Zoom Handy Recorder H4 User Manual download pdf

Zoom H2 and H4: Two Handy

Recorders

Every now and then, someone in my blues/R&B band will bring a recorder to a gig or

practice. For awhile, it was a Sharp minidisc, but

that whole category of recorder is outdated and a bit

complex to use – plus, transfering the music in real

time is a pain.

We've been known to go to the other end of the

spectrum and have hauled a rack case with a high-

end digital recorder and top-notch preamps. But that

setup is complicated and there’s a lot of gear to haul

in addition to our usual PA, amps, etc. In the end,

we had the potential to get a CD-quality recording,

but were always stymied by something – the wrong

level on one of the tracks, bad acoustics in the

house, an overly noisy audience – you name it.

I've been looking for a simpler solution to take home the goods – something to toss in the

gear bag, plop down on a table and just hit 'record.' Enter two little gems from Zoom that

both wear the label “Handy Recorder.”

The Zoom H2 and the Zoom H4 are indeed handy. They're also on opposite ends of the

field recorder realm. The H2 – the newer of the two models – is a straight-forward

recorder with a minimal learning curve. The H4 is like a loaded burger with everything

on it. It has a bigger learning curve but it can do nearly anything you can dream up.

The Zoom H4

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Zoom H2 and H4: Two Handy 1
Recorders 1

Summary of Contents

Page 1 - Recorders

Zoom H2 and H4: Two Handy RecordersEvery now and then, someone in my blues/R&B band will bring a recorder to a gig or practice. For awhile, it was

Page 2

The H4 is really three devices in one: a stereo field recorder, a 4-track recorder for songwriting on the road, and a USB computer interface. As a fie

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Zoom multi-effect pedals inside, with amp and cab modeling, plus auto-wah, phaser, chorus, reverb, delay, and even more. In addition to the factory pr

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of. On the plus side, you’ll find the Zoom H4 to be a very versatile, do-nearly-everything unit. Although the first few minutes seemed daunting, it so

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sideways, but that’s still a problem most of our logic systems can handle. Working this way with the menus, the red record button in the middle become

Page 6

up the sound level – I didn’t have a chance to fine-tune the recording level while playing, but the low sensitivity setting on the H2 kept levels in b

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