Overdub mode on Zoom H6

[Guitarist-1977]

I am trying to play with overdub on Zoom H6 and somehow cannot get it to work. Here is what I am trying to do:
A. Record a backing track like strumming a few chords (say on tracks 1&2)
B. Record over it some solo (on tracks 3&4)
I am assuming you can do that with Overdub but I keep getting only (A) being recorded.

Here is how I am doing it:
1. Record A
2. Activate overdub in menu
3. Tracks 1&2 are lit green
4. I record on 3&4 and they are red
5. Somehow when I press record after 4 I can only hear (A) and not (B)!!

Maybe I misinterpreting what overdub really means on the H6?

Any thoughts? ideas?

Thanks a lot for your time.

[KevWind]

Well I do not use a Zoom device but according to the manual so I can only guess ...

First what are you monitoring the sound from H6 with ?

And some more detail would help
You say

3."Tracks 1-2 are lit green" -(and you can hear them when played back, before trying to record on 3-4)

4. I record on 3&4 and they are red
So that all sounds correct according to the H6 manual

But then it is a bit unclear ::::

So in 4. can you hear 1-2 while you are recording on 3-4 or not ?

Then you say

5. Somehow when I press record after 4 I can only hear (A) and not (B)!! which

First in 5. if after 4. why are you pressing record ? shouldn't you have put 3-4 into green and not be pressing " record" because if 3-4 are still red (record armed) and you hit play then you will not hear what you previously recorded on them because 3-4 are still in record mode not playback mode

[Guitarist-1977]

Originally Posted by KevWind

Well I do not use a Zoom device but according to the manual so I can only guess ...

First what are you monitoring the sound from H6 with ?

And some more detail would help
You say

3."Tracks 1-2 are lit green" -(and you can hear them when played back, before trying to record on 3-4)

4. I record on 3&4 and they are red
So that all sounds correct according to the H6 manual

But then it is a bit unclear ::::

So in 4. can you hear 1-2 while you are recording on 3-4 or not ?

Then you say

5. Somehow when I press record after 4 I can only hear (A) and not (B)!! which

First in 5. if after 4. why are you pressing record ? shouldn't you have put 3-4 into green and not be pressing " record" because if 3-4 are still red (record armed) and you hit play then you will not hear what you previously recorded on them because 3-4 are still in record mode not playback mode

Thanks for your feedback - maybe I messed up describing 4 & 5.

In #4 - I am NOT able to record on 3&4 - when i press on record in #4 I can hear the rhythm playing from tracks 1&2 but cannot hear myself playing the solo on tracks 3&4 (i.e. after i record 1&2 i am UNABLE to record/overlay 3&4 on top of it).

I am not hung up on using overdub in H6 as you need to mix down the 2 tracks in H6 which is something i don't like (once you mic them both down you are not able to EQ them in software for instance).

Is there another way to do this? I need to record a backing tracking on H6, then listen to that backing track and record over it (a solo). All other ideas are welcome

thanks

[Fran Guidry]

Originally Posted by Guitarist-1977

I am trying to play with overdub on Zoom H6 and somehow cannot get it to work. Here is what I am trying to do:
A. Record a backing track like strumming a few chords (say on tracks 1&2)
B. Record over it some solo (on tracks 3&4)
I am assuming you can do that with Overdub but I keep getting only (A) being recorded.

Here is how I am doing it:
1. Record A
2. Activate overdub in menu
3. Tracks 1&2 are lit green
4. I record on 3&4 and they are red
5. Somehow when I press record after 4 I can only hear (A) and not (B)!!

Maybe I misinterpreting what overdub really means on the H6?

Any thoughts? ideas?

Thanks a lot for your time.

Perhaps you can find something useful around page 80 of the manual, "Adjusting the input signal monitoring mix"

I'm sorry, I don't have my H6 any more to check the procedure, but that might get you over the hump.

Fran

[JackC1]

Originally Posted by Guitarist-1977

Is there another way to do this? I need to record a backing tracking on H6, then listen to that backing track and record over it (a solo).

I started to type, then I thought... hey, there's got to a a video that's worth a thousand words, right?



I think this does what you're asking above.

