldn't record at 48 khz in 24-bit land with the LS14. So, my LS14 pretty much stays at 88.2 khz, 24-bit stereo most of the time, because that is the most conservative version of 24-bit it offers. Sure, I could record at 24/96 all the time and get away with it, I have the card space, but that's even more processing to deal with for frequencies it probably doesn't pick up anyway.
>>
>> Everything does HCSD these days, even the H1. I have 32GB cards in both my LS14 and LS100, and they can both take up to 64GB, possibly even 128GB. There are 128GB SD cards around, not sure about MicroSD in that size.
>> I don't need a card that big though.
>>
>> On 8/12/2013 11:09 PM, Goldfinga Productions wrote:
>>>
>>> The bit rate and all of that doesn't really matter, as long as I can get 44.116 I'm good.
>>> I will more than likely use 2496 though.
>>> Are the Mike's very noisy on it?
>>> I will most likely be recording rehearsals and/or gigs with it anyway, so I really just need something that can handle a lot of bass.
>>> And I usually recording wave and then bring it home and process it as needed, so something that can hold I high-capacity ST card would be pretty cool.
>>>
>>> On Aug 12, 2013, at 10:37 PM, Patrick Perdue <patrick at pdaudio.net> wrote:
>>>
>>>> If the Olympus LS14 had better internal mics than it does, I might recommend that. I don't particularly like them, but maybe they would work for you. These things are all so subjective.
>>>> It runs forever on a pair of AA's, much longer record time than the H4N or H1. My biggest complaints about the LS14 are the following:
>>>> No 24-bit recording under 88.2 khz. In otherwords, you have five options -- 44,100 hz, 16-bit stereo, 48000 hz, 16-bit stereo, 88,200 hz, 24-bit stereo, 96000 hz, 24-bit stereo, or 44,100 hz, 16-bit mono. I would rather record at 48000 hz, 24-bit stereo, but this particular unit doesn't have the option. Also, the headphone output is pretty weak, so in my case, I have over-compensated with input gain a few times thinking it should be louder than it needed to be. It does have a pretty good mic preamp though.
>>>>
>>>> Tascam and Roland's recorders all seem to feature omni-directional capsules, yielding very little image. However, the Tascam DR100 has both omni and cardioid microphones, as well as XLR. I've not used this recorder, and haven't heard anything from it, but it looks interesting.
>>>>
>>>> I guess it depends on which set of issues you're willing to deal with. Nothing is perfect.
>>>>
>>>> On 8/12/2013 10:16 PM, Goldfinga Productions wrote:
>>>>> So Patrick, what do you suggest I look into? I want something with internal mics. I don't really feel like carrying a whole lot of extra gear with me. I just want to grab my recorder, point, and shoot.
>>>>> I had an H2, and didn't really care for its interface.
>>>>> The h1 seems a little cheap and plasticky to me.
>>>>>
>>>>> I would like something kind of small and pocket-sized, but if I have to go with something a little, bigger, it's all good.
>>>>> On Aug 12, 2013, at 8:07 PM, Patrick Perdue <patrick at pdaudio.net> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> I had a Zoom H4N for about six months. Made it go away because I was so disappointed about how noisy the XLR mic inputs on it are. Having come from the original Zoom H4, that part of it really was quite a downgrade. I eventually replaced the H4N with an Olympus LS100, which, granted, costs about as much as the H6. I didn't buy the H4N to use it's internal microphones. Same for the LS100. Most people I know who are happy with their H4N's just use the internal mics, and nothing else. Those mics sound pretty good, but they're a little noisy, more of an issue if you want to capture quiet/detailed stuff. You won't notice or care if you're, say, recording bar gigs.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> The 3.5mm input on it is OK if you want to use plugin powered mics or whatever, but honestly, that part of the recorder is almost identical to the much cheaper and floppier Zoom H1.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I've heard the H6, and I'm not a fan of it's included mics, either. I can't call them internal, because they're technically not. The fact that it has four xlr/phone jacks, and you can use it as a multi-channel or stereo USB audio interface with the ability to mix levels and pan on the unit itself would be kind of nice in certain situations, but I don't think I would personally need something like that enough to justify buying one, at least not at the moment.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Also, one really bad thing about the Zoom H4N, which could have been fixed with a firmware upgrade but wasn't, is that the bigger your SD card, and the more stuff you have on it, the longer it takes to boot. Then, on top of that, the longer it takes to actually start recording when you press the record button. Sometimes it could take nearly a minute from cold boot to recording if you had, say, a nearly full 32GB SD card. A great way to potentially miss things.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I really wanted to like the H4N, but I just couldn't.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> On 8/12/2013 6:55 PM, Kevin Brown wrote:
>>>>>>> OK,...The "Zoom H4N" is going for $270...At "American Musical Supply",
>>>>>>> you can setup a "3" payment plan for $90 per month...
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> The "Zoom H6" is going for $399,...You can setup a "3" payment plan at
>>>>>>> "American Musical Supply" for $133.33 per month...
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I usually get all of my gear from "American Musical Supply", because
>>>>>>> they have an extensive payment plan that won't break the bank...
>>>>>>>
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>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> GF
>>>>>
>>>>> Check me out on twitter
>>>>> http://www.twitter.com/goldfingas
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
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>>> GF
>>>
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>
> GF
>
> Check me out on twitter
> http://www.twitter.com/goldfingas
>
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