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Double Bass Zoom h2

#2
The zoom is a great little unit. I use the Edirol R-09, which to my ears has a slightly better sound (preamps, I think), but the zoom is half as much, and well worth the $$$ from what I've seen. You can check out This thread for details on the small digital recorders out there right now, including sound samples.

The zoom is a real swiss army knife, and acts as a computer interface as well as a field recorder. You'll pick up cymbals for sure - check the linked thread for details about how to get the best mix from a bassist's perspective.

The one feature that the R-09 has that the zoom doesn't is that on the R-09, you can adjust the input sensitivity on a control on the outside of the unit, whereas with the zoom, you get three choices for input sensitivity before you have to start getting into menus/submenus. What this means for recording live stuff is that you can easily get a good level on the R-09, but it's a bit more difficult on the fly with the zoom. Other than that, the unit is a no brainer, and I know many people who are happy with theirs and out there making great recordings.
 
#6
The H2 is way easier to use than the H4 and its sound quality is awesome, my recordings with just my piano player and me doing classic trio rep are awesome. It makes his tone sound like Bill Evans and well me I like to think I got some of that Scott Lafaro sound. haha, but really your sound is what you really sound like from 2, 5, 10 feet away. People are blown away by the demo we made, they think it was done in a professional studio.
 
#8
An H2 recording demo...
Not a jazz trio, but acoustic, through a quiet PA, bass too low in the mix.

First time I ever used it. Set to all defaults. Unit about 8 ft away from center stage.

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Sound is pretty decent. With a little trial and error, it could be great. With a quiet drummer. Or with the drummer further from the mic. I've read plenty of rave reviews on it.
 
#13
The Zoom H2:

Pros:
Good price (easily replaceable if lost due to low cost)
Great recording options (stereo and surround)
Multiple recording formats (wav & mp3)
Portable
Durable
Great for gig or practice recording at reasonable to loud levels, especially with the in built limiter or compressor options enabled
An 8 gig card will give you 12+ hours at CD quality wav recording (which I have)
A great set of options included in the box like mic stand adaptor etc

Cons:
It's size is it's pit fall - no pro mic capability for example
Subtle or quiet recording is let down by noisy preamps, or noise with high gain using the internal mics (not extreme, but enough)
No remote control option
Body is prone to picking up lots of external noise through vibration
Recording is capped to about an hour or so continuously

Summary:
Perfect for band recording etc, but if you plan on doing really, really detailed recordings that you perhaps intend to release, you would be better with a higher quality solid state recorder with suitable mic options etc. Or obviously going to a studio :)
 
#16
I picked mine up with a 4 GB card throguh amazon for under $200

It does great - you will have to practice placement for the best mix -

I found that the Drum compressor/filter works best in most live situations and make sure your vocals are runnning in towards it.....otherwise - they are weak.....


You can EQ it afterwards too -

yeah - a best purchase to date for me too.
 
#20
drurb said:
Not so. Limited only by memory/format choice.

I think the H2 is one of the best buys in electronic gear.
Click to expand...

Sorry, I'm partly wrong and partly right. The maximum file size is 2 gig for any recording. If you're recording at 24 bit / 48khz in stereo, that equates to about 110 minutes or so. This varies if you are in 4 channel surround. If you go the option of a lossy format, you'll get a really long recording, but it's still capped at 2 gig.

Hope that clears some confusion. :smug:
 

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