I just picked up a Zoom H1 for a project my girlfriend is working on. We're doing some interviewing of family members while showing them old photos that we've scanned so that the memory cans be archived. I also picked up an inexpensive lavaliere microphone to try with the unit that Ill mention later.
So far my basic impression of the device is positive. The unit is lightweight and made of plastic, so the price is reflected in the construction quality of the device. It uses microSD cards for storage and comes with a 2GB unit. It'll run for about 10 hours on a single AA battery which I find reasonable for my needs. There is a physical switch on the back to select between MP3 or WAV format. The one-screen display allows me to change the quality level on either MP3 or WAV. This unit will allow 48K-320K when using MP3 or 44K/16Bit - 96K/24Bit when using WAV. I can also issue a low cut filter that has a pre-defined cutoff point. There is also a switch for an auto-level adjustments that I'll mention later.
The first few recording tests of the unit made it clear that holding it by hand is not ideal. The mics are so sensitive that any touching of the unit will present itself in the playback. With the unit set on a table or connected to a tripod, there is no issue with the exterior sounds being picked up.
The sound quality of this unit while using the built-in microphones was surprisingly good. The clarity and depth were very noticeable. I used the default WAV format at 44K/16Bit while testing the unit. The stereo separation is also noticeable and pleasant. We recorded a conversation for about 45 minutes between four adults and when I listened to it later, I could tell that people were in different locations around the room.
The one thing that I wish was better was the noise floor of this device. I found that the auto-leveling isn't a good feature. The manual adjustment is much better when a little planning and testing is done before recording the subject. When using the manual level adjustment, I was able to dial in enough gain to have adequate volume. The problem I noticed is that when a subject is at a greater distance and the levels are boosted higher, there is an audible hiss. The level range they provide is a 1-100 value. I found anything around 65 or below reduces the hiss enough to not be as noticeable. Anything higher and the hiss starts to become distracting.
I also tried using an Audio-Technica ATR 3350 lavaliere microphone using the input. I wasn't expecting much from this for the price and I was right. The unit works fine with the H1 recorder and only records in mono (as expected). The clarity of the microphone is bland. There is a lack of depth in the audio quality and is somewhat lifeless. It records vocals fine if the goal is just to capture a recording, but the quality is no where as good as the built-in microphones on the H1. The one bonus is that it reduces the background noise around the subject better than the built-in H1 mics. That's to be expected given the nature of the lavaliere and the X/Y configuration of the built-in mics.
I was also considering the next level up from this device with the Zoom H4n and pair it with a Rode NT1A microphone. That may be down the Rode for other projects, but for now the H1 seems to e doing a great job or what we need.
So far my basic impression of the device is positive. The unit is lightweight and made of plastic, so the price is reflected in the construction quality of the device. It uses microSD cards for storage and comes with a 2GB unit. It'll run for about 10 hours on a single AA battery which I find reasonable for my needs. There is a physical switch on the back to select between MP3 or WAV format. The one-screen display allows me to change the quality level on either MP3 or WAV. This unit will allow 48K-320K when using MP3 or 44K/16Bit - 96K/24Bit when using WAV. I can also issue a low cut filter that has a pre-defined cutoff point. There is also a switch for an auto-level adjustments that I'll mention later.
The first few recording tests of the unit made it clear that holding it by hand is not ideal. The mics are so sensitive that any touching of the unit will present itself in the playback. With the unit set on a table or connected to a tripod, there is no issue with the exterior sounds being picked up.
The sound quality of this unit while using the built-in microphones was surprisingly good. The clarity and depth were very noticeable. I used the default WAV format at 44K/16Bit while testing the unit. The stereo separation is also noticeable and pleasant. We recorded a conversation for about 45 minutes between four adults and when I listened to it later, I could tell that people were in different locations around the room.
The one thing that I wish was better was the noise floor of this device. I found that the auto-leveling isn't a good feature. The manual adjustment is much better when a little planning and testing is done before recording the subject. When using the manual level adjustment, I was able to dial in enough gain to have adequate volume. The problem I noticed is that when a subject is at a greater distance and the levels are boosted higher, there is an audible hiss. The level range they provide is a 1-100 value. I found anything around 65 or below reduces the hiss enough to not be as noticeable. Anything higher and the hiss starts to become distracting.
I also tried using an Audio-Technica ATR 3350 lavaliere microphone using the input. I wasn't expecting much from this for the price and I was right. The unit works fine with the H1 recorder and only records in mono (as expected). The clarity of the microphone is bland. There is a lack of depth in the audio quality and is somewhat lifeless. It records vocals fine if the goal is just to capture a recording, but the quality is no where as good as the built-in microphones on the H1. The one bonus is that it reduces the background noise around the subject better than the built-in H1 mics. That's to be expected given the nature of the lavaliere and the X/Y configuration of the built-in mics.
I was also considering the next level up from this device with the Zoom H4n and pair it with a Rode NT1A microphone. That may be down the Rode for other projects, but for now the H1 seems to e doing a great job or what we need.
