Recording Studio Equipment

Have experienced low level rumble which gets embedded into the recording.
Bought the unit 6 months ago. Currently it is in for repair and the jury
is out until I get the results from Tascam’s repair…

How do you rate something like a simple cable. I bought this one because it was only a few dollars as opposed to $20+ at other places. I figured if it didn’t work a few dollars wouldn’t matter that much. Turns out it does its job as it should. I have no complaints at all about it. If you need one of these cables, just buy it with your pocket change. It’s like eating steak for the bologna sandwich price.

Screw the bad hype about this product!

I bought a cord half the length and at 5 times the cost of this one and this one works just as great or even better. Idiots claiming it falls out….well then, quit kickin your stuff around! Seriously, what the heck are you peoples doing for it to fall out?!?!? This clicked in BETTER vs the shorter cable (phillips) I purchased at a name brand store!

Product came as pictured with the protective tips that stay attached to the cord after removal. The shorter more expensive Phillps cord i bought? Those tips weren’t attached to the cord and have disappeared. Weak.

I’ve used the the original R-09 for over 3 1/2 years, and been in love with it from the day I bought it. I use it to record church services and make CD’s from the recordings, to record meetings instead of taking notes, to record doctor visits, or to just record improvisations on the keyboard. The sound quality is excellent, whether recording as .WAV or .MP3, and the pickup sensitivity is amazing. It is still going strong, but when I decided to get a second one and leave the first at church, I went for the newer R-09HR.

The R-09HR improves on the R-09 in many respects, most notably from my experience:

+ The slippery hard plastic case of the R-09 has been replaced with a non-skid solid rubbery case – no more worrying about it sliding off a music stand.

+ The rubber inserts that surrounded the side controls on the R-09, and were stretching and falling out, have been eliminated.

+ There is now a separate ‘Menu’ button, so the ‘Finder’ doesn’t have to do double-duty.

+ The sound quality seems even better than the R-09.

+ The R-09HR comes with a remote control. I have yet to try it, but I can see it could be useful.

Some other notable differences:

+ It is slightly bigger than the R-09. I liked the more compact size of the R-09, but am willing to trade it for the better case of the R-09HR. The R-09HR still fits (a little more snugly) in the leather Targus camera case that I use as a carrying case.

+ The power button and the back sliders have moved position (no problem unless you are used to them elsewhere!).

+ The batteries now go in a separate compartment, rather than sharing with the SD/USB compartment door. Call me weird, but I don’t share the opinions of others who disliked the R-09 battery door. It may have felt flimsy, but I had no problems in 3 1/2 years, and the disadvantage of the new R-09HR arrangment is that the battery door comes off completely, so it can get separated. I think this may also be part of the reason the R-09HR is slightly bulkier.

On the slight downside:

+ The addition of a small speaker doesn’t seem worth the added real estate. The output volume is low and the playback quality is, well, pathetic. Maybe some will find it useful just for checking recording pickup, but I’d have been happy without it (especially if the case size could have been reduced).

+ I don’t feel like the battery meter is as accurate as on the R-09, nor am I certain if the battery life is as good as on the R-09. I had one case where I was using the R-09HR and it showed just 1 battery step down from full (and yes, I had the battery type correct), and it died within 1/2 hour. I’m now careful to make sure I put fresh batteries in if I have any doubt. This is not an objective measure, as I haven’t actually compared the R-09 and R-09HR under the exact same conditions, but I definitely do not trust the battery life indicator on the R-09HR the way I did on the R-09. On the flip side, I listened to playback on a set of batteries for over 4 hours, so it may be either the recording side is more power-consumptive, or truly is just the battery life indicator.

+ The R-09HR overall looks/feels a little more utilitarian than the R-09, which had a nicer esthetic look/feel (but at the same time this contributed to it being more slippery).

+ I wish both the R-09 and R-09HR came with an option to make the Record a one-touch function. I’m always morbidly afraid of not getting an important recording because I’ve failed to push the Record twice (this happened to me a couple times when I first got the R-09).

To sum up, though, the R-09HR is a fantastic recorder with excellent sound quality and pickup. You can take the recordings directly into editing software and with a little volume adjustment burn perfectly usable CD’s that are just like you were there when the recording was made.

