Zoom F8 Limiters
When I first saw the Zoom F8 audio field recorder prototype at NAB 2015, I was a little skeptical. How could they make a pro level field recorder for only $1000? Most of the pro level devices are priced at least twice that, and those with 8 mic inputs are often 3 to 4 times that. But the specs looked really, really good on the most important things: the preamps and analogue to digital converter.
So I put in my preorder and took a chance. What I did not realize at the time, is that the input limiters that should prevent clipping when things get really loud are digital instead of analogue limiters. This is usually a serious disadvantage and render the digital limiters useless because the clipping and distortion damage are done before the audio gets into the digital part of the recorder.
However, there's a reasonably happy ending: because the Zoom F8’s pre-amplifier and analogue to digital converter produce a dynamic range of 120dB, I’ve found that things generally work ok until you get the most extreme screaming, as far as dialogue is concerned. In this episode we take a closer look with an audio sample you can hear to assess how well the F8 does in cases where dialogue suddenly turns to screaming.
RODE's New Audio Gear at IBC 2015
Of the new products RODE announced today at IBC, the two that are most intriguing to me are the i-XLR and RODELink News Shooter kit. I haven't seen prices on any of these yet.
The i-XLR looks like a pretty nice way to record with an XLR based microphone into an iPhone or iPad. Depending on how well its preamp and analogue to digital converter work, it may be a nice, low-cost choice for someone that is just getting started and don't have a big budget for an XLR based audio recorder. Not sure whether it can provide phantom power so that would limit it to dynamic and self-powered microphones but that's often what you're using when in a reporting situation. But it should work with something like the NTG4+ or NTG2.
The RODELink News Shooter looks even more interesting to me. The obvious use for this is on a reporter's handheld microphone. And that's great, but it can also be used on a Shotgun or boom microphone as well - it supplies 48v phantom power. That's an interesting scenario. It can also still be used with a lavalier microphone and...it can be powered by two AA or a Sony NP-F style battery! Nice work RODE! You guys are cranking out some interesting gear for the film and sound enthusiast crowd!
The carbon fiber Boom Pole Pro looks interesting as well. It is not internally cabled off the shelf but evidently you can remove the top cap and cable internally yourself. Though I'm not sure on two things: 1) if you put a straight cable inside the pole, you'll run in to potential noise when cuing the pole between actors as the cable slaps against the inside of the pole and 2) Not sure where the cable exits on the bottom of the pole. Do you just remove the bottom cap? In any case, will be interesting to see this up close.
Zoom F8: Good Enough for Pros?
Zoom's new F8 eight input field recorder seems to be aimed at professional recordists, location sound engineers, and professional sound designers. This seems to be the message from Zoom's marketing group.
And indeed, the Zoom F8 has many of the features a professional sound engineer would expect in a modern digital field recorder. But not all of what they'd expect.
First, let's define "Pro" for the purposes of this piece. By pro, I mean a person who makes the majority of their personal income as a sound engineer or recordist, or designer. By this definition, I am not a pro sound engineer. I'm a semi-pro.
Also, I'm only putting these thoughts down to help clarify things for myself and perhaps for other curious audio for film enthusiasts. I'm not setting myself up as the definitive word on this matter or any other. These are just my thoughts, from my semi-pro perspective.
From the perspective of this definition, most pros will probably not choose to use the Zoom F8 as their primary field recorder. This is not a criticism of Zoom and I am not saying that the F8 is a bad device that has no use for anybody. I'm just saying that most pros will find this device lacking in a few key areas that make it less than the optimal tool for their jobs. They are better served by Sound Devices or Zaxcom recorders and mixers.
Here is a list of features that the Zoom F8 has or does not have at present that may cause many pros to take pause:
- Cannot gang groups of inputs together aside from simple stereo or M/S pairs
- Headphone pre-amp produces colored sound that does not match what is recorded (fortunately the recording is much better than the headphone amp)
- No switch or menu option to toggle an input between line and mic level
- Pots only control gain trim, not fader. Cannot currently be set to control faders (though this could potentially be addressed with a firmware update)
- Pots are very small. Probably ok for setting up gain but not great for mixing
- Both the limiter and high pass filter are post fader and in the digital stage (this is possibly, though not absolutely, a problem depending on how much dynamic range is available in the pre-amps and analogue to digital converter)
- Not sure that Zoom has a service and repair department like Sound Devices and Zaxcom, two of the main designers in the pro field recorder/mixer market
These factors are things that are generally important to pros. Remember, these guys spend a lot of long days with their recorders and mixers. That they sometimes seem so picky makes a little more sense when you consider how much time they spend using these devices and the fact that their careers are on the line when they miss too many takes.
