ZOOM F3 Quick Setup Guide

In this episode we walk you through the process of setting up your new Zoom F3 recorder straight out of the box. We cover the basics of adding memory cards and batteries, show you how to set up mics for the best sound possible, and go over a couple handy settings that will help optimize your recording workflow! Let’s see how it’s done.

Note that we do NOT cover using the F3 as an audio interface in this video. We’ll cover that in a separate tutorial coming soon!

If you’d like to learn how to make great dialogue audio for your film and video projects, please have a look at my courses including processing dialogue audio in Adobe Audition and DaVinci Resolve/Fairlight, recording sound, how to use the Zoom F4, F6, F8, and F8n, and how to get the most from the Sound Devices MixPre series of recorders. Our latest courses cover Sound for Live Streaming with the ATEM Mini and an Intro to Izotope RX.

Support my work creating videos by donating at Ko-Fi.com.

Gear used or mentioned in this episode. The links below are Amazon.com, B&H Photo, Sweetwater, or other affiliate links. As an affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases:

- Zoom F3 2-Track Field Recorder — B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

Some of my other studio gear:

- Sennheiser MKH50 microphone — B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- Sound Devices MixPre audio recorder — B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- Impact Turtle-Base C-Stands — B&H, Amazon

- Aputure LS 600x Pro Bicolor LED Light — Aputure, B&H, Amazon

- Aputure Light Dome III Softbox — Aputure, B&H

- Amaran 300c RGBWW Single-Point LED Light — Aputure, B&H, Amazon

- Amaran Spotlight SE — Aputure, B&H, Amazon

- Rosco Prismatic Glass Gobo in Cool Lavender — B&H

- Canon C70 Cinema Camera — B&H

- Canon RF 24-70 f/2.8 lens — B&H, Amazon

- Panasonic GH5 camera — B&H, Amazon

- Panasonic 12-35mm f/2.8 II lens — B&H, Amazon

The intro and outro music for this episode is from Musicbed - “Dynamo” by Virgil Arles. Take your films to the next level with music from Musicbed. Sign up for a free account to listen for yourself.

Copyright 2024, Curtis Judd

Zoom H4essential: I'm Ambivalent...

In this episode we have a look at and listen to ZOOM’s newest handy recorder, the H4essential. This new iteration of the 4-track handy recorder adds 32-bit float recording capability to the classic user-friendly design so you don’t have to worry about clipping. In this episode we do a quick overview of the H4e’s features and discuss whether or not this is the recorder for you. Let’s take a closer look and listen!

Have a listen to our raw audio samples and unprocessed tests here.

If you’d like to learn how to make great dialogue audio for your film and video projects, please have a look at my courses including processing dialogue audio in Adobe Audition and DaVinci Resolve/Fairlight, recording sound, how to use the Zoom F4, F6, F8, and F8n, and how to get the most from the Sound Devices MixPre series of recorders. Our latest courses cover Sound for Live Streaming with the ATEM Mini and an Intro to Izotope RX.

Support my work creating videos by donating at Ko-Fi.com.

Gear used or mentioned in this episode. The links below are Amazon.com, B&H Photo, Sweetwater, or other affiliate links. As an affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases:

- ZOOM H4essential 4-Track Handy Recorder — B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- ZOOM H1essential Single-Track Handy Recorder — B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- ZOOM H6essential 6-Track Handy Recorder — B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

Some of my other studio gear:

- Sennheiser MKH50 microphone — B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- Sound Devices MixPre audio recorder — B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- Impact Turtle-Base C-Stands — B&H, Amazon

- Aputure LS 600x Pro Bicolor LED Light — Aputure, B&H, Amazon

- Aputure Light Dome III Softbox — Aputure, B&H

- Amaran 300c RGBWW Single-Point LED Light — Aputure, B&H, Amazon

- Amaran Spotlight SE — Aputure, B&H, Amazon

- Rosco Prismatic Glass Gobo in Cool Lavender — B&H

- Canon C70 Cinema Camera — B&H

- Canon RF 24-70 f/2.8 lens — B&H, Amazon

- Panasonic GH5 camera — B&H, Amazon

- Panasonic 12-35mm f/2.8 II lens — B&H, Amazon

The intro and outro music for this episode is from Musicbed - “Dynamo” by Virgil Arles. Take your films to the next level with music from Musicbed. Sign up for a free account to listen for yourself.

