Portable digital audio recorder technology has come a long way in the last ten years and the Zoom family of portable digital audio recorders has emerged as one of the most prominent brands. Their latest creation, the Zoom H4n is as close to being a complete recording studio as any other device of its size on the market today.
The more mature brother of the popular Zoom H2 and the Zoom H4, the n in the name stands for "next". This new model does indeed have some interesting additions that make it a very versatile albeit very expensive portable digital audio recording device.
Zoom H4n Boasts New Microphones and Recording Patterns
No Zoom H4n review would be complete without pointing out that visually it is very similar to it's predecessor. The size, shape and basic layout has not changed much between the H4 and the H4n. The major changes have been in what was improved. First and foremost is the change made to the built in recording microphones.
The H4n has two built in mics that are stacked in a coincident pair relationship. This formation is considered by most audio technicians to be the best layout for recording audio in pure stereo. At the same time, the microphones have the ability to swivel, giving the user the choice between three different pickup patterns. Depending on the group being recorded the Zoom H4n can record only the sounds in front of the unit or it can be set to pick up audio from a full 360 degree circle around the entire unit.
What Are The Best Features of the Zoom H4n?
There are many things that set the Zoom H4n apart from the other portable digital audio recorders in its class:
- Four track recording with large, easy to use controls
- Can record from up to four mics at one time (two on board plus two external)
- Largest LCD screen of any portable digital audio recorder
- XLR microphone input jacks with phantom power
- Wired remote control (sold separately)
Most of these features are found only on desktop style digital audio recorders like the Tascam BB1000CD. The addition of phantom power capability is almost unheard of in any hand held portable unit plus the four track recording capabilities make the H4n stand out even more.
The Downside of the Zoom H4n?
The opinion of this reviewer is that there really are no significant flaws in the design or feature set of the Zoom H4n Digital Audio Recorder. The only downside to the H4n is that it is a little bit large for a hand held unit, and cannot fit into a coat pocket.
However, sacrificing that small amount of convenience is worth it to have the flexibility and capabilities of this very well designed portable digital audio recorder.
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