Also, WRT mixdown, that's only to create a final product. You don't have to use it. Zoom keeps all the overdubs unmixed so you have the ability to import them into your DAW and mix/process them however you want. (You're limited to 99 takes; but I don't think any sane person would ever approach that number.)

[Guitarist-1977]

Originally Posted by JackC1

I started to type, then I thought... hey, there's got to a a video that's worth a thousand words, right?



I think this does what you're asking above.

Also, WRT mixdown, that's only to create a final product. You don't have to use it. Zoom keeps all the overdubs unmixed so you have the ability to import them into your DAW and mix/process them however you want. (You're limited to 99 takes; but I don't think any sane person would ever approach that number.)

JackC1 - thanks. This is the very same video i followed and hit the issue i described above. The second take (on tracks 3&4 in my case) does NOT get recorded. I cannot even hear them on the headphones (monitoring wise for channels 3 &4).

[JackC1]

Originally Posted by Guitarist-1977

The second take (on tracks 3&4 in my case) does NOT get recorded. I cannot even hear them on the headphones (monitoring wise for channels 3 &4).

Hmmm, not sure why that's happening there. I frequently make multiple takes and it works just fine. On each take, Zoom displays the take number (in overdub mode, bottom-left corner).

I made a demo video for you In the video, I did 2 takes on track 3; and in the headphones, I can hear tracks 1&2 while recording those multiple takes for track 3.

[Guitarist-1977]

Originally Posted by JackC1

Hmmm, not sure why that's happening there. I frequently make multiple takes and it works just fine. On each take, Zoom displays the take number (in overdub mode, bottom-left corner).

I made a demo video for you In the video, I did 2 takes on track 3; and in the headphones, I can hear tracks 1&2 while recording those multiple takes for track 3.

Thanks a ton for sharing/making that video. I did the same things like you but still not getting that result. Only difference i record the first take in stereo with 2 mics in input 1&2 and the second take with the same 2 mic in inputs 3&4. Not sure what am i doing wrong!

[JackC1]

Originally Posted by Guitarist-1977

Thanks a ton for sharing/making that video. I did the same things like you but still not getting that result. Only difference i record the first take in stereo with 2 mics in input 1&2 and the second take with the same 2 mic in inputs 3&4. Not sure what am i doing wrong!

It shouldn't matter how many mics you use. On the second take, did you make sure tracks 3&4 leds are "red"?

If you download the tracks to your computer, are they what you expect (i.e. the number of tracks and their contents)?

Sorry, I'm out of ideas. I hope you get it sorted out. It's a very useful feature on this recorder (at least for me since I don't use DAWs).

[Guitarist-1977]

Originally Posted by JackC1

It shouldn't matter how many mics you use. On the second take, did you make sure tracks 3&4 leds are "red"?

If you download the tracks to your computer, are they what you expect (i.e. the number of tracks and their contents)?

Sorry, I'm out of ideas. I hope you get it sorted out. It's a very useful feature on this recorder (at least for me since I don't use DAWs).

Yes on the second take I enable 3&4. While recording 3&4 the gain is not even moving on the display. This is very frustrating, shall I call the company?
I did not download them because when I try listening in zoom the second take is not there, it was never captured.
This is one of the reasons I bought this recorder and I cannot get it to work

[Guitarist-1977]

I think I figured it out from this thread
https://www.soundonsound.com/forum/v...ic.php?t=39563

By default phantom power is disabled in overdub, so you have to enable it for every individual channel.
I tried each take with 1 mic (mono) with this trick and I think it worked.

[KevWind]

Originally Posted by Guitarist-1977

I think I figured it out from this thread
https://www.soundonsound.com/forum/v...ic.php?t=39563

By default phantom power is disabled in overdub, so you have to enable it for every individual channel.
I tried each take with 1 mic (mono) with this trick and I think it worked.

Humm hope that works I checked the H6 Manual and it is pretty lacking in info on phantom power it talks about it on page 87 but makes no mention of it being default off for over dubs .

At some point you may want to consider using a DAW where you won't have such issues.
It is only 2 channels USB out,,, but you can just record the first take on H6 -1&2 into the DAW then record the second take also on 1&2 but routed to as second pair of mono or second stereo track with no fiddling around with phantom for 3&4