I’ve used a lot of Zoom Corp devices over the years – guitar multi-effects, video cameras, and especially their recorders. I wouldn’t say the user manuals have been useless, but they sometimes take a bit of exploration and experimentation to understand. So I’ve done a few posts over the years addressing specific issues with some of these gadgets.
The Zoom H6 packs a lot of functionality into a pretty compact device – six input channels with three different paths, effects, overdubbing, mixing, headphone and speaker and line outputs – there’s a lot to cover in the manual. I guess it’s no surprise that some of the functions don’t work in a way that is immediately obvious. It took a bit of trial and error to figure out how to delete a single file from the SD card, so I put together this video demonstrating file management on the H6.
As always, I hope these demonstrations are helpful to other Zoom H6 users.
I probably seem a little obsessive about finding minimalist recording rigs using my Zoom F6. The low noise preamps and extreme dynamic range make the audio recording job vastly easier, but I miss having an all-in-one recording solution using a single tripod. I am always looking for new interesting places to shoot my Look At Me Play Guitar videos and a minimal equipment load opens up a lot of possibilities. Fewer pieces of equipment also means easier setup and teardown.
The previous post details my first experiment, using adapters and bars and accessories, and I’ve used the hex bar approach for a published video. And in this video I’m using the “omni AB plugged straight in” technique, although in that session I was using the Schoeps CMC62 omnis rather than the Line Audio Omni1s.
This time I’m looking at two other solutions and I think I’m getting closer to the ideal. One approach is to mount a miniature mic directly on the guitar, something I’ve experimented with in the past. I pulled out a pair of vintage Countryman EM-101 mics and taped them in a position I had never tried before. The other rig uses DPA 4061 miniature omnis and their XLR adapter which happens to plug straight in to the F6. With a little tape and bell wire I rigged the 4061s in an AB configuration. While it won’t win any prizes for neatness I think this rig will get a bit more attention.
Both of these approaches will probably get more attention, I can definitely think of situations where either of these could be useful. If you’d like to listen to the these recordings in more detail you can download uncompressed WAV files and compare them – Countryman EM-101 and DPA 4061
I’ve done some videos with the DPA 4061 array if you’d like to check it out:
I’ve owned many examples of recorders from the Zoom Corp H series, the recorders Zoom calls “handy.” These are battery powered recorders with attached mics and SD card storage. Zoom has offered models from the H1 to the H8 with “N” and “Pro” upgrades along the way for some of the devices. The great majority of my slack key and Hawaiian music videos have audio that was captured on one of these Zoom Handy Recorder models. I set out to see how “handy” I could make my Zoom F6 so I could enjoy the advantages of this new recorder with the convenience of the older ones.
Although the H series recorders can be handheld, they also offer some sort of tripod attachment, which I basically always use. Fortunately the F6 also has a tripod mount option, so that’s where I started. I pulled out an inexpensive light weight camera tripod and attached the F6.
To attach mics I started by plugging a pair of Line Audio Omni1s through an adapter and directly into the F6. Then I fastened the optional male camera mount accessory to the top of the recorder, so with some adapters I used that to put a mic bar atop the F6. I used the mic bar to mount an X-Y pair of Shure KSM141 mics in cardioid.
Let’s look at the video to get a better idea of how the rig came together:
After all the rigging and adapting I was ready to play a little bit of “Salomila” slack key into these two mic arrays. You’ll have to jump to 286 seconds to skip over the hardware and get to the music.
I’ve continued to experiment with different mics and attachment methods. I’m not there yet, but I hope I’ll be able to develop a rig that is just as “handy” as my H6 but have the quality and convenience of the F6.
I usually record audio for my “Look At Me Play Guitar” videos on a PC and audio interface or a standalone recorder, but I understand that the audio system in the latest Lumix GH cameras has upped the quality of camera audio, especially with external mics. And I happen to have a pair of Schoeps mics designed to connect to devices like cameras, the CMBI mic bodies. Naturally I had to hook them up and see what happens.
The CMBI bodies are out of production now but they are still out there in the used market. These little mic bodies are battery powered and use a DIN 5 pin connector instead of XLR output. This configuration was optimal for DAT recorders and other portable recorders that were common in the 1970s. Schoeps created a flexible cable system that allowed mono or stereo setups, but these cables are also no longer in production. Fortunately there are cable specialists who can create functional cable sets. I had Vark Audio create cables for mono and stereo attachment and also a pair of DIN to XLR cables so I could connect to my current recorder.
Here’s the video tutorial showing the setup I used to create a video with the CMBI mics into my Lumix GH5:
and here’s the resulting “Look At Me Play Guitar” video:
It was fun rigging this setup and shooting a video with this equipment, but the capabilities of the newest portable recorders has convinced me to keep using separate audio for my videos. I’m still keeping my mind and eye open for upgrades to camera audio, it’s sure nice to be able to skip the process of syncing audio and video in post.
I usually shoot my videos with a set of Panasonic Lumix GH series cameras and record audio on a separate device, then I edit in REAPER and Edius to create the final clip. But I thought it might be interesting to see what I could accomplish with an iPhone replacing all the other hardware.
I have found that mic placement is really critical for decent audio recording and the built-in camera mic is rarely in the best place, so a separate mic or two really improves the quality of a music video. I’ve tried a few different gadgets that connect external mics to the iPhone and I’ve settled on the iRig Pro Duo for that purpose. It has decent mic preamps and a/d conversion and provides phantom power if needed.