Copyright 2024, Curtis Judd

Sound for Video Session — ZOOM H4essential first test & Q&A

The ZOOM H4essential is a new version of a very well known handy field recorder. The original H4 was my first audio recorder back in 2007. It was super convenient and affordably priced and a great way to get a start in recording sound for podcasts and video. But it had some major weaknesses, too: Preamps which didn't supply much gain and were quite noisy when pushed to higher gain levels, odd controls, and not the greatest build quality. But the newer versions have become progressively better and, astonishingly, the newest version H4essential is still priced at only $200 USD. So we bought one to try it out. Oh, and they added 32-bit float recording which a lot of prosumers, in particular, find quite useful.

We'll also answer your sound for video questions.​

If you’d like to learn how to make great dialogue audio for your film and video projects, please have a look at my courses including processing dialogue audio in Adobe Audition and DaVinci Resolve/Fairlight, recording sound, how to use the Zoom F4, F6, F8, and F8n, and how to get the most from the Sound Devices MixPre series of recorders. We have a course on sound for live-streaming with the ATEM Mini, Introduction to Izotope RX for Dialogue Audio, and Mixing fundamentals in DaVinci Resolve Fairlight.

Gear I often use or that we mentioned in this episode. The links below are Amazon.com, B&H Photo, Sweetwater, or other affiliate links. As an affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases:

- ZOOM H4essential audio field recorder — Amazon

- ZOOM H6essential audio field recorder — Amazon

- ZOOM H1essential audio field recorder — Amazon

- Mackie DLZ Creator XS adaptive audio mixer — B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- Mackie DLZ Creator adaptive audio mixer (the original, bigger one) — B&H, Amazon

- Earthworks ETHOS microphone — B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- Allen & Heath SQ5 digital mixing board — B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- Sound Devices 888 field recorder/mixer with Dante — B&H, Sweetwater

- Sound Devices MixPre II Series Recorders - B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- Panasonic GH5 camera - B&H, Amazon

- Teleprompter Ikan 17" high bright — B&H

- Canon C200 Camera - B&H

- Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 lens — B&H, Amazon

- ATEM Mini Extreme & Extreme ISO - B&H, DVE Store, Amazon

- Rupert Neve Designs Shelford Channel, pre-amp, EQ, compressor - Sweetwater, B&H

- Universal Audio 6176 channel strip pre-amp, EQ, compressor — B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

The intro and outro music for this episode is from Musicbed. Take your films to the next level with music from Musicbed. Sign up for a free account to listen for yourself.

Copyright 2024, Curtis Judd

Zoom F6: Is it time to upgrade your recorder?

In this episode we discuss whether or not you should upgrade to a new recorder from your ZOOM F6. We cover things to consider when choosing a potential new recorder– and when to pass on shiny new tech. In this episode we examine what’s available on the market in late 2023, show you how to determine whether recorder features will be useful to your workflow, and give you some opinions on and examples of when it’s best to upgrade versus not. Let’s take a closer look!

If you’d like to learn how to make great dialogue audio for your film and video projects, please have a look at my courses including processing dialogue audio in Adobe Audition and DaVinci Resolve/Fairlight, recording sound, how to use the Zoom F4, F6, F8, and F8n, and how to get the most from the Sound Devices MixPre series of recorders. Our latest courses cover Sound for Live Streaming with the ATEM Mini and an Intro to Izotope RX.

Support my work creating videos by donating at Ko-Fi.com.

Gear used or mentioned in this episode. The links below are Amazon.com, B&H Photo, Sweetwater, DVEStore, Perfect Circuit, Trew Audio or other affiliate links. As an affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases:

- Zoom F6 Field Recorder/Mixer — B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- Zoom F8n Pro Field Recorder/Mixer — B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- Sound Devices MixPre II Series — B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- Sound Devices 888 Field Recorder/Mixer — B&H, Sweetwater

- Sennheiser MKH 50 Supercardioid Condenser Microphone— B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- Sennheiser MKH 416 Supercardioid Shotgun Microphone — B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- Sennheiser MKH 8050 Supercardioid Condenser Microphone — B&H, Amazon

