Zoom H1n Reviews

Powerful pocket microphone

Great quality for such a portable device!

Used for weddings

I use a variety of these, along with their predecessors, for filming weddings. They are a versatile recorder; i use them along with the Rode smart-lav for close mic-ing grooms and celebrants; I tape them to wireless microphones in venues to record speeches; and finally i screw them to the top of small light stands to capture live musicians. The auto level feature and the limiter mean I never have to worry about setting levels, very handy when I'm setting up 5 of them in different positions for a ceremony.

Very good

Easy to use, sounds good and also works nice as an audio interface for my iPad via Apple's camera connection kit. It's incredibly light and feels a bit fragile, but I hope this is just a perception because of low weight.

Useful and handy!

This recorder is easy to use, easy to carry and good for multiple purposes, as long as you are careful and use proper technique there should be no problems with handling noise or risk of the product breaking, but that doesn't mean that it is indestructible or 100% resistant to extra noise.

Great little field recorder

The quality and the details of the recordings are incredible. The microphone on this devise is very sensitive and can pick up loud sounds from a great distance, so can be a little tricky to get clear field recordings if you are near a main road. Ive used this for recording foley for uni projects and it worked very well, Ive also used it for recording rehearsal sessions with my band, also worked great. Definitely recommend this product!

Terrible Hissing

+ Portable

+ Great for recording ambient outdoor sounds

- It has this terrible hissing all the time. You can compensate with accessories, but not to a significant level.

Sensitive mics. Low enough noise. Very bad quality volume switch.

I love this device. I have just a few qualms. First, the noise floor introduced by the limiter may or may not be a problem, depending on the intended use. It is not too bad, but it is audible with totally average gear. Second, I love that I can use it as an audio interface for my computer with a broken mic input jack. I plug a lavalier into the Zoom and do online trainings on Zoom.us (yes, I plugged both Zooms into one sentence!). I'd recommend getting a pop filter is a must - it is very very sensitive to plosives if used for text.

I'm shocked at the quality of the volume buttons, they shake and rattle when the device is moved. It mics are so sensitive that I'd have expected at least the mechanical parts of the device being sturdy enough. Alas!

Next time I'll upgrade though.

Great for Price

A small and handy mobile recorder, great for recording interviews or picking up sounds on the go.

In a controlled environment this recorder gets excellent results, out in the wild it is good but requires some monitoring,(headphones), to get what you want. It is best suited as a interview recorder or dictaphone, but with some work it can do much more and is suitable for most budget recorder requirements.

Pros:

Small, light, easy to use.

Cons:

has some handling noise, (any movement against or on the body of the recorder during use will be picked up by the mic.), is a little power hungry,(carry spare batteries!).

Would recommend this recorder without hesitation

Great sound quality and features

As in the title, sound quality is excellent, it works perfectly as an audio interface or sd reader, and for the price I'd say it's just a perfect choice

Best price/quality product you can get

I use this little device for daily acoustic piano recordings, but also for recording acoustic guitars and vocal bits. The quality of the recording is great, even without post production.

Also, one of the big pros is the overall size and convenience of this tool. Can't go wrong with it!

Great for sampling

This recorder is very light and small, perfect to have them always with you to record sounds that you might want to use in your music production, and to record ideas.

Its an great choice for people that want excellent portability and don't mind perfect sound quality.

it does not come with a memory card, and I had a little bit of trouble finding a compatible one.

Its has a great range and but unfortunately it catches a lot of noise,its good for close recordings in quiet places and you must buy it with the respective accessory pack because it helps with the noise reduction (since it has a tripod and a wind sponge).

Its a good starting point for musicians that want to record ideias or sounds for sampling on the go; and its also good for interviews. Other than that, you might as well use your phone.

It's a really great recorder

I bought this recorder to carry with me all the time because I wanted to expand my sample library. It hasn't failed me in anything and I've recorded a lot of stuff with it, from percussion samples to rehearsals, ambient sounds, animals, etc. The only small problem I find (but I'll assume it happens with every one without the proper equipment) is that it is really sensible to your touch and movements without the handle, so you have to remain absolutely static when it is recording. Apart from that, it's a great recorder for the price and has really great audio quality.

Easy to record with nice features

Could be with micro SD-HC card bundle. Price/quality winner.

Litlle life saver

I've used this device to create samples, to record band rehearsals and even meetings... This is a very versatile device for it's low price, with great audio quality

Great on the go

Fantastic bit of kit to have tucked in a satchel for impromptu, on the go recording. Get something of a higher price point if you're hoping to do some great high quality recordings, as although the sound quality is great, the noise floor is grating.

Do not rehearse without it

I use it to record jams and rehearsals for feedback purposes. Did not yet try to make a proper record with it. The record is very clear and I can hear each instrument very well. Sometimes I think, I'd like more comfortable controls on it, but it serves it's purpose perfectly as it is.

Great quality recorder

Very handy (it is very small) recorder. Audio quality of built in microphones is great for both voice and field recordings as well as the instrument recording. Optional APH-1n set that comes with windscreen, hard case and tripod is very useful to get as well. Very impressive for the price.

Very Handy

I've used the H1n to record the audio from the desk directly into the line in, at an 8 hour day conference, using a 32GB card, and it still had plenty of room on the card.

And at another day conference, I put it on an extra mic stand by the people on stage speaking, to record their talks. I also recorded what came out of the mixing desk on another machine, but used the audio from the H1n as it was clearer.

Now I'm using it via the usb cable to my computer as the mic for my Skype sessions, and any computer screen recordings I do. I bought the kit, so I have the mini stand which has extension legs (I hadn't realised) & makes it a great tabletop mic.

I also use it for any song ideas I have, to record my singing, guitar or piano. The quality is good enough to put it into Studio One to start a new song. I pull the card out, put it into an adaptor and plug it into my laptop and transfer the audio. (Transfering audio directly from the machine is MUCH slower.)

I find the on/off switch weird - it is a slide that you have to hold for a second or two until the machine boots up/ powers down. Annoying, but about the only critiek I can think of.

Small, portable, cheap, very good quality audio for the price.

Bad noise level

Nobody else mentioned this, so maybe I had just bad luck, but the noise level is bad. It's OK to record an interview for later transcription, it's OK to for learning an instrument to record yourself, but for anything else, the quality is too bad (somebody mentioned collecting samples of outdoor noises -- wouldn't do, IMHO).

Too sad, because despite the flimsiness (it really is light!) it's obviously a well thought-through device, good quality for the price, simple handling, I love the old-school cheap-o 2xAAA battery box (as I have lot's of those lying around), etc.

It goes with me everywhere

The H1n has found its place in my everyday rucksack. I use it for found sound recording and for getting ideas recorded for exploring later.

Pros.

- Easy to use, the UI is very intuitive.

- Gain wheel is nice and if used correctly you can adjust the gain when recording and not have it be recorded.

- THe small size means it's very pocketable.

Cons.

- It does feel a bit plasticky - I've not dropped it myself but I'm not sure it would hold a high drop.

- The little flap to get to the micro sd card feels like it'll break off after a lot of use.