£285, zoomcorp.com
On the planet of moveable recorders, few names loom as giant as Zoom. In its forty yr historical past, the corporate has launched a string of progressive merchandise for on-location sound recording – all at extraordinarily aggressive costs. At NAMM this yr, Zoom introduced a giant improve to its vastly widespread H-series of useful recorders, and so, naturally, we needed to take the flagship mannequin out for a spin.
Zoom’s H6 was a multipurpose powerhouse, boasting an interchangeable capsule mic system, 4 onboard XLR/TRS inputs, and the capability for use as a six-in/two-out audio interface. The brand new H6essential builds on this basis with a lot of enhancements, a very powerful of which is its recording format – 32-bit float.
For those who’re not acquainted with this pretty current improvement in recording codecs, the promoting level is straightforward. There’s no have to set acquire ranges and don’t fear about clipping — simply hit file and stroll away.
The H6essential achieves this marvel through the use of a pair of analogue-to-digital converters; one devoted for low-volume sounds and the opposite for prime volumes, with the recording stitched collectively as a 32-bit float audio file. The sensible result’s a transportable recorder that may symbolize a staggering 1,528 dB of dynamic vary, in comparison with 24-bit audio’s measly 144 dB.
With that type of headroom, digital clipping turns into functionally unattainable. In fact, you possibly can nonetheless overload the microphone itself however, provided that the H6essential’s built-in X-Y capsule handles ranges as much as 135 dB, this shouldn’t be a priority until you’re out to file a jet engine.
A ‘clip free’ workflow has severe advantages for every kind of recording tasks, however particularly for these in unpredictable situations. Let’s say you need to file your self taking part in an acoustic gig at a neighborhood market – a gust of wind, a child crying, a passing siren, any of those sudden noises may clip a 24-bit recording. With the H6essential, these sounds will definitely nonetheless be audible, however they gained’t introduce the type of nasty digital distortion that may render audio all however unusable.
Moreover, that big dynamic vary means you possibly can file each very loud and really quiet sounds with the identical acquire setting, safe within the data that they are often adjusted later.
We’re in a position to seize the hushed atmosphere of a library, a passing prepare, and a beer can being stomped on, all without having to fret about enter ranges. After loading the recordsdata right into a DAW, it’s a easy matter to steadiness the audio – the crushed can, which peaks at +13.4 dB, has a superbly intact waveform as soon as the quantity is decreased. Boosting up the library atmosphere, which peaks at round -30 dB, introduces no audible improve within the noise flooring.
Working with out the necessity to set enter ranges is actually liberating. Nevertheless, you really can’t set these ranges even if you wish to: Zoom has leaned into the advantages of 32-bit float so fully that they’ve designed the H6essential with no direct acquire controls in any respect. There may be additionally no possibility to alter the bit-depth when utilizing the system as a transportable recorder, so for those who wished to drop right down to 24-bit for some motive, then too unhealthy.
On one degree, this is smart; 32-bit float means that you’ve an all-encompassing security internet and might at all times make things better in post-production. Nevertheless, there are situations the place it’s preferable to get your audio ranges proper at supply with out the necessity to load up a DAW afterward. This is technically attainable on the H6essential, but it surely means venturing into the Mixer view, one thing that’s arduous to suggest.
Within the Mixer view, audio meters are rendered in gray, not the inexperienced, yellow, purple site visitors gentle system everyone knows and love. There aren’t any decibel numbers on any of the tracks, however only a single ‘0’ on the grasp output. The greyscale makes it arduous to see what’s occurring in full daylight and tracks should be adjusted one after the other by way of button presses and a dial situated on the aspect of the unit. For those who can handle to navigate all this, it’s attainable to set your recordings to ‘Publish Mixer’ and get some management over the person audio ranges however, in fact, it will be far much less painful to only do it in a DAW.
In the case of sound high quality, the H6essential comes with a brilliant and extremely directional X-Y microphone capsule which is surprisingly good for spot recording. A busking harmonica participant was type sufficient to offer us a brief efficiency and the mic did a fantastic job of focusing in on the instrument whereas minimising the sound of some kids taking part in close by.
As with its predecessor, that X-Y capsule may be swapped out for a shotgun mic or an additional two XLR inputs – each obtainable as further purchases. Sadly, for those who already invested in additional microphones to your previous H6, these gained’t match the brand new mannequin’s redesigned capsule clip.
Talking of that new clip design, it’s arduous to see what enchancment it affords. Whereas the previous capsules unclipped and lifted off the highest of the recorder, the brand new design requires you to carry the catch down and slide the microphone ahead and out. The primary time you do that, it feels a bit awkward, however by the tenth time… it nonetheless feels a bit awkward.
There are simple trade-offs with the H6essential. Musician-friendly options discovered on the H6, corresponding to inbuilt compression, limiting, and a metronome at the moment are gone, however, on the identical time, there are a variety of latest, properly thought-out options that make up for this. There’s a brand new Waveform display which supplies a pleasant, brilliant visualisation of the incoming audio, and of which tracks are at present recording, there’s now help for help for microSDXC playing cards as much as 1TB, and the extra buy of Zoom’s BTA-1 Bluetooth adapter means you possibly can management the unit by way of an iOS system.
Additionally, there’s now a speaker located within the centre of the unit’s entrance panel, and this could dispense accessibility directions in seven totally different languages. As soon as the characteristic is turned on, a voice-over will learn by menu choices, let you know the battery degree, and supply affirmation beeps when tracks are armed. This characteristic will not be a drawcard for everybody, however for individuals who want it, it’s unbelievable.
Few units attempt to put on as many hats as Zoom’s H-series. These recorders are utilized by musicians, podcasters, area recordists, and filmmakers – what’s unimaginable is that the corporate manages to supply real worth to all of them.
There are shortcomings to make sure, however the H6essential packs a characteristic set that you just gained’t discover wherever else at this price-point. It stays the consummate all-rounder for moveable recording.
Key options
- 32-bit float recording
- 4 XLR/TRS inputs (expandable to six)
- Helps microSDXC playing cards as much as 1TB
- iOS App and timecode sync obtainable with further Bluetooth adapter