The H2 has 3 gain settings. I almost always use the mid level, except for Blue Angel flyovers :) The low would be too low for 3 ft away, and the high setting gets noisy, I hear.

The mid-level setting in my backyard recording surround sound birds chirping was awesome. Record at the highest Hz and Bit depth wave that you can, it gives you a lot of leeway in Vegas to bump up the volume cleanly.

Just some tips with another model.

There are a few message boards that cover the Zoom recorders. This is the one I have used for help with my H2:

http://www.2090.org/zoom/bbs/viewforum.php?f=15

Here's a discussion of the level settings for the H2, which will not be completely helpful for the H1:

http://www.2090.org/zoom/bbs/viewtopic.php?t=9745

And here's where you can download manuals and updated firmware:

http://www.zoom.co.jp/english/download/index.html

There is no new firmware for the H1 as of yet. I should have added that I ordered an H1 from B&H last week and it's supposed to arrive tomorrow. After reading the manual online, the H1 only has a level setting (up to 100) or auto levels. You don't have much to tinker around with like with the H2 and H4/H4n. I bought the H1 for my old Canon HV30, which I only use in field (limited equipment, as in boats, hiking, aircraft) settings. The onboard HV30 mic picks up tape transport noise, so something like the H1 set on an extender arm improves the sound quality and eliminates the camcorder-generated noise.

I've just had a play with one of only two H1s in Australia.
Sure it's 'cheap' and 'plastic' but what should one expect at that price point. You could buy a very similar unit from Nagra at six times the price and it is all metal with way better mics, you get what you pay for. For something to throw in the kit bag that you're not going to panic about if it gets trodden on, it seems like quite a bargain to me.

As this was at a trade show it was difficult to check the record levels in Auto but as far as I could tell it seemed no different to the H4n in that regard. The mic is a X-Y stereo mic, great for bands, atmos and orchestras and dialog but in no way will such a mic replace a shotgun. If you're any distance from the sound source in a 'live' room you will pick up a lot of the room reverberation regardless of level. Turning the mics to 90deg will help a little but that's way wide of the mark compared to a shotgun.


Bob.

@jabloomf1230: "There are a few message boards that cover the Zoom recorders"

Thanks for the tip. I joined the www.2090.org forum an posted my problem there. If they offer any insights, I'll cross-post back here.

@farss: "The mic is a X-Y stereo mic, great for bands, atmos and orchestras and dialog but in no way will such a mic replace a shotgun."

Ahhh... here's my project for today. I think I'll plug my shotgun into the "line in" of the H1 and see what kind of results I get. Edit: Well that didn't work, I connected my Azden SGM-1X to the Line In and the "Record Level" meter barely budged.

...Jerry

Is there a mic/line setting in the internal menu? It should be set to mic if you have a mic plugged into the line in.

duplicate post

"Is there a mic/line setting in the internal menu?"Not that I can find. However, if you scroll up to the first post in this thread, you'll see the jack clearly indicates mic/line in.

Edit: Here's what the doc says: "Mics that require plug-in power can be used with this jack." Does this mean I need a pre-amp to use an external mic? My Azden is powered.

...Jerry

Jerry, many small condenser mics require plug-in phantom power in order to work at all. That is what this refers to.

I see a levels switch right below the mic/line input. Is this set correctly?

"I see a levels switch right below the mic/line input. Is this set correctly?"Yeah, it's set to Auto Level=Off & Record Level=100 (max). While it would be nice to solve this issue, I don't want to get terribly off-topic (yes, I know I started this). What I'd really like is to be able to record at a decent volume with the built-in mics. I'm really interested in the experiences of others who are just now beginning to receive these units. Are the record level problems inherent to the device, or is mine defective?

...Jerry

Yeah, it's set to Auto Level=Off & Record Level=100 (max).

I was referring to the Input Levels switch located right below the mic/line input in the picture. Sorry I don't have one in hand to compare, I assume the input (pre-gain) levels work the same as my H4.

