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Joined: Dec 2002
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I want something inexpensive to record my Everett piano (now that it has been saved from my house fire).
Is there anything like the Zoom H2 out there for less money. I want a used or reconditioned H2 or something similar.
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joan.
excuse me if i offer a word of caution.
by the day i'm getting more cautious of a lot of new gear on the market.
cos lots of it uses custom circuitry. and smt.
not easily fixed.
so personally i stay away from big screen tv's, and lots of other stuff
that uses custom circuitry. .
(various of my relations have had probs with the new tv's getting fixed
sometimes for example. )
i dont worry as much if its cheap , for example my line6 toneport i was given as a present ..
for 50 buks. but i'm talkin expensive stuff.
reason being that as product obsolescence is so rampant these days..
the issue of future service if the product goes wrong arises.
for example i was burnt a couple of years back on an expensive studio item
that i was assured i would be able to get service on,.
well guess what ?? 2 yrs down the road i was told internal chips had changed.
so i had a doorstop on my hands.
thus i would suggest before buying anything expensive to really really ensure 4 yrs down the road if a problem occurs that the zoom or anything else can be fixed.
i dont count normal pc's in the above comments cos parts are cheap.
this is why i prefer pc's to to stand alone digital recorders for example.
that zoom sure looks nice, but the lingering feeling in my mind is ...
what about future service ??
another good example of being carefull is control surfaces with flying faders.
many musicians like to use em for their daw's.
nope..not for me...future service question again.
in summary joan, take a likkle advice from someone who has been burnt
(who should know better...lol.) ask bout future service on an expensive item.
cos its easy to get caught up in the razamatazz of the moment.
one reason i prefer pc's to macs is , if a mac goes down i gotta send off to applecare.
studio kaput while waiting for its return.
whereas pc , i whip round the corner to my local pc parts bloke and have the
thing up n running again in half an hour.
god bless.
retired puter engr....powertracks on amd......NICE !
"what is the black art of audio engineering ?"
my silly songs...motagator.com/bmanning
see my tips in the tips section.
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Hi Joan, Are you an iPod owner? If so, I've been having fun with the Alesis ProTrack. http://www.alesis.com/content11187 It is a "cradle" for the iPod that turns it into one of those two-track stereo portable recorders like the Zoom stuff. Capable of recording in .wav or compressed formats, built in mics plus it also has 2 XLR mic inputs with Phantom Power that are combination input jacks with a 1/4" Line input in the center of each, too. Very versatile. Samson is also marketing some inexpensive digital recorders, you might look into one of those. I know a young lady who recorded and produced her CD using a semi-pro CD recorder and two mics hanging from her ceiling. It sounds great. Of course, she is all about performance. No chance to fix anything in the mix or punch in, she is able to record each piece from start to finish with incredible precision. So the CD recorder deck is simple to operate for her and does the job. All she needed me for was to take the small stack of separate CDs and copy the right ones in the right order to a master CD so she could send it off for duplication. Done. A classical piano CD that was done in an apartment. But rivals studio stuff. That little Yamaha C baby grand sounds great. --Mac
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Joan, FWIW, I checked Ebay. They had a used one for $99.00 and a new one for $149.00. Quote:
http://shop.ebay.com/?_from=R40&_trksid=p3907.m38.l1311&_nkw=zoom+h2+recorder&_sacat=See-All-Categories
Don S.
Last edited by Curmudgeon; 09/05/09 09:46 AM.
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I don't have an iPod. I am going to investigate the other makes of inexpensive recorders.
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Any product that has the words, "Voice Recorder" in its name typically means that it is not up to snuff for recording Music with any degree of fidelity.
Unfortunately, when it comes to recording music, TANSTAAFL (There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch).
--Mac
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That's what I thought Mac but I thought I would ask anyway. If people are moving up to the Zoom H4 there might be better deals out there on Ebay for a used one in the coming months.
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The H2 is pretty doggoned low price for the price/performance of the unit. You aren't going to find much more cheaper gear for the performance.
Last edited by rockstar_not; 09/06/09 07:05 PM.
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Thanks for the input on the H2. So you think it is quite a good unit.
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Well, for a 'point and shoot' type of recorder, the H4 and H2 are hard to beat on price. There really aren't 'generic equivalents'.
Now, if you have a laptop on which you have a copy of PTPA, then perhaps investing in a portable audio interface and a couple of mics might be more appropriate than a Zoom.
But if you are simply looking to record sketches from the piano, the H2 suits the situation pretty well. The H4 is a little more versatile - you can use that as an audio interface to a PC or laptop, plug in more expensive microphones, etc.
But Zoom have set the low water mark for price/performance ratio, IMO.
There are a couple of PGers who have the Zoom - I've heard nothing but praise from them about their H2 recorders.
Regarding Manning's warnings - some truth there, but think about the price of what a repair would be in the first place. Take any piece of electronics in for a repair and there's a 100$ bill you need to leave on the counter.
A brand spanking new H2 is what, $180 or something? This is an item you buy on it's warranty, and then if it breaks after the warranty and you liked how it worked in the first place, you buy another one. It's a pretty low price point for what you get in the package - some halfway decent mics/preamps, software built into the thing, A/D converters, D/A converters, memory slot, navigation buttons, etc. For $180.
I would buy it at a place like Sweetwater music, where they have an excellent customer service record, could possibly come up with a more informed different solution, etc.
For an extra $120, you can get the H4n which has much more flexibility, but is bulkier (didn't seem an issue with your original post).
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I have the Zoom H4 and can vouch for it's usefulness. I bought it for a whole raft of real and potential uses, including recording at my band's practices. I've also used it in a number of low volume (church) and high volume (Australian Grand Prix) settings. I haven't yet had call to explore it's more involved functions such as an audio interface, the 4 track recording, the inbuilt effects range, etc. Basically, it's a winner. Controls are weird and not particularly intuitive, it feels and perhaps is flimsy and plasticky but does record pretty well. The capacity to record in a wide variety of mp3 kb/s rates (up to 320 from memory) or wave file to 24/96 is impressive. I recommend it but think the new Zoom H4n is significantly better again and solves some of the od little design compromise issues with the H4 (bigger, clearer display for geriatric old eyes for instance). The H2 would work for you I'm sure but I'd be inclined to spend the extra and get a bit more future proofing by going with the H4n. Check it out at the Zoom site. Good luck with whatever you decide.
John
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I saw the Zoom Q3 and I'm amazed at what that can do. I could record both my piano and my golf swing!!!
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I just purchased a zoom r16. It is $399.00. It has 2 outboard microphones for recording live events. It can be used standalone or it can be hooked up to the computer and will act as a controller interface. It has a power cord, but can also be run on batteries for take out. It is about the size of a computer keyboard. Listen To My MusicRead My Blog
My TunesPsalm 57:7 My heart, O God, is steadfast, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and make music.
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