Zoom H1 Handy Recorder Reviewed

Videomaker by Tyler Faires

With its small build the H1 is a perfect out-of-the-box unit for daily recording and small projects. If you are looking to record live events, office meetings, or family occasions, buy this unit today and enjoy the portability and convenience of the Zoom H1.

Most filmmakers say 60% of a film is the music and audio quality. Without realizing it, viewers notice inconsistency in sound more than anything else. Zoom has released three handy recorders in its H series. The Zoom H1 is the smallest of the series but still is a nice little recording device. Since so many people are now shooting with small HD cameras or HDSLRs, this is a great tool to have to increase the quality of your sound. For such a small unit it really can do some impressive recording and will definitely get the job done. Whether you are recording an interview or live music the H1 would be a great tool.

Out of the Box

When you purchase the H1 it is all ready to go, open the box put in the microSD card and start recording. Its as simple as that, plus while you are recording you have the option to cut the low frequencies, control the gain from auto to manual, and decide to record in MP3 or WAV formats. All of these controls are located conveniently on the backside of the H1. It has a sturdy cage on top of the unit to protect the phased microphones as well. On this device, Zoom has also put an 1/8" line-in for microphones or instruments to be inputted, which is not as great as an XLR input but will still get the job done. On the left side of the unit there is another 1/8" jack for headphones and your manual audio level controls. Once the H1 is turned on you are ready to record, but unlike the H4n with the many menu options, the H1 is a one button recording machine. All of your audio files are saved into folders and each recording is saved to a different file. This makes it easy to switch from a WAV format recording to an Mp3 recording. read more...