Originally published in Guitar World, June 2009
Guitar World presents the 25 coolest new gear products for 2009.
Handheld digital recorders are great for capturing music on the fly at CD quality. But when you need pro-level audio reproduction, a handheld usually can’t measure up. Zoom’s H4n is an exception, delivering 24-bit/96kHz high-resolution audio in Zoom’s most sophisticated handheld recorder to date. For that matter, the H4n is especially guitarist friendly, with Hi-Z inputs, variable-speed playback for phrase training, studio-quality effects and more than 50 guitar and bass amp modeling settings.
For recording on the go, the built-in X/Y stereo condenser mics allow variable recording patterns at either 90° or 120°. Audio quality is improved through the H4n’s new digitally controlled mic preamp, and the internal mic can be used simultaneously with external mics for four-channel recording. A large LCD, intuitive interface, built-in tripod/mic-stand mount, shock-resistant body and onboard reference speaker make the H4n very user friendly. On top of all that, it records on SD/SDHC media of up to 32GB, features USB 2.0 and can operate for 10 hours on a single set of AA batteries. The included 1GB SD card, windscreen, mic clip adapter, AC adapter, USB cable, case and Cubase LE recording software complete the already impressive package.
Comments