I recently bought a Zoom H2n hand held recorder which is the updated model of the very popular Zoom H2.
One of the main differences for the basic recording technique anyway is that you now have a rotary dial to select your recording levels.
I have played around with it for a bit at home and the sound is very good. However even after setting the dial as high as I can without getting distortion on the recording, when I transfer the mp3 file to my pc and open it in audacity the sound is quieter than I would expect. You do have a normalize facility built in to the recorder which boosts the sound but it's still a little quiet and not as loud say as when I record directly into the pc via my standard interface.
Anyone experienced anything similar or can offer any advice as how to boost the sound level. I suppose I could do a volume increase in Audacity but that might distort the sound.
Another question is what sort of adjustments do folk use in Audacity for home recording ie reverb, compression etc., to get the harp to sound at its best. Just some suggested start of settings would be great to get me started.
And finally I would like to record myself and other musicians in a band performance setting, no harmonica here as I'm doing guitar and vocals.
Where have you found the best place for placing the Zoom to capture sound through the PA, there is a 4 speaker spread where I play. (ie close to one speaker or further back to capture the ambient sound)
Sorry this is a bit long winded and asks a lot of questions but folk may be able to chip in and answer 1 or more questions. Thanks for any advice you can offer.
I have the H4N. When I record, I use the MTR mode. You can set the sound levels on each of the tracks. This is not the record level, but the playback level. On your H2N can change your S level, MS level, and XY level. Look in your manual in the playback section. You'll see "Changing the S Level" and Mixing a 4ch Surround File". It doesn't look like the H2N has a MTR mode. But the 4ch Surround mode looks like it has the ability to increase the playback level without changing the recording level you select.
I had the same problem you described. I fixed it by increasing the sound level to 12+db. The normalize function didn't help my volume playback level at all. It also limited going back in to work with the file again. Hope this helps. I always enjoy your songs. orphan
Try it with and without the compressor and see if it makes a difference - could be that because of where you've set the recording gain, all your signals are actually being compressed.
The H2n should have a "normalise" (I refuse to spell it with a Z!) which you can post-process recordings with.
Don't know about the Zoom, but I LOVE the "Stereo Widener" plugin for Audacity. You have to go download it separately and then add it on, but it does wonders for the sound... But I always record in Mono, so perhaps that's a moot point since those Zoom recorders are stereo to begin with... Actually, you can increast the volume in Audacity quite a bit before distortion... Just look at where your peaks are, and judge the space between them and the top of the "bar". You as long as you don't pump it so far that the peaks get clipped, you can definitely make it louder in audacity....
One other very handy tool in Audacity that it helps to get to know well is the noise removal tool. Once you figure out how to use correctly, that tool is VERY handy for removing any hiss or background noise from your recordings...
Since I use my effects processor (Zoom G3) as my recording interface (direct to computer), I always get all my effects from it, rather than applying any post-processing effects in Audacity itself.... ---------- == I S A A C ==
I have had a H2 Zoom for some years & find it great for recording but not good as an interface or usb mic. I got into very lengthy email exchanges with Zoom Corp & the language became too technical for me to cope with. I figure I am doing something wrong.
My recording is done by simply setting the gain on the H2 at lowest setting & placing it ca 1 foot in front of my amp set at low volume. The result in Audacity is good & the only effects I apply are delay.
I did only once have it ca 6 foot away & set at high gain in a room with another guitarist & it was too much for Audacity. ---------- HARPOLDIE’S YOUTUBE
i wouldn't worry too much about maximizing levels while recording, and i definitely wouldn't mess with effects/compression/etc on the fly. just get a clean recording, making sure the levels are low enough that you don't get clipping.
the rest of it is better done in audacity, where you have better control over post processing, and can undo any changes that don't work out the way you want.
I got an H2 in February and have been recording recent gigs with it.
On the H2 there is a three way slider switch on the side for low , med, high recording levels. The band I'm now with is semi-electric. As you can see in parts of the video, I have it between the back of the drums and the small PA / Bass amp. I am recording in 4 track surround mode. I have the slider set to low for max attenuation and the compressor setting via the menues - to studio (I believe). I use it for the limiter as I am much more concerned with clipping than I am with a too - low signal.
I have been extremely pleased with what this little cheapy unit is capable of ($100). The sound on this video was recoreded with the H2 set as described. I then dumped the two stereo files into Logic to make some minor adjustments / enhancements. I bounced a stero file down from that and imported into Final Cut at 48khz for the video.
There is a teeny bit of the camera audio mixed in to fill out the sound with some 'ambience' but it's not really needed. I have more files share if you are curious.
Hi Grey Owl - I'll post some more videos in a fresh thread soon. In this case the H2 was about 2-3 fett from the very low volume PA column and about the same from the small , low volume bass amp. The drum kit is about 3 feet in front of it - also played a tlow volume with brushes mostly.
On H2 there is also a 'manual' input adjust besides the slider that you operate by pushing buttons. My main point is that with digital recording , if you get a clean take you can always boost gain or 'normalize' in software afterward, - but you can never clean up a clipped, distorted take. If you ever look at the levels at a concert recording board or talk to the engeer, in my experience they always err on the side of caution - and lower levels.
What software are you dumping the files into, - and what do the waveforms look like ? ----------
Last Edited by on Apr 15, 2012 1:47 PM
Thanks for that info I have just been playing around with this a bit more and recorded a small clip.
I am using Nero Wave Editor but I do have Audacity and somewhere I have some software that came with the player (but can't find it!)
My original recordings were peaking around +/- 20DB (I guess that what measurements on the side of the waveform meant (0 to 100) which sounded quiet on my usual amp volume setting.
This latest recording was much better peaking around 60 (don't know if this is excessive)
I take your point about post processing and will have to learn more about this.
The harp can vary quite a bit in attack and so the siting of the H2n is quite important to avoid clipping on the loud parts but still pick up the softer parts.
There is a clipping warning red light on the unit which is handy and that didn't seem to come on during recording so that's good.
There is a visible decibel counter on the unit which ranges from -48 on the left to 0 on the right and I tried to go no further than -6.
I have added a little reverb and the sound level this time sounded much better. How did the volume come out for you.