However, does that mean that pros won't buy Zoom F8s? I think that some of them would consider having one for backup purposes. Lots of pros already have one or another of the Zoom Handy recorders. They don't use the Handy recorders all that often but they can be useful sometimes.
And for those of us that are semi-pro, or one-man-production-crews, doing smaller budget projects like corporate videos, is this thing useful for us?
I think yes, absolutely!
The pre-amps on the Zoom F8 seem very good to me after the subjective tests I've done. The build quality is quite good. That I can use a proper pro-level battery like an Anton Bauer to power the F8 via its hirose input for well over 20 hours even when phantom powering multiple mikes is great. Timecode on the F8 is seemingly as good as a Sound Devices 744T.
So in short, just because this device isn't totally up to par for most pros as a primary field recorder, doesn't mean that it isn't useful for semi-pros and enthusiasts. I have no regrets spending $1000 for mine.
More to come...
Azden SGM-250 Shotgun Microphone Review: Great 1st Shotgun Mike
In this episode, we have a look at and listen to the Azden SGM-250 shotgun microphone. This is a good choice for a first XLR based shotgun microphone that holds up quite nicely against other microphones in this price range like the RODE NTG2. We take a rather in-depth look at the Azden’s features and let you hear how it sounds as the episode was recorded with the SGM-250. If you’re looking for your first XLR based shotgun mike, this would be a very good option.
When paired with a recorder like the Tascam DR-60DmkII, you have a very solid combination that can capture professional quality sound.
Also a quick reminder, if you're interested in learning to record great sound for your video and film projects, we have a $30 discount on our online sound course through the end of September. You can see the details here: Production Sound Fundamentals for Film and Video.
Recording with Shotgun Microphones in the Wind
When recording dialogue for my video projects, I prefer to use a shotgun mic when working outdoors. But up until this point, I have not had a proper wind cover for my shotgun mics, just the foam wind covers and furry covers that fit over the foam. And while these help, they don't stop all the wind so I still end up with plenty of distorted bits when the wind makes its way through all of the fur and foam.
B&H Photo was kind enough to loan me a couple of things to evaluate and see whether they would solve this issue. Specifically, they sent over the Rycote Modular Windshield Kit and the K-Tek Avalon KEG 1550 CCR carbon fiber boom pole.
So I put an Azden SGM-250 shotgun microphone into the windshield kit, put it on the boom pole and tested it out in aproximately 15 mph wind for an interview.
And I was pleased to find that it cut all of the distortion that you normally get in the wind when the wind hits the microphone's capsule directly.
The K-Tek boom pole was a pleasure to use with its carbon fiber tubing, internal, coiled cable, and the 90 degree XLR connector near the bottom of the pole (so that you can rest the end of the pole on the ground between takes). The carbon fiber adds a bit to the price but makes for a lighter pole and when you're holding this thing overhead for more than a couple of minutes, every ounce really counts. I plan to buy this one as my first proper microphone boom.
A couple of days later, I met up with my friend Levi Whitney who runs a small production company here in the Salt Lake City area and he happened to have his RODE Blimp wind cover with him. So we had a look over both of them to compare:
It's very similar in design to the Rycote Wind Cover but the first thing I noticed is that it is larger in diameter so it offers a little more space between the diffusion material and the microphone and according to Levi, he hasn't experienced any distortion from wind with it yet. It also comes with the furry cover that RODE calls the Dead Wombat. Cheeky. In any case, I really like them both and they both seem just as effective at eliminating noise. Here's Levis piece demonstrating the RODE Blimp:
So I think I have some pretty good options here in terms of wind covers!
Sound for Video Course Released!
After many long weeks of work, sweat, and a few tears, my online course on recording sound for video and film is ready and available!
I wanted to do something that would work for a subject as in-depth as recording sound for video. Just posting a bunch of videos wasn't going to cut it because there are plenty of places to get stuck while learning the fundamentals. So with the course, we will also hold weekly online help sessions where you can ask any question related to recording sound for video and we'll discuss options for solving those problems.
The pricing, a one time fee, is normally $79 but for those of you who have subscribed to my YouTube channel and frequented my blog, you can get the course for $49 through the end of September 2015. That's as a token of thanks for all of your support, comments, questions, and encouragement!
Can't wait to meet up with you on the weekly help sessions!
Zoom F8 iOS App Connection Problem Solved
Had another corporate shoot and brought along the Zoom F8 field recorder to record the sound along with my Audio Technica AT4053b hyper-cardioid mike.
This was another shoot where the talent was a corporate executive and in this case we were recording some voice-over to lay into a piece we had recorded the talking head clips a few days earlier. He's sort of a natural presenter so this was a pretty straight-forward gig.
As I was setting up the recorder and mike in his office, I attempted to get the iOS app on my iPhone 6+ connected so I could mix from the phone. But for some reason, even after about 2 minutes of trying, I couldn't get it to connect. The F8 just sat waiting for the phone to show up and the phone kept popping up a message that it was disconnected with a button to retry.