After capturing the performance in the iPhone I used iMovie to edit the clip. Here’s a look at the setup and the editing process:
Just in case you’re interested, here’s the completed video that I posted on my slack key channel:
I must admit that I didn’t totally enjoy the process of editing on the phone, I expect to continue using my laptop, Lumix cameras, and separate recorder for my videos, but at least I now know that I can create content with just a phone, an interface, and a mic or two.
I’ve recorded audio for many videos using the Zoom H6, it’s a terrific tool with decent audio quality, lots of features, and excellent battery life. But Zoom recently released the F6 recorder with a new level of capability. The F6 combines very low noise preamps with dual ADCs and 32 bit float recording, and the combination nearly eliminates any issue with setting input levels. But the F6 costs more and requires more external gear. Which one of these is right for you?
I’ve found the terrific dynamic range of the F6 to be a real benefit to my projects. For my hula show videos I no longer worry about the drums clipping while the chanting is down in the noise floor. With the F6 I can recover those extra loud and extra quiet parts in post in a way I never could with the H6. When I’m shooting “look at me play guitar” videos where I’m the whole video and audio crew as well as the talent I never lose a track that I played well but set levels poorly.
Still, there are trade-offs as there always are. Besides the extra cost of the F6 the H6 includes attached mics that are very handy – using the F6 means bringing mics, cables, mic bar, mic clips, and some kind of mic stand. The H6 has XLR and 1/4″ combo jacks so I can plug my guitar pickup directly in while the F6 needs some kind of adapter to attach a 1/4″ plug to the recorder.
I’ve done a couple of videos that examine the trade-offs and demonstrate the capabilities, hopefully these will be useful in helping you decide which recorder meets your needs.
First, here’s a visual look at the extra gear you’ll need for the F6 to handle the same project as the H6:
Next I did a little demo of the dynamic range capabilities of the two recorders along with some post-processing to demonstrate the recovery of a very low recording level and a badly clipped recording:
To really appreciate the differences between the results from these two recorders you might like to download some files and play with them yourself. I’ve uploaded .WAV files from each recorder for your enjoyment:
Although the H6 is wonderfully handy with its attached mics, combo jacks, and compact form factor, the F6 has captured me. Sure, carrying the extra gear is going to be a hassle, but in the past when I’ve compared the H6 mics to good standalone gear I could hear the improvement from the external mics. And having the ability to handle a guitar pickup when the player hits the strings just a bit too hard is going to make my videos sweeter sounding. All I need to do now is to stop fooling with equipment and start playing more slack key guitar!
Omnidirectional microphones are often undervalued by amateur recordists, I think. It’s certainly true that when I started recording I was always looking for directional mics. In my case I was probably influenced by my use of mics for sound reinforcement before I started recording. A fairly loud band with PA and monitors is not a situation that favors omni mics. (more…)
The video forums and sites I visit go in a lot of different directions, but one of the most consistent points they make is the importance of audio in video. Those of us shooting “look at me play guitar” videos actually have it easy compared to folks doing documentaries or dramatic films, because we usually don’t mind having the microphone(s) visible in the shot, but since we’re showing off our music we really need the audio to shine. For acoustic players like me that means using microphones. The natural sound of the acoustic guitar just doesn’t come across with any pickup system I’ve found yet, so learning to position mics for a compelling recording is a big part of making a satisfactory video. (more…)
Howdy, my name is Fran Guidry and this is my Homebrewed Music blog.
I play Hawaiian slack key guitar and recorded my solo acoustic CD at home. Most of the recording information I find on the internet seems focused on bands, drums, multitracking, and so on but my main focus is recording solo acoustic guitar. Lately I’ve been enjoying video recording along with audio, so that shows up in the blog as well.
I’m also a guitar nut. I love big ones and little ones, handmades and factory guitars, cheap ones and expensive ones. So I’ll be sharing the fun of exploring guitars as well, along with the challenges of amplifying acoustic guitars for live performance.
Welcome!
Philosophy
My recording philosophy is pragmatic, skeptical, not super critical. After all, the performance is by far the most important component of a track, and every aspect of any recording is a matter of taste.
But I do like to know “about stuff.” Back in hifi days I learned about double blind testing. I learned that we humans can easily hear differences that don’t really exist. The more I’ve learned about our human auditory system, the more I’m skeptical of what people say they hear, especially if they claim that a particular microphone or preamp or cable has some magical property.
I’ve only been recording since 2001, and when I started I found the usual places on the internet. I sought advice and accepted it, thought I would improve my recordings by using more expensive equipment. It didn’t work.
Two things that did seem to lead to better recordings were experience and room treatment. Getting an appealing sound is the combination of many small details, and learning those details only comes from experience. Amd the sound of the recording space is obviously a big factor.
I’ve only recorded seriously using digital technology, but I remember trying to record rehearsals and gigs back in analog days. I don’t have any nostalgia for analog recording and playback systems at all. I think even low end digital systems can capture marvelous recordings. So when I look at gear, I look for good specs: low noise, broad flat frequency response, wide dynamic range, low distortion. I’m not interested in colorful components, mics and preamps with a sound, I want the sound to be the sound of my guitar.
But the last word is that I’m just learning and I hope you find something useful in my posts.