H4n & persons audiobox

by "persons audiobox" are referring to a mixer? if you are, yes, its very important. a mixer provides better mic preamps, great limiting and much more.
 
Yes this iPhone has the auto correct. Do I run the mic into the presonus then into the H4n. Also. How does a preamplifier help and work
 
Nick do yourself a favor and spend 2 days reading every post on this forum to understand audio a wee bit better.
(I'm not kidding)
 
No, I have no sound experience minus what I have been around in my music career which is merely watching people hook mics up....

I am scouring the forums trying to compile info on building a kit for myself. I have the H4n and just got the presonus audiobox for a gift. I am pleased with the H4n but as I am reading the info is just overwhelming. I don't know if I should trade this audiobox in for something better as in a better preamp. I am also looking at buying a mixer within the $200 +/- price range. I am doing mostly studio with minor field work but field work is coming my way when winter breaks.
 
They are two totally different peices of equipment that serve totally different purposes. The Audiobox is a computer audio interface, an external, higher quality version of a soundcard. Has nothing to do with the H4n recorder at all. You plujg the Audiobox into a USB port on your computer, plug your mics into its inputs, self-powered monitor speakers into its outputs, headphones into its phones output, fire up your audio software on the computer, and record, playback, or edit your heart out. The H4n, OTOH, is a stand-alone recorder. What you would ever connect the two devices together for is a mystery to me. OTOH, after you record something on the H4n you're going to import its files into your computer for editing. The Audiobox gives you a better interface than your stock soundcard so it will form part of your digital studio, letting you actually hear the playback better than you would with a soundcard and typical multimedia computer speakers.

As for better preamps, you could certainly do better I'm sure ... this is pretty much a basic entry level consumer device for the hobbyist. But are you ready for the investment? Your comment on looking towards a mixer in the $200 price range makes me think you might not be ready for the next levels up. For example, the preamps in the Sound Devices USB PRE 2, also a 2 channel USB audio interface, are superb, but it'll run you $600 to upgrade to it. My advice is to concentrate on learing the basics of sound - its an entire art in its own right - and then think about the upgrades when you have the fundamental knowledge to make informed decisions.
 
Last edited:
The H4n can be used as a 4-channel USB computer audio interface as well. Without looking at the specs my guess it the Presonus has better specs, but the H4nhas many more functions including built in DSP.
 
Thanks for the info...greatly appreciated. I will retreat back into the world of research and practice in the field. Have a great New Year's.
 
yeah I love the H4n despite having mixed reviews. For the money it gives good results. I am looking at trading the presonus in for a lav mic or even getting a preamp since it sounds that having this presonus isn't really doing me anything great.
 
if all you want is just a pre-amp the sound devices mm1 would be a great investment, but it will be limited in future use. production sound is a completely different animal than studio/music.
 
i was just looking at that last night. I am putting a lot of thought into purchasing that. Thanks for all of your help.
 
NICK ASH said:
i was just looking at that last night. I am putting a lot of thought into purchasing that. Thanks for all of your help.
Click to expand...

The question that goes unanswered is just why you think you NEED a preamp at this stage of the game. What do you need to do that the recorder by itself won't do or isn't doing a good enough job of?

Note that putting a good preamp ahead of the H4n is not likely to have ANY audible effect on the signal. A chain is only a strong as its weakest link and the weak link in this case is the recorder's own electronics. While the H4n is a decent small recorder, it's basically a consumer level device. Putting even a multi-thousand dollar boutique studio preamp ahead of it won't transform it into anything else.

Note the MM1 is a mono device. Great for a boom operator to wear on his belt so he can monitor his boom mic and send its signal at line level back to the camera or to a mixer. But if that's not what you're doing, and it doesn't sound like you are, it's likely to sit unused.
 
Last edited:
I understand and agree that at the level where I am filming, the h4n is just fine. For my actual doc film, the answer is hire someone. I have been reading about lights and sound for the last couple of days and it comes down to I am getting adequate results with what I have. I will continue to to master that as I move along.

In the mean time, for my important work, I will leave it to the pros on this until I get a couple more years under my belt. Then perhaps I will handle more.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top