H4n Pro

My target application was for live recording of piano, voice and guitar. Also I wanted to use the device to help with practice with the variable tempo function. I have a full mixing rig and high end condensers, but I sometimes just want to record without the hassle and setup. I also purchased the Tascam DR-100 which is the main competing model to the H4n. I tested both for voice, piano and guitar having them record the same performance simultaneously positioned just adjacent to one another. I had my family then listen through speakers and headphones in a blinded test. There are pros and cons with both recorders. *LIVE Recording Built-in Microphones: The H4n is the clear winner; my completely untechnical family picked the H5n recordings every time- the soundfield plus the high quality mics make for hauntingly good recordings, vocals sounded incredible; the Tascam seems to have very low gain and a drier sound- competent, but without the rich sound of the Zoom. *LIVE recording acoustic electric guitar: H4n is clear winner, you can combine the built in mics with direct input from the guitar pickup for a 4 track recording, or use the mics for vocal while plugging the guitar (or 2 guitars, or guitar/bass) directly into the zoom. The Tascam is just not good for soft acoustic recording. *LIVE recording external mics: The Zoom seems to have more gain in the mic amps- both can work well for this, but I prefer the Zoom for the higher gain and possibility of 4channel recording. If you are using external mics, you'll probably use a mixing board anyway, but if you are not, then the better mic gain comes in handy. *DIRECT recording through line in: The Tascam DR-100 has a slight edge here, I recorded high resolution audio from SA-CD or DVD-audio, the Tascam is slightly more faithful to the source but both sounded very very good. Noise was not an issue with either. *TEMPO SHIFT: Very useful practice tool, allows slowing down or speeding up recordings without changing pitch: Both can slow the recording down by 50%; both are usable but the sound of the Tascam DR-100 is somewhat better when slowed down, but both are compromised. The Zoom does have a greater range of adjustment for increased tempo, an additional 40% I believe. FORM Factor/Battery life: The Tascam is a little wider and boxier and just doesn't work as well to hold in the hand. The battery life for both is excellent, but the Zoom definitely uses less power and includes the AC adapter. The Tascam includes a remote control, the zoom remote is about $30. The plastic hard case with the zoom is very usable. CONCLUSION Well those were the important issues for me. The live recordings were just too nice from the Zoom for me to pick the Tascam, though I preferred the Tascam menu system and appearance, and its much simpler file handling/naming. If I were buying one just as a portable 2 track tape deck replacement, I'd get the Tascam. For amazing live recording with built in mics, I pick the H4n.

I own both the H1 and H4n and I love them both. The H4n is a great versatile field recorder. I mainly use it to record audio for live event video such as weddings and speaking engagements. The H4n is a work horse. It has a ton of features and records in a number of different formats. I highly recommend purchasing a "furry head" wind screen for the unit as the foam wind screen included is not for out door use. Unlike the H1 design that has a hard protective ring around the microphones, the H4n leaves the microphones exposed in order to capture the purest sound possible in live and studio applications. However, be aware that because of the exposed microphone design the external mics are prone to breaking off if the unit is dropped. I had this happen once. If this happens to you, don't worry. I searched the internet and was able to find several Zoom certified service centers within my general area. I called the closest service center, spoke with a repairman and shipped the H4n off and the mic was replaced under warranty; I didn't pay a dime. I had it shipped off and back in 7 days. All in all the H4n is a great field recorder. I mainly use it in 4 channel mode. 4 Chanel mode allows me to record from both external microphones as well as the two XLR inputs at the same time. In some cases I also use a small 4 Channel Behringer field mixer if I have to run more than 2 lavalier microphones. Running straight from the mixer outputs to the H4n works perfectly. I do suggest some accessories when using the H4n. As I said earlier, purchase a "furry head" wind screen. I use the furry head wind screens every time I record outdoors and they completely eliminate wind noise. I only use 32gb Sandisk SD cards because Sandisk is dependable, I have never ever had one fail in all my years of recording. I record at 48K @ 16bits in .wav format which tends to create a lot of data when at live events so 32gbs is large enough to record over 20hours at that sampling rate. This allows me to keep old audio clips on the card for a while after recording them and is a safety net in case I forget to transfer the audio files along with video when I edit. I also suggest having a DI box on hand in the event you may have to run a line out from someone else's mixer. I have had issues with digital clipping and over saturated sound when running a feed without a DI Box from venue mixers. This has to do with a balance and padding that I am just not going to get into but trust me, a DI box is the simplest and surest fix for these issues. I also suggest getting a small portable mixer in case you have to run more than 2 microphones when at live events. Always be prepared. I use rechargeable Duracell AA batteries and I have never had any issues. Battery life is between 6-8 hours when the unit is left on, and 3-4 hours when left powered on and recording. I do not regret this purchase at all. The H4n is a handy little studio on the go and is very dependable. I highly recommend purchasing one.

