Zoom H2 file problem

hfritsche wrote on 4/13/2011, 11:38 AM
I have a fairly new Zoom H2 and love it... using its internal mics. I am having a problem, however, using an external mic and though I have searched every forum ad nauseum, can't find a similar problem discussed.

I am using an inexpensive powered condenser mic. When I record, my headphone monitoring sounds OK, albeit somewhat noisy (as many have lamented). After recording, playback sounds the same. Good levels with a prominent hiss.

But when I listen to this file on my computer (whether using Media player, VPS, or Audacity) I get a file that sounds like I recorded it thru a pillow... extremely low levels and very "muffled" sound.

I knew when I bought this recorder that there were noise problems with the external mics and was prepared for that. But this goes beyond that.

Anyone have any ideas?

Thx in advance

Comments

musicvid10 wrote on 4/13/2011, 11:58 AM
I am using an inexpensive powered condenser mic.

Do you mean powered by its own battery, or externally as most cheap condensers are?
Check Zoom's plug-in power (2.5 V) (and make sure it is enabled) against your mic's minimum phantom voltage requirements. It is possible they are not compatible.
hfritsche wrote on 4/13/2011, 12:20 PM
Thx for quick reply musicvid.

I mean the mic has its own battery. It's the cheap $20 Audio-Technica ATR3350.

BTW, I've tried it with Plug-in power turned on and off... no improvement. I've also recorded to several settings... 44.1 wav, 48wav, mp396. No discernable difference.

My puzzlement is that the playback indicates that the recording must have worked. But when I play thru my pc (whether directly off the H2's card or after a transfer), I get the muffled sound. Totally unusable. I have never experienced a similar problem with ANY other audio files on my pc so I mostly discount that as the problem.

HF
musicvid10 wrote on 4/13/2011, 12:44 PM
Record a 30 sec sample through the mic+h2 at 48/16 WAV and upload it somewhere (Mediafire or Dropbox). I'll be glad to have a look at it.
hfritsche wrote on 4/13/2011, 1:31 PM
OK. I've created the file and installed Dropbox. I've dropped the file into it but now I'm not sure how to give you access.

(LOL... I suddenly feel kind of "tech-challenged".

HF
Steven Myers wrote on 4/13/2011, 2:15 PM
OMG
You know the battery is fully charged, right?
hfritsche wrote on 4/13/2011, 2:24 PM
Yep. Fresh battery.
Again... playback from the recorder in my headphones (the unit doesn't have speakers) is OK. My problems don't show up until I transfer (or even play from the card) using my computer.
hfritsche wrote on 4/13/2011, 3:26 PM
Well... I don't believe this.

For musicvid... I thought I'd check the file I was sending you to make sure that wav48/16 didn't magically work or something. Guess what.

It worked fine. Not only that... I went back and checked the others and now they work too. The same files that were horrible before now work great. I checked them in VP and Audacity and they couldn't be better.

I have no possible explanation. I have made no changes in either program and haven't even rebooted my computer or anything.

Divine intervention, I guess. Whatever, if it will just continue as-is, I'll be a happy camper.

Thx again for your time and hopefully I won't revisit this issue.

HF
ChristoC wrote on 4/13/2011, 4:17 PM
Maybe your Hearing Aids are intermittent!