I don't want to repeat what others have written. This product is not as ugly and flimsy as other people have written. I don't know what they are looking for. A tank or a recorder!
LCD panel is a little small but works fine. It's not very hard to use. Read the manual once or twice. You will need female three pin xlr to 1/4" xlr cable to connect it to a microphone with xlr output. The foam windscreen that came with it is not great for windy situation. I made one myself with faux fur from a fabric store and works great. No need to spend $60.00 for a windscreen.
AA batteries does not last very long so keep lots of extra. I use A/C adapters whenever possible. You get a lot for the money, xlr inputs and 48v and 24v phantom power. I haven't used the phantom power yet. Somewhere I read AA batteries can handle only upto 24v phantom power and you will need a/c power for 48v. I don''t know how accurate is that. This is a great product but I heard H4n is even better if you can spend more money.
A great device for live recording but 2 things. First, there is the new and massively improved Zoom H4n which does so much more and simplifies a lot of the previous complications. Second I noticed as with any other important audio recordings you make, the better the SD card the better sound of the recording and less sound problems with this unit. I suggest using the 2GB SanDisk Ultra II or Extreme III cards in this unit (the difference in sound is amazing) and is the same with the H4n but it has greater capacity and can take a much larger GB card. The extra GB in the H4n alone is worth it especially for using the 96khz 24bit best sound process.
"sync issue"
2009-08-01
- Reviewed By User: A4J6JNZG6MF9W
Good product, HOWEVER it has serious sync issues.
When trying to sync the audio from the H4 to video, the sound lags after a few minutes and continues to lag more out of sync every few minutes after that. So you have to make several tedious adjustments in post.
"Complicated user interface, but has all the features I wanted"
2009-06-26
- Reviewed By User: A29R5YHPDK6NBJ
I looked at the Edirol, the H4, and one other similar device. The H4 had all the features I wanted: built-in mics, external mic jacks (XLR and 1/4" both), interchangable batteries, and most importantly, phantom power.
The phantom power was the clincher for me. The Edirol doesn't have it, so using it would have required bringing along one more piece of equipment. Also worth noting: this is true 48-volt phantom power. Very well done.
I only have one complaint about the H4, and that's the ridiculous user interface.
The H4 has two main operating modes: normal and "recording studio".
The normal mode is basic and useful. You can select your bit rate and your recording format. The device can record in wav format or mp3. It's not too complicated.
"Recording studio" mode bills itself as a 4-track studio recording mode, but that description is deceptive. What it really means is that you can lay down tracks (either one channel or two) next to existing tracks, up to a limit of four. The device really only records one or two channels at a time. Since the four tracks are just a software creation anyway, why arbitrarily limit them to just four? Maybe four at a time was the most the device could play back at once. I don't know.
Anyway, my point is that the recording studio mode, while it can do a million things, has a ridiculously complicated user interface. You simply cannot use the device in this mode without the manual open in front of you. Also, since you have to work with such tiny controls and with such a tiny screen, it's just too complicated. These are features better suited for proper studio software on a real workstation. I can't shake the feeling that Samsung just added this mode so there'd be more stuff to right on the outside of the box.
But if you take my advice and just don't use recording studio mode, this is a fine piece of technology.
"Pleasantly surprised!!"
2009-06-03
- Reviewed By User: A20310TWQ1659U
I was a bit skeptical that the sound would be very good on any recorder in this price range. I'm using it for a songwriting group who meet to share lyrics & melodies of our efforts. We record each effort then make copies to give to everyone to work towards enhancing the song in their own time. We are all very pleased with the sound quality, and so far it has been easy to record and play back. There is a bit of a learning curve on the mixing and production steps after that, but it is do-able. My only disappointment is that the screen is small and the text inside it is waaaaayyyy too small. Why didn't they make that a bit larger? I can work with it under good lighting, but with dim lighting it is almost impossible. I use a magnifying glass for that. Other than that one issue, it was a great purchase. It is VERY portable and produces high quality recordings. I am extremely happy that after researching a lot of similar products, we chose this one.
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Expedited Available
"Great Product."
"Go to H4n"