Zoom H4n for voiceover

[mhh]

I have just bought a Canon EOS 550d (Rebel T2i) DSLR and I was planning on getting the Zoom H4n for audio. However, the vast majority of my dialogue recording will be voiceover. In the past I have used my Panasonic GS400 camcorder (manual audio control) with a Rode NT3 mic. I have used a pop filter and made sure the mic placement is as close to the mouth as possible without having problems with plosives and distortions etc.

My question is would I see much of an improvement in audio quality using the Zoom H4n rather than the camcorder, for voiceover, to warrant a purchase. I figure that as the audio gain is really low because of the proximity of the mic in this arrangement, the preamps in the Zoom H4n will not have a significant effect on the s/n ratio.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[manglerBMX]

the audio quality out of the zoom h4n is a lot better than that of your gs400. i too use an nt3 for a lot of my voiceover work and it sounds great into a zoom h4, which is what i'm using currently. and you'll also find a lot more usage out of your h4n once you get it. its a small investment for what it is and can do.

 

[8string]

I recently bought a zoom H4n, and like the results. However do a bit of homework on this first, as the guy below has done extensive testing and seems to favor the Sony PCM-D50. While I didn't spend the extra money on the Sony, it was only because I wanted the zoom for it's XLR ins'. This has allowed me to use my Okitava mic with it. A very sweet combination, I can assure you. However, I could understand if you would want to spend the extra money on the Sony.

http://www.martin-doppelbauer.de/fieldrecorder/index.html

 

[Chadfish]

I use the Zoom H4 all the time for client VOs that I get at their location using an NT3 mic. Sounds great. Also you can use the H4n as an audio interface, and record THROUGH the H4n into your computer.

Here is an example of a VO with the H4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvnBP3jJVz4

 

[mhh]

I've just received an e-mail about the Sony PCM-M10 which seems to be the same price as the Zoom H4n. From the few reviews I've seen it looks really promising with a lower noice floor than the Zoom.

Does anyone have any experience of the Sony and especially in comparison to the Zoom H4n? I can't decide between the two.

 

[Noiz2]

I recently bought a zoom H4n, and like the results. However do a bit of homework on this first, as the guy below has done extensive testing and seems to favor the Sony PCM-D50.

http://www.martin-doppelbauer.de/fieldrecorder/index.html

It's an interesting article but there are some big problems with the science of it. His set up is not very controlled and he makes some wild assumptions, like thinking he can read +_2 dB on the Zooms meters with any accuracy... I also have doubts about his signal flow and gain staging. He has the Zoom set to 100 what he calls "flat" but that is I believe not flat but maximum gain. So of course it's going to have a high noise floor and be easily susceptible to distortion. On the harmonic distortion section he's hitting the devices with near 0dBfs. He should be hitting closer to -3 to avoid distortion so it is probably a better test of how the converters headroom than anything else AND he also has the gain cranked so??? In the first test he needed to include a reference tone at some known level so the gain differences could be compensated for but he didn't.
So it's interesting but doesn't really prove anything. The think that pisses me off just a little with these kinds of "reviews" is the implication that it's a valid test. He numerous times says he retested a few times to make sure. But he didn't test the test. He needed to ask why they were coming out the way they did and why his tests didn't match the majority of real world users experience. The one thing that was disturbing is the periodic noise with the Zoom. Even if the tests are badly flawed or even largely invalid there should not have been periodic noise.

So the question I would have is with the gain structure as it should be, and as I understand it you would set the switch for the signal strength of your mic etc. and set your level with the 0-100 level setting so the "level" would be around 75, would the results be a little different or a LOT different. Most preamps noise level takes BIG jumps in the last bit of gain. I wouldn't be surprised at all if a properly staged Zoom was pretty much on a par with the rest.

I don't own an H4(N) and am not a Zoom fanboy but quite a few people I respect who would notice the kinds of issues he is talking about have been pretty happy with the Zoom's sound so ...