There's a new firmware update for the Zoom H4 Handy Recorder, and boy is it a doozy. In fact, Zoom seems to have addressed almost every single complaint anyone's ever had with the Zoom software. Version 2.0 includes:
- Larger fonts making the tiny display easier to read
- Battery meter shows how much juice you've got left when recording in stereo mode
- Specify whether you're using alkaline or Ni-MH batteries for a more accurate battery reading
- There's a remaining time meter in stereo mode
- Mono mix recording in stereo mode (In other words, you'll still be recording on two tracks, but the output will be dual mono instead of true stereo. This doesn't save you any space on your memory card, but it does make voice recordings more accurate).
- Low cut filter with 10 presets for reducing background sound
- Auto recording mode starts up a recording when there's sound above a certain threshold and pauses when it gets quiet
- Support for SDHC cards up to 4GB (Previously you could only use SD cards up to 2GB)
- Convert WAV files to MP3 directly on the unit to save space
- Divide large files
- Normalize files to bring up the volume on the recorder (Depending on the card you're using, this could reportedly take almost as long as recording a new track, so you might be better off waiting until you get to a PC to do this).
- You can now turn off the input signal when using the USB interface mode. In other words, you don't have to hear the mic or line input sound all the time
You can download the supplemental Zoom H4 manual (PDF link) and see in-depth descriptions of all the new features if you want to read up a bit before messing with your recorder's firmware.
The software update does nothing to solve the electric pulsing noise problem when you're running on battery power, so the best solution is still to build your own battery pack. And of course, the Zoom H4 still has a few hardware issues like noisy preamps when using external mics and loud handling noise when using the internal mics.
But this update is still pretty sweet. It certainly makes up for the last disappointing firmware upgrade.
Update: A couple of people have contacted me to let me know they were having problems installing the firmware. So here are three things to make sure you're doing:
- Make sure you check to see what version of the Zoom firmware you're currently using and download the corresponding update file.
- When Zoom says put the update file in the root directory of your SD card, this does not mean the Sys folder. Instead, the file should not go in any folder at all.
- Make sure your Zoom is plugged in when performing the update.
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Regarding external mics, I use a rode videomic (shotgun) with a trs to xlr adapter (6 foot cord to avoid handling noise) and record mono on 4 track mode. I almost always have to use hi gain setting to get decent levels, but rarely wall out for interviews or voice over. pre-amps are weak as you say. Maybe if I have time later I might try sticking my FMR RNC compressor in between to see if that is a fix, since it has a little gain adjustment and is pretty clean. Thanks again for your blog!
Even though I just placed a pre-order for the new Sony PCM-D50, I'm definitely keeping my H4 around as a backup. It's served me well, and it does have those XLR jacks, even if they're a bit quiet and a bit noisy.
Eric
I haven't heard anything about such an update, but it seems like something that could totally be implemented via a software upgrade. You might want to try contacting Zoom directly to see if they have any plans to implement a time stamp feature.
My H4 has internal mics of uneven sensitivity - unequal gain - as (apparently) most H4s do! Is there ANY way to adjust their individual gain in stereo mode? I can't find one - do you think Zoom will ever do a firmware upgrade that fixes this? Surely they should if they're building the units using cheap, badly matched mics.
Thanks for responding to my comment about uneven internal mics. Yes, I totally agree that the best that could be hoped for is a firmware upgrade that would allow the independant setting of levels for the left and right channels in stereo mode. But why, then, won't Zoom impliment such an update - it would surely be very easy for them to do and yet they say they have no plans to do so. It is so infuriating to have to independantly normalise the two channels using software after every recording to get a true stereo image - it hardly makes the device user friendly!
It seems to me that, with the H4, Zoom have thought of everything and then built it out of the cheapest, lowest quality components possible and thus rendered the device next to useless - badly matching internal mics and preamps that make the use of external mics pointless are really not ideal on a sound recording device! What a shame.
Re. the battery pack eliminating the beep issue, do you recon a 'Powermonkey' external charger would do the trick? See below:
http://www.earthtechproducts.com/p2588.html
Cheers, Dave
Cheers again! :-)
As for a portable MP3 player, yeah, it'll play them. But I wouldn't really recommend using it this way. It's kind of big and bulky compared with other MP3 players, and the play/pause/ff/rew buttons are pretty finicky.
BTW, does the version 2.0 firmware fix the ringing noise when using phantom power, battery and an external mic?
While I was starting to get used to carrying a battery pack around with me, I ultimately decided that I didn't want to put up with the noise you get from the preamps when using an external mic. So I upgraded to a Sony PCM-D50 and relegated my H4 to backup duties. It's still a great recorder for the price, but I'd only really recommend it for people who plan to use the internal mics all the time.
I've had the H4 for 2 months now and am happy with it. I use it for recording song ideas and practicing guitar and vocals. For my purposes its fine. I only use the built-in mics and I've never notice the pulsing sound during battery use and my mics seem to be pretty evenly matched in terms of gain so I have no complaints there. I think for those people that are complaining about the unit they are probably expecting too much out of a gizmo thats intended to be a low cost multipurpose tool NOT a studio quality piece of recording gear. For me, the H4 is convenient and portable and a great way to get song ideas recorded. If i want more professional sounding recordings i'll by pro equipment.
I am using the recorder to make im my opinion simple recordings of acustic guitar with vocals. I am not clear on the 4 track ability and what it means.
1. Make sure your Zoom is plugged in while trying the software upgrade. It will not work otherwise.
2. You need to hold down the Menu key while turning your unit on. This means pressing the bottom 4-way dial on the front of the unit. It's a bit tricky, and I sometimes had to turn the Zoom H4 on and off a couple of times before it would work. But this is the only key you need to hold.
Thanks..
I switched to a smaller size sd card, the one the unit came with, and also became very careful of how I pushed the menu button down. I am not sure if switching the sd card mattered so much, the key perhaps, is not to hold the menu button down too hard. Push it down towards the bottom of the unit, with gentle pressure, just so you feel it click only one time, then hold it in that position while you swith it on.
I was using a 8gb SD card, i switched for a 512mb and it worked. (by the way, insert the card, and then start the zoom once without holding down the menu button). Then, put the h4 off, and start it again for your update.
Thanks
The firmware is offline and now I cannot connect my zoom to my mac :( Does anyone have the firmware? I'll host it in return to share with others.
I'm not sure what you're experiencing, but it sounds as though you may have some kind of incompatibility between your microphone and the zoom unit - perhaps a wrong phantom voltage setting, or a leaky (cheap?) microphone you're plugging in that draws too much current. Have you tried adjusting the settings, or a different microphone? The problem you describe just sounds like a preamp slowly roasting, to me. I have occasionally used external mics on my recorder without incident.
To start the firmware update, press the menu button in and DOWN towards INPUT and MENU. Then it works fine.
Fast forward to March 2010..
I've got a H4 running v. 2.20
I download the 2.40 upgrade, (For the system version "VER=1.20" or later..)
I Follow the upgrade procedure, I click 'version up?' ok, it says it's 'checking file' them gives me an 'error' and stops dead.
Anyone else experience a similar problem? any known fix?