Zoom H4 Handy Recorder

by Zoom

Product Features

• Metronome: 5 sounds (Beat: 0/4 - 8/4, 6/8, Tempo: 40.0 - 250.0BPM)
• A/D Conversion: 24bit, 128times oversampling
• D/A Conversion: 24bit, 128times oversampling
• Signal Processing: 32bit
• Recording Media: SD memory card (16MB-2GB)

Product Details

• Item Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B000LGA2K6
• Item model number: ZOO H4
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (145 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #11,963 in Musical Instruments (See Top 100 in Musical Instruments)
  • #45 in Musical Instruments > Recording Equipment > Portable Recorders
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

Whether you're recording a live performance, a podcast, a class or workshop, a rehearsal, a songwriting session or even a sizzling performance of your band, the H4 has more recording tools available than any device ever made. Weighing a mere 6.7 ounces (190g), the H4 puts a remarkable amount of recording power in the palm of your hand.

Underneath its sleek exterior are built-in studio effects such as compression, limiting and mic modeling. Use the combination XLR-1/4-inch inputs for external mics, guitars, bass or keyboards. Also onboard are Zoom's most incredible microphone, guitar and bass modeling, accurately reproducing the tone of the most famous microphones and amps ever made. Audio can be recorded as WAV or MP3 files and moved to a computer via USB for easy editing, mixing and mastering.

True stereo imaging:
Stereo recording is often accomplished by using two microphones in a V-shaped set up that faces the performer. While this method will result in good stereo separation, responsiveness for the area directly in front of the mics will be low, causing problems with depth perception and imaging. The Zoom H4 uses an X/Y configuration where the two microphones point inward at a crossing angle. This allows the recorder to cover a wide area, and at the same time capture sound sources in the center with perfect clarity and definition. Phase differences between left and right channels are also eliminated because sound is picked up simultaneously by both microphones.

Absence of phase differences ensures natural stereo imaging

24-bit/96 kHz linear PCM format and MP3 recording:
The H4 allows 24-bit/96 kHz linear PCM recording in WAV format, resulting in excellent transparency and definition that exceeds the sound quality of CDs. This is great for capturing the nuances of an acoustic instrument while preserving the ambience of the recording location. Or record directly as MP3 files for longer recordings that still provide excellent sound quality.

Secure Digital (SD) Media
The H4 records on Secure Digital (SD) Media cards. These widely available cards boast an amazing amount of recording time in a small package. And unlike tape or disc media, mechanical vibrations do not affect recording quality. With a 2GB SD memory card, the H4 can provide up to 190 minutes of stereo WAV file recording in 44.1 kHz/16-bit mode or as many as 34 hours when recording at 128 kbps in MP3 stereo mode.

Combination XLR-1/4" Inputs
The H4, with its two phantom powered XLR-1/4" input jacks that support direct connection of external microphones, is the solution to an infinite number of recording situations. You can also use the H4's Hi-Z rated phone inputs for direct connection of guitars, bass, or any other line-input device.

Product Description

The Zoom H4 Handy Digital Recorder fits in your palm and is ideal for recording live musical performances interviews podcasts meetings classes and seminars. The H4 allows you to record 24-bit/96 kHz digital audio as well as in MP3 format with bitrates up to 320kbps.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

176 of 188 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Zoom H4 vs Edirol R-09, October 26, 2006

By 

JerryWithaJ (USA) - See all my reviews

I got both the Zoom H4 and the Edirol R-09. The Zoom goes back, the Edirol stays, even though the Edirol cost $100 more.

Why, then, 4 stars for the Zoom? I'd really like to give it 3-1/2 stars, so it was a tossup between 3 and 4. However, if you know what you are getting into, the 4 stars are well-deserved.

The Zoom has a huge variety of features that the Edirol lacks. The Zoom may even sound the slightest bit better (more open, slightly better high end) when both are used to record with their built in mics. However, this functionality comes with a price--a much more complicated interface.