- Mogami XLR cables — B&H

- Canare XLR cables — B&H

- Impact Turtle-Base C-Stands — B&H, Amazon

- Amaran 200x S LED light — B&H, Amazon, Aputure

- Aputure Light Dome II soft box — Aputure, B&H, Amazon

- Aputure Spotlight Mount — Aputure, B&H, DVE Store, Amazon

- Rosco Prismatic Glass Gobo in Cool Lavender — B&H

- Canon C70 Cinema Camera — B&H

- Canon RF 24-70 f/2.8 lens — B&H, Amazon

- Panasonic GH5 camera — B&H, Amazon

- Panasonic 12-35mm f/2.8 II lens — B&H, Amazon

The intro and outro music for this episode is from Musicbed - “Dynamo” by Virgil Arles. Take your films to the next level with music from Musicbed. Sign up for a free account to listen for yourself.

Copyright 2023, Curtis Judd

Audio Recorders for Film, Video, & Podcast Production — 2022 Edition

In this week’s episode, I share my thoughts and opinions on the audio and sound recorders for video, film, podcast, and livestream production I have used. In this updated version, we also add podcast and consumer wireless microphone recorders. The section on body pack recorders is also much larger in this video.

If you’d like to learn how to make great dialogue audio for your film and video projects, please have a look at my courses including processing dialogue audio in Adobe Audition and DaVinci Resolve/Fairlight, recording sound, how to use the Zoom F4, F6, F8, and F8n, and how to get the most from the Sound Devices MixPre series of recorders. Our latest courses cover Sound for Live Streaming with the ATEM Mini and an Intro to Izotope RX.

Support my work creating videos by donating at Ko-Fi.com.

Gear used or mentioned in this episode. The links below are Amazon.com, B&H Photo, Sweetwater, DVEStore, Perfect Circuit, Trew Audio or other affiliate links. As an affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases:

- Zoom H1n — B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- Zoom H4n Pro — B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- Zoom H5 — B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- Zoom H6 — B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- Tascam DR-05 — B&H, Amazon

- Tascam Portacapture X8 — B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- Zoom F1 — B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- Tascam DR-10L — B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- Tentacle Track E — B&H, DVE Store, Amazon

- Zoom F2 — B&H, Sweetwater, DVE Store, Amazon

- RODE Wireless Go II — B&H, DVE Store, Sweetwater, Amazon

- DJI Mic — B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- Tascam DR-60D Mk II — B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- Tascam DR-70D — B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- Zoom F3 — B&H, Sweetwater, DVE Store, Amazon

- Zoom F6 — B&H, Sweetwater, DVE Store, Amazon

- Zoom F8n Pro — B&H, Sweetwater, DVE Store, Amazon

- SoundDevices MixPre II Series — B&H, Sweetwater, DVE Store, Amazon

- RODECaster Pro II — B&H, Sweetwater, DVE Store, Amazon

- Zoom Podtrak P4 — B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- Zoom Podtrak P8 — B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- Zoom LiveTrak L-8 — B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- Sound Devices 833 — B&H, Sweetwater

- Sound Devices 888 — Trew Audio, B&H, Sweetwater

- Sound Devices Scorpio — Trew Audio, B&H, Sweetwater

- Sound Devices CL-16 control surface — Trew Audio, B&H, Sweetwater

In-depth reviews:

Zoom H1n

Zoom H4n Pro

Zoom H8

Tascam Portacapture X8

Zoom F1

Tascam DR-10L

Tentacle Track E

Zoom F2

RODE Wireless Go II

Tascam DR-60D Mk II

Zoom F3

Zoom F6

Zoom F8n Pro

SoundDevices MixPre II Series

Zoom Podtrak P4

Zoom Podtrak P8

Zoom LiveTrak L-8

RODECaster Pro II

Sound Devices 833

Sound Devices Scorpio

Copyright 2022, Curtis Judd

ZOOM F3 32-bit float audio recorder review

In this week’s episode, we have a look at the ZOOM F3 audio recorder. This sound recorder can record wide dynamic range sound with its dual analogue to digital converters per input and 32-bit float recording capabilities. This tiny recorder features two high quality microphone inputs and a solid body that can attach to a camera or your belt or even to your wrist with a strap.

To learn more about 32-bit float wide dynamic range audio, please see this sound for video session.

