FIRST LOOK REVIEW : ZOOM H6 RECORDER

published by Dino on Thu, 07/28/2016 - 22:32

Traveling with Electronics : First Look Review : Zoom H6 Recorder

this month.....we're goin' mobile

As you can see from the picture above, mobile / location / field recording has been with us for some time now and every "sound artist" needs a good portable capture device to take out in the real-world to harvest some sonic information and create a pool of "samples" to work with. Before we check out the ZOOM H6 - we'll see how technology has evolved with a brief look at 5 mobile recorders I've used over time.

(dates indicate the period I used the units)

MARANTZ SUPERSCOPE C-105

(mid 1970's to early 1980's) : This was my first portable (the size of a shoe box), mono analog cassette tape recorder. It came with a built in microphone and "vari-speed' control. I carried this brick everywhere - and so began my sample library.

SONY TCD-5M

(early 1980's to late 1990's) : State of the Art in it's time. Built like a tank, this stereo analog cassette tape recorder was a true workhorse and as long as you made sure you had it serviced from time to time it just kept on working for you. I wish I'd kept it.

SONY TCD-D10

(late 1980's to late 1990's) : Ah the promise of mobile digital recording, which came with this great and rather pricey DAT recorder, but in fifteen years the format itself was all but obsolete. A little preview - nothing in the Digital Domain has a shelf life.

SHARP MD-MT90

(late 1990's to mid 2000's) : MiniDisc recorders - another format that came and went within a decade - due in no small part, to the introduction of MP3 and the beginning of a race to the bottom between high quality audio and inferior sounding quantity.

OLYMPUS LS-10

(mid 2000's to present) : Digital recorders which use SD cards (Secure Digital) became popular in the early 2000's in the form of mono, stereo and multi-track recorders and are now widely used in film production and broadcast news. I chose an Olympus for a number of reasons (one being a metal body), and it has proven to be another remarkably solid workhorse recorder (internal file count is now at 1,775).

ZOOM H6 : SIX-TRACK RECORDER

released 7/1/2013 ZOOM H6

I first pulled your tail about the H6 after I had the opportunity to use one to record a Conduction Workshop in Austin earlier this year. Over the last decade, Zoom has become a very innovative company. The stunningly versatile H6 demonstrates this with multiple microphone capsules that can be swapped out like lenses on a camera.

* H6 comes with the XY mic (adjustable 90 or 120) and the MS mic (adjustable stereo width)

* plus a usb cable, a wind screen and a hard case which holds everything securely in place

* the shotgun mic and the XLR/TRS input bloc are add ons, as is the SSH-6 MS Shotgun mic

* six tracks each having a physical gain control - L/R (mics) plus 4 additional XLR/TRS inputs

* each track has individual pad, phantom power, low cut, compressor/limiter, pan and volume

* resolution from mp3 to 24bit 96K WAV - can record a "safety" track 12db lower than L/R track

* the H6 can also be used as a multi-channel USB audio interface for a computer or a tablet

Both the XY and MS mics have much larger diaphragms than are normal for a hand held recorder and this is reflected in the sonic detail and low frequencies captured.

No they are not equal to a pair of Neumann 184's but they are.....very impressive.

Something to be aware of when recording with the MS mics - you have the option of creating a finished stereo file and set the balance between the mid and side before you record - or you can record in "RAW" mode which lets you set the width of the stereo field (mid / side balance) after the recording is done - but...that file is still a stereo file not 2 mono files so you need to use the free download VST ms decoder.

I would suggest taking a look at these other two online reviews to get a little more background on the ZOOM H6 : SOUND ON SOUND : B&H PHOTO : at this price point ($399 street) and at this point in time.....I think the H6 is as good as it gets!

the H5 is a four track version with the same preamps, specs & interchangeable mic capsules

** Zoom just released a Pro version of the very popular H4n revamped with the same preamps as the H6 **

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EHX EMBRACES IOS

I have always had great respect for Electro-Harmonix. Mike Matthews is a true survivor who's been creating innovative effects since the 1960's. Out of the blue they released an app version of their quirky mini-synth from 1980 but updated from mono to four voice polyphony with a two second delay plus the plate and reverse reverbs from the holy grail. I hope that this isn't just a one off, but rather opens the door for more apps to come, with that unique EHX point of view.

Keep on Rockin' Mike!