The Zoom does everything. It records directly to wav and mp3. It's a 4 track recording studio. It serves as computer interface for your guitar. It serves as an effects box. It can emulate four different types of microphones, such as the Shure SM57 and the AKG C414. It's even got a built-in metronome and tuner! If you go to the Samsontech website, you can download the manual in PDF format and be truly amazed.

In order to do all this, the Zoom H4's buttons and controls must necessarily be multi-function. On top of that, it adds a jog dial (like the wheel on a mouse: slide in either direction to change menu choices, push to select the current choice). It is necessary to go two levels deep in the menus to set recording levels manually. The Edirol R-09's interface is so simple and intuitive that many could use it without even looking at the manual. Since all I was looking for was a recorder, the Edirol was the easy choice for me.

The Edirol is quite rightly criticized for how awkward it is to insert and remove batteries. In theory, it's a lot easier to do with the Zoom H4. In practice, I found it just as awkward. I found the SD card much harder to swap out of the Zoom H4 than out of the Edirol R-09.

The Edirol R-09 has four very small rubber buttons on the back. They're too small to notice until someone bumps the surface the recorder is sitting on and the unit doesn't move! The Zoom unit has one rubber button on the back but it didn't seem to grip much.

As the side-by-side photo I uploaded shows, the Zoom H4 is a bit larger than the Edirol R-09. I did not find the H4 so much larger as to be a burden. I did find the Edirol's screen easier to read, however!

One other thing worth noting in the picture is the microphones. A quick glance gives the impression that the way the Zoom's microphones extend from the body makes them particularly vulnerable to damage. However, a closer inspection shows that there is a very stiff thick wire surrounding them, like a sports car's roll bar. They may even be better protected than the Edirol's microphones. I could imagine a problem if the Edirol were grabbed from the sides at the top in a forceful way to remove it from a carrying case.

One other Zoom plus: The Zoom has a true automatic gain control, where the Edirol's is a compressor circuit. The Zoom prevents clipping at high volume where the Edirol boosts low volumes without guarding against clipping.

A Zoom minus: Both devices have level meters. The Zoom has no peak indicator that I could find. The Edirol, in addition to its meters, has an impossible-to-miss LED that blinks when the unit peaks. This makes it very easy to adjust levels properly by using Up and Down buttons on the side of the unit, which can be done even while recording.

One final comment that won't mean much except to other die-hard MiniDisc users who stuck with the MiniDisc despite its shortcomings because its fidelity is so good. The Edirol R-09 is the unit that got me to finally abandon the MiniDisc. If you're a MiniDisc user looking for the features in the Zoom H4, I suspect you'll be very happy to abandon the MiniDisc in favor of the Zoom H4.

144 of 153 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars I suspect I should have bought the Edirol, November 22, 2006

By 

Tacfarinas (Swarthmore, PA USA) - See all my reviews

I am new to digital recording; I bought the Zoom to make podcasts, and I wanted both portability and good sound quality. I settled on the Zoom because the phantom power feature meant that I could use the best possible external microphone, should that be necessary. In fact the internal microphones seem to me very good, and they actually produce better sound quality than the external one I have tried (a leftover from my cassette deck days, so perhaps that doesn't mean much).

The Zoom seems to do its job very well, but I have two big reservations. The first is--and I never thought I would care about such a thing--the ergonomics. The display reminds me of my first PC; the feel of the buttons like my first plastic Walkman, and often there is no sense that one has successfully pushed a button, or made one stop and start (ending a recording is curiously delayed), though you get used to it.

