I recently purchased a Zoom H4n after a long time reading reviews, checking prices, comparing features and all that goes along with purchasing a new piece of electronic equipment, and let me just say that I couldn’t be HAPPIER! I’m a classically trained guitarist with a background in Rock n Roll and I was looking for something to make some decent demos to show to potential clients as well as capture my practice sessions and jam sessions with the band. This thing does it all and way more! It’s like a Swiss Army Knife for guitar players. On board tuner, metronome, real 4-track recording, on board effects and it even acts as a USB interface with my computer which is great for late night jamming on the Les Paul with some backing tracks on my laptop! Way too much fun! This is one of those products that simply WORKS, no messing around with cables, I just use the included microphone stand adapter (lets you mount the unit on a mic stand using a standard clip) and if I come up with an idea or a phrase that I want to save, hit record and it’s done, no messing around! Simplicity at its finest! While I do agree with some other reviews that the interface can be a little overwhelming at first (the guys at Zoom have just included so many features that it does take a few minutes to get used to getting around) once you play with the unit for awhile you soon find out which features you use on a regular basis and how to access them easily. I’ve used both the built in microphones and external mics connected through XLR and the sound quality is great either way, you really CAN’T GO WRONG with the Zoom H4n.
Here is a video of me recording some classical guitar with my ZOOM H4n. The piece is called La Catedral and it is by a Paraguayan composer named Augustin Barrios Mangore:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCKn04NVMQw[/youtube]
It just so happens that I have a good friend working at our local music store and he is able to get his hands on some of the other brands that are out there (including the Sony PCM D-50 which I am hearing great things about!) So check back often as I will be periodically trying out some of these other recorders and posting reviews!