You never want to keep your exec talent waiting so I bailed on the app and jumped into the recording session. The sound was great, albiet a little noisy because the office is located right next to a busy road. But the take was completely usable and because we laid down the tracks at 24-bit, we had plenty of info to get some good noise reduction in post in Izotope RX4 Advanced.
But it annoyed me that I couldn't get the app to connect so that I would have faders to mix while recording (the poteniometers on the unit are gain trim, not faders and not re-assignable from what I can tell). So I spent a little time once I got back to see why I couldn't get them to work well together.
So the first thing I tried was my iPad and it was able to connect first try, not issues at all. Then I tried my phone again and same problem - "Disconnected. Retry?" message again and again.
So I went to my phone's settings, bluetooth and saw that it had the Zoom F8 listed there. I tapped the button to forget this device and bang! It worked right away. Just asked me to type in the password shown on the Zoom.
Not sure why but if you run into problems getting your F8 and iOS device to connect, you might try telling your phone to forget the Zoom F8 under bluetooth settings.
RODE VideoMic Pro with Lyre Suspension and Redesigned Capsule
We had posted this overview of the new RODE VideoMic Pro a few months back but had to pull it because RODE found an issue with the electronics a couple of days after release and recalled it. (Full disclosure: RODE sent me the mike for evaluation. They do not pay me and I retain the right to express my opinion.)
They've got the issue resolved and it is now available online.
Overall, I really like having this in my kit. I'm not a huge fan of using a shotgun mike mounted on top of my camera or rig but there are a few cases where it makes sense. Filming my daughter's marching band in the summer parade this year was one case where it made sense and worked well.
But I also find that this mic works great boomed just above your talent using the RODE VC1 extension cable. In fact, this is how my friend Dave Dugdale shoots 85% of his videos for YouTube (with the older version of the mike). I also like the sound of the new mike. Rich low end when you've got it boomed in close (less than 90cm) . Very neutral when farther away.
If you're wondering whether to get the older version of the mic or spend the extra $40 for the new version, I'd go with the new. You'll have a lot fewer issues with the lyre suspension system in terms of isolating the mike from handling noise and you won't lose and have to repair those pesky rubber bands.
Battery life seems really good as well. I'm still on the original 9v battery and have probably clocked about 8 - 10 hours of use.
Zoom F8: First Impressions
Just received my copy of the Zoom F8 field recorder yesterday evening and spent a little time working with it. We should have a final review sometime in September but wanted to give you my first impressions here.
Build quality: Zoom has been steadily climbing the build quality ladder and the F8 is a definite continuation of that trend. The body is a very solid aluminum and the strap brackets are as solid as can be. The selector knob that allows you to navigate the menus is a HUGE improvement over the silly little jog dial on all of the previous Zoom handy recorders. If we're being honest, that was the feature I did NOT like on any of the previous Zoom recorders. It felt flimsy and ergonomically, was not the quickest tool to get around in the menus. And when you're on a recording job, time is critical.
This new selector knob is as solid as you would expect on a Sound Devices recorder or mixer.
The power and menu buttons have a sort of clicky feel to them that I'm still not sure about. I think they'll be fine over time but only time will tell.
The battery and SD card doors are also very solid metal and the battery door closes with a finger screw. The XLR inputs are Neutrik connectors, an industry standard and always top quality. The external DC power hirose connector is a nice option for pro-level batteries. I connect the F8 to an Anton Bauer battery which should power the F8 for well over 20 hours based on the battery's "remaining time" readout which is usually pretty accurate.
Overall, the unit is smaller than I remember when I first saw the prototype at NAB in April. It is not as light as the more consumer grade recorders from Zoom or Tascam once you add batteries, and about the same as the Sound Devices 744T recorder I've used in the past.
The Screen: The screen is better than I expected and also includes an "outdoor" monochrome mode for use when out in the broad daylight. That is great because that was a major issue with the H6 recorder. The F8's screen also seems much higher grade than the H6's, easier to read and very bright. It also doesn't seem to suffer from the same issues when viewing off axis. Setting the brightness to 50% indoors in a brightly sunlit room, I had absolutely no problem seeing the screen. Haven't had a chance to work with it outdoors yet but will include that in the final review.
Controls and Menus: Usability is a big deal. If a device has a ton of features but you have to constantly dive into menus to access them, that can be a problem and makes working with the device less than practical. I sort of didn't love the H6, H5, or H4n for this reason. They all required a little too much menu diving and when that meant I had to use the jog-dial, it was not fast and not enjoyable.
