rasilov Posted September 7, 2017 Share Posted September 7, 2017 I bought a Zoom H1 sound recorder for film sound. It has a soft continuous noise at about 1kHz and a ticking sound at about 2.5Hz. It is the same whether using its own mics or with an external mic.This is when it is switched to WAV which is what I would always use because MP3 is inferior. This is very disappointing. Can anyone recommend a portable sound recorder which is free of this problem? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IronFilm Posted September 8, 2017 Share Posted September 8, 2017 This is my thoughts on the various options for sound recorders we can choose from on the market: http://ironfilm.co.nz/which-sound-recorder-to-buy-a-guide-to-various-indie-priced-sound-recorders-in-2017/ heart0less, Cinegain and Orangenz 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rasilov Posted September 8, 2017 Author Share Posted September 8, 2017 Thanks for that info. Really all I need is a recorder to record single channel mono (I don't even need stereo), but what is important is that there is absolutely no digital noise on the sound as there was with the Zoom H1. There must be no recorded noise other than the quantising noise which for 16 bits will be -96dB, and of course the mic hiss. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Kotlos Posted September 8, 2017 Share Posted September 8, 2017 While I haven't noticed any digital noise over the microphone hiss from my H1, I found the Tascam DR-100mkIII to provide excellent results! I tested with the low noise rode nt1a and I was surprised at how good the internal noise was. The built in mics were pretty good as well. I know it costs 4 times the H1 and is double the size, but if you care about quality then ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hijodeibn Posted September 8, 2017 Share Posted September 8, 2017 3 hours ago, rasilov said: Thanks for that info. Really all I need is a recorder to record single channel mono (I don't even need stereo), but what is important is that there is absolutely no digital noise on the sound as there was with the Zoom H1. There must be no recorded noise other than the quantising noise which for 16 bits will be -96dB, and of course the mic hiss. I guess you are using the H1 alone without adding an external microphone or shotgun, then the issue is there, if you use the H1 just as a recorded together with a good quality microphone or shotgun like a senheiser, the base noise in the H1 can be easily removed in post…. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tupp Posted September 9, 2017 Share Posted September 9, 2017 On 9/6/2017 at 8:25 PM, rasilov said: It has a soft continuous noise at about 1kHz and a ticking sound at about 2.5Hz. Have you tried using a different microSD card? I was having problems with my H1 and a new microSD card fixed them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IronFilm Posted September 9, 2017 Share Posted September 9, 2017 11 hours ago, rasilov said: Thanks for that info. Really all I need is a recorder to record single channel mono (I don't even need stereo), but what is important is that there is absolutely no digital noise on the sound as there was with the Zoom H1. There must be no recorded noise other than the quantising noise which for 16 bits will be -96dB, and of course the mic hiss. You should probably record 24bits btw Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rasilov Posted September 9, 2017 Author Share Posted September 9, 2017 Thanks to all. I was using an ext mic, but the digital noise is there with ext mic or its own mics. tupp what problems were you having? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tupp Posted September 9, 2017 Share Posted September 9, 2017 4 hours ago, rasilov said: tupp what problems were you having? I was getting corrupt file headers, and, consequently, the files would not work on all players. Changing the microSD card fixed the problem. Some have reported that removing or changing the SD card has fixed noise and crackling problems on Zoom recorders: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E274Ev6yvJ8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hijodeibn Posted September 10, 2017 Share Posted September 10, 2017 13 hours ago, rasilov said: Thanks to all. I was using an ext mic, but the digital noise is there with ext mic or its own mics. tupp what problems were you having? Looks like the issue you are having is a broken unit or a microSD card issue as tupp suggested, mine is working perfect, I can get a clean signal in post... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rasilov Posted September 10, 2017 Author Share Posted September 10, 2017 I just bought a new SD card - exactly the same problem: ticking at about 3.5 Hz and continuous soft buzz at approx 1kHz. I'm going to buy either the Zoom H6 if I can trust another Zoom, or the Tascam DR40 unless anyone can suggest a cheaper simpler one, bearing in mind I only need mono recording. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fuzzynormal Posted September 10, 2017 Share Posted September 10, 2017 The Zoom H1 Input Impedance: 2 kOhms (0 to -39 dBm) The input level of the H1 pre likes to be on the low side or extraneous noise can be noticeable. Use an input level of 33 rather than 99, for example. This was my experience when using the sennheiser ew100 g3 with the H1. Knowing one's mic systems output impedance is good when using this cheaper Zoom recorder. I also experienced RF noise with a particular shotgun mic, an unshielded cable, and my wireless transmitter. However, that was my fault, not necessarily the H1. It illustrates how cheap gear is susceptible to limitations, so you need to be careful. Cinegain 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IronFilm Posted September 11, 2017 Share Posted September 11, 2017 13 hours ago, rasilov said: I just bought a new SD card - exactly the same problem: ticking at about 3.5 Hz and continuous soft buzz at approx 1kHz. I'm going to buy either the Zoom H6 if I can trust another Zoom, or the Tascam DR40 unless anyone can suggest a cheaper simpler one, bearing in mind I only need mono recording. If you just want a simple cheap handheld recorder then go for the Tascam DR22WL What will you be using this for btw? If you want to take it a little bit more seriously, then have a read of my latest blog post before choosing what to buy next:http://ironfilm.co.nz/which-sound-recorder-to-buy-a-guide-to-various-indie-priced-sound-recorders-in-2017/ 11 hours ago, fuzzynormal said: The input level of the H1 pre likes to be on the low side or extraneous noise can be noticeable. Use an input level of 33 rather than 99, for example. Yeah, what are you setting your gain to rasilov? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rasilov Posted September 12, 2017 Author Share Posted September 12, 2017 I just bought a Tascam DR22WL and its great, absolutely no digital noise IronFilm and Orangenz 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philipd Posted September 19, 2017 Share Posted September 19, 2017 On 10/09/2017 at 12:05 PM, rasilov said: I just bought a new SD card - exactly the same problem: ticking at about 3.5 Hz and continuous soft buzz at approx 1kHz. I'm going to buy either the Zoom H6 if I can trust another Zoom, or the Tascam DR40 unless anyone can suggest a cheaper simpler one, bearing in mind I only need mono recording. Hi Have you tried it out elsewhere? That could be some interference it is picking up and it might be very local? I've heard similar noises from DECT cordless phones. On my H1 though I've not heard any noise like that. It could just be faulty? Regards Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PansySharp Posted January 20, 2020 Share Posted January 20, 2020 Hi...I bought a Zoom H1 portable sound recorder for film sound recording. When switched to WAV it has a continuous soft noise at about 1kHz and a ticking sound at about 2.5 Hz. It is the same whether using its own mics or with an external mic. This is very disappointing. Can anyone recommend a portable sound recorder which does not have this problem? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IronFilm Posted January 22, 2020 Share Posted January 22, 2020 Get a Zoom F4 / F8n newfoundmass 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newfoundmass Posted January 22, 2020 Share Posted January 22, 2020 7 hours ago, IronFilm said: Get a Zoom F4 / F8n That's a bit more than an H1... 😉 ------ I just upgraded to the Zoom H6 and I really like it. I still have two Zoom H1 recorders too and I don't think I've ever had this problem, but I'd look into the Zoom H5 or H6. They're big improvements over the H1 and H4N. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IronFilm Posted January 23, 2020 Share Posted January 23, 2020 9 hours ago, newfoundmass said: I just upgraded to the Zoom H6 and I really like it. The Zoom F4 barely costs more than an H6 9 hours ago, newfoundmass said: but I'd look into the Zoom H5 or H6. They're big improvements over the H1 and H4N. As big as the improved is from an H4n to an H5/H6 (which I agree, is quite substantial!), the gap from an H5/H6 to a Zoom F4/F8n is much much bigger! To give a camera analogy, is like going from an a6600 (H4n) to a Sony a7mk3 (H5/H6), sure that is a big leap forward. But nothing at all like the leap from a Sony a7mk3 (H5/H6) to a Sony FX9(F4/F8n)!!! Except in this case the gap in price between an H6 and an F4 is wwaaaayyyy smaller than between an a7mk3 and a FX9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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