Little Ditty on the Estralita/Zoom H2

[Deleted]

Just recently got a used Zoom H2... pretty cool little machine. Here's a quick little bit of improv on a Thursday afternoon on my National, also using my sweet German Silver Daddyslide, (Thanks Jan!) .... been using the 120˚ mics, they seem to give a more natural sound to the reso than the 90˚... Hope you all like it!

dannyclayburn.webs.com/Thursday%20feeling.mp3

Let me know what you all think...Thanks!

[5slide]

sounds great, the recording sounds very natural and lovely playing.

I'm thinking of getting a zoom H1, have you ever used one? Would be interested in how efficient the in built mics are?

[Michael Messer]

Sounds great! The Zoom recorders are all excellent. I have a Zoom H4N and it works really well for what I want. The mics are excellent and it records 24bit/96k WAV or mp3.

As a four track machine it works brilliantly. I don't use any of the onboard effects or trickery, I just use it as a recorder and transfer the files to good software to adjust the sound and mix.

They are cheap and amazing value for money.

One thing to be careful of; because it is cheaply built, the casing picks up vibrations from the room and can overpower your recording. So always use something to act as a cushion to stop vibrations. I put the mic stand on thick foam pads.

I recorded an album for a friend who had zero budget to record, but wanted to do it, so the whole album was done on the Zoom H4n.

You can't go wrong for that price!

Shine On
Michael

[5slide]

Thanks for your input Michael, great to hear your thoughts. I'll definitely go for one now, I'm thinking the H1 will be fine for my needs and the price is pretty amazing.

I plan on using it to record my acoustics, I'll then import the files into GarageBand to make any tweaks that might be needed so the on board effects don't matter to me either.

Good to know the mics give good quality.

I note your point about the casing causing problems, other people in reviews i've read have had similar problems, can these by mounted on a tripod?

[Deleted]

Thanks for the kind words & input guys!
I am really happy with the H2... all the reviews have said pretty cheap build, but great mics... I take great care of all my gear so I figured I'd be ok. I also got the silicone jacket for it, that really makes it feel more robust when being used, and helps with the handling noise and case vibrations as MM mentioned. I also utilized some felt strap button washers on the mic stand adapter and mini tripod stand, firstly to not crack the plastic when tightening etc... and they also seem to help floor & tabletop vibrations/noise. MM's clean recording of the MM28 on the H4n was definitely steered me toward the Zooms.

I also just set the mic gain, place in the best spot and point & shoot, normalize in Audacity (free program), I recorded my CD on an old Tascam Pocketstudio (I think it was the 1st digital one) and this little thing really blows it away, the mics are really quiet yet present
I was tempted by the H1 & H4's as well as the newer H2n, but with the used price on the old H2, I was able to fit it in my tight budget as well (65$USD shipped!)

I believe all the models have a screw in type hole for tripods etc... I'd say get one! They pic up acoustics beautifully with little effort, but take a little experimentation to get the true reso sound. I would recommend the 120˚mics about 12+ inches from the handrest of the coverplate, then tweak the angle to dial in the sound.

Let us know what you get, and demo it for us!

[5slide]

Thanks for the advice hookeon, that is an amazing price you got it for, wow!

I'll be ordering one and will follow up with a demo