Taking a mix from the board?

[MikeNiteRail]

I am thinking of getting a Zoom H4N. My hope is to take a feed from the board and mic the room with the unit - just acoustic duo stuff.

Is is pretty easy to get a feed from the board, or will I need other gear to attenuate the signal, etc? Thanks!

 

[tulk1]

I've been thinking about getting one. Your post prompted me to go look at the manual. It says:

XLR-1/4-inch combo jacks allow direct connection of
any sound source.
We’ve loaded the H4n with a versatile array of input options to accommodate a
variety of recording sources. Any type of microphone (including condensers),
electric instrument (guitar, bass, keyboard) or line level source can be connected
to the H4n

Think that pretty much says you can go direct to the unit from any source, your mixer included, assuming you have the outputs necessary on your mixer. I think. Pretty sure I could from my MixWiz, as it has all sorts of ways to get the signal out of it.

 

[sksmith66]

I have no experience with that device but have used other 4 channel recorders to do exactly what you are talking about. the recorders I've used had a pad on the input so if the signal was to hot I could attenuate it that way. I never had a problem with that setup.

 

[MikeNiteRail]

Thanks! I've seen conflicting comments online about some people inserting pads, but Zoom makes it sound like you wouldn't need to.

Being that this is for an acoustic duo, I can easily see setting it up as a room mic and running an xlr or 1/4 out from the mixer with no issues. Might sound pretty good for online demos.

 

[JPF]

You might want to take a serious look at the Zoom H6 before you spring for a H4N - the new preamp is a big step forward, and the flexibility it provides is a quantum leap ahed of the H4.

 

[MikeNiteRail]

I looked at that too, but is a bit overwhelming for me at this point. The H4n would be a good compromise (especially used)...but I agree that the H6 looks sweet.

 

[donnievaz]

I am thinking of getting a Zoom H4N. My hope is to take a feed from the board and mic the room with the unit - just acoustic duo stuff.

Is is pretty easy to get a feed from the board, or will I need other gear to attenuate the signal, etc? Thanks!

If I'm reading this right it sounds like you want to use a line in and the mic simultaneously. I don't know for sure but I highly doubt the unit will do that. Most likely limited to either the line-in or mic, not both.

 

[MikeNiteRail]

If I'm reading this right it sounds like you want to use a line in and the mic simultaneously. I don't know for sure but I highly doubt the unit will do that. Most likely limited to either the line-in or mic, not both.

The 4ch mode is described as 4 channels simultaneously using the onboard mics and two inputs.

 

[JPF]

I looked at that too, but is a bit overwhelming for me at this point. The H4n would be a good compromise (especially used)...but I agree that the H6 looks sweet.

What I like about the H6 is the flexibility and ease of use. I used mine to record a large outdoor concert we played a few weeks ago. I recorded via two XLR outputs from the board to the H6, and the XY module for ambient recording. All levels could be set from the unit's external level controls - it's nice to not have to delve into a menu-based interface. Also, you've got a separate pad button for each XLR input on the H6, to prevent clipping from an overly hot signal from the board. If you may be recording in different environments, the simplicity of use and flexibility H6 makes it well worth the extra $100 or so it might cost. Just a thought, based on my limited but direct experience with both units... Either one will get the job done, though.

 

[donnievaz]

The 4ch mode is described as 4 channels simultaneously using the onboard mics and two inputs.

I stand corrected, I should really do my homework before opening my mouth. BTW, that's a very cool feature.

 

[MikeNiteRail]

I looked at the manual and you can for sure do this. It looks like there are couple of ways to line in like that too.

 

[greggorypeccary]

I run a Tascam D40 (I assume the zoom would have similar functionality) and as long as the output from the board is a good line-level, you should be able to just set the levels in the recorder.

The four track functionality is great, I mix the board & internal mic channels in Audacity and get great sounding results.

 

[Fran Guidry]

The H4n will need external attenuation at least in some situations. Regardless of the blurb in the Zoom literature, the "line" input is a -10 consumer level circuit and it clips very easily.

The H6 has better mics, better mic preamps, 20 dB pads on the inputs, a better user interface, and better build quality. For almost any use it's worth the difference in price and easier to use.

Fran

 

[MikeNiteRail]

The H4n will need external attenuation at least in some situations. Regardless of the blurb in the Zoom literature, the "line" input is a -10 consumer level circuit and it clips very easily.

The H6 has better mics, better mic preamps, 20 dB pads on the inputs, a better user interface, and better build quality. For almost any use it's worth the difference in price and easier to use.

Fran

What would an appropriate attenuator be? I am a relative newb to this. I went with a used H4n, although I agree there are many benefits to the H6. It was a good price, great condition, and I'll only use it once or twice a month.

I have some home recording gear for direct recording with my laptop should I need to get that complicated, lol.

Thanks!

 

[Staticbuster]

I do this with an H2n as much as possible. As long as I can get a proper level check I don't have any issues with clipping on either the line in or mic feeds.

 

[Fran Guidry]

What would an appropriate attenuator be? I am a relative newb to this. I went with a used H4n, although I agree there are many benefits to the H6. It was a good price, great condition, and I'll only use it once or twice a month.

I have some home recording gear for direct recording with my laptop should I need to get that complicated, lol.

Thanks!

I've gone with a cheapo solution: STEREO AUDIO LINE LEVEL ATTENUATOR

This thing has RCA male on one end, RCA female on the other, so it connects to the tape out on most boards, then you'll need adapters on the other end to go into the H4n.

There's an unofficial Zoom forum where someone recently posted a workaround. I haven't tried this to verify it but if you have some way to test in advance you might give this a try: http://zoomforum.us/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=19383 - last post in this thread.

Fran