Ultimate Indie audio recording - Zoom H1 100 bucks

This is primer how company must listen to customers :-)
Must be ok in case you don't use any XLR mics.
Next thing I want to see is small sized recorder with level monitoring using leds, level adjusting using wheel on side, and one giant record-stop button.
No file managment, no anything only indication of file storage low by same leds.
$40 will be ok.
 
Nice design. MicroSD is annoying but not a deal breaker. No XLR inputs, but that's not expected. Looks very promising.
 
nice!

although i don't see the price listed anywhere.

there are no XLR inputs, either. but... i wouldn't know the implications.

so, can we now just stick this on top of a boom pole, with a muff, and call it good?


(this should probably be moved to the Audio section).
 
MicroSD doesn't have to be a problem. The point is to put a big card in there and never take it out again....that's what the USB port is for.

I use 3x Yamaha Pocketrack CX units for weddings, and they're very similar to the H1. The CX is one of the best things I've ever purchased for my business...ranks right up there with going "HD" and going "tapeless" over the years.

The CX also includes an "Eneloop" battery which will last all day on a single charge, and recharges very quickly while you capture your audio files via USB. And like the H1, it also has a 1/4-20 mount so it will mount atop your GH1 with an eBay shoe mount that only cost a few bucks. The CX also has most of the buttons located on the SIDE (and on the face) so you can see them when camera mounted.

Charging/capturing:

805662889_pePZ6-L-1.jpg
 
Fahad said:
so, can we now just stick this on top of a boom pole, with a muff, and call it good?
Click to expand...

I am especially interested in that part.

How would the quality and audibility of this compare to something like... A Rode VideoMic + recorder on a boom pole?
 
currently i use a microtrack 1 for my dslr interview stuff with my G2 kit plugged in via 1/8" jack. my work had it and the battery wouldn't hold a charge so i replaced it with an iphone battery and now lasts around 3-4 hours, which is perfect for a lot of my simple interview setups. but i saw a video a couple of weeks ago of this H1 and was really impressed. especially for around $100-$150. also a good back up recorder for my sound kit.
 
You gotta explain why you went this route (not the recorder brand, but why you are using 3 separate recorders)
and why you think its the greatest thing since sliced bread?

swyzlstyx said:
MicroSD doesn't have to be a problem. The point is to put a big card in there and never take it out again....that's what the USB port is for.

I use 3x Yamaha Pocketrack CX units for weddings, and they're very similar to the H1. The CX is one of the best things I've ever purchased for my business...ranks right up there with going "HD" and going "tapeless" over the years.

The CX also includes an "Eneloop" battery which will last all day on a single charge, and recharges very quickly while you capture your audio files via USB. And like the H1, it also has a 1/4-20 mount so it will mount atop your GH1 with an eBay shoe mount that only cost a few bucks. The CX also has most of the buttons located on the SIDE (and on the face) so you can see them when camera mounted.

Charging/capturing:

805662889_pePZ6-L-1.jpg
Click to expand...
 
This thing looks great! A lot of the time I use the H4n as a "shotgun" on top of my cam, but it is definitely a little bulky and weighs down the camera a little (especially on light weight set up with a "gun-stock"). H4n seems better suited for a larger rig with a shotgun attached via XLR.

If the H1 does wind up being at $100 and sounds just as good as H4n then this will be the ideal item to have for run-and-gun shooting...


PS. Really is a shame vdslr cameras are not just incorporating some better audio in camera so these guys didn't have to be used at all. I don't need xlr inputs, but audio monitoring and control would be a +
 
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Fahad said:
so, can we now just stick this on top of a boom pole, with a muff, and call it good?
Click to expand...

Oetam said:
I am especially interested in that part.

How would the quality and audibility of this compare to something like... A Rode VideoMic + recorder on a boom pole?
Click to expand...


Bad, bad, bad idea.

For starters, the level meters and controls would not be within either clear sight or reach, so you'd have to run your headphone cable down the boom pole. That also means that you have no way of reading potential problems during a take. While ears are the most important tools in monitoring recording, having the meters and controls close by is highly necessary.

Second, and this is discussed as nauseum in the audio forums, dialog is mono. Period. Recording in stereo creates issues in post. If you decide to consolidate the stereo recording to mono, you face the risk of phase cancellation. If you go with only one mic, your on- and off-axis audio is all screwed up because the mic is not aimed properly.

Third, these mics are made to pick up lots of sound. They are not made to reject much, so indoors may get passable results if the mics are really close. Exteriors, however, would be all but useless. Again, the mics would need to be as close s possible (actually, closer than possible) to get acceptable dialog.

Also, the mics are not very well isolated from the chassis of the recorder. Any bumps on the pole or in the headphone cable will very quickly translate into the recording.

I like the looks of this little recorder as a compact and easy-to-use machine. Little recorders like this are great for grabbing FX and ambients, especially where the recorder needs to be placed in a tight space or a cheaper recorder is needed due to risk of loss/damage. I do wish they would include 1/8" line-in (mic-in only, apparently) so that it could be used with a field mixer's tape out for recording from external gear. In all, this is a promising offering from Zoom for some very specific uses. It's not an end-all for larger, higher-quality recorders, but it can prove to be a very handy addition to the tool kit.
 
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DC Reels,

If you spent $2000 on camera equipment, expect the same investment in audio. The is a very rough but realistic guideline.

Grant
 
dam looks nice. I wonder if i should sell my h4n, and get this?

I honestly dont use the XLR inputs very much (although i guess i might in the future if i get better equipment)

I usually just use my rode videomic with the 7D, and dam this basicaly does everything i would need it to.
 
ggrantly said:
DC Reels,

If you spent $2000 on camera equipment, expect the same investment in audio. The is a very rough but realistic guideline.

Grant
Click to expand...
I tend to agree, my question was more rhetorical in nature. When it gets down to it, I would still spend the extra money for the H4N.
 
ggrantly said:
DC Reels,

If you spent $2000 on camera equipment, expect the same investment in audio. The is a very rough but realistic guideline.

Grant
Click to expand...


The paradox is that it is possible to shoot "best quality HD video in the world" with a $3500 camera (Canon EOS-5DII with good basic prime, with many restrictions, of course, but still, qualitywise), but to record "best possible audio in the world" for the same video in stereo you would need a $8000 rig*...

*) something like SD 722 & Sennheiser MKH30 & MKH50 or 60 combo in full Rycote blimp.
 
Petrus,

Yes, you are correct. But the context was a relative budget. If you have a $3500 cam, then a reasonable budget for sound would be around the same. How often do we have folks drift into this forum and say, "I just bought a XXX cam and my leftover budget for audio is $300, what should I buy to get great audio?" What, the on cam mic sucks....

This whole topic reminds me of a family joke when the the amazing "do it all wrench" commercial comes on TV. One silly little wrench can replace an entire toolbox worth of high quality mechanics tools. Invariably, my wife says, "honey, you should sell all those other tools, cuzz this thing could replace all that expensive stuff".

Being mechanically challenged, even she knows baloney when she hears it. It is baloney isn't it? Maybe someday, we'll all be surprised by some new gizmo that does do it all. I don't think it is today, but maybe someday.

Grant
 
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