Zoom H4n Pro Field Test

[@YashAditya]

It's a simple review/test and yet so cinematic. Keep it up

[@Flying4Film]

This video is very helpful. Thanks for making this. I'm now convinced that the H4n Pro will give me the type of audio I need for a project I'm working on.

[@macbrebonicks8668]

The Zoom has a beard.

[@caide]

LOL

[@paulstevens2839]

I really like this scenario with the mountain bike and the zoom pro! What an awesome possibility

[@jonatanguitar]

Yeah it's a beautiful scenery!

[@DemitriMedina]

I subscribed because of your personality and you remind me of a young version of my grandfather who passed a couple weeks ago.. You're awesome man.

[@caide]

Demitri Medina Wow, thank you so much!

[@savanaviolenta]

That's it I'm sold.Beacuse I'm always traveling I need that thing in my studio arsenal,to capture amazing nature,industrial sounds ,voices and to use them as tools to shape my experimental music.

[@caide]

Yes it's good tool to collect own sound bank also. And you can attach better shotgun microphone if you want to record birds sing or some distant voice's.

[@savanaviolenta]

It's a great mobile audio interface handy recorder with such great features totally satisfying me and then some.I think I'll stick to the on board XY mics I think I'll be fine with them.Love the idea of mobility of this unit,for example I can find a place with natural reverb and record vocals,ideas,samples I mean it's for the musicians on the go .Very creative.

[@BrentAmati]

I really love the birds chirping during the "silence test." Not your fault of course, but it does show how sensitive the pickup is on those mics.

[@TurnipOfPeach]

Thanks for the samples and comparisons

[@selkie72]

Great video Caj! I have ordered the H4N Pro...and the dead cat! Your test showed it will be ideal for the outdoor filming I do here in Shetland.

[@indyclarke9429]

I thought he pulled a gun out at 4:10 😂😂

[@boerdi6309]

me too :)

[@joebloe2261]

Greetings bearded brother, I have the same camera and lens and was wondering if you color corrected/adjusted this video? great video...👍

[@caide]

joe bloe Hello. I have reduced colours, contrast and stuff in camera settings, like a flat. So I get a little more dynamics. In post I put those back and make some color correction. I'm not so good at it, but learning all the time.

[@eimajffoh]

THIS IS THE TUTORIAL I NEEDED . Thank you.

[@MacJames]

Hi Caj, thanks for your video! I was wondering what settings you used on the H4n Pro for this video. Thank you!

[@caide]

I can't remember anymore 🤣

[@MacJames]

@@caide LoL! That's cool, can you make any suggestions? I'm going to be recording outdoors with a DSLR using separate audio and video. I don't have an external mic yet but plan to get on very soon.

[@caide]

@@MacJames it depends what you want to record. I have used that zoom a lot with it's internal stereo mic. It's OK for speech and universal nature sounds. If you want to record some specific sounds like birds, I would buy some directional shotgun mic, Senheizer or something like that. I borrowed from my school one of those and zeppelin and dead cat + stick to hold that. It worked great.

[@MacJames]

@@caide primarily I want to record nature sounds - Water, sea, forest sounds, etc. I was just wondering if you had any preferences for settings on the Zoom when you're out recording your stuff. I do realize that at the of the day I simply need to experiment. Lol 😂

[@scandinavian_outdoor]

@@MacJames Ok, then the zoom own mic is good for you. I think I changed the audio setting in the beginning to the second best option and it has been that since then. Then I monitor the sound from the zoom screen to have the maximum peak -5 or something like that. You should try it a couple of times, and then you learn it quite fast.

[@maksshark]

Hello. than you did such a wonderful color video processing.?

[@caide]

Maks Shark I made it with Premiere.

[@MIMCKMedia]

i watched this video with headphones and figured out that the display should always show in the direction to the viewer perpektive because the left and right channel is switched when you put the display to your face.

[@Sjaubi-qf6wd]

What camera are you using

[@caide]

I had Nikon 610D here, but now I use the Z6.

[@citizenraga]

Great review. I just got a H4n Pro and was wondering how much difference the dead cat wind thing would make. I’ll definitely order it now.

[@caide]

Raga Graydawn yes it's also impossible to use outside withou it.

[@madeiraislander]

it feels like you're rubbing the inside of my ear lol Okay i have one of these H4n Pro and i have a few things to say. I mostly do field recording, and it's not that great for that because it barely picks up any sound! even with it at 100 gain, the sound is very low unless you're right next to the source. for field recording it's not the best, unless you get an external preamp. at 2:40 for example, you hear a lot of things, like a normal person would, but the Zoom doesn't pick up any of it. for field recording this can be a problem. i had the H2n and it would pick up more sound than the H4n pro. I love the H4n Pro because the sound is very clean and very very high quality, you can connect electric guitars to it and it records really well, but i wish the internal preamps were more powerful.

[@patrick.771]

what device would you recommend for field recording? (rivers, birds, animals, nature ambiente, ...) I would like to record the sound of nature as it is. The listener should feel like he is standing there in nature (DSLR video + sound). Any recommendations in lower price range (100-300 euros)? Thanks!

