Recording - April 2015 - 44

B Y M I K E M E T L AY

to carry around. There are much
lighter devices out there, including
Zoom's own H2n and H1, but the H5
packs a lot of power into this package.
The H5 is covered in a rubberized
nonslip texture that feels good in the
hand and keeps its controls within
easy reach for hassle-free operation.
A "roll bar" across the front lessens
the likelihood of accidentally bumping the two Input Volume knobs;
above them is a small, densely
packed, and very informative backlit
LCD, and below them are input selection and transport controls.

mic, SSH-6 stereo shotgun, and the EXH6, which adds two more mic/line preamps in place of a microphone. All of
these work with the H5.
Modes of operation
The H5 can operate in one of
two modes: Stereo File and Multi
File. While the basics of both modes
are similar, there are enough differences to almost let you think of the
H5 as two recorders in one.
In Stereo File mode, you can select
either the two mic/line inputs (labeled
1/2) or the stereo mic capsule

Zoom H5 Handy Recorder
A slimmed-down H6 or a beautifully updated H4n? Yes!

In our January 2014 issue, Lorenz
Rychner reviewed Zoom's new H6 Handy
Recorder, a 6-track portable recorder with
four mic/line inputs plus a set of interchangeable stereo mic capsules for different applications. Zoom's followup product
is the H5 Handy Recorder, which could be
looked at as a slimmed-down H6 or as a
long-awaited update to Zoom's popular
H4n (reviewed June 2009 and still available today). As a long-standing H4n user,
I was eager to give the H5 a try.
Meet the H5
At roughly 2.6 x 1.6 x 5.3 inches and
weighing about 6 ounces, the H5 is smaller and lighter than the H4n; the two units
are comparable in size and weight when
you attach the included XYH-5 XY stereo
mic capsule to the H5's business end. Even
with the mic, the H5 is cargo-pocket-sized
and light enough to not be a huge hassle
44

RECORDING April 2015

The left side has separate Line Out and
Phones minijacks (a huge win over the H4n
for monitoring purposes), a Volume up/down
button, a USB Mini-B jack that can also be
used to power the H5, and an on/off-Hold
switch to power the unit up/down or lock out
the controls during critical recordings. The
right side has the slot for an SD or SDHC card
up to 32 GB (the unit has no onboard memory and comes with a 2 GB microSD card
and adapter), a TRRS jack for the optional
RCH-5 wired remote, and the two navigation
controls for the H5's menu system, an up/
down jog wheel/button and a Menu button.
The bottom of the H5 has two balanced
XLR/TRS combination inputs, similar to
those on the H4n (the H6's inputs are on
its sides), and the top has the multipin connector for the interchangeable stereo input
capsules. The back of the unit has a
compartment for 2 AA batteries and
a threaded mounting hole.
Mic capsules and accessories
Aside from the SD card, the H5
comes with a foam windscreen,
USB cable, hard plastic carrying
case, and the XYH-5 mic capsule.
Options include a hot shoe mount
adapter, a fuzzy windscreen, an AC
power supply (although many USBbased chargers will work), and the
RCH-5 wired remote.
If you read the H6 review, you
might remember that it came with two
interchangeable capsules, the XYH-6
XY array and the MSH-6 Mid/Side
array; there's also the SGH-6 shotgun

(labeled L/R) and record stereo files in
WAV format up to 24-bit/96 kHz quality,
or direct to MP3 at bit rates from 48 to
320 kbps. This mode is easy and straightforward to use, letting you quickly capture
stereo field recordings with a touch of a
button-no more arming-then-starting!
In Multi File mode, all four inputs are
active, allowing 4-track WAV recording
in 16- or 24-bit resolution at 44.1 or 48
kHz. In this mode, the H5 becomes a simple 4-track DAW; you can do overdubs,
adjust tracks' level and pan before mixing them down to stereo, add voice
memos, and even create a monitor mix
for use while tracking.
Files for both modes are kept in separate folder sets, and the H5 automatically
gives them names that reflect their content. Names identify tracks in Multi File
projects, or whether a file is a backup,
a voice memo, a mono mixdown of a
stereo file, a seamless continuation of
a file that's exceeded 2 GB, etc.
Tools and extras
The "handy" in Handy Recorder is
evident when working with the H5's
convenience tools. The mic/line inputs
have an optional 20 dB pad for working with +4 dBu signals. A Backup
feature automatically stores a second
version of a recording at a 12 dB
lower level, in case the main recording clips; this is enabled only for L/R
WAV recordings at 44.1 or 48 kHz. A
built-in Mid/Side processing suite lets
you capture M/S over inputs 1 and 2

Recording - April 2015

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recording - April 2015