The Zoom H1n is a small and light, stereo voice recorder great for recording research interviews, focus groups and oral histories.

It can also produce excellent quality audio for podcasts and videos when combined with a shotgun or lavalier microphone.

In this post we look at the features of this very versatile voice recorder from the point of view of making voice recordings for academic research, journalistic work, market research, etc.

Sound Quality

Microphones

The Zoom H1n voice recorder comes with two unidirectional condenser microphones that are set at a 90-degree angle using the X/Y technique. This makes the recorder highly sensitive to sounds all around it and is the main reason why it delivers such good audio quality.

The flip side of course is that because the voice recorder picks up ambient sound so well, it can only be used in quiet environs, unless combined with an external microphone.

Pros: The microphones are highly sensitive.

Cons: When hand-held, the microphones captures handling noise.

Tip: An accessory pack that you can buy along with the voice recorder includes an adapter that can be screwed on as ‘handle’ to the voice recorder. Using this when moving the recorder can reduce handling noise considerably.

Noise Filter

The low-cut filter in this voice recorder prevents wind noise from interfering with your recording, which is great for outdoor recordings. However, this is NOT sufficient for cutting out loud background noise.

When recording at a noisy location (like an interview at a pub) you would need to either place the voice recorder very close to the speaker or use a lavalier microphone (recommended).

If the wind is very high (like at the beach in the video) you would need to use a windscreen to protect the microphone.

A windscreen is included in the accessory pack that you can buy with the recorder.

Pros: Great for reducing wind noise or rumbling of cars driving past etc.

Cons: Doesn’t cut out loud background noise.

Tip: This voice recorder is very sensitive to sounds from all around it, so it’s great for recording interviews and focus groups.

But the high sensitivity also means that the recorder catches unwanted sounds like drumming on tables, books and documents being moved around, and noise from people passing the recorder around.

To remedy this, attach the voice recorder to a tripod and place it with the microphones facing towards the group.

The add-on accessory pack includes a small tripod that is quite handy, but it has plastic feet, so you might need to bolster it with some shock absorbing support like a fat book.

As with all voice recorders, the sound quality is best when the recorder is placed close to the participants. So keep your Zoom H1n as close to the speakers as possible. For larger groups (more than 5-6), consider combining the voice recorder with an external microphone.

Read: Recording Focus Groups using Boundary Microphones

Portability

The Zoom H1n is the one of the smallest voice recorders in the market (44(W) x 136(D) x 31(H)mm) and light enough to carry in your pocket or purse (2.1 oz without battery, 3 oz with it). Zoom actually calls it the ‘Handy Recorder’.

Battery

According to Zoom’s official website, the H1n requires 2 AAA batteries (source: www.zoom-na.com).

Zoom also says that battery life when using an alkaline battery is up to 10 hours, even during continuous recording. But users have reported that the battery drains quickly so you should carry spares.

You also have the option of using an AC adapter that can be plugged into a wall socket. This adapter does not come in the box but is part of the accessory pack if you opt to buy it.

Storage

This voice recorder doesn’t come with any built-in memory. It records directly to microSD cards which have to be bought separately (up to 32GB).

The recorder also has a Hi-Speed USB 2.0 port.

Tip: The USB port allows you to use the voice recorder as a USB mic.

File Formats & Recording Time

WAV and MP3 are the two file formats in which the Zoom H1n records. WAV is an uncompressed format with better audio quality but heavier file size. MP3 is a compressed file format that takes up less storage but has a lower fidelity. The MP3 format is adequate for most recording purposes.

With just a 2 GB MicroSD card, you can record approximately 34 hours of audio in MP3 format (128 KBPS) and approximately 2 hours of audio in WAV format (24 bit).

The recording time decreases with heavier recording formats.

Note: The maximum file size is 2 GB.

Playback

The built-in speaker of the Zoom H1n is located in front of the voice recorder. There’s also a headphone jack on the side of the recorder (with dedicated volume control) that can be used to monitor audio quality.

In the Box

The basic pack includes the voice recorder, 2 x AAA battery and Steinberg WaveLab LE software.

The accessory pack includes:

Windscreen
AD-17 AC adapter
USB cable
Tripod stand
Padded-shell case
MA-2 mic stand adapter

Overall Pros & Cons

Pros

• Lightweight and small.
• Highly sensitive microphones
• Memory expandable to 32 GB via MicroSD card.
• User friendly and easy to setup.
• Low cut filter.

Cons

• Plastic body that is not very sturdy.
• Requires an external microphone to cut out loud background noise.
• Handling noise can be a problem when used withouto a
• No internal memory.
• No ‘skip to next file’ button, only fast forward or rewind.
• Battery drains quickly.

Overall the Zoom H1n voice recorder is an excellent device in this price range.

Happy Recording!