Hello,

I recently purchased a zoom h2 handy recorder, and it sounds really good. What software should I get so I can edit the music once it is on my computer? I would like to cut my recordings up into individual tracks, and maybe boost/cut some levels. I have a PC, and I am not good with computers (so said software must be easy to use). I would also like to spend as little as possible. Any advice would be great!

Thanks in advance,

Joel

hi
i have a h2 too.
i use audacity. it´s free, just google for a download

I use SoundForge

But I have heard good things about Audacity... I may have to download it and see how easy it is to use....

I use Audacity to edit sound files from my H2 and also things like digitizing my vinyl collection. Works great, is free.

Thanks for the tips! Audacity works well and is fairly easy. I posted some tracks from random gigs on my myspace www.myspace.com/joelwkelsey . I am pretty happy with how they turned out (not the playing). I had to switch the files to MP3s, but they still sound pretty good. Any advice on mixing my gigs, or general advice on recording gigs with the H2.
Thanks!
Joel

See this page (http://www.2090.org/zoom/bbs/viewtopic.php?t=9745) for detailed information on how best to set up your H2.

The clips sound nice man.

For free software Audacity is great. It is a little slow and doing eq, compression/limiting etc is kind of a pain. If your goal is just to bump up levels then it is perfect. If you want to tweak more find somebody that has a lite version of Cubase or something. It comes free with all kinds of audio interfaces and keyboards so I'm sure you can find one floating around. The advantage is you can do all the effects and eq in real time (ie turn little knob while it is running with immediate results).

As far as mixing... I think that is one of the most educational things about a recorder. Just put it out in the room not too far from the stage (like 10'-15') to avoid too much crowd chatter. If the stage mix is good you shouldn't have to do anything except maybe bump levels. I will occasionally put just a hair of compression on tunes that are really dynamic (like one with a drum solo) but for the most part I leave well enough alone.

Lastly, I'd get an external card reader. You can get them at Best Buy. They are the same thing that digital cameras use. The transfer rate on the actual recorder is SLOW. A reader is cheap and will help quite a bit.

The clips sound nice man.

For free software Audacity is great. It is a little slow and doing eq, compression/limiting etc is kind of a pain. If your goal is just to bump up levels then it is perfect. If you want to tweak more find somebody that has a lite version of Cubase or something. It comes free with all kinds of audio interfaces and keyboards so I'm sure you can find one floating around. The advantage is you can do all the effects and eq in real time (ie turn little knob while it is running with immediate results).

As far as mixing... I think that is one of the most educational things about a recorder. Just put it out in the room not too far from the stage (like 10'-15') to avoid too much crowd chatter. If the stage mix is good you shouldn't have to do anything except maybe bump levels. I will occasionally put just a hair of compression on tunes that are really dynamic (like one with a drum solo) but for the most part I leave well enough alone.

Lastly, I'd get an external card reader. You can get them at Best Buy. They are the same thing that digital cameras use. The transfer rate on the actual recorder is SLOW. A reader is cheap and will help quite a bit.

Thanks for the advice. I am not really trying to do much as far as editing the music. I want to record most of my gigs, but usually I can't put the recorder in an ideal spot. So, I was wondering if there are ways to make up for that (ie make certain instruments louder/quieter and make the overall sound clearer). Where do you set the gain on the recorder? What do you have the recording level set at?

Where do you set the gain on the recorder? What do you have the recording level set at?

Set the switch on the side to Medium, and set the recording level on the device to 100. Do a soundcheck. If the meters show clipping, flip the switch from Medium to Low.

Don't use "High" sensitivity, and never use a recording level other than 100. Neither of these will improve the sound quality whatsoever.

S.P.

+1. FYI I only ever use Low. I figure I can fix the level later but if it clips there is little you can do.

As far as balancing without an ideal spot for the recorder... I always think of the recorder as an afterthought. I try my best but for me it is really about it as a learning aid. If the mix is a little funky so be it. I guess the biggest thing is to get it up 3'-4' off the ground. I sometimes put it on top of the piano.

See this page (http://www.2090.org/zoom/bbs/viewtopic.php?t=9745) for detailed information on how best to set up your H2.

thanks for that link!

