Just received a Zoom H1 audio recorder.
It's the 'baby' version of the more swanky Zoom recorders such as the H4n, and from the reviews I've read it certainly scores highly.
First impressions:
- It's small. Smaller than I imagined. It's tiny! You can literally fit it in your pocket and almost forget it's there.
- It comes with a 2GB micro SD card (with adaptor) and a battery to power the unit. This is nice as some electronic products ignore the basic fact that people like using the product straight out of the box without having to worry about scrambling to find essential accessories. But it doesn't contain a USB cable for connecting to a computer....but I prefer using SD cards to transfer work.
- It's very 'plasticky'. This was something that most reviewers commented on when I was reading up on the recorder. This causes A LOT (I'm emphasising this becasue its important!) of creaking sounds when you record if you hold the device in your hand. The main area that makes noise is the battery compartment cover: it creaks more than an old door in a haunted house!
If using the Zoom H1 for hand held recording, the battery compartment would need to be gaffer taped securely.
- There's a screw-in hole for connecting the recorder to a tripod, which is nice.
- It records to WAV (up to 24bit/96khz) and MP3.
- It has one line-in and one line-out jack connection.
- The microphones are pretty good (but ultra sensitive) and you can listen back to what you've recorded using an in-built speaker. Online reviews have heaped praise on the quality of the H1's recording capabilities despite the low cost.
To really get any practical use from the Zoom H1 you need to plug a lavelier or shotgun mic into it...you simply couldn't use the in-built microphones as they are far too sensitive.
This webpage offers some recommended microphones to use with the Zoom H1 if you are unsure of what to look for.
- Something that is far more annoying than the creaky plastic noises is the way the machine plays back what you've recorded. Say, if you have 10 recordings and you want to listen to the 8th recording, you have to go through the previous ones first before you get to hear it instead of being able to skip through to the ones you want!
Conclusion:
Pro's:
- Small and easy to transport.
- Good sound recorder when used with external microphone.
- Cheap and cheerful.
Cons:
- Wading through audio recordings instead of being able to automatically jump to the ones you want is a nuisance.
- Cheap construction causes creaking noises when hand-held.
- Shane
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