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Should You Buy The Zoom H5, or the H6 — SKYES Media Click here to ENTEROne moment, please.Zoom H5 vs H6 ~~ Which Is The WINNER?! (Should You Upgrade)
Disclosure: Links to products might be affiliate links so we earn a commission at no extra cost. But what makes them stand out from the crowd? And, more importantly, what differentiates them from one another? First of all, the size of this digital recorder makes it compact enough to transport from place to place easily.
This innovative little recorder uses a system of interchangeable input capsules so you can find the perfect microphone type for your recording needs. It also features two built-in, X-Y microphones that are shock-mounted and allow you to record with reduced handling noise, ensuring that you get the best quality audio possible every time.
The USB connection also gives you the ability to use this portable recorder as an audio interface running directly into your preferred digital audio workstation. The good thing about a shotgun microphone is that you can get clear sound without the microphone being in a shot. Another con is that these mics are usually fairly large and not the most portable option, not to mention expensive.
Dynamic microphones are great at recording just about anywhere, especially if you get one like the Shure SM58 , an industry standard. While dynamic microphones are like Swiss Army knives, they too sometimes require extra gear.
Some, like the Zoom H1n or the Zoom H5 , are pocketable and super easy to use. Just turn it on and press record. Just like a lav, handheld recorders are fairly portable. Even the bulky H5 can squeeze into a jacket pocket if you really need it to. That said handheld recorders are great if you want to record an assortment of ambient sounds to fill out your project.
Just drop it on a table, hit record, and voila , perfect ambiance. These are great for capturing sounds to add your own effects to the recordings. You can hear me use the Zoom H5 for exactly this reason in our very first podcast episode at around the mark.
Although digital voice recorders excel in convenience and portability, they can get pretty expensive. Fortunately, there is a selection of budget digital voice recorders on the market that can record high-quality audio without breaking the bank. Voice recording apps are ideal for recording meetings, lectures, notes, and even song demos. In fact, artists across all genres commonly record new song ideas on their phones, and sometimes even record audio samples that make it into their final song releases.
However, when inspiration strikes , voice recording apps can help you quickly keep track of your ideas faster than any other recording method. Besides costing way less than a digital voice recorder, lavalier mics allow you to record someone speaking without holding your phone to their mouth. Most voice recording apps already support external microphones, so compatibility is a non-issue.
One of the traits your wonderful condenser microphone is lauded for is its ability to pick up absolutely everything. The high sensitivity of studio condenser mics means they catch basically everything, from your foot shifting your stance, to the dog barking in the distance. With the wrong mic, your intended subject will get lost in the deluge of other sounds, which just means more otherwise avoidable editing in your DAW.
Plus, they almost always require some kind of audio interface. Not all condensers are created equal. It is important for you to hear what the microphones are picking up ONLY. This does not mean that audio is not flowing through the headphones or through the line-out jack 3.
You do not have to record on the Zoom H6 when you film your interview if you are porting the audio to your camera, but it is not a bad idea to do so. If your videorecording should fail, you will at a minimum have audio of the interview. Moreover, the audio signal sent to the camera will be a mix of the tracks that you are recording. You will find that in picking up more volume that you also pick up more ambient hiss from things like air conditioning fans and the like.
Lowering your audio level will not make these sounds go away. When you boost volume in the computer, the hissing sound will come back. The only way you can reduce outside hissing noise is by using the Lo and High Cut filters that are buried in the menus on the Zoom. This is a little more sophisticated of a setting, and will be the topic of another blog post. I already have the Zoom set with a Lo Cut at Hz on all tracks. This side of the unit shows you tracks three and four on the H6, but they are identical to inputs for track one and two on the other side of the Zoom.
Note: ports 3 and 4 will mix as a stereo pair when recording. This rocker switch navigates through the menus on the H6, and it is pushed in to make a selection. In comparison with an iPhone, it is clunky and low-tech, but it works.
Not surprisingly, this button brings up the main menu. It is important to understand how the Zoom stores the audiorecordings you make. The Zoom H6 is capable of recording six independent tracks Left, Right, 1, 2, 3, and 4. The Zoom H5 is capable of recording four independent tracks Left, Right, 1, and 2.
Left and Right are recorded as a stereo pair in the same track on both unites and so are tracks 3 and 4 on the H6.