What mic for recording loud metal band?

[ReeV0]

Hi all,

 

I've been trying to use my Zoom H4n to record my band practice. Unfortunately it does a terrible job and it always just comes out completely distorted. I've tried using auto-level, setting the level manually, using the limit and compressor functions... Nothing helps.

 

The only thing I havent tried is plugging in an external mic. Would using a Shure SM57 help? Is there a better mic?

 

Thanks for any help

[Dad3353]

Have the Zoom much, much further away..?  

 

...

 

(I hestitate to advance the notion that maybe, just maybe, the distortion is coming from the genre you're playing..! ).

[ReeV0]

7 minutes ago, Dad3353 said:

Have the Zoom much, much further away..?  

 

...

 

(I hestitate to advance the notion that maybe, just maybe, the distortion is coming from the genre you're playing..! ).

 

It's just in a rehearsal room, I try and put the mic as far away from the drums as possible

[Dad3353]

41 minutes ago, jjl5590 said:

 

It's just in a rehearsal room, I try and put the mic as far away from the drums as possible

 

Depending on the size of the rehearsal room, maybe you're all just playing too loud..? It's perfectly possible to damped down drums to be much quieter (I'm a drummer...), at least for rehearsals. If the volume is over-loading the Zoom mics, it's pretty darned loud. There's no need to rehearse at stadium volumes; even more so when even a recording can't be used to hear what needs working on for improvement.
If there's really no way (or rather, no desire...) to turn down, pop the Zoom into a duffle bag or something. Yes, it's ll be a bit muffled, but it'll be muffled with less distortion. Should you use another mic..? If it's the Zoom mics being over-loaded, it's an option, but it's far more likely to be the Zoom mic pre-amps, so another mic wouldn't help. Worth a try, of course, and just as a test, it matters little what mic you use.
I'll add, just for good measure, that, 'back in the day', when we wanted to record high-gain, very loud guitar or bass (100w Hiwatt amps and cabs...), we would lay the cab face down on carpet, so as not to deafen ourselves. The 'dimed' amps would sing just the same, but at a much lower volume for the room. I had cloth covers for the drums (think 'shower hat', made from curtain material...), and struck my (expensive...) cymbals with less force (a brushing stroke, instead of a full-on 'whack'...), and we did just fine. Much of my rehearsals at the time were in my front living room, in a tiny terraced house in Shepperton; we played as loud as the song needed but at reasonable volumes in the room. It's kept my hearing for a long time (gone now, of course, at over 70; that's mostly down to old age, though...).
Hops this helps. 

Edited July 17, 2022 by Dad3353

[skidder652003]

surely if the gain is set really low, like -12dB its not going to distort?

Always easier to bump up a quiet signal than try and work with a distorted too loud one?

Edited July 18, 2022 by skidder652003

[ReeV0]

4 hours ago, skidder652003 said:

surely if the gain is set really low, like -12dB its not going to distort?

Always easier to bump up a quiet signal than try and work with a distorted too loud one?

 

 I don't think the Zoom tells me the decibel reading, but I have the input manually set on 1 (out of 100) and the recording is still distorted. Also, quieter segments of the song become inaudible and there is no dynamic range. I have fiddled about with the limit/comp features, to no avail.

I've ordered an SM57, thought might as well give it a go. I typically place the Zoom in the middle of the room, as the drums and amps are in all the corners.

[Dad3353]

47 minutes ago, jjl5590 said:

...I have the input manually set on 1 (out of 100) and the recording is still distorted...

 

Have you tried and succeeded in recording an ordinary conversation wth the Zoom..? It might be that the thing is just 'stuffed' (a technical term...), and is, now, incapable of recording cleanly. Worth a try, just to check that it is at least working correctly..? A recording level of 1 (out of 100...) seems extremely suspect, to me (although I don't know personally this particular model...). 

Edited July 18, 2022 by Dad3353

[ReeV0]

13 minutes ago, Dad3353 said:

 

Have you tried and succeeded in recording an ordinary conversation wth the Zoom..? It might be that the thing is just 'stuffed' (a technical term...), and is, now, incapable of recording cleanly. Worth a try, just to check that it is at least working correctly..? A recording level of 1 (out of 100...) seems extremely suspect, to me (although I don't know personally this particular model...). 

 

Yep, works fine normally.

[Dad3353]

Are you listening back through the Zoom itself, or through a PC or mixer..? Is the signal simply distorted, or does it have extra noise..? On some models (the H5 for one...), the unit started clipping the signal if the level was set too low (below 2.8, I think...). Is the distortion bad when the input level is set to mid-way..?

Edited July 18, 2022 by Dad3353

[skidder652003]

Sounds a bit knackered to me!

I use a zoom H2n and a q2n with my loud rock band (marshall 412, ampeg stack etc) and it only distorts if the gain input is set to auto or over half way.

I usually set it about 3 out of 10 and its good to go.

Any chance you could borrow something similar to test it against?

[Dood]

Try the H4nPRO as it can handle up to 140dB (IIRC) and other models are usually around 110-120 which in some cases can lead to clipping.. Those very noisy environments. Or, as suggested, see if you can come back from the source, which could prove effective if the room doesn't have too much echo!

[51m0n]

Update the zoom's software

 

You can rhe set recording  levels less than 1, 0.1 to 0.9

 

I've successfully recorded  my bands drums with an h4n fir years, I use a pair of condensers in the room as well. The results are excellent