Whoops! My typo, it is "Input Levels".

...Jerry

So... I've changed my mind. I'm very happy with the performance of the Zoom H1. Particularly after I normalize the audio.

I've done some very quick-and-dirty testing of my various microphone options for recording a voice interview. After I import the sound into Vegas, now I think the Zoom H1 may give the best quality of any of my options (save the lavalier mic which captures one subject only - in mono).

Here is my test video clip. I'm not particularly proud of the video as is is very quick-and-dirty - the lighting is bad, the dog clanks his collar during the test, the framing is horrible, and the subject needs to lose weight {grin}. However, it does illustrate the sound quality of my options, and I like the Zoom H1!

...Jerry

Edit:The other thing this test indicates is... no matter what microphone option is used, it's very important control the room noise.

Interesting.. Thanks for taking the time to do the demo! IMHO sounds pretty good for $100 recorder.

<<However, it does illustrate the sound quality of my options, and I like the Zoom H1!>>

The Zoom unit has a little too much clarity, sounds too natural, has insufficient pickup of unwanted background noise, and no hiss. I'm so used to fighting these issues that I'm not sure I'd know what to do with clean sound.

In other words, invaluable test, THANK YOU!

Guy

(save the lavalier mic which captures one subject only - in mono).

You can use two lavs into the H1 (or any similar digital recorder or camcorder with 1/8"stereo mic jack) with this cable and get stereo. Obviously I'm talking about wired lavs. You could do it with wireless, but the freqs must be different and not interfering with each other.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/252280-REG/Hosa_Technology_YMM_261_Stereo_Mini_Male_to.html

If you record at 24 bits then you can normalize the audio with virtually no loss whatsoever.

"If you record at 24 bits then you can normalize the audio with virtually no loss whatsoever."Hmmm... when I set my Zoom H1 to "wav", it records at 44.1/16-bit. I can't figure out how to set it to anything else.

The marketing info clearly indicates you should be able to change this: "Records Broadcast WAV (BWF) at 96kHz/48kHz/44.1kHz at 16-bit or 24-bit" Furthermore, if you look closely at the Zoom display at the top of this thread, it displays 96/24 (mine defaults to 44/16).

Has anyone else figured out how to configure this setting?

....Jerry

The manual(pg 4) indicates using the rewind and fast-forward buttons to set the bitrate(mp3)/bit-depth(wav) then hit the record button to accept.

Jerry, you didn't read the manual, front to back, hanging on every word?

"Jerry, you didn't read the manual, front to back, hanging on every word?"Darn! Missed that one - I guess I'm getting old {grin}. Or maybe it's chromosomal - real men don't read manuals {another grin}.

In any case, fotofreak99 wins the prize. Pressing the rewind/FF is the key - certainly intuitively obvious to even the casual observer {one final grin!}

...Jerry

Hi,

Bought my Zoom H1 after reading all the good statements here. The sound is crisp and clear, completely satisfied with it, taking into consideration the price. And so much easier and faster than my old mini-disc, that I used before for occasional audio pick-up.

However, my H1 is a battery hog - it seems to drain lots of power even if it is powered off! I have not used the device much, but are on my third battery. I put a completely new Duracell into the unit, recorded for 30 minutes two weeks ago, and turned off the device properly. Now today, when I turned it on - the battery indicator tells that the battery is drained (measured it to be 1.22Volts). This now happened for the third time.

Am I doing something wrong? There is only one power (sliding) switch on this device!

What about you others? Anyone seen something similar, or is my unit broken?

Grateful for any comments,

Christian

"However, my H1 is a battery hog - it seems to drain lots of power even if it is powered off!"Christian,

Apparently, there was a bad batch of these guys. See: http://www.2090.org/zoom/bbs/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=15609

My H1 works fine, but my recommendation is to request a replacment.

...Jerry