How to Use a Zoom H6 Handy Recorder: Five Examples

today I'm going to show you five different examples of how I use my zoom H6 handy recorder the zoom H6 is probably the most versatile piece of audio equipment I own and is an invaluable part of my production kit if you already own one or if you're looking to buy one this may give you some extra ideas on how you can use it so let's get right to it example number one this Zoom H6 can be used as an audio interface for your computer or mobile device this is the functionality that I use the most often and I'm using it right now to record this video with a microphone plugged in such as my sh sm58 I use it to record all of the narration for my YouTube videos just connect the zoom H6 to your device using USB and select audio interface and stereo mix using the scroll button once inside your audio recording software I use Adobe Audition make sure you have the zoom H6 selected as the input device in your Hardware preferences now when you hit record you will be capturing audio directly from your microphone through the zoom H6 and into your computer you could also use it this way for podcasting video conferencing or while streaming video games just make sure you have your input device set to the zoom H6 on whatever piece of software you're using example number two occasionally I like to use the zoom H6 as a field recorder to capture ambient background noise or sound effects from nature to use in my projects the included XY microphone does an excellent job of capturing High bit rate stere stereo audio I have two important tips here one cover your XY microphone with a dead cat which can be purchased inexpensively on Amazon this will completely cut out offensive wind noise two set up the zoom on a tripod preferably with a shock mount attached to eliminate any handling noise bring along a good pair of headphones as well so you can monitor your recordings example number three I use it as an audio interface for my cameras this is probably the main reason why I bought the zoom H6 in the first place as a way to connect microphones to my mirrorless cameras while shooting interviews and video content most commonly during oneperson interviews I connect my Sennheiser shotgun mic mounted out of frame on a boom via XLR cable to the zoom H6 it provides a very clean and directional signal and doesn't require any phantom power for shoots where I need to mic more than one person I either use wired handheld mics or wired lavalier mics the coma XLR lav mics I own require 48 volts of phantom power which can be turned on for each channel on the zoom H6 that they're plugged into to do this go to the input and output section of the zoom H6 menu select phantom power on off and then select the tracks that you have your mics connected to each of the mic tracks are recorded separately on the zoom and I also run a cable from the line out through y Splitters to all of my cameras so that they are synced with the microphone audio example number four I use it as a multi-track recorder this is the most interesting way to use the zoom H6 if you are a musician or are recording multiple musical instruments in my case I have a drum machine that outputs multiple voices that I can connect separately to each of the inputs on the zoom I own the ex H6 attachment that allows me to connect a total of six mono inputs at one time the zoom H6 will record each of these inputs as a separate wave file directly to an SD card if you connect the zoom to your computer or mobile device as described in example one you can capture a multi-track recording directly within your favorite Daw just make sure you select the multitrack mode with the selection dial when you first connect the zoom to your device example number five I use it as a stereo recorder I have used the zoom H6 many times to capture a stereo signal coming from a piece of audio hardware for instance it is great for sampling vinyl by connecting it directly to a turntable it works well for recording performances from stereo musical instruments like an SP 404 Mark I I have also used it many times for recording audio coming out of a mixer during during interviews and live streams when recording a recent press conference for a local tennis champion in a venue where I could not set up my own microphone the zoom H6 came in clutch as the audio technician running the PA system for the room let me plug my zoom H6 into one of the free outputs on his mixing board for instances like this it is always a good idea to keep a few different types of audio cables and adapters with your Zoom so you can plug into different types of audio gear here's a tip there is a -20 DB pad on each of the main Channel inputs that you may need to engage if you are using a line level output from your audio device also you can merge your left and right inputs into one stereo Track by holding down the two input selection buttons on on the top of the recorder now when you press record the zoom will create one stereo file containing the audio information from both left and right channels so these are the five ways that I use my zoom H6 it is so useful and such a key part of most of my workflows that I really couldn't live without it do you own an audio recorder do you own a zoom H6 I'd love to hear how you use yours let me know in the comments below don't forget to like And subscribe and until next time happy [Music] recording

Channel: Andy's Tandys

Views: 24,111

Keywords: zoom, zoom h6, h6, handy recorder, recorder, audio recorder, microphones, audio interface, audio

Id: BMjUYQKfzmk

Length: 7min 12sec (432 seconds)

Published: Wed Jan 24 2024