Zoom H4n line in issue with wedding dj

Watermoore

Watermoore

Member
My last wedding, the DJ let pull a feed from his board. The toasts came out great but most of the dance music is blasted and distorted. I am not much an audio guy but I had the input volume between 0.5 and 1 (down from 100). As long as it wasn't loud music the feed was fine. I was looking in the menu for an option to switch the input from Mic to Line. I couldn't find anything, just limiters but that didn't seem to help. I didn't have a whole lot of time to mess with it either given the circumstances. Am I missing something wrong here or is the zoom h4n not really made to do things like that? Thanks in advance guys.
 
Being a former DJ, many times most djays tend to run audio signals pretty hot. So it is not always reliable to get feeds from djay boards UNLESS you plan on monitoring the signal on a consistant basis.
 
acctually I just checked it

System is 1.5 and Boot is 1.01

I am wondering if that wasn't the issue. because when I went back towards the end of the night I threw my headphones in the h4n and turned the level input all the way down to .1 and it was barely audible but it was still distorted. Like I said, I am not an audio guy but maybe the signal is just too hot for the zoom h4n preamps or something.
 
The problem is that (most likely) you were getting a line-level input off the DJs mixer, which will be too hot for the H4n's (mic level in). The attenuator (linked above) should help.
 
... said:
You'll need a 20dB pad.

Something like this: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/351406-REG/Whirlwind_IMPAD20_IMPAD20_In_Line_XLR.html

if you are using the XLR connector on the H4n.

You can get around using a pad if you connect a 1/4" TRS to the H4n. The 1/4" on the H4n is line level. The XLR is mic level.
Click to expand...

HueyNRolf said:
The problem is that (most likely) you were getting a line-level input off the DJs mixer, which will be too hot for the H4n's (mic level in). The attenuator (linked above) should help.
Click to expand...

You guys are bloody life savers! I figured going xlr would be a cleaner feed versus going 1/4 inch.... like I said before I am not an audio guy haha. Thanks again
 
Just to clarify as I see this often now that I am running into the same issue. The h4n's 1/4 connection is not line in. Is there a pad that anyone knows of the allows you to connect a 1/4 to the h4n through the xlr plate at the bottom of the unit?
 
The pad that others have mentioned would work. You would need an xlr cable that has xlr female to 1/4" male. You can get away with out the pads but the levels on the mixer would be so low and unreadable. You would also have to adjust the record level on the H4N below 1, somewhere around .3-.7 to get any usable signal. Therefore it is better to get the pads and xlr -1/4" cables or adapters.
 
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