- Zoom F6 Professional Field Recorder for Filmmakers & Musicians

I don't usually write reviews, but when I saw that this had only 1 rating and 1-star, I had to hop on here and share my experience. First of all, Kellard's was super quick with shipping, and they are a verified seller (I checked with Zoom's headquarters before ordering). Second, I did a "shootout" between this and my Apollo Twin Duo interface ($800-900), coupled with an AKG-414 microphone($900). I did a comparison between the two on my youtube channel - Josh Wright Piano TV - if you'd like to check it out. I was BLOWN AWAY at the capabilities of the zoom, and liked the audio every bit as much as the Apollo, perhaps even better. It's a much more capable device from a tech perspective as well, with 6 inputs, 32-bit float recording (which is why I purchased this in the first place), and Dual A/D converters. I originally bought an Zoom H6 and was not impressed at all, so I opted for the F6 and am more than satisfied with this purchase, and highly recommend it to anyone wanting an extremely compact setup with incredible sound quality and tech capabilities. I'm excited to use this to record my solo and orchestra performances. Thanks Zoom for making such an incredible product at an extremely affordable price!

I use the F6 to record music - piano, church organ, various instruments, and voice, either solo or as ensembles. The recordings are done under less than studio conditions in a church. The advantages of the F6 that suit this type of recording are: 1. Versatility: This recorder is small, highly portable, and unobtrusive, yet has a very powerful feature set reviewed in several youtube videos which should be checked out before purchase. 2. Quality. The recorder is obviously built to high standards of construction - metal parts mostly. 3. Thoughtful design: menus are clear and easily adjustable on a bright screen. The F6 battery power options include the AA batteries also used in the Zoom H6, but unlike the H6, an L-type battery can also be used, allowing greatly extended recording times. 4. Recording: The 32 bit float recording of this recorder allows me to easily capture the wide dynamic range of all the instruments and voices I record. Trained voices - especially soprano - are extremely powerful and are difficult to record with accompaniment when you want to bring out the accompanists performance. With the F6 I just set the gain to full and then back off the dynamics in post during mixing without clipping or loss of the sound. 5. Ease of use: Bluetooth control is a huge advantage for this recorder. It is simple to set up and allows full remote control of recording. This function allows me to remain in one spot in charge of all audio and video recording. Essentially I can do all of the recording process without assistance. The F6 is of course much more expensive than the very popular Zoom H6, which I also own and use for other types of recording. For the reasons given above, the F6 is the better choice for the kind of music recording I do.

I bought this recorder after trying and returning a Sound Devices MixPre 6 ii as the MixPre had a few flaws that I couldn't get used to. Having used the F6 a few times now I find it to be every bit as good as the MixPre, except for the peerless preamps that Sound Devices have perfected over their many years as a top notch Pro Audio supplier. The F6 has a more sterile sound than the richness of the MixPre, but that suited me for my purposes. The F6 is easily set up to your liking using the clear and easy to follow menu system. And, if you choose 32-bit, the F6 will record everything from near-silence to deafening with no clipping. All you have to do is use compression in your editing program to bring both extremes out clearly and with no distortion. The F6 is much more efficient power-wise than the MixPre, and the AA battery option is actually viable, compared to the power hungry MixPre, which will demolish a set of AA's in less than a half-hour. There is a holder built in for the option to use a Sony L-type battery which will last for hours and hours. You can also power it via a Micro USB cable and a power pack if you wish. The F6 offers Timecode in and out. The only real downside to this recorder is the placement of the 1/4" screw hole for a tripod or to mount on a camera. It is at the very back of the unit to allow for the AA battery sled, and this means the connection bears a whole lot of the weight on it and can be wobbly. The menu offers a great many choices of recording modes and input options and is easily run through, although the small buttons means no gloves on when doing this. All in all a great little recorder, very powerful for its small size, and is a great choice for anyone trying to up their audio game from a camera's included audio.

I didn't know you could legally sell a box full of pixy dust. From the sturdy build quality to the 6 INDIVIDUAL RECORDING XLR INPUTS! this product is amazing. The 32 bit float recording file format has to be some kind of black magic. I'm 100% certain that there's just a small wizard living in each one of these devices. I have yet to find him, but with how amazing this product is it must be true. In addition the price point is amazing. If your new to sound recording then it probably seems pretty steep at $650. If that's the case I would look at the zoom h4n. Also a very good device, but it misses out on some of the magic. Conversely if your all in on sound gear and you know what your doing. You might be better off getting the specific gear that does exactly what you need it for, rather than this catch all device. If your like me then this is the perfect device. Film makers, podcasters that need something with a little more oomf, or if you just need six channels for some reason you can't go wrong with this little magic box. Side note I will note that the menus can be confusing if you don't read the instructions. So please read the instructions, and if you need to reset the device entirely (hard reboot) just know the default recording isn't the 32 bit float file so you will need to fix that real quick. Those cases are minor, and don't really change my opinion of the device. I just thought they were worth mentioning.

