OldGit Posted May 18, 2008 Share Posted May 18, 2008 Hi I posted this on the end of another thread so, rather than hijack it here's a new thread of its own ... I'm looking for a way to record rehearsals (some with 20 + horns and a section) and mini-demos with a small no hassle recorder that produces something I can easily put onto my MP3 player, PC and CDs .. This is just for me to learn the tunes, mostly. No requirement for great quality beyond the ability to hear things clear enough on playback and avoiding overload distortion (used to get that on cassette recorders - yup it's been that long since I did anything like this ... Looks like those that have them like Zoom H2's ... any difficulties with them or other makes and models to look at? H4? Am I right in thinking you can load the recordings into sound editing software such as Cubase LE (I have that somewhere) and then add tracks etc? Thanks OldGit, recording numpty ..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahpook Posted May 18, 2008 Share Posted May 18, 2008 i'd be interested in replies to this too...i quite fancy one of the zoom recorders, for doing practises and also just for making field recordings for sampling later Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassBod Posted May 18, 2008 Share Posted May 18, 2008 I use the H4 - its very good, provided you take a bit of time to learn how to handle uncompressed Wav files. I think the Cubase that comes with it is far more than you generally need, so I use Audacity to edit recordings and produce CD's. I think I'd buy the H2 now (it wasn't released when I got mine). BB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassBod Posted May 18, 2008 Share Posted May 18, 2008 Oh..forgot to say you don't have to worry about distortion much, just adjust the internal mic gain (only three positions) to suit the environment. The internal mics seem very good (and can "emulate" SM57 or Neumans...but I've no idea how accurate these are). BB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldGit Posted May 18, 2008 Author Share Posted May 18, 2008 [quote name='BassBod' post='201640' date='May 18 2008, 06:15 PM']Oh..forgot to say you don't have to worry about distortion much, just adjust the internal mic gain (only three positions) to suit the environment. The internal mics seem very good (and can "emulate" SM57 or Neumans...but I've no idea how accurate these are). BB[/quote] Thanks I read that modeling stuff in the H4 I guess that' handy of you are recording an istrument straight in ... I don't thingk the H2 has it though ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldGit Posted May 19, 2008 Author Share Posted May 19, 2008 Nudge ... any more points? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 19, 2008 Share Posted May 19, 2008 while i don't have any experience with the h2 the H4 is a great piece of kit, if you can stretch to the H4 it has more options via the hybrid 1/4 xlr inputs, you might not need them now but at least you have the option to use external mic's or to record from a DI or desk, plus it's handy as a headphone amp etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldGit Posted May 20, 2008 Author Share Posted May 20, 2008 [quote name='steve-norris' post='202502' date='May 19 2008, 11:07 PM']while i don't have any experience with the h2 the H4 is a great piece of kit, if you can stretch to the H4 it has more options via the hybrid 1/4 xlr inputs, you might not need them now but at least you have the option to use external mic's or to record from a DI or desk, plus it's handy as a headphone amp etc.[/quote] Thanks. good points and I guess for a feed from a mixing desk as well ... Humm Gary you may have a point ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smash Posted May 20, 2008 Share Posted May 20, 2008 Also interested in this.... I hear the H2 has an auto gain function very handy when capturing your band you don't have to get everyone to play to get your levels right before recording. Does this feature work well? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr.sibs Posted May 20, 2008 Share Posted May 20, 2008 [quote name='OldGit' post='201614' date='May 18 2008, 05:23 PM']Hi I posted this on the end of another thread so, rather than hijack it here's a new thread of its own ... I'm looking for a way to record rehearsals (some with 20 + horns and a section) and mini-demos with a small no hassle recorder that produces something I can easily put onto my MP3 player, PC and CDs .. This is just for me to learn the tunes, mostly. No requirement for great quality beyond the ability to hear things clear enough on playback and avoiding overload distortion (used to get that on cassette recorders - yup it's been that long since I did anything like this ... Looks like those that have them like Zoom H2's ... any difficulties with them or other makes and models to look at? H4? Am I right in thinking you can load the recordings into sound editing software such as Cubase LE (I have that somewhere) and then add tracks etc? Thanks OldGit, recording numpty .....[/quote] these are great, ive been using mine to record rehearsals for analysis, buy it with some sufficient memory and you will have great fun. It generally picks up everything in the room well as long as you position it nicely, it has four mics, so you can do stereo or two stereo (surround) recordings of the room. Mine didn't come with cubase, but the tracks are very easy to get off anyway, i just do it with a card reader, but you can use it as a USB mass storage device which is pretty compatible. hope this helps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wulf Posted May 20, 2008 Share Posted May 20, 2008 I've been very happy with my H2. With a bit of experimentation I have found some settings that yield decent recordings - the balance between a good level and avoiding distortion that is hard to stay on top of while also concentrating on playing. I used to use a minidisk unit but the H2 wins on every count. For example, if I do notice the levels are a bit high, it is possible to nudge them down without stopping and restarting. Most important of all, I get usable digital files at the end of the session (192KB MP3 works for me as a good compromise between oodles of recording time and a decent sound, bearing in mind that I'm not in a position to attend to a careful mix while performing) - I might need to chop them down to individual tracks but it is still a drag and drop transfer to my computer. Wulf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldGit Posted May 20, 2008 Author Share Posted May 20, 2008 [quote name='wulf' post='202771' date='May 20 2008, 12:26 PM']I've been very happy with my H2. With a bit of experimentation I have found some settings that yield decent recordings - the balance between a good level and avoiding distortion that is hard to stay on top of while also concentrating on playing. I used to use a minidisk unit but the H2 wins on every count. For example, if I do notice the levels are a bit high, it is possible to nudge them down without stopping and restarting. Most important of all, I get usable digital files at the end of the session (192KB MP3 works for me as a good compromise between oodles of recording time and a decent sound, bearing in mind that I'm not in a position to attend to a careful mix while performing) - I might need to chop them down to individual tracks but it is still a drag and drop transfer to my computer. Wulf[/quote] Thanks That's what I'm looking for mostly - though the H4 mic and line plugging capabilities are activating my imagination a bit I too have a Sony MD plus mic but I've never been able to get things off the MD in a usable form and this just seems like a quantum leap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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