This amazing compact recording device is easy to operate and produces wonderful recordings. The only criticism I would make concerns the remote control function. In a live performance situation the person operating the recorder will find it awkward to successfully use the remote. Apart from this, I’m very happy with my purchase.

This is my second H2 because my first H2 was lifted from my unlocked car (my bad). Somebody probably thought it was a digital camera because of the case I kept it in. I shopped for awhile, looking at all the new competitors who’ve entered the market since the H2 came out. I said “why pay $299 for something I can get for $129?” and the new ones don’t even offer the ability to be a USB audio interface for recording. Recording in wav or mp3 format is the same process across the board, period. The FOUR small condenser mic’s in the H2 will handle most anything you’ve got. If not, then you’re on the wrong aisle of the recording store.

The H2 is also good with direct line-in recording. The horizontal stereo VU meters have a nice feel, responsive, but not too quick and “flicky”. The built-in AGC ( automatic gain control ) and limiters are strictly so-so, but you don’t need them except for really unpredictable recording levels. Most commercial recordings these days are all mastered to -3 or zero db, so just set your levels to low, safe readings if you’re recording off a radio, Internet or CD. You can always boost the level later, if you need to. The line-in is very clean, provided you don’t try to overdrive it with a too-hot signal. Recording a “hot” signal onto your recording medium is a dinosaur left over from the days of tape. You were taught to record as hot a signal level as you could to overcome the high noise floor of tape. With the greatly improved signal-to-noise ratios of digital, you can record to -10 db and get great, undistorted recordings every time. I use either the low or the medium gain setting on the H2, never the high.

As for build quality, the H2 is not as “hefty” as some of the competing models, but a lot of them will not fit nicely in your shirt pocket, either. And I don’t know what world some people are living in who say “I’d hate to think what would happen if I dropped it”. I own LOTS of gear that I would hate to drop unprotected – laptops, studio condenser microphones, guitars, digital cameras, cell phones, mp3 players – so why all of a sudden is the H2 criticized for not meeting this ruggedized requirement that most of our present gear does not meet anyway? Ridiculous! Just because something is portable does not mean it’s ready to go to Afghanistan in your backpack. I made a little case for my H2 out of an old nylon cassette tape case I had lying around. Popped a little foam padding in there (go to an upholstery shop and buy a scrap piece of good dense foam for a few bucks), made a simple cutout (with the same electric knife I carve the Thanksgiving turkey with) for the plastic tray that came in the factory packaging and I’m good to go. Or buy a small digital camera case and that’ll work, too. NOW, dropping it is NOT a problem.

The H2 comes with a table stand, a power supply, USB cable, mini-1/8 to RCA, foam pop filter, basic earbuds and a sublimely simple but elegant solution for stand mounting. As for the membrane-style X-Y pad, I haven’t had a problem with the first or the second one. Don’t mash it – simply depress it lightly and it works great.

I use rechargeable batteries, which is the only way to go with any portable electronics like the H2. There’s always the included power supply just in case you have an extended session, but 4 batteries gets you 8 hours of function time. Plenty. It’s not an mp3 player or cellphone that lasts for several days. Get real.

It doesn’t do change tempo, but I usually load up Audacity or Propellerhead Record with my tracks and use their superior slow-down features and loop editing for lessons and private practice. Transferring tracks to your computer is as easy as plugging in a USB cable and dragging files onto your desktop. I already have a very small mp3 player (Sanza Fuze, an awesome product) to carry finished tracks around in, so I just use the H2 for specific, everyday recording chores. If you think you need more of a “studio” quality setup, go buy all that gear and start lugging it around, setting it up, tearing it down, etc. Otherwise, just turn on the H2, stick it on a mic stand and record a nice, clean stereo recording of your songwriting demo, rock band, choir, music students, praise team, podcast, etc. Thumbs up! Go on the Zoom website and see all the pros who use the H2.

I have no vested interest in promoting the H2 and I do not work for Zoom or for a music store. I am a teacher, songwriter and worship leader.

Is this thing supposed to play back thru an internal set of speakers….or do you HAVE to have headphones plugged in to hear your playback in the field????

Nothing I read anywhere comments on this issue…mine, I can’t hear the recording unless I remember to bring the headphones with me….

Somebody please confirm or deny this for me – thanks,