Great product.. Incredible easy to use I had one before that I loved and gave away to. Sound Engineer friend. I ordered a new one at $800+ (20% more expensive now) But mine arrived box opened and used! And it freezed after first screen!!

This mofo does ZAKLY what you need!!!! I mean come on... Timecode to sync multiple cameras with audio CHECK! 6 XLR inputs for multiple mics CHECK! 32bit floating point audio that practically doesn't clip CHECK! 100 ways to mix on headphones! 75db of clean gain!!! Preamps FRICKIN QUIET!! AA battery power! Sony NP BATTERY power option CHECK!!!! Cons: No 3.5mm input Jack. No Mic level output for small mirror less type cameras. Headphone jack not loud when using studio monitor earphones (use headphones sigh less than 200ohm impedence)

32 bit float is a game changer. I bought the Zoom F6 with the case. As a filmmaker, we all know that your movie is only as good as its sound/audio I don't know how I survived without the Zoom F6. My audio has NEVER sounded better. From the super loud dialogue to the whispers., this device pics it all up. Keep in mind that the Zoom F6 is not set to 32 bit float out of the box. You have to go into the settings and change it to 32 bit float. It also takes external timecode devices, such as The Deity TC1 device. I cannot say enough about the Zoom F6.

ive been using my F6 for about 18 months recording all of our sessions. our group is bass, drums, sax and sometimes keys. usually 2 drum overheads and a figure 8 in front of the kit to catch room bleed and kit, mic on the bass cab, one on the sax and usually DI the keys. i think 6 channels is just about right and i haven't wanted or needed more (the limitation lends to creativity). so this little recorder has been perfect. i was previously using an old sound devices 2 channel with omnis so i know what good circuitry sounds like and reliability. if i had a bigger budget i would have gone for a Sound Devices recorder but this one has surpassed my expectations! controls: i find the menus intuitive enough. the dials feel a little cheap and it's hard to control the input stage with them. i am using a ribbon mic with a dynamite stick to protect it and keep getting an "exceeded volume" error no matter where i set the dial but ive been ignoring the error and the recordings sound fine (using 32 bit float) 32 bit float works well for me because i like to use a dynamic mic on the sax so the dynamic range there is huge but no matter how quiet it came out i can noiselessly bring it up in the mix as much as i like and then comp. batteries: the batteries from my old sound devices fit but only last a few minutes so i havent been using batteries with it so that's not really relevant for me, but a ding for not including them in case i ever wanted to go further afield. Sound quality: very good. no complaints at all. this recorder has made it so easy to record a whole session and have enough to work with in the DAW later. no need for laptop and interface! that's all i really needed :)

Al principio pesa comprarlo por que es algo caro... Las primeras entrevistas que grabe utilizando el grabado interno mas es uso de la mezcla directo a la camara me facilitó mucho la edición, los 32 bits float te quitan el problema de los ajustes de volumen ya que el Zoom y sus hardware hacen todo para obtener un audio de muy buena calidad, puedes grabar independiente o todo mezclado. Vale la pena cada peso que pagas por ella

Really great recorder. Using 32 bit float is a game changer. However whenever you are recording normally ie 16/24bit. The knobs don’t adjust the gain, they adjust the mix output. So let’s say buddy’s audio is too hot you can’t just adjust the knob you have to jump through the menu to turn down the gain. It’s really weird and annoying.

Cada vez que la uso estoy aun más contento con la compra, gran calidad de audio y de forma de trabajo. Me impresiona en verdad.

Ok so I first got the tascam x8 since I really wanted in on 32bit. X8 had many disappointing flaws especially in sound quality. This F6? It's flawless and exceeded all my hopes and dreams. X8 go bye bye. Compact, easy to use and most importantly... incredible sound quality. If you want a field recorder look no further. This is the one.

A primera instancia es una compra pesada, pero en cuanto a usos, te dejas de preocupar por medir niveles de audio con grabación a 32bits. Es portátil y es resistente. Es una increíble inversion para aquellos que hagan un poco de todo en el mundo del cine, más estando solos o con crews pequeños.