H6 Zoom

Review: Zoom H6essential talks the talk and walks the walk – ...

sixcolors.com

But the display on my H6 crapped out, and the rubberized case began to suffer from what the Internet tells me is called “rubber reversion.” That means the case got all sticky. In the meantime, Zoom has released a set of new handheld recorders; the Essential series, with a couple of features I’ve been craving. Support for 32-bit floating point audio is the marquee feature of the H6e (and its siblings, the H4e and H1e). Instead of riding input levels to be sure your recordings don’t clip, 32-bit float allows you to record at any level and then raise or lower the audio’s gain when you work with it in a 32-bit compatible DAW. In a 16-bit or 24-bit file, doing so would introduce noise when boosting a too-low signal or still sound distorted if your recording was too hot to begin with. Zoom sells other 32-bit float-compatible recorders, but not handheld ones, until now. The feature came in handy for me when I waded into a crowd of solar eclipse fans with my shotgun mic and Zoom H6e, looking for good soundbites for a story. I didn’t fiddle with levels – I just rolled tape the whole time I talked to people without having to fiddle with the H6E, and then I leveled the best bits later in Adobe Audition. It feels lighter than the old H6. Its case contains more plastic than the original, but it feels sturdy and not cheap. The recorder ships with an x-y capsule mic and also comes with a nifty little cap you can put over the capsule port to protect it when no capsule is installed. You can’t use old Zoom H6-compatible capsules with the new recorders (I have three).

Zoom H6 - User review - Gearspace

gearspace.com

Review this product Prices & More Info More Recorders Tools ... I've been waiting for a hand held recorder with preamps that match the capabilities of a mid-level prosumer audio interface. The Zoom H6 has arrived and delivers. The obvious gee-whiz feature of this recorder is a set of replaceable modules. I haven't tested but I'm hoping that this will solve the problem of clipping when connecting to mixer tape outs. The overdub capabilities of the H6 are limited compared to the H4n, but that's not a feature I use so I haven't explored much. My first Zoom recorder was an H2. Now with this Zoom H6 I'm satisfied that the audible performance is good enough to make it my sole recorder/interface. ... THE GOOD 2 Interchangeable microphone capsules included. 6 channel simultaneous recording. Great sounding mics for the price. Individual pad, gain & phantom for all inputs. Ability to use as an audio interface. THE BAD Runs on AA batteries. If you saw the video than you know that I was excited about was the ability to use the Zoom H6 as an audio interface and utilize the stereo capsules as to record into my DAW. The noise floor was very very low and I was even surprised to “hear” that while plugging in my SM57 and Neumann TLM 103, the pre amps for the XLR inputs sounded just as clean if not better than my aging Digidesign 003 preamps. After my initial test it is clear the Zoom H6 blows my Rode VideoMic out of the water.

Zoom H6essential review: clip-free recording in your hands | MusicTech

musictech.com

In its forty year history, the company has released a string of innovative products for on-location sound recording – all at extremely competitive prices. At NAMM this year, Zoom announced a big upgrade to its hugely popular H-series of handy recorders, and so, naturally, we had to take the flagship model out for a spin. READ MORE: Native Instruments’ Electric Keys – Tines Duo are among the best Rhodes emulations out there · Zoom’s H6 was a multipurpose powerhouse, boasting an interchangeable capsule mic system, four onboard XLR/TRS inputs, and the capacity to be used as a six-in/two-out audio interface. However, you actually can’t set those levels even if you want to: Zoom has leaned into the benefits of 32-bit float so completely that they’ve designed the H6essential with no direct gain controls whatsoever. There is also no option to change the bit-depth when using the device as a portable recorder, so if you wanted to drop down to 24-bit for some reason, then too bad. On one level, this makes sense; 32-bit float means that you have an all-encompassing safety net and can always fix things in post-production. Musician-friendly features found on the H6, such as built in compression, limiting, and a metronome are now gone, but, at the same time, there are a number of new, well thought-out features that make up for this. There’s a new Waveform screen which gives a nice, bright visualisation of the incoming audio, and of which tracks are currently recording, there’s now support for support for microSDXC cards up to 1TB, and the additional purchase of Zoom’s BTA-1 Bluetooth adapter means you can control the unit via an iOS device. This feature may not be a drawcard for everyone, but for those who need it, it’s fantastic. Few devices try to wear as many hats as Zoom’s H-series. These recorders are used by musicians, podcasters, field recordists, and filmmakers – what’s incredible is that the company manages to offer genuine value to all of them. There are shortcomings to be sure, but the H6essential packs a feature set that you won’t find anywhere else at this price-point.