[@madeiraislander]

​@@patrick.771 unfortunately i don't have a lot of experience with different devices, i've only ever used my H2n and H4n Pro. Are you talking about connecting the recorder to the camera or recording separately? Because that's an important detail. For that price range, i'd recommend the Tascam DR-40 or the H2n. Problem with the h2n is that you can't connect XLR mics to it. but it picks up sound better than the h4n. The H2n has a surround feature that's very nice for videos, i loved using mine before i sold it to buy the h4n pro. Bad decision because i should have kept it, i miss that surround feature! :)

[@patrick.771]

@@madeiraislander Thank you for your reply! :-) My "dream setting" would be filming with the DSLR and connecting the microphone to the camera - so that the camera gets the sound directly from the micro and everything is together after filming. My camera is a bit older (Nikon D5100) and I already tried external camera microphones (similar to Rode) but that didn't work. Always a loud swooshing (if you call that so in English) and it was garbage. Already looked up forum discussions to that topic. My camera has limited options for sound-settings and that's a problem for most microphones - so I would not mind if the recording is external. I think that I can learn the post-editing process very quickly. Goal is to film scenes in nature and to simultaneously collect the sound which is around. Looking for a "budget" solution for the sound (around 200 Euros would be OK) and currently I tend to the H4n. But if there is a better solution I am very open to that ... :-)

[@madeiraislander]

@@patrick.771 ah Yeah i was going to say that most cameras are pretty bad when used together with mics, unless it's a camera that's specifically made for that (so, the most expensive ones lol) I too use the H4n for short films and all that. In my channel you can view a few videos where i used the H4n to record only nature. It works well, as long as you're close to the source of the sound. Don't expect to point it at a few trees to record the birds singing if you're far away, because it will not record. Well, it will, but really really low!! I also use a shotgun mic with the H4n, the Rode NTG-2. I bought a small preamp for it and now it works wonderfully! It lowers the gain from 100 down to 30 :) But the preamp is only for the Shotgun mic, if i record with the H4n it won't make a difference. if you're on a tight budget, the H2n is a great option because it has better gain than the H4n, so you won't need to be so close to the sound source, and it has a Surround 360º option that's really great for nature videos. The problem is that you can't connect other mics to it, like you can with the H4n. The H4n has its own advantages. In the future if you want to invest in external mics, you will be able to connect them to it and use it only as a recorder, which is great. But you can also do this with the Tascam Dr-40 and it's 60 or 70€ cheaper than the H4n. ( and from what i've heard, has better preamps, so it records with less noise. But i've never used it, so i really don't know) Whatever you choose, Noise removal software is going to be a must. I use Adobe Audition to do this, it's easy to use and great for editing the sound, paired with Adobe Premiere to edit the videos, and sometimes After Effects. BTW i've heard great things about the new H1n, so be sure to check that one out as well while you research! kzbin.info/www/bejne/npqYqWh9pJmYf7s Damn this post got long haha!

[@patrick.771]

@@madeiraislander wow, thank you so much!! That really helped me. Will check the options and do a bit of further research and then I will see what the best solution for me is. 😀 Budget is tight at the moment, yes. I'm a beginner in that audio-stuff but at the moment something really "pushes" me into that and maybe it will become some sort of 'passion' - let's see 😀 Some days ago I installed Audacity but I'd like to check out other software too... Thank you!

[@Portugueselab]

Great! Thanks.

[@topouzidd]

How can we reduce the stereo separation? I mean, talking to the Zoom exactly centered in front of the mouth, the voice is in the center. But if you talk 1cm to the right (or left) or if you accidentally tilt the zoom a few degrees, your voice comes from one ear, and that's annoying, especially on podcasting, vlogs, interviews or just recording your thoughts. How can we "fix" this? Should we add a mono lavalier microphone and add another track to our recording, or can we reduce the separation with the internal mics?

[@caide]

In post is easy to change stereo to mono. Then it works nicely with voice.

[@topouzidd]

The thing is: I like the ambient sounds to have a stereo image, to be able to track the bird to the left and traffic to the right, but the voice of the speaker sounds better on a 10% separation instead of 100%. I guess the best way would be to record on a stereo track for the ambient on the internal mics and a mono track with a lavelier mic on another device? Then watch and adjust the levels of the two recordings, then sync them with each other, then sync them with the video, then join them (render them?) as a stereo track. Is there a way to do all of that with the H4N in a single step? Can we output the captured audio from both internal and an external mic and input it on the dslr directly?

[@caide]

If you use for example Premiere Pro it's easy to put a couple of audio tracks and video there and then make you're editing. If you clap in the start, it's quite easy to synchronize audio automatically.

[@dmitryledneff2267]

thanks for the review.

[@librettomoovie]

fantastic

[@imaginableAudio]

Hi, do you feel this is still worth it today. I meet to make music and produce samples. Please let me know

[@caide]

Yes, I still use it and it works fine

[@imaginableAudio]

@@caide thank you for your reply!

