Zoom H1n/UK Handy Recorder

Product Information

With the popularity around the H1n, there are plenty of good options available if you need a wind solution. The H1n is great for someone just starting field recording. It is quiet enough to record nature, small enough to take anywhere and supports plug-in-powered, external microphones. An3.5mm stereo mic/line input lets you record with your external microphones or other sound sources, and supplies plug-in power (2.5 volts). Connect headphones via the 3.5mm headphones output with dedicated volume control. You can also use the H1n’s built-in speaker to listen to your recordings. You may want to use a higher microphone sensitivity if you realize that your interviewees talk softly.

The bad: analog knob, no internal memory. Max 32GB micro SD card external memory. Cannot recharge batteries, 10 hours battery life. After researching this, it does seem that the H1n has a hardwired low-cut filter starting at 100hz and rolls off to -35dB at 1hz. If you enjoyed this post and would like to help support Acoustic Nature, please consider "buying me a coffee" or becoming a Patreon with the buttons below.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: Not only is the H1n small, it is also lightweight. The H1n only weighs 60 grams. If you plan on using the H1n handheld for your recordings, its size and weight will make for comfortable, long recording sessions. Materials The H1n’s USB port provides a digital output of the stereo mix and allows data to be send to and from your computer. It also allows the H1n to be used as a USB microphone and a microSD card reader. By holding down the “option” button, the default menu bar changes to show additional recording settings. The slim design is just big enough to house some simple controls that the user can work to easily navigate settings along the lit display. The two microphones are well shielded from any bumps with the molded-in guard, and a threaded mount to attach it to a microphone stand is thankfully built in. It’s powered by 2 AAA batteries, which should last about 10 hours during normal use.

However, recording one’s voice is really easy to do. You can put your microphone right in front of your face and speak directly into the device. You’ll probably have to turn down your gain to keep from clipping. This is the ideal scenario for a high signal-to-noise ratio and will result in clean, noiseless audio.The H1n can capture audio up to 24-bit/96kHz sample rate, producing BWF-compliant WAV or MP3 formats. Capturing that audio is the same X/Y microphone configuration found in the H1n’s predecessor. This configuration is able to capture truly immersive stereo sound perfect for a range of applications including live performances, field recordings, interviews, podcasts and more. Well, pro's are absolutely the price and quality factors. You have some other options in this price range but it's one step ahead from in the segment that it belongs. In this point of view it's a god starting point for collecting audio samples and recording interviews etc. In the other hand if you want to record a direct signal for instance coming from a mixer or sound card, you do not have a line inputs. This may be a problem if you want to record a live session or a concert. For this I suggest you to buy H4 or higher versions, you can use them for both recording with build-in microphones and direct signal that comes from line-ins. I did these tests in different conditions: speech indoors and outdoors using the built-in microphones and a couple of external microphones. I also tried using it for recording feet walking on pebbles, waves lapping on the beach, and ambient sound in the pier and in a park. Like its predecessor, the H1n can record a beautiful stereo image from its internal microphone. But unlike the H1, it’s genuinely usable outdoors. The booming wind noise that plagued the old model has disappeared. You do still need a furry windshield: the Redhead works well (though it partly obscures the screen and dial) or you could use Zoom’s own WSU-1. 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.