Question 1

Will this record a realistic sample of our band's sound if placed about 20' out into the room? Thanks.

Accepted Answer

That's a bit too close for a truly homogenous sound IMO. When I first bought it I tried placing it in front of the crowd close to the stage and it ended up favoring the closest instruments too much. Moving it to the back of the room resulted in a more accurate sound for critiquing purposes. Unfortunately back there it also picks up coughs, chatter and loud clappers as well. I've determined that to use it on, or in front of the stage, you need to mix at least four evenly spaced mics to get well balanced sound. Additionally, post production editing is almost mandatory to clean up the sound. This is a sensitive system. Air conditioning systems, room acoustics and loud clapping close to the mics will drive you crazy if you are a perfectionist. Download Audacity for free and start learning it. Learn about hard limiting, compression, notch filters, noise reduction and level adjustments first. Don't overdo any changes you make. Use headphones to monitor your edits. In no time you will be able to quickly work magic on your sound tracks and make them sound much better then the raw file direct from the Zoom. These are just some hints learned the hard way from an ex-noob! Using the Zoom is easy. Squeezing the most out of it takes a little bit longer!

Question 2

Is it possible to record all 4 channels and end up with 4 separate files?

Accepted Answer

It can record 4 channels simultaneously in 4 channel mode, but only to two stereo tracks and not 4 separate mono tracks and not one stereo track plus 2 separate mono tracks. So, you can use the the two XLR inputs plus the XY inputs for four tracks. Only two of those channels will be in stereo the other two in mono.

Question 3

Is it good for recording piano?

Accepted Answer

I have 6 of these and record jazz with them.  Here is an example of a piano solo recorded with the H4n.  Jeff Barnhart is playing Fats Waller's stride piano composition...Handful of keys.  The sound quality is far better than the Tascam DR50 that I used to ownhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Dg_gZJpQZU

Question 4

Im still dont know what to get h4n pro or h5n help !!!!

Accepted Answer

I have been in these situation for few days before I finally decide to buy H4n pro. H5n has changeable mic module, analog input knobs and that is all the big difference. In H5N, there is a mic module that enables you to get 2 xlr inputs, total of 4 xlr.  Performance, sound quality and reliability are all thesame. This is my opinion based on research and Iv'e owned one of the two.

Item Weight	299 g
Product Dimensions	15.88 x 3.81 x 6.99 cm; 299.37 g
Batteries	2 AAA batteries required. (included)
Item model number	H4nPro
Color Name	Black
Compatible Devices	Laptop
Hardware Interface	USB, Secure Digital Card
Battery type	Alkaline
Media Format	Digital
Standing screen display size	2

Zoom H4N PRO Digital Multitrack Recorder, Black (H4nPro)

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