ZOOM JAPAN H4N HANDY VOICE / DIGITAL FLEXIBLE SOUND RECORDER

The H4n is one of the most flexible portable 24‑bit recorders.

Zoom’s H4n digital stereo recorder is with combi jack/XLR inputs, 48V phantom power, a coincident stereo pair of mics onboard, and masses of extra functionality (from four‑track mixing to guitar effects and a USB audio interface) it’s much more versatile than most recorders, and the sound is good. Body has a thick, rubberised coating, more solid, better weighted, and altogether more ‘professional’. If you do find handling noise an issue, there’s a camera‑tripod mounting socket on the rear, and a separate mic‑stand adaptor for this. If noise is still a problem, there’s an optional remote control that plugs into the main unit via a mini‑jack on the left‑hand side panel. Clearer screen, input‑ and track‑selection controls on the front panel and the mystifying two wheel/button menu controls of the H4 have been replaced with a more intuitive system based around one menu button and a single scroll‑and‑click selection wheel. Recording level and playback volume settings are controlled by dedicated buttons on the right and left panels respectively.

At the top are more solid‑feeling mics than appeared on the H4. These are, again, configured for coincident stereo recording, but can be rotated between 90 and 120 degrees. Combi sockets on the bottom panel allow the connection of external mics, or line/DI sources. You can also connect a stereo mic via a mini‑jack socket (with plug‑in power), to use instead of the onboard mics.

As well as the line/headphone output, there’s now a small speaker on the rear. This isn’t for serious monitoring, of course, but it’s a useful addition that brings the Zoom into line with more recent competition. It means you don’t always need to use headphones or external speakers to check things are operating as they should, or to locate a specific track or location within a track. Power comes in via the included adaptor, or a pair of AA batteries.

Like the H4, you can record in different file formats, with a range of MP3 and WAV options, from the cruddiest, media-efficient MP3 to 24-bit, 96kHz WAVs. Usefully, you can record broadcast WAVs, with markers for use when navigating or editing audio files, or burning CDs. All this is recorded to SD card (a 1GB card is included).

The controls of the Zoom H4N — particularly those on the side panels — are much more intuitive to use than those of its predecessor, the H4. The H4’s four‑track mixer enabled you to do basic overdubbing, and to apply effects to your recordings. Putting the H4N into four-track mode is as simple as clicking the menu button, scrolling to ‘Mode’ and clicking, then selecting ‘4CH’ and clicking again. A similar approach is used to set it back to stereo. The two stereo‑width settings also give a useful option when trying to achieve separation between two sources, or simply recording something like an acoustic guitar part in stereo, while leaving a ‘hole’ in the middle for a vocal.