Newb recording rehearsals with Zoom H2n

[rollyolly]

I'd like to start recording band rehearsals, so I just ordered the Zoom H2n. I'd like the simplest/fastest setup possible, so I'm only going to use the internal mics. It comes with a tripod and remote. I won't have much time to figure it out before the first rehearsal, so I'm hoping someone can help with the following questions.

1. What is the optimal placement and mic settings to start with? We rehearse at medium volume in a small studio. Classic rock, funk, etc. We are a five piece - drums, two guitars, bass, sax. The rooms is setup like a stage with drummer in the middle and amps on each side.

2. What is the easiest/fastest software for importing the file, separating into tracks, and cutting out useless stuff? Preferably free. I don't want any software with a steep learning curve since I'm doing really basic stuff.

3. What is the best way to make the recordings available to bandmembers? Dropbox or soundcloud or something? I'd rather not burn CD's or email huge files to everyone.

Thanks!

[Hellbastard]

1. If the room is setup like a stage, place the H2n about 2 o 3 meters in front of the band. experiment with the distance to find the sweet spot of the room. Use one of the stereo pair settings for the mics. XY or MS would be a good place to start.

2.If all you wanna do is to divide the individual takes into tracks use Audacity. Easy to use, fast and free.

3. Dropbox is good to transfer files to your band members, but if you decide you wanna make the tracks public and have some other people listen to them, then Soundcloud is a better option.

[BLDavis]

I'm new to the h2n myself, only had it a few weeks and recorded rehearsals with it. Here's what I've found so far;

1. The built in limiter really helps controll un-wanted spikes.

2. 4-channel record mode was a waste of time for my purposes.

3. The thing comes with a really good users manual, keep it handy for a while.

4. Mine came with a program called WaveLab7 LE. It has a lot of features for editing you recordings. Not the most user-friendly at first but I got some helpfull hints from fellow TBrs and now I love it.

PM me if you have any questions, I'll do my best to help.
Good luck,
B.

[longfinger]

You can divide recorded tracks on the Zoom H2 itself, without having to load the files into a computer. The interface is not as quick to navigate as a computer though. When I choose to load them in a computer, I use "mp3 trimmer" What I like about that is the program divides the mp3 directly, without importing the file into a program (converting to AIFF or WAV) and then exporting it out again into mp3 or something else. I want a program to just trim the existing mp3s, not decode and recode them.

The manual is pretty good, read through to get ideas on how the use the device best.