H4N Zoom questions - confused on the equipment needed

[Fresno Bob]

Hi,

I have a Panasonic GH2, and I'm just starting out in video again after a long time away.
I’m interested in the Zoom H4n for two upcoming projects, and just wanted to ask how I go about setting up what I need.


I need to go to a conference and film the main speaker. They just want a long shot of the whole room, but with perfect sound from the speaker.
Could this be patched into the main desk easily enough? With an XLR cable, is that right?


Also, how do you use the H4n for interviews - do you have it plugged into the camera? Or recording on it's own?
Do I need a wireless lav for this, or is wired good enough? Will the lavs plug straight into the H4n, or do I need some kind of adaptor?

Lastly, if I my subject is far off, how do I monitor the sound? Is this where wireless lavs come in?

Thanks

 

[Doc Bernard]

Fresno Bob, if you run a search here in the audio forum, you will find a thread that discusses that very thing. Then run a search on just the H4n here, tons of info is going to pop up.

The H4n is a hot topic here, so I dare say all of your questions could be answered in them.

And welcome to the forum. I used to live in Fresno, LOL. Right off Ashlan and First.

 

[Jema]

Though I'm not among the most experienced users here, This is my take on it. Also do as Doc say and search - you will found a lot of info on it.

I need to go to a conference and film the main speaker. They just want a long shot of the whole room, but with perfect sound from the speaker.

Could this be patched into the main desk easily enough? With an XLR cable, is that right?

What do you mean by main desk? If the speaker is already talking into a microphone on a stand, table or similar, going to a PA for everyone there to hear, then you could probably patch the H4n into the mixer used to send the mic signal to the speakers. The kind of cables you would need depends on the mixer, but you should know that one of the weaknesses of the H4n is that it cannot take very strong signals. If you connect a mixers main line output to it, the signal will most likely distort. If the mixer has a consumer line output, often using RCA-cables, this is weaker and works better, but in my experience this can also be too strong for the H4n. You would need to get something to pad down the signal before the recorder. Another option is to put the H4n between the mic and the mixer, going XLR from the mic into the H4n, and using the recorders line output to feed the mixer. I don't know if this setup would be good quality wise though, and as the H4n uses the headphone out as line output, you cannot monitor the recorded signal through headphones.
If the speaker is not already using a mic, then a lav is probably the best option (see if you can use it headset-style, as this would probably give the best result).

If you feel uncertain with padding a signal, then there are other recorders able to take a stronger signal. They may cost slightly more though.

Also, how do you use the H4n for interviews - do you have it plugged into the camera? Or recording on it's own?
Do I need a wireless lav for this, or is wired good enough? Will the lavs plug straight into the H4n, or do I need some kind of adaptor?

This is a subject I don't have much experience on. You would probably use it on it's own (otherwise, why would you need a recorder), using a clap board or clapping your hands in front of the camera to sync, but depending on how long the interview is the clock in the H4n can start to drift from the cameras clock, making the interview start out in sync and then slowly get out of sync. I don't know exactly how long this would take, but maybe a frame or so after 15 minutes - others probably know more about this.

How you would set up the H4n depends on the kind of interview - sitting, walking, stopping people on the street etc. If it's a sitting interview, I would probably look into getting a lav, and if the person doesn't move about then there's no need to go wireless (wireless is actually slightly inferior in regards to sound quality, but it's practical to skip the cord). Another option is a mic on a stand. Avoid mounting a mic on the camera.

Lastly, if I my subject is far off, how do I monitor the sound? Is this where wireless lavs come in?

You monitor through headphones, preferably connected to the recorder, listening to connected mics.

 

[Fresno Bob]

Thanks both.
Tried searching, but H4n is too short a search term.

I'll manually look through the threads.