The new H4n recorder

Randy Panado · July 27th, 2009, 02:12 PM

Very nice Michael, thanks for updating.

One last thing, do you find that there is much delay at the zoom recorder before being kicked out to the cam or is the audio 'pretty close' to not have to worry about that?

Cheers

Michael Liebergot · July 27th, 2009, 02:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Randy Panado

Very nice Michael, thanks for updating.

One last thing, do you find that there is much delay at the zoom recorder before being kicked out to the cam or is the audio 'pretty close' to not have to worry about that?

Cheers

I didn't pay close enough attention to worry about it, but it seemed that it was pretty darn close to not worry about. Granted your not getting genlock audio video, but it's easy to adjust in post if needed.

Which BTW, the H4n keeps very good sync with audio over an hour, unlike previous Zoom recorders, which had sync problems due to cheap recording chips. Seems that Zoom used higher end chips, which is nice. The H4n won;t keep perfect sync, but what do you want from an inexpensive 4 track recorder. =)

Adam Gold · August 13th, 2009, 05:51 PM

I know this is a laughably obvious question, but I can't find an answer, either here, in the manual or on Zoom's website: When a file size reaches the 2GB limit, does a new file automatically start, and is there any loss/gap between files? Obviously this is a no-brainer in the camcorder world, but I was just wondering if it's the same with this unit.

According to this chart: Maximum Recordable Time, it's about 2 GB per hour (4 CH Mode, 24bit / 48kHz), and we often have to do shows of well over 2 hours with no intermission...

Nate Morse · August 13th, 2009, 05:55 PM

Yes. The audio will be split over multiple files, but there will be no gaps in the recording.

Adam Gold · August 13th, 2009, 05:57 PM

Sweet. Thanks for that; looks like this might be the recorder for me. If I can decipher the manual...

Alex Donkle · August 13th, 2009, 08:26 PM

I recently did a test for using my Sound Devices mixer (outputs +4dBu line level) running the signal into the 1/4" inputs. Using the calibration signal (0dBu) at a recording level of "1" it hits "-8dBFS" on the H4n.

The mixer peaks at +22dBu, so I needed to readjust the H4n level to "0.6" to get the proper headroom.

Now, the "below 1" recording levels came in a firmware update, which makes me suspect that the levels are cheated with a compressor/limiter. I don't have a reliable way to test this, so I was curious if anyone knew anything about this.

Thanks,

John Willett · August 14th, 2009, 07:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Adam Gold

Sweet. Thanks for that; looks like this might be the recorder for me. If I can decipher the manual...

Well - you can download it HERE and start reading now. :-D

Adam Gold · August 14th, 2009, 11:06 AM

Oh, no, trust me, I downloaded it a few days ago and have been valiantly trying to understand it ever since. There's a whole thread about the manual right here on this forum. I've criticized the Sony manuals in the past but this one reaches new heights of incomprehensibility.

Jim Andrada, in that thread, makes a great point about it being structured more like a Japanese manual than an English one, with bits of info scattered randomly about rather than flowing in a logical order, as we'd expect in an English one. But he says the actual translation is pretty good and I believe him.

I'm guessing it will take some hands-on playing with the unit with the manual open and a strong cup of coffee nearby...

Jim Andrada · August 17th, 2009, 11:37 PM

Hi Adam - One thing I didn't perhaps consider enough when I looked at the manuals was whether the Japanese description was really clear enough in the first place. While the translation was fine, there's also probably also a second order structural issue with what's being said and or emphasized.

Japanese is not generally noted for its clarity of exposition, and a lot does tend to get left to the reader to figure out on their own - if anything, being overly precise is sometimes seen as insulting to the reader's intelligence. Engineering documents on the other hand can be incredibly precise.

And as a "by the way" I ran my comments about structure and clarity past my (Japanese) wife and she pretty much agreed.

Oh well, it can't be any harder to understand than Cineform's web site...

August 13th, 2009, 05:51 PM	#138
Adam Gold Inner Circle Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Woodinville, WA USA Posts: 3,467	2 GB File Size Limit? I know this is a laughably obvious question, but I can't find an answer, either here, in the manual or on Zoom's website: When a file size reaches the 2GB limit, does a new file automatically start, and is there any loss/gap between files? Obviously this is a no-brainer in the camcorder world, but I was just wondering if it's the same with this unit. According to this chart: Maximum Recordable Time, it's about 2 GB per hour (4 CH Mode, 24bit / 48kHz), and we often have to do shows of well over 2 hours with no intermission...

August 13th, 2009, 08:26 PM	#141
Alex Donkle Regular Crew Join Date: May 2008 Location: Honolulu, HI Posts: 38	Line Level Inputs, below "1" I recently did a test for using my Sound Devices mixer (outputs +4dBu line level) running the signal into the 1/4" inputs. Using the calibration signal (0dBu) at a recording level of "1" it hits "-8dBFS" on the H4n. The mixer peaks at +22dBu, so I needed to readjust the H4n level to "0.6" to get the proper headroom. Now, the "below 1" recording levels came in a firmware update, which makes me suspect that the levels are cheated with a compressor/limiter. I don't have a reliable way to test this, so I was curious if anyone knew anything about this. Thanks,

July 27th, 2009, 02:12 PM	#136
Randy Panado Major Player Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Honolulu, HI Posts: 643	Very nice Michael, thanks for updating. One last thing, do you find that there is much delay at the zoom recorder before being kicked out to the cam or is the audio 'pretty close' to not have to worry about that? Cheers

August 13th, 2009, 05:55 PM	#139
Nate Morse Regular Crew Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Minneapolis, MN Posts: 46	Yes. The audio will be split over multiple files, but there will be no gaps in the recording.

August 13th, 2009, 05:57 PM	#140
Adam Gold Inner Circle Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Woodinville, WA USA Posts: 3,467	Sweet. Thanks for that; looks like this might be the recorder for me. If I can decipher the manual...

August 14th, 2009, 11:06 AM	#143
Adam Gold Inner Circle Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Woodinville, WA USA Posts: 3,467	Oh, no, trust me, I downloaded it a few days ago and have been valiantly trying to understand it ever since. There's a whole thread about the manual right here on this forum. I've criticized the Sony manuals in the past but this one reaches new heights of incomprehensibility. Jim Andrada, in that thread, makes a great point about it being structured more like a Japanese manual than an English one, with bits of info scattered randomly about rather than flowing in a logical order, as we'd expect in an English one. But he says the actual translation is pretty good and I believe him. I'm guessing it will take some hands-on playing with the unit with the manual open and a strong cup of coffee nearby...

August 17th, 2009, 11:37 PM	#144
Jim Andrada Inner Circle Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Tucson AZ Posts: 2,211	Hi Adam - One thing I didn't perhaps consider enough when I looked at the manuals was whether the Japanese description was really clear enough in the first place. While the translation was fine, there's also probably also a second order structural issue with what's being said and or emphasized. Japanese is not generally noted for its clarity of exposition, and a lot does tend to get left to the reader to figure out on their own - if anything, being overly precise is sometimes seen as insulting to the reader's intelligence. Engineering documents on the other hand can be incredibly precise. And as a "by the way" I ran my comments about structure and clarity past my (Japanese) wife and she pretty much agreed. Oh well, it can't be any harder to understand than Cineform's web site...