Recording - December 2011 - 44

BY LORENZ RYCHNER

higher up are the 3-way switch for RW-Play-FF (doubles as Select in Menu mode) and a Menu button. On the left narrow side are the USB port, the audio out socket (line or headphones), the socket for the wired remote control, a two-position push-and-hold button for playback volume increase or decrease, and a line-in socket. The H2n handily stands up on four tiny rubber feet on its flat underside, where you find the thread mount for a tripod or mic stand, the cover for the memory card, and a recessed strap attachement. I saved the best for last: On top, above the grille, is a knob, almost flush with the surface, that can be turned 360 degrees to have its arrow point at 4 equidistant indicators arranged in a circle: MS, 4ch, XY, 2ch. Intrigued?

degree XY pair of mics are on that side of the grille enclosure. It produces a fine stereo image, with all the variables you can imagine—more room as you get away from the source, more width if it’s a wide stage and you’re far away, and so on, so try to find the best spot for your project. If you turn the selector to MS, have the screen side of the H2n facing you, because the bidirectional (S) and the straight-ahead (M) mics are in that half of the grille enclosure. Before you record, go into Menu mode and adjust the desired width of the stereo field. One of the settings says RAW—if you record in that mode, you can later adjust the width by lowering or raising the S level. How’s that for tricks? It really works, too. I broadened and narrowed a sound stage after recording a jazz big band that was set up over a very wide stage and had a PA speaker at each end of the stage—I still could hear the effect when altering the S level, even though I had

Zoom H2n Handy Recorder
A well-liked field recorder line adds new capabilities in its newest model
Smaller, smarter, speedier... the handheld recorders of recent years have capabilities that we only dreamed of in a big desktop system not long ago. Multiple recording formats, from the lowliest MP3 to higher bit rates, higher sample rates, pitch change on playback without tempo change, tempo change on playback without pitch change, these have all become commonplace. Now the Zoom H2n takes this a step further. In your hand The H2n is not as skinny as some pocketsized recorders we’ve looked at lately. But it still will fit into most pockets, and its ergonomics are truly apt for one-hand operation. As the picture shows, the unit’s upper half consists of a grille all around, while the lower half has the screen on the rear and, below it, the Record button. On the front, the lower half is a surface that is bare except for perforations below the Zoom logo that let the built-in speaker be heard. That bare panel is detachable to reveal the battery compartment. As you’re facing the screen, on the right narrow side you find the on-off-andhold switch, above it the rotary mic-level wheel (partly covered for protection), and
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RECORDING DECEMBER 2011

Inside The H2n takes regular SD cards up to 2 GB capacity, or SDHC cards from 4 to 32 GB. The internal memory won’t get you far, just 1 minute, and only in MP3 format at 96 kbps. Just enough for “testing testing 1-2-3”. The two batteries are AA—beloved by people who like to know that no matter where they are they can always replace the batteries without the need for a custom charger and AC access. Two good-quality batteries can last up to 20 hours, the manual says—even if that’s a best-case scenario, half that wouldn’t be shabby! That’s all well and good, but pretty pedestrian stuff compared to what’s hiding behind that substantial wrap-around grille: five mic capsules! That’s how the H2n can operate in the four modes that you select with that knob on top that we mentioned: Mid-Side (MS) stereo (with after-the-fact adjustable S for varying the stereo width—more in a minute), 90 degrees X/Y stereo, 2-channel surround, and 4-channel surround. Those hidden mics If regular stereo, in XY mode, is your desired mode, turn the screen side of the H2n away from you, because the 90-

recorded that wide stereo field from quite a distance in a large concert hall. Amazing! (If you’d like to read up on Mid-Side recording, check out our November 2011 issue.) When you select to record in 4-channel “surround” mode, the H2n records two files simultaneously, one MS and one XY. Since the XY mics are located at the “rear” of the grille enclosure, here they more or less provide side-and-rear ambience. You can adjust the relative levels of the MS and the XY arrays on playback and thus, to a point, construct your own “surround” ambience. If you record in 2-channel mode, the signals captured by the MS and the XY mics are already being mixed together during tracking, into one quite ambient sounding stereo file. Here’s the kicker, though: Both in 2-channel and in 4-channel mode you can adjust the S level just as you can in MS mode—that can have a huge impact on your recording! In use Getting around the H2n is mostly easy, but it has its cumbersome aspects, too. It lays right in your hand, you start using it without looking at the controls immediately, with the exception of the knob on top that selects the recording modes. Its arrow

Recording - December 2011

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