28
Aug
Product Focus: Zoom H6 – The Swiss Army Knife of Recorders
by Trew Audio
/ 8 Comments
Zoom hand held recorders have found their way into many sound professionals’ bags. Indeed, the H4 pushed the envelope of portable low-cost recording with a device that provide substantial sound quality, sophisticated features in an affordable package.
Some who are used to working with strictly pro equipment, have felt that the H4n was less than pro quality – that the H4n’s preamp gain was a little weak, the resulting tracks a little noisy, and the build quality less than bullet proof. For you Zoom doubters, we’re happy to say that the folks at Zoom have raised the ante with the new Zoom H6. The H6’s sound is notably cleaner, and the build quality is solid.
Designed to meet a variety of needs, the H6 has features that will please location sound pros, musicians and DSLR shooters. Though slightly bulky for true hand held , at $399, the H6 delivers a lot of bang for your buck in a compact package.
The H6 features 4 built-in XLR inputs with phantom power, built-in track selectable compression and adjustable low cut filters, USB out (so you can use the H6 as an interface to your iPad, computer or phone) 2 second pre record, signal-activated auto record function, front panel level controls for each of the XLR channels. Plus the H6 allows for interchangeable top mounted modules – so in addition to the supplied x/y stereo and mid/side capsules, there’s an optional module that adds two channels of XLR input (for a total of 6 tracks of simultaneous recording, and a soon to be available shotgun mic capsule. Battery life is pretty darn good – we figure about 10 hours on a set of alkaline batteries. The H6 records onto SD cards in all the WAV and MP3 formats you’re likely to need.
If you’re in need of a versatile, compact, good-sounding multitrack, multipurpose recorder for your bag, here it is!
Note: The Zoom H6 is currently in stock in our Toronto and Vancouver locations. Call your Trew audio sales rep for availability.
For a full specs – Click Here.
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Thank you.
Hi
Has anyone tested the power loss problem that occurs when the recorder shuts down while recording? Hn4 has had this problem and is a deal breaker. The audio track that is being recorded will be lost if power interrupted. So if you had a long recording going on and the batteries failed those tracks are gone forever.
Kean
Hi Kean,
We tested the Zoom H6 to see if it had the same issue when recording a take and then see what happens to the take if your battery supply failed. The recording shows up in the Zoom H6 but is not playable on the H6. All is not lost!
What you need to do is take that file and upload it to your computer. Then you need to open it up in VLC which is a free downloadable program. It should play. We tried with multiple recordings that got uninterrupted by battery failure and all seemed to play in VLC.
Finally, just convert the file to the exact same settings you had in the Zoom H6 using VLC and your file will be good as new!
Hi,
When changing the mic gain during recoding, does the H6 allow for smooth adjustment, or does it "stair-step" and introduce clicks (as the Tascam DR-60 does) into the signal?
Thanks,
Mike
To answer your question Mike, I have an H6 and the gain adjustments are smooth... no stair-stepping.
Everything is very open with a clear explanation of the issues.
It was definitely informative. Your website is extremely helpful.
Many thanks for sharing!
Does the H6N record separate channels or just 2 channels like the H4H?
you could simply put the batteries, and still use the unit on mains power, and if power shuts down,the batteries out to keep it running?
Thanks for posting this.
My unit became accidentally unplugged and I thought I lost a very valuable recording of a show.
VLC was able to open/export my files easily and I'm back to the Joys of Life!!
The battery thing and power safeguards are a good idea (Sanjeev) but are useless when the unpredictable happens and you are in the situation... so thank you for that bit of knowledge Trew Audio.
Some words that might come up in the search better- How to recover files when your Zoom H6 loses power.
Power Shut-off during recording H6.
H6 unplug during recording.
Cheers!
-DJ