GEAR MINI TESTS
ZOOM H6ESSENTIAL AND H4ESSENTIAL £259/$275 and £175/$200 zoom-europe.com
audio technology, the days of setting separate levels and recording endless safety tracks will seem like something from ancient history. As with any emerging tech, it takes some time to trickle down to price points where it’s affordable to all filmmakers. Now, with the latest Essential range from the legendary recorder brand Zoom, it’s not vastly expensive for even the highest spec. The flagship H6essential costs just £259/$275, while the H4essential may have slightly lower spec but costs £175/$200. What isn’t compromised is the important bit – both use 32-bit float to give you the best chance of recording high-quality audio that never peaks. The biggest difference is that the larger H6essential offers more XLR inputs, with six tracks of 32-bit float recording and dual AD converters. The Zoom H4essential has four-track, 32- bit float recording, advanced X/Y mics and two XLR/TRS inputs. Both use
Every professional filmmaker knows the importance of top-quality audio in every production, and to capture it successfully from a range of sources you need a top-quality audio recorder. It’s pretty much the only way to ensure the sound from XLR mics, wireless lapel kits, ambient omnidirectional mics and more can all be captured together without a loss of quality. Relying on your camera’s internal audio just doesn’t cut it. But if you haven’t yet upgraded to one of the latest units that offer 32-bit float, you’re missing a trick. This technology allows recording of everything from a whisper-quiet vocal to a rock gig without the need to set gain levels. With a huge amount of dynamic range in the audio, 32-bit float lets you raise and lower audio volume in post without damaging sound quality. Everything in the range your mics can handle is recorded, so you can tweak it later without fear of clipping. Once you’ve used 32-bit float
NEW AUDIO ESSENTIALS The new Zoom range offers up 32-bit float and a number of XLR inputs
SIX APPEAL The pricier H6 model has removable mics on the top, but they’re fixed on the H4
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