Offtopic: do you have a bigger version of you avatar?
where does it come from?

The pic in my avatar came from a Joe Farrell album titled "Vim 'n' Vigor."

By the way, about crowd noise with the H2: The mics in this thing are very sensitive. At our last gig, I attached the recorder to a wall sconce about 7' up the wall in the back of the ballroom. The big band sounded fine, but people always seem to gravitate to the recorder to hold their discussions. Get it up as high as you can (how tall of a mic stand can you get?).

thanks!

edit: i did a google search, if anybody is interested:
Cover Photography and Layout: Joost Leijen
Model: Marie Jose van der Loan (Miss Holland, Wabba)

You can disable the back mic, and use only the one in front pointing at the band.

Do any of you Audacity users use the "quick mix" function?

You know, I realize that Audicity can do a lot of stuff and I keep meaning to try some of it, but mostly I just cut it into tracks and edit out transitions and then export it. Even when I transfer vinyl to digital, which is the other thing that I use it for, I almost never do any actual sound editing.

Maybe someday, but for learning, it hasn't been important. I turn the back mics off on the and try to put it between me and an audience, if there is one. I seem to get just the right amount of crowd that way, in case I want to use something for a demo, but none of those annoying coversations like when I used to hide my MD in a plant or something before we took the stage.

I wish I could put the recorder between the audience and the band, but we're a dance band, and I know someone will trip on the mic stand or knock it over.

Hi everyone,

I have posted two new tracks at www.myspace.com/joelwkelsey

The tunes are, Take the A train and Blue and Green. I recorded these at a gig with the recorder on a music stand 6 or 7 inches in front of my bridge. I used the quick mix function on Audacity when I put the tunes in my computer. It seemed to make the crowd noise quieter, but I think it changed my sound a bit. To the audiophiles, what am I hearing? Feel free to offer me any constructive criticism regarding the playing/recording.

Thanks!
Joel

I recorded a set with a Sony digital recorder a few months ago. It wasn't bad but it picked up a tremendous amount of crowd noise. My daughter, who is a Producer for a radio station and has a lot of experience recording with digital recorders suggested that we mount the recorder behind the band. That method would allow us to pick up the mix through the monitors instead of FOH and eliminate much of the crowd noise.

Sounds great man. Nice relaxed feel and nice soloing. I think the recording quality is good. I just try to think of the inherent limitations in the H2. It is a recorder with stereo mics all for a pretty bargain price. You are not going to get the same kind of fidelity you'd get out of a high end protools setup with a couple of Earthworks mics. Also at duo or trio volumes there is no way to get the crowd out of the picture.

My suggestion is to use it for what is it which is a great learning tool.

A live recording is just that a live recording, you will pick up all kinds of stuff especially if you're playing somewhere and the crowd is more interested in having a conversation amongs themselves than listening to you. Having said that, I would be the recorder right in front of the band on the floor which seems to work pretty good for me.

Even this this item is cheap, don't sleep on it, it can produce very high quality results when recording at the highest sample rates and proper post processing.

I don't use a Zoom recorder -- my rig is a few years older and consists of two separate units: a digital recorder and a stereo mic. The mic is an omnidirectional condensor unit.

I don't like leaving it out in the house with strangers while I'm on the stand and I'll often look for placements close to the stand. I've put the mic in all kinds of places nobody would ever advise you to put it and I've often been amazed at the results. With a near-acoustic jazz trio, I like having the mic right in with the instruments -- it sounds to the mic like it does to the players. What's wrong with that? I've even put the mic on a stage with a 10-piece worldbeat/R&B dance band -- louder than **** with four percussionists bashing away -- and achieved listenable results (I hid it under the keyboards, behind a monitor.) If you're familiar with how a live performance "board mix" recording used to sound, you'll quickly realize your Zoom can do better than that from just about anywhere in the room...

If you're looking to simply document a performance, and not looking to sell the recording or get airplay or use it to promote yourself, just find a "good enough" spot and let 'er rip. Experiment. See what it sounds like from all kinds of places.

Also the recorder hears more or less what your ears hear. Put your head where you plan to put the recorder and investigate. Pay attention to the total picture. Not just the mix of the band. Ambient noise and everything.