Zoom H1 Portable Digital Recorder, Version 2.0

Product Information

So honestly, the H1n has surpassed my expectations that were pretty high to start with. For the price of 110 eur you are sure to get: For such a small unit it really can do some impressive recording and will definitely get the job done. Whether you are recording an interview or live music the H1 would be a great tool." - Videomaker Magazine

And at another day conference, I put it on an extra mic stand by the people on stage speaking, to record their talks. I also recorded what came out of the mixing desk on another machine, but used the audio from the H1n as it was clearer.

Zoom H1 Recorder, Matte Black Overview

It's made from plastic (except microphones). It's way lighter than I thought (I was compared it with Zoom H4 and H6 on my mind) but it's steady and stabile. It works well for collect ambient, atmosphere sounds and one-hit samples. Sometimes you can catch frequencies that you don't want but by using gain adjustments and build-in eq you can decrease them. The X/Y technique provides a great way to cover a wide area while still capturing sound sources in the center with clarity and definition, making it perfect for all types of live stereorecording. The quality od the recording is reasonably good with options of 16 bit and 24 bit recording in 48 (16 bit addiotional 44.1 khz) and 96 khz as well as mp3 recording (up to 320 kbps). There is some marginal noise present but at the price range i think it's purely negligible. Overload and distortion are prevented with the H1's Auto Level function that sets input gain automatically (input level can be set manually, too). The H1 also provides a built-in low-cut filter for the elimination of pops, wind noise, blowing, and other kinds of low-frequency rumble. WAV and MP3 Support The H1's built-in X/Y microphone provides two matched unidirectional microphones set at a 90 degree angle relative to one another, optimum for most stereo recordingapplications.

The 1.25-inch monochrome LCD display is bright and easily visible even in direct sunlight. The menus are easy to navigate, and any first-time user can get the hang of with a little bit of practice. Just above the LCD display is an analog input volume knob to control recording levels, which is an excellent feature—instead of using buttons to control volume, the knob is a nice silent way to adjust on the fly while recording is in progress. Now I'm using it via the usb cable to my computer as the mic for my Skype sessions, and any computer screen recordings I do. I bought the kit, so I have the mini stand which has extension legs (I hadn't realised) & makes it a great tabletop mic. Type: Mini-B type (USB 2.0 High Speed compatible), Mass Storage Class operationFormat: 44.1 kHz/16-bit or 48 kHz/16-bit Both devices have X/Y style microphones that record up to 24-bit audio files. The PCM-A10’s microphones are adjustable for fine-tuning your audio recording whereas the Zoom H1n’s microphones are non-adjustable.The H1 records directly to microSD and microSDHC cards, up to 32 gigabytes. The chart below shows maximum recording time with different file formats and cardsizes.