[RWP] Zoom H6

Tue Aug 13 13:14:54 EDT 2013

I just need something to record my rehearsals, gigs, and other crazy family functions and stuff.
I really need to start recording more life, a lot of funny moments passed me by that don't get documented.

On Aug 13, 2013, at 12:48 PM, Patrick Perdue <patrick at pdaudio.net> wrote:

> The C4's, which are supposed to be matched, never quite sounded matched to me.
> It seems like every C4 is just a little bit different. Also the same for the pair of C2's I have. They're also a bit noisy, but you wouldn't go around recording classical stuff with them anyway.
> 
> 
> On 8/13/2013 12:42 PM, Colin McDonald wrote:
>> the zoom, for me, is hands down the best live stereo recorder out there.
>> If you want something to record live music from coffee shop level up to
>> and including arena or stadium conserts, the zoom handles it all very well.
>> The down side is that unless you are in a good sweet spot in the stereo
>> field, the recording will sound off kilter.  I've got some excellent
>> recordings from pubs and such, but some of them were taken with the
>> recorder on a table or bar off center from the front house cabs.  This
>> is not such a big deal if you can close enough to the band to get the
>> stage mix...the onboard mikes on the zoom gear are wonderful in many
>> ways, but their stereo imaging is so wide that sometimes it's hard to
>> get a good solid enjoyable recording when you have such a severe stereo
>> field.
>> 
>> Not sure about the olympus stuff, but I've heard recordings from those
>> and they are very good as well, though lacking some of the character and
>> posative coloration found on the zoom products.
>> 
>> Has anyone tried some of the cheaper condenser mikes such as the
>> behringer C4 set using either a laptop or one of the hand held recorders
>> at a live show?
>> The c4's go for about 75 bucks brand new and I think they actually sound
>> quite good from what I've heard.
>> 
>> regards
>> Colin
>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Goldfinga Productions"
>> <goldfingas at gmail.com>
>> To: "Reapers Without Peepers" <rwp at reaaccess.com>
>> Sent: Tuesday, August 13, 2013 9:37 AM
>> Subject: Re: [RWP] Zoom H6
>> 
>> 
>> I'm not really trying to go totally professional, although I don't want
>> to sound like I am recording from the bottom of the can either.
>> I've heard recordings from Olympus as well as zoom products, and I kind
>> of like both. I'm going to have to maybe get my hands on either the LS
>> 100, or the zoom H6 to see which one I like
>> On Aug 13, 2013, at 3:25 AM, Stephan Merk <dl7fos at hotmail.com> wrote:
>> 
>>> Hi,
>>> 
>>> I started recording with the H4, then LS-11 and now LS-100. What I
>>> dislike
>>> on Zoom is the many many features and the bad usability. This might be
>>> better in current versions, but on older ones I got much features, but
>>> not
>>> quite good at all. It's a really all-in-one but with no clear focus on
>>> one
>>> situation. The Olympus devices have speech output, that's an unique
>>> feature.
>>> TheLS-10 gives in my opinion a clear, different sound and a good depth of
>>> the recording. However, it is right that they are not really wind
>>> resistant
>>> but Olympus gives a shield as an accessory which makes a very great
>>> job. The
>>> 140 DB in loud situations is much better than the mics in the LS-11.
>>> But the
>>> device uses a special battery, is larger, nothing for the pocket. The
>>> only
>>> things I don't like is that you can only make stereo recordings or
>>> multitrack recordings in stereo using either the internal mic, the 3,5
>>> jack
>>> or the XLR/6,33mm jacks. So you can't get 4 simultanious parts in one
>>> file.
>>> The usability of the 4-track is not good without sight, but all other
>>> features are nice to use. Olympus presents regulary firmware updates
>>> so they
>>> listen for their customers which is not usual for each brand.
>>> 
>>> However, we say that the musicians will find in Zoom devices more
>>> features
>>> for their needs as well as good sound. The H6 I think will be a good
>>> device,
>>> but it costs much lower as really good mics. So if you want to have
>>> professional recordings, you should spend more money in good microphones.
>>> However, expensive devices will surely not as sounding better as the
>>> price
>>> difference is. Good DACs and ADCs take much place so that they never
>>> get as
>>> portable as the recorders are. In a test of a company for example the
>>> more
>>> expensive SONY D50 is not much better than the LS-100. Or think about
>>> Marantz PRD-620 which is a nice device, but with usual and not really
>>> good
>>> microphones.
>>> 
>>> So if you decide in purchasing an audio recorder you should at first
>>> think
>>> about what you will do with it. If you want to take recordings in a
>>> professional way, spend more money in microphones. If you need a small
>>> all-in-one solution, I think that Olympus and Zoom can fit your needs.
>>> 
>>> 
>>> Viele Grüße
>>> 
>>> --
>>> Stephan Merk, www.merkst.de
>>> 
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: RWP [mailto:rwp-bounces at reaaccess.com] On Behalf Of Patrick Perdue
>>> Sent: Tuesday, August 13, 2013 5:29 AM
>>> To: Reapers Without Peepers
>>> Subject: Re: [RWP] Zoom H6
>>> 
>>> 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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>>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>>> 
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>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>> GF
>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>> Check me out on twitter
>>>>>>>> http://www.twitter.com/goldfingas
>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>> 
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>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> 
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>>>>>> 
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> GF
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> Check me out on twitter
>>>>>> http://www.twitter.com/goldfingas
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> 
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>>>>> 
>>>>> 
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>>>> 
>>>> GF
>>>> 
>>>> Check me out on twitter
>>>> http://www.twitter.com/goldfingas
>>>> 
>>>> 
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>> 
>> GF
>> 
>> Check me out on twitter
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>> 
>> 
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