Zoom H6 Handy Recorder

Description

The Zoom H6 Handy Recorder from Zoom is a portable handheld recorder and USB audio interface that features an interchangeable microphone system. The recorder ships with both XY and mid-side microphone modules, foam windscreen, USB cable, Cubase LE and a hard carrying case.

The H6 offers four main inputs (1-4), plus two additional inputs (L, R) that are derived from whichever capsule (X/Y, MS, Shotgun, or Dual XLR/TRS Combo) is plugged into the unit. The supplied XYH-6 X/Y capsule also provides a secondary input for connecting an external mic- or line-level signal via a stereo 1/8″ Mic/Line In mini phone jack. When a connection is made to that jack, signal from the X/Y microphones is muted.

All four main H6 inputs (inputs 1-4) are combo connectors that can accept either XLR or 1/4″ balanced or unbalanced phone cables. They can handle both micand line-level signals, which means that you can connect either external microphones or line-level devices like mixers, portable music players, electronic keyboards, or electric guitars or basses with active electronics (passive electric guitars or basses can also be connected with the use of a mixer or effects device). Internal switching contacts automatically detect the circuit of choice.

On the H6, all connectors use the industry standard Pin 2 hot on XLR connectors and Tip hot on TRS connectors.

Onboard the H6 are an arsenal of effects that allows you to add polish to your recordings and compensate for any problems or limitations in the acoustics of the recording environment.

A low-cut filter allows you to remove signal below a certain user-designated frequency (called a cutoff frequency). This is useful for eliminating pops, wind noise, blowing, transmitted resonance from an onstage mic stand and other kinds of low frequency rumble.

Compression and limiting compensate for fluctuations in level; in essence, they act like an automatic volume control, reducing the level of louder sounds (that is, the sounds below a threshold point). The main difference between the two is that a limiter reduces louder sounds more severely.

The H6 can record audio in two different basic file types: WAV and MP3. The main difference between the two is that WAV files are uncompressed; that is, they contain all the recorded data without any “bits” (digital words) being removed. Thus, they provide full fidelity without compromise. The H6 can record up to six monophonic WAV files (or up to three stereo files) in any of the following formats:

44.1kHz / 16-bit
44.1kHz / 24-bit
48kHz / 16-bit
48kHz / 24-bit
96kHz / 16-bit
96kHz / 24-bit

All WAV files recorded by the H6 are automatically time-stamped, making them fully compatible with the Broadcast Wave Format (BWF); in other words, they are “BWF-compliant.” This is especially important when recording audio for video, because it allows the audio to be precisely synchronized with the onscreen action in postproduction.

All MP3 recordings are compressed, which means that some unnecessary data is removed prior to storage, making them much smaller than WAV files, and thus much easier to upload and download. Some MP3 files exhibit a slight loss of audio fidelity as compared with the original signal; however, this is not noticeable in all circumstances.

Feature summary:

Large full-color angled LCD display that allows visibility whether mounted on a camera or strapped over shoulder

XYH-6 X/Y capsule also provides a secondary input for connecting an external mic or line level signal via stereo 1/8″ mini jack

Built-in speaker, located on the underside of the unit, for fast monophonic monitoring of the recorded signal without the need to make any connections

Interchangeable input capsules that can be swapped out as easily as the lens of a camera

Six-track simultaneous recording

Four mic/line inputs with XLR/TRS combo connectors

Physical gain control knobs and -20dB pads for each input

Phantom power for all main inputs: +12/+24/+48V

Records directly to SD, SDHC and SDXC cards up to 128GB

Up to 24-bit/96kHz audio in BWF-compliant WAV or a variety of MP3 formats

Auto-record, pre-record and backup-record functions

Multitrack to stereo internal mixdown

Independent monitor and playback mixes

Graphical VU meters

Voice memo and up to 99 marks per recording

Overdubbing, up to 99 takes

Built-in effects, including low-cut filtering, compression and limiting

Onboard MS decoding

Normalize, Divide and Trim editing

Chromatic tuner and metronome

Loop Playback with user-defined start and stop points

Variable playback speed, from 50% to 150%

Variable pitch per track without affecting playback speed

Camera strap mounts

Accepts standard AA alkaline or NiMH rechargeable batteries

Over 20 hours of operation with 4 AA alkaline batteries