Zoom H4essential All Black 4-Track Portable Recorder with Zoom AD-14 AC Adapter, Windbuster, 16GB Memory Card & USB Cable Bundle

Get the negative stuff out of the way first; If you operate this unit while holding it, the transfer of noise is much higher than H2n type model. The slightest movement creates huge pops and bangs on the audio. Best to mount on stand and don’t touch. That being said, it’s a pretty terrific field recorder. The mics are super sensitive and the sound quality of terrific. Takes a little time to boot but, once it’s ready, it functions really well. Additional things to like: Clean interface. Easy to use menu options. Additional inputs. XLR L/R on bottom and a mini stereo Lav input behind the two mics in case you want to use a clip on mic. Nice selection of formats. Sturdy casing. Comes with a clear plastic case but I purchased a zip casing anyway because I like my case to hold more than the unit. The furry wind screen works but I wish it also included a foam screen. The adjustable mics are much nicer than expected. Despite the case noise, I still give it five stars because the pros far outweigh the cons.

I largely record speech. Instead of recording directly to a computer from my analogue console, I use the Zoom H4N Pro as an audio interface. It has two full sized XLR inputs that I plug into from the stereo out puts of my consol. It's intuitive to use, includes a compressor and other preamp functions. Occasionally I find myself away from the sound board and can function just fine without it. I can plug a mic and cable into the Zoom, set the recording level and I'm good to go. It also provides phantom power if needed. I'm very happy with this recorder and it provides the functions and flexibility I was looking for.

I use it to record rock band practices, live in the room. I employ two phantom-powered condenser mics (not included), hung from the ceiling, strategically away from direct drum sound. The reproduction is pretty good for what it is and what I'm asking of it. I have also tried using the built-in stereo mics and I find them a tad boxy sounding. Maybe the band is just too loud for that application. You really, really, really have to read the manual front to back before you try to use your intuition and really mess things up. The control structure is neither intuitive nor easy to navigate. It does not have its own storage, so you have to use a 32 GB (or 16 GB) SD card. And the only live audio out is the earphone jack, but it is surprisingly clean when you use an adapter and run it as a line out back into the PA to listen live - just remember to always unplug the earphone cable before hitting record-enable or you'll be in feedback hell until you pull it out. If you want full audio mixing control, you have to remove the SD card, load it onto your PC, and use an audio software product of your choosing. I justify the cost through consideration of how many features, options, and controls it packs into such a little package. It's good, just complicated and touchy.

I use for this for Jam sessions and for Recording Music that will be published. It's Really very hard to find quality microphones that can capture the true resonance and tonality of Acoustic Guitar's. There are a lot of nuanced differences based on tone woods and the quality of the pick ups, microphones and pre-amps. I've tried and own multiple high end microphones, this Zoom unit is spectacular, hands down. The recording quality of these microphones is studio quality, the fact that you can use this 4 channel unit fully and put it on a small storage device and transfer it to a Digital Audio Workstation without ANY loss of quality is absolutely outstanding. I Love this Zoom unit, it is like having a studio quality microphone and music capture system in the palm of your hand. Absolutely Excellent!!!! I highly recommend this product !

I've had this thing for a few months and it was the best purchase I've ever made. It has been so convenient to record projects with. The internal mics sound great, but if you have high quality mics of your own, I would recommend using those over the built in ones. But if you just need to do a quick voiceover or vocals (mainly what I use this for), then the internal mics are more than sufficient. Battery life is good, just be aware that the life is affected by things such as phantom power and what sample/bit rate you are recording at. It feels very durable, but I've made very sure not to drop it, so I can't truly comment on how durable it is. Overall, I would recommend this to anyone who needs an easy, portable, and convenient way to record.

Has everything I needed to get started in audio engineering. Has a mic, windscreen and sd card for field recording, and can be used as an audio interface to connect other mics and preamp to for studio recording. Amazing device!

This is the perfect item for what I need. I wanted to record my practice sessions so I could play it back so I can make notes on things I need to improve on. I also recorded my first performance. Glad I did. I didn’t think I did very well. After listening to it I realized that I did OK. Now I am not afraid to do a full gig. I will use this for each performance so I can see what changes or songs I need to not play again. Great recorder. I purchased a cable to run from recorder to my amp amplifier great sound.

I would have given this five stars, but the only way I found to delete tracks is buried deep within the menu structure. And even when you delete one track, you have to go back and re-navigate to delete the next one. Dumb. Otherwise, I am pleased with it. The sound quality is adequate for my purposes, which is to record piano music in my home studio.