I am so lame... Ordered a Zoom H4N

wooglins · #1 01-21-2010, 10:55 PM

At my guitar lesson today the teacher told me I needed to get somthing that I could record parts of our lessons with to practice from.

I got a Zoom H4N. Guess that is overkill, but gosh I am a gadget freak. Anyone got one, what do I need to know about it?

Stackabones · #2 01-21-2010, 11:03 PM

What do you need to know about it?

IT'S AWSOME!11!1!

Seriously, you're going to have a blast with it.

66strummer · #3 01-21-2010, 11:15 PM

Better a gadget freak than being stuck in the dark ages. I'd say you did well.

patticake · #4 01-21-2010, 11:50 PM

there's a handy user-created video showing a bit about it - sort of a guided tour here:
http://www.amazon.com/review/R19LMCN...cm_cr_rdp_perm

wooglins · #5 01-22-2010, 12:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by patticake

there's a handy user-created video showing a bit about it - sort of a guided tour here:
http://www.amazon.com/review/R19LMCN...cm_cr_rdp_perm

Thanks good teaser. Should be fun.

Huckleberry · #6 01-22-2010, 04:16 AM

All you need to know is that it's a great bit of kit, you won't be disappointed. Recording quality is good, and it's very easy to use - it doesn't get in the way with needing to fiddle with menus too much, just set it going and play.

Of course, it has plenty of bells and whistles too, if you want to get into the menus etc.

#7 01-22-2010, 07:02 AM

+1 on everything posted so far. Generally, although less expensive, if it says "Zoom" on it you can't go wrong - very high quality stuff!

mesa · #8 01-22-2010, 07:16 AM

If you run into problems, this may help.....

http://2090.org/zoom/bbs/viewforum.php?f=19

jlkitch · #9 01-22-2010, 08:42 AM

I've used mine for everything from recording to digitizing old tapes for transfer to cds. It's a good unit once you learn how to use it.

ChuckS · #10 01-22-2010, 08:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wooglins

At my guitar lesson today the teacher told me I needed to get somthing that I could record parts of our lessons with to practice from.

I got a Zoom H4N. Guess that is overkill, but gosh I am a gadget freak. Anyone got one, what do I need to know about it?

When I was taking lessons I got a Zoom H4. It was great for that. I just put in on the tripod and pressed record. It was totally unobtrusive at the lesson. The instructors materials were less than refined, so the audio was extremely helpful.

I will also record my own playing once in a while. That's quite helpful; it makes you quite aware of where you should put your practice time efforts.

wooglins · #11 01-22-2010, 10:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChuckS

When I was taking lessons I got a Zoom H4. It was great for that. I just put in on the tripod and pressed record. It was totally unobtrusive at the lesson. The instructors materials were less than refined, so the audio was extremely helpful.

I will also record my own playing once in a while. That's quite helpful; it makes you quite aware of where you should put your practice time efforts.

Thanks, that makes me feel much better about dropping the money on it. That is exactly what I plan on using it for during my lessons.

The only impulse part of it was going all out at getting the H4N instead of something less expensive, but I figured I could use some of the advanced features like the metronome overlay, etc. while I am learning and if I get the bug to record when my ability is better then I can do that.

ChuckS · #12 01-22-2010, 11:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChuckS

When I was taking lessons I got a Zoom H4. It was great for that. I just put in on the tripod and pressed record. It was totally unobtrusive at the lesson. The instructors materials were less than refined, so the audio was extremely helpful.

I will also record my own playing once in a while. That's quite helpful; it makes you quite aware of where you should put your practice time efforts.

Quote:

Originally Posted by wooglins

Thanks, that makes me feel much better about dropping the money on it. That is exactly what I plan on using it for during my lessons.

The only impulse part of it was going all out at getting the H4N instead of something less expensive, but I figured I could use some of the advanced features like the metronome overlay, etc. while I am learning and if I get the bug to record when my ability is better then I can do that.

You will probably find more uses. I've recorded my kid's violin recitals, and a few church music programs. The 4 track mode even came in handy when I had to do an arrangement to back up my wife's vocal; my wife and I used a simple melody only track to practice along with then we recorded and mixed it once we had it refined a bit.

It's also good for me to record at home just for practice; it gets me used to playing under the pressure of the red record light is on.

cday · #13 01-22-2010, 12:16 PM

I have a Zoom H2 and use it all the time. You're not going to be disappointed with your purchase. That's money well spent!

Chet

edward993 · #14 01-22-2010, 12:39 PM

Good unit. But FWIW for anyone considering one of these, I went the extra distance and got a Tascam GTR1. It handles your portable recording needs, but also can be used as a guitar jammer and trainer ...very nice! Load in an MP3 and play along, mix levels, or learn a song. Decent built-in amp modules and fx. Fun stuff yes, but truly a versatile tool, IMHO.

Edward

paulchevin · #15 01-22-2010, 01:16 PM

The Zoom H4n is a superb tool - very easy to use and capable of excellent results.

Just to give you some idea of the quality you can expect, I used mine to record an entire CD. Even the internal mics are just about good enough for this, as you'll hear from the soundclip below:

http://chevinsounds.com/Autumnleaves.mp3

You can expect better results still if you use better quality external mics attached to the XLR inputs - the preamps are transparent and very quiet.

Paul