The F8 seems to be better thought-out on this front. The biggest difference is the selector knob. The menus are similar but having the new metal selector knob makes menu diving a little less onerous. Also, I like that I can use the buttons to arm/select a channel, press the PFL button and quickly access settings for that input like phantom power, the limiter, and pre-fader mode. Nice improvement by Zoom here as well!
The potentiometers or gain trim knobs for each channel have a good feel and work well but they are small. I don't think I'd want to attempt to mix an 8 channel program with just these little pots/knobs. That's where the iOS app comes in.
The mobile (iOS) App: The app is surprisingly good! The only thing about it that made me scratch my head a little bit is that you have to install an additional little firmware thing to enable bluetooth on the F8. I can only guess that maybe Zoom didn't have final FCC approval when they went to manufacturing and perhaps that will be included in the next overall firmware update.
The app works great on iPad and reasonably well on my iPhone 6+. There are a lot of things to fit into the UI so it just works better on the bigger screen of the iPad. On the iPhone, it sort of switches between landscape and portrait orientations to make everything fit depending on what you're doing, mixing or changing settings. It works in a pinch but if I'm truly mixing, I'd rather do it on an iPad.
And that's a pleasure - a 9.7 inch screen dedicated to mixing works quite nicely.You can set the gain for each channel with a skeuomorphic gain pot at the top of each channel, mix with the sliding faders for each channel. You have nice large peak meters for each channel. You can punch the PFL button for each channel to toggle the phantom power or limiter. You can do just about everything aside from set up the recording formats and timecode from the app. I really like it so far.
Preamps and Limiters: This is where I need more time before I can really evaluate things. In terms of specs, the F8 looks top notch. Only more testing will tell for sure. In the recording I've done so far, the preamps appear to deliver in terms of sound quality and noise performance. They seem very, very promising. The limiter, unfortunately, is in the digital domain of the signal chain. In practical terms, this means it isn't all that useful. If a sound comes in too loud, it will pass unprocessed through the analogue preamp, through the analogue to digital converter and the damage is already done before it gets to the digital limiter. That makes the limiter pretty close to useless for preventing distortion from clipping. That's not a total show stopper for enthusiasts that are very price sensitive and have the luxury of doing retakes, but probably not acceptable for pros that make their living doing location sound.
Headphone Amp: for better or worse, this is part of the device that has gotten a lot of attention based on Jose Frias's review. At first I thought that the headphone signal was noisy. I don't think that's actually the issue after more time with it. But it doesn't sound as nice as what is actually recorded by the F8. The question is whether this is a show-stopper issue. So far, I don't think it is for me. Again, I don't feed, house, and clothe my family with location sound jobs. I'm a corporate video one-man band. And for that scenario, I think it works fine.
Other Features: You can use the F8 as an audio interface connected to your computer via the mini USB port on the left side of the unit. There are ASIO drivers for Windows and it works with core audio out of the box on the Mac side. It isn't the most intuitive device for using as an audio interface if you're going to feed monitors from it, but not bad for recording and listening with headphones.
Timecode! Woot! I haven't had a chance to play with it yet but looking forward to syncing it with my Shogun recorder to see how well that works. Zoom claims to keep time within half a frame in 24 hours which is pretty good. Gotham Sound, a professional sound gear rental house, did a test where they jam synced a Sound Devices 788T and Zoom F8 from a third timecode generator, then stuck both of them in a freezer overnight for approximately 10 hours. When they came back, the two devices were within .8 frames of one another. This seems to suggest that the timecode generator in the F8 is good enough for most professional applications.
The recorder has a 3.5mm stereo out for cameras and two mini XLR outs (L and R) along with adapters so you can send a stereo output to full-sized XLR cables or inputs. Need to test these as well.
Keep yourself subscribed to the updates over the next few weeks and let me know if there are specific questions you would like answered.
EQ for Smoothing Dialogue Audio
Sometimes dialogue audio sounds just a little harsh, even though you recorded it at a good level without clipping or distorting. This is just the nature of some microphones combined with some voices. So what can you do?
This is a good case for using an EQ plugin. EQ stands for equalization and what an EQ plugin does is allow you to emphasize or boost some frequencies of sound or de-emphasize or cut others. The harshness is usually a few certain frequencies that are a little too strong. This is different for every mike and every voice, but here we show you how to find the problems and de-emphasize them which will make your audio smoother.
I show how to do this in Adobe Audition using the standard Parametric EQ plugin that comes with Audition. But keep in mind, you can do this in almost any audio editing app including Audacity, Garage Band, Logic, Cubase, Pro Tools, etc.
I also found an interesting app for Mac or Windows that helps train your ear so that you can EQ more quickly. It allows you to import any audio clip and then applies various EQ settings and quizzes you. A few hours with this have helped me a ton. The app is called Train Your Ears EQ Edition. Definitely worth a look if you're interested in refining your ear.
