Zoom H2

[stinger12345]

This seems like the best tool for recording jam sessions, does anybody here have any experience with them? How do you like it and how well does it do your bass justice? And also, I'm wondering if having a vocalist sing straight into the mic while jamming is a good idea.

Cheers!

 

[K2000]

I like my H2 quite a bit. It picks up the bass just fine. It's a good low budget tool for getting ideas down, documenting your sessions, or recording live music with almost zero fuss.

On a different note, I also like recording into Garage Band (a different approach, not Zoom related) where I can slice the tracks, move things around, and do basic song construction and sketches. If you have a Mac laptop or spare computer, that's another option. If not, the H2 is a great way to go. It's so easy to use, and sounds very good.

 

[santucci218]

sounds pretty sweet for bass actually. ill record and example and load it if you really want me to, just ask. also, it picks up vocals great, but you wont see me give an example of that because im a **** singer.

 

[stinger12345]

I was thinking about turning on all 4 mics and facing H2 so just 1 side (2 mics) is facing the band. Then have the vocalist standing on the other side of the mic and sing directly into it...think that might be a good idea?

 

[James Hart]

it might work... I'm assuming you don't have a PA?

When I record, I set us all up in a circle and Invalid Link Removed.

 

[stinger12345]

Ya no PA yet . We're gonna try using a bass amp once I get a new one, hopefully that can work a little bit.

 

[Todd GT5]

I've been using the H2 for every practice now dor a year and a half. At first I just used the built-in mikes, put it on a tripod near me and tuned it on and off thru out practice.
Now we have practice with headphones and I run a headphone line to the line in jack and get incredible recordings.

When I used the built in mikes the vocals weren't as present.

After practice I delete any false starts and what not and then normalize and convert each song to mp3 so I can email them to the band members
It's a great tool, that has helped us a lot.
-Todd

 

[derrenleepoole]

I was thinking about turning on all 4 mics and facing H2 so just 1 side (2 mics) is facing the band. Then have the vocalist standing on the other side of the mic and sing directly into it...think that might be a good idea?

That's a perfectly good idea. in fact Zoom recommend this as an option for band recordings in the manual. Maybe 120º for the band, and the narrower 90º for the vocals. There's loads of threads on here about the recorder, so do a search. It's a fine piece of kit and works really well in loud settings. Don't bother using high mic setting though as you'll introduce unnecessary noise. Medium mic settings are more than enough for your needs I would think.

 

[groooooove]

I was thinking about turning on all 4 mics and facing H2 so just 1 side (2 mics) is facing the band. Then have the vocalist standing on the other side of the mic and sing directly into it...think that might be a good idea?

i do this with my yamaha pocketrak 2g. i hang it from the mic stand that the vocalist is using- its a good spot, near center-stage, it picks up everything evenly on that spot. the H2 is a bit bigger so it might not be able to just hang from the mic stand inconspicuously.

i just got a H2N yesturday, havent recorded a gig with it yet, but when ive seen so far, the built in mics seem to go all the way down to 20HZ, they sound great, and i'm loving the whole unit.

 

[mambo4]

My H2 is THE most used piece of gear (aside form my rig) I have purchased in teh last 3 years.

It's easy to use and great quality for self reference.
I record my band using stereo mics (can't go quad straight to mp3), cut it up in audacity and email away...

If you want to record rehearsals or gigs for evaluation purposes, get one.

 

[Valerus]

I just bought one last night. I'm so stoked to use it!!

 

[screaminglucy]

awesome for recording rehearsals. i used to use a minidisc recorder with line in and a diy mic but the zoom makes it so much easier.

 

[Munjibunga]

It works pretty well. My biggest beef is that each pair of mics produces interlaced stereo, so you can't load them as four separate tracks into a DAW, it has to be two stereo tracks. Anybody know a work-around?

 

[groooooove]

It works pretty well. My biggest beef is that each pair of mics produces interlaced stereo, so you can't load them as four separate tracks into a DAW, it has to be two stereo tracks. Anybody know a work-around?

+100

 

[santucci218]

I just bought one last night. I'm so stoked to use it!!

ahahaha, yes!

 

[Pickebass]

Great tool! I use my to record rehearsals, plug in to the P.A to record gigs. Wish there was a workaround to get separate tracks instead of 2 stereo. VERY useful tool

 

[boylebass]

I bought my Zoom H4 when they came out. (late 2006?) I've been using it ever since. I recorded my band's gig last night.

Any of the 'palmtop' recorders will do what you're asking of it. They pick up the bass just fine. (hint- experiment with mic locations) I'm not sure how to record vox w/o a PA... I'll use a different device (GB for sketches, Logic for 'work') if I'm doing anything more than live capture.

Here's a tip- keep it rigged up and ready to go in your gig bag.I keep mine in an Acoustic Image head bag that Rick schwagged me at a conference- adaptor/extension cord/tripod/usb cable... When you get the mojo to create, you're ready to capture it. I use it to retain composition ideas. Once you get used to having it around, you'll use it a lot.

 

[Ten Four One]

Also loving my Zoom H2. I just loaned it out to our drummer so he can record his other band with it & decide if he wants to get one of his own.

It comes with a mic attachment (basically a plastic "bottom end of a SM57") so you can stick it in front of your singer or around ear level within the room.

 

[bassmodder]

I have recorded piano and bass with mine. Sounded like I was standing right where I was. Pretty accurate.

 

[rllefebv]

Here's a tip- keep it rigged up and ready to go in your gig bag.I keep mine in an Acoustic Image head bag that Rick schwagged me at a conference- adaptor/extension cord/tripod/usb cable... When you get the mojo to create, you're ready to capture it. I use it to retain composition ideas. Once you get used to having it around, you'll use it a lot.

'Nother option is a cheap roto-mold pistol case, (DoskoSport for instance)... You can usually find 'em at sporting goods stores for less than $10... My son did cutouts into the foam on his, but mine sits snuggly without the cutouts, (or the hassle!) Also, since the foam pulls out in one piece, I can store the manual in the case out of the way...

I play with a singer/songwriter who has an H2 but never uses it. He has dropped more song ideas, which is infuriating! There's really no reason to... Just set the thing up on a stand and record everything you do... Whenever we get together, I pull out my Zoom at the start of the session and record until we are done... No need to hassle starting and stopping the unit, and since fidelity isn't too much of a concern for idea grabbing, I can record at a lower resolution giving increased time... More than once, I have proven to him the utility of the unit, but still nothing when he's alone... (I only bring this up because I heard it all again at rehearsal on Friday!)

Another tip, when doing songwriting/idea capture sessions, the recording time can get kind of long. It can be a hassle when editing in Audacity to find your latest 'brilliant' idea... If you take a pencil and tap the mic grill immediately after your masterpiece, the peak shows up easily in the display and helps you locate it quickly!

For loud shows with the band, I set the mic preamp to low, level at 100, mode to 44.1 / 24 WAV and go... Putting the unit toward the back of the room captures easily without distortion and lets me prove that, yes, that was the guitarist off key right there! Validation!!

-robert