For the price it's too good for recording music. I record my drums on it. It also has 2 inputs for external mic.

Good quality recorder for all my recordi g put up on youtube at leeyaosien.

Es la mejor grabadora con la que he trabajado, excelente calidad, buenos materiales, no se resbala, portátil, es totalmente increíble, la he usado en conciertos, con linea directa, con los micrófonos de la misma, con shotgun, con lavalier, es simplemente perfecta, además se puede usar como grabadora de instrumentos con grandes efectos, como pedalera, y como interfaz de audio en PC o MAC, 10/10.

Sound quality is very good indeed, but for vintage samplers like the MPC line or the SP 404 series and similar, it seems the gain inputs distort the XLR/Line in combo inputs A and B, without care that is. While these samplers hookup with ease between each other, I have had to noticeably reduce gain to ensure no distorted inputs which says a lot about the default power output in those vintage gears. The MTR mode is truly good, given that it works like a tape machine, not as much as a looper or sampler (no inbuilt looping mode) but excels in its intended purpose. For recording a looper just get a looper. The bounce feature and inputs monitoring work flawlessly, latency is nil and audio signal is internally routed for highest resolution. The metronome feature during recording is a necessity and its great to have it. The fact that you can monitor the built in guitar and bass fx and amps settings is a game changer as recording is seamless. You can directly record what you hear. The built in mics are great with adjustable stereo fields. In MTR mode you can monitor both inputs A and B and record both too which is like full duplex recording without a laptop overhead, the default mic input is another recording source, with an external mic input provided as well. Literally guitar, bass and vocals can be recorded in sync in this hand held unit. I am mostly using it for MTR mode and guitar/bass fx processing on the go. The fx is certainly useable and with a little tweaking shines through, mind you, its not a multi fx chaining fx powerhouse but for a bread and butter toolkit that does the job when used well. It certainly beats adding another hardware FX processor on the go. Stereo mode is great for regular field recording. I use a 32GB card and it starts up well in time, some 25 seconds bootup is not at all an inconvenience, and certainly not as lagging as some folks might like to imagine. If you are used to working with a lot of hardware gear, vintage samplers, drum machines and so on, the operation is highly intuitive, just focus on the menu button, scroll wheel and press down button at the right side. Play pause and record and transport are right at the face plate. Selection of inputs or recording tracks is also right at the faceplate. All this becomes muscle memory in no time. I use it for music production, beat track drafts, music transcription, demos, field recording, multi track recording, I can imagine using it for ASMR or podcasts and film making too..The stamina mode that is enabled by a switch inside the battery compartment which must be turned on before closing the battery compartment and rebooting your unit, works as intended. I don't find the added plastic case goofy as some might try to say, its a very well designed hard plastic case that saves added costs on procuring one, Zoom has given a lot of thought with this and it shows. Tip, buy the USB 5V power cable for H4n Pro and connect with phone power banks for a really long lasting performace time. Also read the manual well, its a good booklet and all features are described step by step. Good luck to future buyers, you will be a proud owner, and at this price its truly a step.

I am delighted with this great recorder which worked 'straight out of the box'. I'm not a technophile, and found the controls, menus and file system easy to navigate. I use it as a music practice aid, and find the quality of the recordings quite good enough for critically reviewing my own playing (how sad is that!) when played back through the speakers of my stereo system via a simple audio cable. Using good quality headphones the sound is incredible with good stereo separation of multiple players. No doubt it would be even better with some external microphones, but at the moment I value the absolute simplicity, self-contained portability and unobtrusiveness of the H4n using internal batteries. The recorder has a nice tactile feel, and seems quite tough. The weak spot looks to be the protruding microphones, but the recorder comes with a strong protective plastic box (although the catch is ineffective). For my purposes the remote control might be a useful accessory, and I can see myself using the threaded hole on the back to mount the H4n on a standard photographic tripod from time to time. Of course the H4n has many more features and capabilities which I am still exploring, but so far it gets five out of five.