[@fossiliitv824]

Hi thank you very much Caj for this video. I've been thinking of bying this Zoom H4n pro just for recording nature sounds, and your video helped a lot cheers Alex

[@caide]

Thank you!

[@samettoptas7687]

did the test for zoom h4n. indoor and outdoor. on my channel.

[@AlexExplorer]

4:40 good to know..thanks

[@runningmoose]

Hello, thanks for the review. What do you think, what is the best portable (maybe not one) recorder for recording nature, ice moving, river, birds. Price / quality recording?

[@caide]

I have no idea. I have experience only from this recorder.

[@JCL-nu4ge]

How do you sync the video with the sound? I'm new btw.

[@caide]

I use Adobe Premiere. I usally clap my hands twice in videos in the begining. Then in edit I choose this video and sound which I want to syncronize and I just choose auto sync and the software makes the job. It can be done manually pretty easy with these claps too. Just put the peaks in same time.

[@JCL-nu4ge]

@@caide wow thanks for the details explanation. It still seems confusing, but I guess I have a better understanding now for future reference. Thanks!

[@caide]

@@JCL-nu4ge Yes, it's clear when you have the editing program. With the video you have also sound + you have sound with this Zoom. Then the program puts those sounds in sync and video syncin now with the Zoom sounds.

[@LouisLuzuka]

very helpful, *subbed* much love from vancouver canada

[@misterfilmguy]

Great video

[@1stnaruto]

what cam were you using?

[@caide]

Ivan Trevino it was Nikon D610

[@HaiTMOfficial]

Thank so much, i buy this micro today.

[@TheTopMostDog]

Very helpful video, thanks!

[@espressojoe]

Very helpful, since I wanted the h5 to record outdoor ambient sounds.... :)

[@urigeheadmot1196]

This is a pretty quiet, but very nice video!

[@jonatanguitar]

9:47 AB comparison = wow, the difference!

[@ahleex09]

is your h4n pro connected to your camera in this video? or did you record your voice and adjusted it to your video track? ps.: very nice video, i like the setting a lot! and i'm pretty close to purchase the h4n pro, your video is very helpful :)

[@caide]

It was wireless.

[@cerberus1595]

I cant hear much in the video due to how low the audio output is compared to other youtube videos...

[@caide]

Cerberus yes, sorry for that. You need to adjust volyme from your speakers.

[@Bijay.Kumar.Behera]

how to use it wireless with a camera?

[@caide]

@@Bijay.Kumar.Behera You can use it wireless, and you record a audio which you them syncronize and edit on video on post.

[@Bijay.Kumar.Behera]

ok

[@WhyStuffIsGreat]

What camera and lens do you use?

[@caide]

WhyStuffIsGreat I had Nikon D610 and Samyang 85mm f1.4.

[@alpine10]

Where can I get some of your best 'stuff'? ;)

[@caide]

I have done only crappy things.

[@macbrebonicks8668]

Greetings Caj, I went on a walk this morning to test my Zoom H4N. It sounds great, I got to get that beard thingy for mine too.

[@caide]

Great! Stereo sounds are great indeed. Some kind of wind screen is necessary, maybe you can try some kind of wool sock or something before you get better one?

[@kashifswaynerobinson]

A true Alpha male it his natural habitat.

[@jeger.x]

hehe :D

[@Ronney-Aragundi]

man you seem cool make more videos

[@caide]

Ronney Aragundi haha, thanks!

[@israelsousa]

Jesus amazing video and audio. Are you from finland? you accent sounds like. :D Im from Brazil. Kiitos for the vídeo

[@caide]

Israel Sousa yes, I'm from Finland. Thank you!

[@israelsousa]

Great, amazing coutry. Nice videos.

[@caide]

thank you very much 😊

[@25adbond]

Haha the cheap stuff and expensive stuff. Kind of what it all boils down to..just bought one of these though. Sound in vid is great so thanks for sharing

[@JKellyNolanBioguide]

Hello There! I just came across your channel looking for reviews on the Zoom H4n Pro. I'm considering the purchase and the video is helpful. I checked out your main page and subbed you. I'll check out your other videos as well. Cheers, Kelly

[@caide]

J. Kelly Nolan: Outdoors Thank you!

[@johnmichaelvital8433]

good

[@marekhorvath3148]

nice review ;-)

[@leewardstyle]

Sasquatch! Wait, it's you.

[@NorVack]

I swear I thought it was a mini gun lol

[@almacenesparis_]

omg Varg Vikernes.

[@secondearth3180]

nice video

[@caide]

Thanks!

[@Shoetari]

Loistava laite! Ite hommasin juur myös!

[@caide]

Kyllä. Olen tässä ittekin just lähdössä metsään korppien ääniä nauhoittamaan. Lainasin kunnollisen haulikkomikrofonin XLR-liittimellä ja saan sen kivasti tuohon kiinni :)

[@lt7114]

You are like good Burzum.

[@caide]

Sungeon Dynth Thanks, I guess 😂🤔