Recording - August 2017 - 53

second; there's also an option to turn the
camera off and use the Q2n strictly as an
audio recorder. Audio resolutions are 16bit/44.1 kHz, 24-bit/48 kHz, and 24bit/96 kHz. FOV chooses between five
levels of digital zoom. Lo Cut activates a
filter at 80, 120, or 160 Hz to eliminate
low-end rumble.
The last two switches are where the
Q2n does some of the thinking for you,
adjusting itself to get the best audio and
video if you're not sure what to do. Auto
Gain allows the Q2n to set your levels
according to the environment rather than
manually; settings include Concert (a loud
venue), Solo (a single player in a quiet
space), and Meeting (for meetings, spoken
word, and field recording). Scene lets you
choose between ten possible scenarios to
assure the best settings: Auto, Outdoor,
Sunset, Night, Concert Light, Concert
Low-Light, Concert Hall, Jazz Club, Dance
Club, Rehearsal Studio, and Garage. The
manual explains a lot of these in enough
details to give an idea of when to apply
them. For example, Concert Light vs.
Concert Low-Light lets you choose between a brightly lit stage or a dimly lit and
intimate setting, and Dance Club reacts to
the drastic and sudden lighting changes
you'd see at an EDM gig. In practice,
these work surprisingly well, and will take
a lot of the fear out of live recording.

What's not in the box

Before I get to the Q2n's performance, I
want to get my one substantial gripe out of
the way. That's not with the recorder itself, but
what accessorizes it... or, more to the point,
what doesn't. The Q2n comes with nothing
but a pair of batteries. Not only are there no
accessories, but there's nothing to record on
(no included or built-in memory) and no way
to access it if you did (no cables).
Zoom included the APQ-2n Accessory
Pack with my review Q2n. It contained
almost everything anyone would need to
put the Q2n to work in a variety of situations: an action camera mount, a "fake
mic body" mount that lets you put the
Q2n in a standard mic stand clip, a 5'
micro-USB cable, a lens cap with lanyard,
a wrist strap, a fuzzy windscreen to cover
the mics for quieter field recordings, a slipon lens hood for better control of external
lighting, and a good-sized carrying case
to carry it all (if a bit tightly), complete with
a form-fitting cutout for the Q2n. All that's

missing is an HDMI cable and a USB power supply for battery-free operation without
a computer, both of which are reasonable
for the end user to supply himself.
This accessory pack is a fantastic value,
but I would budget for it (and a microSD
card) at the same time you're buying the
Q2n. Otherwise, your unboxing experience
is likely to be a bit frustrating. (If all you
want is a lens cap and lens hood, the
new LHQ-2n pack is just $9.99.)

In use

I worked with the Q2n for several weeks,
doing field recordings, live concert footage at venues ranging from coffee houses
to small arenas, and webcam/voiceover
work. Purists may quibble about the fact that
there's a bit of fisheye effect at close range or
there's no optical zoom, but those aren't the
people who'd buy a camera like this; they'll
happily shell out a bit more money for one
of the many fancier recorders out there...
including two beautiful video recorders with
built-in stereo mic arrays from Zoom itself.
I regard the Q2n as a great introduction
to the big scary world of doing your own
music video. Picture quality is darned good,
and the Scene settings do a remarkable
job of making sure you don't end up with
footage that's dark, pixellated, or blown
out from bright lights. You could probably
teach your smartphone to do some of these
tricks, but not all in one place and never so
easily accessed.
More to the point for our readers, the
Q2n's audio quality is typical Zoom: clear,
clean, free of artifacts and weird tonal stuff,
and able to handle surprising SPL-120 dB,
according to the manual, which is more than
you can be exposed to for more than a few
moments without hearing damage. I certainly couldn't get the mics to overload when my
gains were set properly. As a USB mic or
audio input interface, webcam, or just as a
stereo field recorder, the Q2n pays for itself
before (or if) you even take off the lens cap.
Even with the accessory pack, the Q2n
represents a great value for the money.
Put in the biggest microSD card you can
find, keep plenty of AA cells handy (or
use a portable USB supply), and get out
there and make some memories.

PRICE: Q2n, $159.99;
APQ-2n Accessory Pack, $49.99
MORE FROM: Zoom,
www.zoom-na.com
RECORDING August 2017

http://www.zoom-na.com http://www.adkmic.com

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