Review: Zoom H2 Handheld Surround Recorder
Pages: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

However, the bundled accessory dearest to my heart is the windscreen. Why? Because without one, recording outdoors is nigh on impossible. And, to tell the truth, the H2 is just so dang cute when you put it on. (See photo.)

H2 D2? With its windscreen and stand, the Zoom H2 looks almost human. I considered attaching little eyes and a nose, but then I'd have to test how they'd affect the recordings, wouldn't I?

 

The H2's two mic patterns make it unique among portable flash recorders.

Four Heads are Better than Two

Unlike previous portable recorders I've reviewed, the H2 has four condenser mic capsules, arrayed as front and rear X-Y coincident pairs. The front pair is angled 90° apart and the rear pair is angled 120°.

So why have two stereo pairs in a two-track recorder? For one thing, by selecting either the front or rear mics, you can tailor the pattern to the source, choosing the 120° pattern for a live band, say, and the narrow array for acoustic guitar. Or record stereo tracks using both the front and rear mics—great for interviews or jam sessions where everyone is seated in a circle. The output of all four mics is mixed down to stereo in this situation. That's too bad, because sending the front and rear mics to individual mono tracks would even better for interviews.

However, that is not what is causing the blog-o-buzz. The H2's original specs called for three mics, set to record mid-side (MS) stereo. Zoom felt three mics didn't cut it, so the company came up with the current four-mic setup, which opens the door to recording in 360°. (See the Surround 101 sidebar.) Press a button and the H2 becomes a four-track recorder of sorts, capturing the front and rear mics to two stereo WAV files. Ah, but is it Surround with a capital "S?" And how do you play it back? Let me leave you in suspense for a moment as we dig in to the interface.

Field Goals

I define field recorder as a small device that can record far from an AC outlet. It should be rugged enough to withstand bouncing around in a backpack, it should run on batteries or accept an external battery pack, it should be easy to use, and it above all it should make decent recordings wherever I point it.

As I said, the H2 runs on AA batteries. A menu allows you to indicate whether you are using standard alkaline or rechargeable Ni-MH batteries. (That option is only to calibrate the battery-usage meter; it doesn't affect performance.) The H2 fits easily into a shirt pocket and you can record through its onboard mics, an external stereo mic, or the stereo line input. Score one for portability.

Many of the important functions are accessible without digging through menus. A pair of membrane switches chooses which mic array is active—front, rear, front and rear stereo, or "4 channel surround"—red LEDs indicate your choice.  Choose one of the three basic gain settings (low/medium/high) and use the Rewind and Fast Forward buttons to fine tune recording levels. A single press of the Record button puts the H2 in "record ready" mode; a second press starts recording. Score one for ease of use.

The H2 accepts both SD and SDHC memory cards up to 8GB—enough for several hours of 24-bit, 96kHz recording. (There's a list of compatible cards on Zoom's Japanese site.) I already mentioned the windscreen and tripod and mic-stand adaptors, both features I consider essential for field recording. Score another one for convenience and completeness.

Maximum Recordable Time (minutes)

Interface and Recording Tips

As with most portable recorders, getting deeper into the interface requires a bit of finesse. To set the recording type (WAV or MP3) and resolution (see the table for file types and maximum record times), you press Menu, use the Rewind and Fast Forward buttons to move around, and then hit Record to select an option. Backing out of a menu requires repeated presses of the Menu button. It is not the most intuitive scheme on the market, but it gets the job done. I wish the display were larger, but then my days of recording without reading glasses are long gone.

Because entering record-ready mode locks out the menu items, it's impossible to hear the effects of any menu selections in real time. But all is not lost: a "monitor" mode allows input monitoring regardless of the recording state, so you can listen to how the filters or dynamics-processor choices affect your recording.