The second, far more important, problem is the complexity of the interface, combined with documentation that is no doubt very full, but hardly user friendly, especially for novices (who might well be an important target market, so this is odd). The combination of jod dial and (tacky) menu button is not intuitive; there seems no obvious logic to when to use the button and when to use the dial. And the manual has all the clarity of an old printer manual. Even the "Simple Recording Guide" has at a crucial stage "Adjust senstivity with [mic gain]switch," which is probably fine for an experience user but to a novice was slightly opaque. Similarly, the triumphant conclusion "Play the recorded file" is unfortunate; not just because of course there's no speaker, but because headphones gave a misleading impression of the recording levels.

I'm sure I can use this thing to do the job. But the whole experience has been a steady stream of irritations. Experienced users will perhaps be impressed; novices should simply be prepared to do a bit of homework.

112 of 120 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Zoom H4 vs Edirol R-09, October 26, 2006

By 

JerryWithaJ (USA) - See all my reviews

I got both the Zoom H4 and the Edirol R-09. The Zoom goes back, the Edirol stays, even though the Edirol cost $100 more.

Why, then, 4 stars for the Zoom? I'd really like to give it 3-1/2 stars, so it was a tossup between 3 and 4. However, if you know what you are getting into, the 4 stars are well-deserved.

The Zoom has a huge variety of features that the Edirol lacks. The Zoom may even sound the slightest bit better (more open, slightly better high end) when both are used to record with their built in mics. However, this functionality comes with a price--a much more complicated interface.

The Zoom does everything. It records directly to wav and mp3. It's a 4 track recording studio. It serves as computer interface for your guitar. It serves as an effects box. It can emulate four different types of microphones, such as the Shure SM57 and the AKG C414. It's even got a built-in metronome and tuner! If you go to the Samsontech website, you can download the manual in PDF format and be truly amazed.

In order to do all this, the Zoom H4's buttons and controls must necessarily be multi-function. On top of that, it adds a jog dial (like the wheel on a mouse: slide in either direction to change menu choices, push to select the current choice). It is necessary to go two levels deep in the menus to set recording levels manually. The Edirol R-09's interface is so simple and intuitive that many could use it without even looking at the manual. Since all I was looking for was a recorder, the Edirol was the easy choice for me.

The Edirol is quite rightly criticized for how awkward it is to insert and remove batteries. In theory, it's a lot easier to do with the Zoom H4. In practice, I found it just as awkward. I found the SD card much harder to swap out of the Zoom H4 than out of the Edirol R-09.

The Edirol R-09 has four very small rubber buttons on the back. They're too small to notice until someone bumps the surface the recorder is sitting on and the unit doesn't move! The Zoom unit has one rubber button on the back but it didn't seem to grip much.

As the side-by-side photo I uploaded shows, the Zoom H4 is a bit larger than the Edirol R-09. I did not find the H4 so much larger as to be a burden. I did find the Edirol's screen easier to read, however!

One other thing worth noting in the picture is the microphones. A quick glance gives the impression that the way the Zoom's microphones extend from the body makes them particularly vulnerable to damage. However, a closer inspection shows that there is a very stiff thick wire surrounding them, like a sports car's roll bar. They may even be better protected than the Edirol's microphones. I could imagine a problem if the Edirol were grabbed from the sides at the top in a forceful way to remove it from a carrying case.

One other Zoom plus: The Zoom has a true automatic gain control, where the Edirol's is a compressor circuit. The Zoom prevents clipping at high volume where the Edirol boosts low volumes without guarding against clipping.

A Zoom minus: Both devices have level meters. The Zoom has no peak indicator that I could find. The Edirol, in addition to its meters, has an impossible-to-miss LED that blinks when the unit peaks. This makes it very easy to adjust levels properly by using Up and Down buttons on the side of the unit, which can be done even while recording.

One final comment that won't mean much except to other die-hard MiniDisc users who stuck with the MiniDisc despite its shortcomings because its fidelity is so good. The Edirol R-09 is the unit that got me to finally abandon the MiniDisc. If you're a MiniDisc user looking for the features in the Zoom H4, I suspect you'll be very happy to abandon the MiniDisc in favor of the Zoom H4.