Audio
March 24, 2024
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: https://drive.google.com/drive/folder...
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. See https://school.learnlightandsound.com for more info!
Support my work creating videos by donating at Ko-Fi.com: http://ko-fi.com/curtisjudd
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 https://geni.us/Nqcmdr
- ZOOM H1essential Single-Track Handy Recorder — B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon https://geni.us/Cc6r9dM
- ZOOM H6essential 6-Track Handy Recorder — B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon https://geni.us/IQuRT
Some of my other studio gear:
- Sennheiser MKH50 microphone — B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon https://geni.us/iYb065
- Sound Devices MixPre audio recorder — B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon https://geni.us/O8e0
- Impact Turtle-Base C-Stands — B&H, Amazon https://geni.us/8a8tt
- Aputure LS 600x Pro Bicolor LED Light — Aputure, B&H, Amazon https://geni.us/EreRQa
- Aputure Light Dome III Softbox — Aputure, B&H https://geni.us/AVHU1p
- Amaran 300c RGBWW Single-Point LED Light — https://geni.us/uGkDX
- Amaran Spotlight SE — Aputure, B&H, Amazon https://geni.us/4DuyTz
- Rosco Prismatic Glass Gobo in Cool Lavender — B&H https://geni.us/GWKt
- Canon C70 Cinema Camera — B&H https://geni.us/ABYB
- Canon RF 24-70 f/2.8 lens — B&H, Amazon https://geni.us/qwsEs
- Panasonic GH5 camera — B&H, Amazon https://geni.us/InspOl
- Panasonic 12-35mm f/2.8 II lens — B&H, Amazon https://geni.us/gr47
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: https://geni.us/G7by
Copyright 2024, Curtis Judd
A more summary-style look (rather than a full 40-minute review) at the Zoom H4 Essential, purchased with the reviewer's own money, no Zoom involvement.
The H4 line dates back to 2007 and has always been aimed at budget-conscious buyers and people new to audio/video recording who want an all-in-one device combining built-in stereo mics with two XLR inputs for boom mics or interviews. It's simple, requiring no manual gain-setting, which pushes level adjustment into post-production instead.
Does it serve that audience well? Only okay. Honestly, for the money, the Tascam Portacapture line has better preamp quality and lower self-noise. The built-in microphones generate a fair amount of self-noise, so it's not for pristine, hiss-free recordings. Since there's no gain control on the XLR inputs, virtually every recording needs post-processing to bring levels up or down — and for lower-output mics like the Shure SM7B or SM58, that often means boosting over 20dB in post, which raises the preamp's noise floor noticeably; those preamps are marginally better than the original H4 or H4n, but still not great, and dynamic mics may still benefit from an inline booster like a Cloud Lifter or FetHead.
With a very clean condenser mic like the Rode NT1 Signature Series (spec'd at 4 dB(A) self-noise, one of the cleanest on the market — used throughout this video), results are genuinely good, and the 32-bit float recording works as intended for recovering audio pushed above 0dB, as long as you're not recording something absurdly loud like a jet engine or an engine bay. A high-pass filter around 75Hz, rolled off fairly aggressively, generally helps clean things up given the amount of noise most microphones will pick up.
Recommendation: yes for total beginners on a tight budget wanting an all-in-one recorder to learn on (similar to how the reviewer started with the original H4), though you'll likely outgrow it. If clean recordings matter more, look instead at the Zoom F3 (currently $279, XLR-only, no built-in stereo mics, highly recommended if that's your main use case), F6, F8n Pro, or a Sound Devices MixPre. Full unprocessed WAV samples (only loudness-normalized) are linked for direct comparison. Get out there, make some great sound, and we will talk to you soon.
