Help with my new H4n

[MyFilmPro]

Hello,

This might seem very basic, but I just got a Zoom H4n and I need to figure this thing out.

I'm running one boom mic and everything is working great, but I notice that I'm only recording on one channel because of course its a mono mic.

My question is what you do when you bring that audio into an editing system and sync it to your video? Do you copy the single channel to both so that its stereo? If I leave it only one channel then the dialogue will be coming out of only one speaker.

And is there a way to use a shotgun mic and record to both channels in stereo mode?

Thanks,

 

[Kerplunk]

What you do really depends on your editing system. However, you can have the H4N do a mono mix of your single channel and you'll end up with a stereo file upon recording. It's in the Input Setting Menu - turn Mono Mix to On.

 

[Steve House]

Hello,

This might seem very basic, but I just got a Zoom H4n and I need to figure this thing out.

I'm running one boom mic and everything is working great, but I notice that I'm only recording on one channel because of course its a mono mic.

My question is what you do when you bring that audio into an editing system and sync it to your video? Do you copy the single channel to both so that its stereo? If I leave it only one channel then the dialogue will be coming out of only one speaker.

And is there a way to use a shotgun mic and record to both channels in stereo mode?

Thanks,

Most NLEs above bare-bones toys allow you to pan a mono track to the left, right or anywhere in between. Your file from the recorder is giving you one two-channel stereo track with the dialog on one channel. In the editor split the track to two mono tracks and discard the track containing the unused channel, leaving you with one single-channel mono track. When you assemble the final mix, pan the track to the centre so it's directed equally to the left and right stereo channels of your final output.

It's possible to send the mic to record on both left and right channels in the original recording but there's really no compelling reason to do it that way. If you wanted to do it anyway, the best way is to use a mixer between the mic and the recorder that would let you pan each input to left, right, or centre (both) of its outputs as you wished. Another solution is a passive mic splitter but that suffers from a loss of signal level. Some folks use a simple "Y" cable but that can degrade the signal quality as the two inputs are connected in parallel to each other and that can change the impedance they present to the mic, affecting its performance.

 

[Kerplunk]

It's possible to send the mic to record on both left and right channels in the original recording but there's really no compelling reason to do it that way.

Just curious why you wouldn't do it this way if you didn't have a mixer. You're essentially getting the same results as you described in your NLE instructions without needing to do all that. The H4N gives you a stereo file with the audio centered when recording using Mono Mix.

 

[Steve House]

Just curious why you wouldn't do it this way if you didn't have a mixer. You're essentially getting the same results as you described in your NLE instructions without needing to do all that. The H4N gives you a stereo file with the audio centered when recording using Mono Mix.

To properly record a single mic on both of the stereo channels, you need to have a mixer so you can send the single mic's output to both the left and right inputs on the recorder. Without one, the NLE method is the way to go. With the H4n you might also be able to use its "Mono Mix" recording mode to get a proper dual mono recording, I suppose, but I don't know if that would be susceptible to noise creeping in from the unused input.

 

[Kerplunk]

Haven't noticed any problem with noise using Mono Mix on the H4N.

One advantage of doing it in the NLE, after having converted to a mono track, is you can then duplicate it and pan each resulting mono track 20% left and right (respectively) to get a "fuller" sound.

EDIT: Have discovered that recording with Mono Mix set to ON will cause you to need to boost the level compared to recording with it OFF. Translates to, for example, needing to have your level set at 85 instead of 75. Since that could result in more noise, have decided to follow Steve's advice and change the stereo to mono in the NLE from now on.

 

[MyFilmPro]

Thanks guys, that helps a lot. I'm using Premiere CS2 and Audition CS2. I'll check out the panning the sound from each channel. I'm new to the sound stuff... will that be in the manual?

Thanks