Zoom H6

www.soundonsound.com

Zoom are probably going to sell a lot of H6 recorders. The product's ability to record multiple signals simultaneously, with independently configured phantom power, filter and dynamic settings, makes it very attractive to those recording sound for small films, documentaries and reportage, and to bands who want to record multiple instruments, or simply experiment with different microphone configurations. The shotgun and extra inputs attachments (SGH6 and EHX6, respectively) were not sent for review so no comment can be made about their performance, but judging by the way the H6 intelligently adapts its internal setup to the other two attachments, they should be no trouble to mount and start using. It should be noted, however, that although the EHX6 input attachment appears to have the same features as the four on-board inputs, it does not provide phantom power. You can't please all the people all of the time, of course, and the price of the Zoom H6's versatility is paid in small frustrations that will irritate some users. The angled screen might be useful on top of a DSLR camera, but it is not helpful to artists recording themselves. The layout of the inputs, mics and screen make the H6 unwieldy as a computer interface, and setting up the mixer pages on such a small yet heavily featured device is inevitably fiddly, particularly when some settings, like phantom power assignment, are accessed only from menus. Apparently the pad switch allows input signals 30dB louder and 14dB softer than other 'Handy Recorder' products, and the preamps use higher-voltage power rails than other designs to avoid distortion. Even the diaphragms of the X/Y mics have been specifically chosen so that they are larger than those of the competition. Whatever the relative merits of these design decision might be, the H6 does a very good job and is capable of some serious recording work.

Zoom H6 Review: 6-Channels of Audio & Podcast Recording Goodness

www.thepodcasthost.com

Many audio dramatists swear by the Zoom H6 for this very reason. A show’s entire cast can be recorded independently, onto one single device, without anyone having to share a track, vastly increasing control during the recording, and in post-production. The Zoom H6 is akin to a complete recording studio that fits in the palm of your hand. It’s a portable digital recorder that can be used to capture top-quality audio recordings, either directly onto the device itself, or into your computer’s audio recording and editing software. It takes 4 XLR inputs as standard, and captures another 2 channels via the top-mounted stereo mic; hence the 6 in the name. Add to that a host of features built into the device, such as limiters, compression and other processing tools, and you’ve got a lot here, all packed into one trim little device. To be honest, even without any audio experience, you can use the Zoom H6 at a simple level. It’s hard to miss the big red record button on the front, after all, and you can learn the more advanced features as you go. Zoom are masters of the digital recorder, and the Zoom H6 is currently their marquee model. But, while it’s top of Zoom’s list, should it be top of yours? That’s what we’re here for: read this Zoom H6 review to find out.

“A highly flexible yet portable unit that is easy to use but ...

www.musicradar.com

MusicRadar's got your back Our team of expert musicians and producers spends hours testing products to help you choose the best music-making gear for you. Find out more about how we test. ... Zoom’s Handy Recorders deliver quality 32-bit float recording in a compact format and are surprisingly affordable. The H6 Essential is one of the largest and best spec’d in the range and unsurprisingly offers plenty of flexibility. Compact location recorders with six inputs are a rarity. Let’s see what this latest Zoom design has to offer The H6 Essential is battery (4xAA) or USB powered. The USB-C port also supports data transfer and the 6-in/2-out audio interface feature, which works with PC, Mac, iOS and Android devices. Audio interfacing can be used at the same time as SD recording, although in this mode USB interface sampling frequency is limited to 44/1/48kHz. ... Want all the hottest music and gear news, reviews, deals, features and more, direct to your inbox? However, where H6 Essential moves away from its smaller siblings is the headstock design. This is removable (Zoom’s interchangeable Mic Capsule System 3.0) and allows for the included XY headstock, and also two pay-for options. These are a stereo shotgun mic (SSH-6e) or the connectivity expansion with two additional mic/line inputs with a 3.5mm lavalier microphone input (EXH-6e).