Quick Start: Zoom H4essential audio recorder
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- Опубліковано 10 лют 2025
- Provides a quick and easy guide to using the basic recording functions on the Zoom H4essential recorders. This short video covers the necessary steps for beginners to record with confidence, while also highlighting a few of the feature changes for people who have used earlier H4 models. Although it's primarily for my students in Stetson's Digital Arts program, it should also be helpful to others getting started with this budget-friendly recorder.
Recorded by Dr. Nathan Wolek on 26 August 2024.
Chapters:
0:00 intro to Zoom recorders
0:43 record audio to SD card
1:08 powering on
1:44 before recording
2:23 volume & inputs
4:00 start recording
4:45 tip 1 - pointing the mics
5:33 tip 2 - wind cover
6:00 tip 3 - handling noise
6:52 stop recording
7:28 file list
8:40 file transfer to computer
9:45 powering off
Very helpful! You covered several functions that were not included in other videos I had watched. Thanks!
You're welcome!
just bought the H4 essential for a documentary, thanks a lot for this !
Hope it works well for you.
You’re the man!
Thank you!
Very nice device, I just bought it today
Hope you enjoy it.
Thank you, exactly what I needed to get me started!
Glad it helped!
Thank you for this quick start video. Very helpful.
You're welcome!
great tutorial!
Glad you think so!
This Zoom H4 Essential sound Amazing , Built in Mixer gives more volume to Audio without any Distortion,
Yep, the built in mixer certainly helps. I've experimented with that a bit, but it feels a bit clumsy. Easier to just plan on normalizing when you pull your recording into the DAW.
how do you find the noise is on these units....for example if I wanted to attach 2 SE7 Electronic microphones...how much self noise does this unit have
Sorry, I haven't done much testing with external mics. I typically use higher end recorders for that, like the Zoom F6 or Sound Devices MixPre-6.
Good vid.
Thanks. Hope it helped!
Question....
I conducted an interview with these... utilizing the 2 XLRs.
Afterwards, I noticed in my headphones that my voice was all left ear and the other person was all right ear.
What causes that? How can I record separately but overlay it together so the audio comes from both ear, equally?
It's common audio practice for odd channels to pan left & even channels to pan right. It seems that Zoom did this with the XLR inputs. Fun fact: the word panning does NOT appear in the manual. To fix it, you will need to pull the audio into a DAW to mix them together. The positive is that you can adjust levels on each channel independently.
When I plug into 1/4" TRS at the bottom from my mixer, the audio that's recorded is terribly clipped and super small waveform and quiet. It works fine when going to the 3.5mm line-in on the side. Not sure what the issue is or how to fix it. I bought this because it says it supports line-level input via 1/4" TRS
Anyone have any suggestions?
Hello, I just bought and tried this device yesterday and after I've done one recording using the internal mics I've got a folder with two files inside : One is called TrLR anf the other is TrMic , they seems to be close in term of qaulity, one is just louder than the other one, but why two files and what's the real difference between those ? thanks
Can you record without card and will it save?
Nope, you need a microSD card inserted to begin recording.
Hi, how do you pause while recording,since sometime along while recording you need to pause and continue before stoping ?
The play button is actually a play/pause button, giving it dual use. You should be able to pause while recording with this button. I never do this myself, instead preferring to let the record keep going and cut out dead spots while editing.
Hello Nathan. I would like to use it with my power bank. Can it be done? Thanks in Advance!
Yes! In fact, Zoom did away with the separate DC power input on this model in favor of using the USB as power input.
Well, I’m gonna eat a little bit of crow since who knows when the H1 XLR is gonna be available. I went out and purchased an H6 essential. I can’t play with it today but maybe by next Friday I’ll have some test recordings done with it and I can see if I’m gonna keep it or not.
Hello everything is fine? I want to buy the H6 essential for recording music on the computer, two voices, two guitars, simultaneously, on separate tracks... is this possible, is it good?? Is there a lot of noise?? Thanks in advance
Hey there. I haven’t use mine yet but it’s too late to return it so it’s mine. I’m actually gonna have to use it to record something and start testing with it but the noise that I’ve heard from the various reviews seem very minimal and if there is noise, I’ve got multiple tools to mitigate that. There is also a high chance that I will never use or rarely use the mic preamps other than the xy mics. Everything else will probably be coming from some type of other preamp or some type of wireless system that sends a line level, not a mic level.