If you’d like to learn how to make great dialogue audio for your film and video projects, please have a look at my courses including processing dialogue audio in Adobe Audition and DaVinci Resolve/Fairlight, recording sound, how to use the Zoom F4, F6, F8, and F8n, and how to get the most from the Sound Devices MixPre series of recorders. Our latest courses cover Sound for Live Streaming with the ATEM Mini and an Intro to Izotope RX.

Support my work creating videos by donating at Ko-Fi.com.

Gear used or mentioned in this episode. The links below are Amazon.com, B&H Photo, Sweetwater, DVEStore, Perfect Circuit, or other affiliate links. As an affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases:

- ZOOM F3 32-bit float audio recorder — B&H, Sweetwater, DVE Store, Amazon

- ZOOM BTA-1 bluetooth adapter — B&H, Amazon

- ZOOM F8n Pro 32-bit float audio recorder — B&H, Sweetwater, DVE Store, Amazon

- Sound Devices MixPre II series 32-bit float recorders — B&H, Sweetwater, DVE Store, Amazon

- Tascam Portacapture x8 32-bit float audio recorder — B&H, Amazon

- Sennheiser MKH416 Microphone — B&H, Sweetwater, DVE Store, Amazon

- AA Li-Ion rechargeable batteries — Amazon

- Aputure 600D PRO LED Light — Aputure, B&H, DVE Store

- Impact Luxbank softbox - B&H

- Aputure Amaran 100D - Aputure, B&H, DVE Store, Amazon

- Aputure Spotlight Mount - Aputure, B&H, DVE Store. Amazon

- Rosco Prismatic Glass Gobo Cool Lavender creates the color pattern on the back wall - B&H

- Panasonic GH5 camera — B&H, Amazon

- Olympus 45mm f/1.8 lens — B&H, Amazon

Take your films to the next level with music from Musicbed. Sign up for a free account to listen for yourself.

Copyright 2022, Curtis Judd

Sound for Video Session: Adobe Audition Multitrack Editor & Q&A

In this week's Sound for Video Session, we'll talk a bit about Adobe Audition's multitrack editor and answer your sound for video questions. We'll also demo a new microphone this week — the Earthworks SV33 — a ridiculous but beautiful studio vocal microphone.

If you’d like to learn how to make great dialogue audio for your film and video projects, please have a look at my courses including processing dialogue audio in Adobe Audition and DaVinci Resolve/Fairlight, recording sound, how to use the Zoom F4, F6, F8, and F8n, and how to get the most from the Sound Devices MixPre series of recorders. We have a course on sound for live-streaming with the ATEM Mini and just added Introduction to Izotope RX for Dialogue Audio.

Gear used or mentioned in this episode. The links below are Amazon.com, B&H Photo, Sweetwater, DVE Store, or other affiliate links. As an affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases:

- Earthworks SV33 studio vocal microphone — B&H, Sweetwater

- Earthworks ETHOS microphone — B&H, Sweetwater

- Universal Audio Volt 276 USB audio interface — B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- Earthworks SR314 - B&H, Sweetwater

- Epiphan Pearl Nano live stream encoder — B&H, DVE Store, Amazon

- Panasonic GH5 camera - B&H, Amazon

- Canon C70 Camera - B&H

- Canon RF 24-70 f/2.8L IS lens - B&H, Amazon

- TA3-M to XLR-F Adapter cable to feed microphones to C70 or Blackmagic Pocket cameras - B&H

- ATEM Mini Extreme & Extreme ISO - B&H, DVE Store, Amazon

- Allen & Heath SQ5 Digital Mixer - B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- Sound Devices MixPre II Series Recorders - B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- Rupert Neve Designs Shelford Channel, pre-amp, EQ, compressor - Sweetwater, B&H

Take your films to the next level with music from Musicbed. Sign up for a free account to listen for yourself.

Copyright 2021, Curtis Judd

Sound for Video Session: Hide Lavalier Mic Under a T-shirt & Q&A

In this week's Sound for Video Session, we cover your sound related questions.

Article describing cardioid microphone design.

Video covering the key light I use for livestreaming.

If you’d like to learn how to make great dialogue audio for your film and video projects, please have a look at my courses including processing dialogue audio in Adobe Audition and DaVinci Resolve/Fairlight, recording sound, how to use the Zoom F4, F6, F8, and F8n, and how to get the most from the Sound Devices MixPre series of recorders. We also just added a course on sound for live-streaming with the ATEM Mini.

