Zoom H2n vs H5

[TBman]

I've noticed J-Doug has some very good sounding recordings done with the mid side mics in his H2n. What advantages does that have over the XY configuration that the H5 offers?

I would be perfectly happy with Doug's recording quality.

Mine is all over the place.

[Doug Young]

Originally Posted by TBman

I've noticed J-Doug has some very good sounding recordings done with the mid side mics in his H2n. What advantages does that have over the XY configuration that the H5 offers?

Mid side has 2 benefits: 1) it's mono compatible, if you listen in mono, the sides just disappear, leaving you with the mid signal - so less phase cancelation than you get with a stereo recording using different techniques. 2) You can easily change the stereo width of the signal when mixing.

Both of these are arguably not that important. Few people listen in mono these days, and you can alter the stereo width of any recording - there are tools that can simply convert back and forth between MS and stereo - usually without you even knowing they're doing it - so they can manipulate the signal.

I like MS tho, as it tends to give you a very nice "centered" and focused recording. That said, I'm not sure about the Zoom'S MS setups. Haven't tried the H2n, but the MS mics on the H6 are horribly noisy. I think you can use the MS mics on the H5 (? not sure), but I wouldn't, since it seems to be Zoom's MS mics themselves that are noisy.

[viccortes285]

Still learning but this was made using the Zoom H2n
Was not really good working the guitar as much as the zoom.
https://youtu.be/763SRY8hka0

[ChuckS]

I've heard some very nice mid-side recordings, so it works for some, but it's not what I prefer to use for solo acoustic guitar. My issues with it are both technical, and from my own experience.

From my technical point of view, not much if any direct sound from the guitar gets to the side mic unless the mics are really close in; the reasons being because the solo guitar is not a very wide source of sound and because of the angle of the null of the side (ribbon) mic. Without some direct sound from the source reaching the side mic the theory of M-S falls apart. If the mics are set back much at all from the guitar the side mics hear mostly reflected sounds.

My practical experience using M-S is in line with the theory. If I located the mics within about 6" of the guitar the micing worked; I could control the width of the stereo field post recording. However, I don't really care to mic so close as it seems to capture a less developed sound. When I used M-S at greater distance the center mic picked up fine but the side mic was all reflection.

Overall, I wouldn't base a decision on ability to record in M-S and I think you'd be satisfied much longer with the H5 than the H2N.

X-Y seems to be a safe way to get a reasonably good recording but it's never been my favorite either. I prefer a spaced pair, back 18-30" from the guitar, panned hard left and hard right, with the distance between the mics set to get the desired width of the stereo field.

[viccortes285]

@ChuckS I wanted a plug and play, this camera I barely understand. I am sure there are much better ones, did is just easy, I wish I knew as much as you,at 68 you don't learn fast.✌️