I have bought new Zoom H4 essential! But it has some problem. When i increase the gain in mixer it gives noice, even when I put +0 gain it still makes noise!
Is it normal?
Yes, it does seem noisier than the previous H4n version. But I sometimes wonder if it's the headphone amp, not the mics. Need to do some more testing. Are you noticing it while monitoring live or when listening back?
@nathanwolek even when I export and listen to this back in my computer it's noisier! later I recorded with -40 gain then noise was gone but the problem is I can't listen to this back unless I open it in my computer and give extra gain.
@@nathanwolek and can you please tell me how much gain will put in mixer while recording!
@@lohithmalnad7732 I've been using +0, then boosting the level inside Reaper DAW. Sorry, this is not my main audio recorder. We use it primarily with students at my university.
The built-in microphones do not support 32-bit recording!
Quick question Nathan, does this allow you to loop a recording? I can’t tell.
Do you mean overdubbing? I don't think so. A bit of googling reveals a few sources that says the feature is missing (compared to the H4n).
Can you use this device to record cockpit and radio communications and sounds? If so, can you plug your headset into it?
Sorry, I really don't know. Does the radio have a line out jack?
So I don't understand why there is an H1 XLR. 🤣
I'm not associated with Zoom, so I can't provide any insight into their product line. I can tell you the H4essentials has some clear accessibility improvements and I hope to make another video about that soon!
No real people have gotten their hands on The H1 XLR. I'm waiting for someone to actually use it who is not paid or was not given one of these things before I go buy it. It doesn't seem that bad for 150 bucks but based on its specs I might as well just keep the recorders I have. Other than the 32-bit float it's kind of lacking in everything else.
@@Dexmo >Other than the 32-bit float it's kind of lacking in everything else
Like what? What else would you need?
@@sr3d-microphones In the average of the essential series reviews, that have all been lacking (in the actually recorded audio). I was hoping they fixed that lacking on the H1, but its still is basically a no show. I guess they are tied up in legal with sony, they have a pre-existing product with a sequence flipped name.
My zoom H4 Essential keeps picking crackling/flickering noise in some part of the record which renders part of that audio useless.
I first experienced it when I tapped sound from a DJ mixer and thought the crackling/flickering noise was from the mixer.
But I did a shoot where I used the zoom recorder as boom mic and I lost some part of that audio because of the crackling/flickering noise.
I have used the "declicker" option in Adobe Audition to try and restore the file but it's not working.
Does any one have an idea, please?
The sample rate on the recorder is set to 48khz.
The kind of clicking you are describing is likely a level issue, not a sampling rate. When you overload the level, it will sound like a crackle. One of the features that 32-bit recording should address is this type of overloading. If the software you are using handles 32-bit recordings, you can simply turn down the volume for a segment that is overloaded. The extra bits helps restore the original signal. Have you tried this?
@nathanwolek Thanks for finding time to respond and I really wish I can respond with a photo/video of what the part that is clicking looks like.
As for overload, I am not sure that is the issue because the speaker was not speaking loud at those points.
I have played with turning down the volume but the clicking sound does not go down.
Wouldn't recommend this. The recording levels on this are incredibly low, no matter whether using the internal mixer, mic preamp, etc. Not really useable - mine is a few days old and might have a blown preamp.
Sorry you had a bad experience. It's not for everyone.
It is what it is, as they say! It definitely had a dead pre amp right out of the box so I took it back. They mostly mass produce these cheap devices anyways, so no surprise. Anyways, Great video, appreciate the tutorial! @nathanwolek
the buuild quality on this is trash trash trash. It feels like those China knock off electronics. Feels like it comes straight from TEMU/Alibaba.
I disagree. The unit is lighter overall than past H4 Zooms & the case is sturdier than earlier versions. I get a lot less handling noise from the plastic case flexing on this one. They also did away with the coating that would breakdown and get sticky over time.