Gear used or mentioned in this episode. The links below are Amazon.com, B&H Photo, Sweetwater, DVE Store, or other affiliate links. As an affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases:

- Moleskin for hiding lavalier mics - Amazon

- Transpore tape for hiding lavalier mics - Amazon

- Earthworks SR314 - B&H, Sweetwater

- Panasonic GH5 camera - B&H, Amazon

- Canon C70 Camera - B&H

- Canon RF 24-70 f/2.8L IS lens - B&H, Amazon

- TA3-M to XLR-F Adapter cable to feed microphones to C70 or Blackmagic Pocket cameras - B&H

- ATEM Mini Extreme & Extreme ISO - B&H, DVE Store, Amazon

- Allen & Heath SQ5 Digital Mixer - B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- Sound Devices MixPre II Series Recorders - B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- Rupert Neve Designs Shelford Channel, pre-amp, EQ, compressor - Sweetwater, B&H

Take your films to the next level with music from Musicbed. Sign up for a free account to listen for yourself.

Copyright 2021, Curtis Judd

Sound for Video Session: Setting Gain Across Devices for Live & Q&A

In this week's Sound for Video Session, we demonstrate how to ensure the gain staging of your audio is consistent through the entire signal chain when interconnecting multiple audio devices for live streams. Then we cover your sound for video questions.

If you’d like to learn how to make great dialogue audio for your film and video projects, please have a look at my courses including processing dialogue audio in Adobe Audition and DaVinci Resolve/Fairlight, recording sound, how to use the Zoom F4, F6, F8, and F8n, and how to get the most from the Sound Devices MixPre series of recorders. We also just added a course on sound for live-streaming with the ATEM Mini.

Gear used or mentioned in this episode. The links below are Amazon.com, B&H Photo, Sweetwater, DVE Store, or other affiliate links. As an affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases:

- Earthworks SR314 - B&H, Sweetwater

- Panasonic GH5 camera - B&H, Amazon

- Canon C70 Camera - B&H

- Canon RF 24-70 f/2.8L IS lens - B&H, Amazon

- TA3-M to XLR-F Adapter cable to feed microphones to C70 or Blackmagic Pocket cameras - B&H

- ATEM Mini Extreme & Extreme ISO - B&H, DVE Store, Amazon

- Allen & Heath SQ5 Digital Mixer - B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- Sound Devices MixPre II Series Recorders - B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- Rupert Neve Designs Shelford Channel, pre-amp, EQ, compressor - Sweetwater, B&H

Take your films to the next level with music from Musicbed. Sign up for a free account to listen for yourself.

Copyright 2021, Curtis Judd

Sound for Video Session: Doc Justice, CAS

In this week's Sound for Video Session, we are joined by Doc Justice, CAS. Doc is a production sound mixer and the founder of Halter Technical - maker of headphones for video and film production sound.

Halter Technical - check out Doc's piece titled, "The Future of Production Sound" at Halter Technical.

If you’d like to learn how to make great dialogue audio for your film and video projects, please have a look at my courses including processing dialogue audio in Adobe Audition and DaVinci Resolve/Fairlight, recording sound, how to use the Zoom F4, F6, F8, and F8n, and how to get the most from the Sound Devices MixPre series of recorders. We also just added a course on sound for live-streaming with the ATEM Mini.

Gear used or mentioned in this episode. The links below are Amazon.com, B&H Photo, Sweetwater, DVE Store, or other affiliate links. As an affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases:

- Earthworks SR314 - B&H, Sweetwater

- Panasonic GH5 camera - B&H, Amazon

- Canon C70 Camera - B&H

- Canon RF 24-70 f/2.8L IS lens - B&H, Amazon

- TA3-M to XLR-F Adapter cable to feed microphones to C70 or Blackmagic Pocket cameras - B&H

- ATEM Mini Extreme & Extreme ISO - B&H, DVE Store, Amazon

- Allen & Heath SQ5 Digital Mixer - B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- Sound Devices MixPre II Series Recorders - B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- Rupert Neve Designs Shelford Channel, pre-amp, EQ, compressor - Sweetwater, B&H

Take your films to the next level with music from Musicbed. Sign up for a free account to listen for yourself.

Copyright 2021, Curtis Judd