- Hey, everyone.
It's me, Hallease, endeavoring to persevere as always.
Today I'm recording slash doing some field testing
of the Zoom F1 Recorder.
Let's check it out.
(upbeat techno music)
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So the Zoom Recorder.
I purchased this from Amazon Prime
It came in a pack.
Basically everything I needed to start recording
on the spot as soon as I opened the box came with it.
So, what is the Zoom F1?
It is a field recorder
meant to be a little bit more rugged and sturdy in terrain
and you can see that, I think it's definitely represented
in the price difference
between something like this, the F1
and the H1n.
You have a multitude more buttons to work with
and some easy access buttons.
So navigating the Menu Bar on this
feels a little bit more intuitive than the H1n.
And one thing I will say, it's sort of a downgrade from
this back plate is that
it comes with a super tiny screw
which makes it a little difficult because, I mean,
I had to kind of scour for a proper Phillips screwdriver
that was small enough to fit this little screw
to put this piece on.
It's a field recorder, so what's really neat about
what I think Zoom is trying to do with this recorder is
have it to be your sort of one stop shop recording device
for a variety of different types of microphones.
So, similar to how the H5n has multiple microphones that
you can attach to the top of it,
you can do the same with this recorder.
Obviously, you have to purchase them separately
when you first purchase the device.
Mine came with a LAV built-in and, again,
I think that's what they kind of market this mostly as.
That being said, the device also has a micro SD.
So, my personal opinion is
I'm really actually not that big on LAVs,
I don't really like using them.
But I recognize that they do serve a purpose.
The audio editors that I've worked with in the past
on films or,
you know, marketing and commercial level stuff,
they usually prefer Boom as well.
Something that I actually don't like
about this recorder, though,
in comparison to a
much more cost-effective recorder like the H1n,
which you can also use as a Lavalier setup if you want to,
is that this one
uses a record level based on a,
based on arbitrariness.
So the recording levels are from low to high plus plus,
whereas with the Zoom H1n, I really liked that it had
sort of number gage, I'm assuming from zero to 100
on the recording level that you could use.
All that being said,
for this video, I have been recording my audio the way I
usually do using my Rode Video Mic Pro Plus.
If you would like to check out that review,
link in the Eye of Sauron now.
And I did that so that way you can hear
my voice and remember my voice as it sounds
using this microphone with the Boom.
I currently have my Zoom set based on,
I listen to myself via the headphone jack
before I started recording and figured out that Hi Minus
was the best place for me to be at.
This is what my voice sounds like on Hi Minus,
using the F1 with the LAV.
Here we go.
I'm gonna go ahead and switch it.
Let me take myself off hold.
So now I'm on Hi Regular, using the Zoom F1.
I'm assuming I don't
sound too much worse.
I'm not listening to myself because I want to, like,
be presently surprised or let down in post.
You know, according to this audio level,
I shouldn't be terrible right now.
We're gonna go ahead and move it up.
This is Hi Plus.
Okay,
I'm at negative six, which
my speaking voice is at, is like right around negative 12,
actually going up to negative six,
so I'm probably sounding pretty bad right now.
And I'm assuming you'll probably start to hear
a lot of other background, maybe the air conditioner,
a little bit more.
And now I'm at Hi Plus Plus,
which is the highest setting that this has and, yeah.
I'm sure I probably sound absolutely terrible.
If anything, I'll probably lower the volume in post
so that way I'm not blowing you all out.
But you'll be able to hear that I'm probably peaking
and I'm probably a bit distorted now.
And then here I'm on Auto.
So I'm gonna talk on Auto for a bit, just so you can hear
how it's probably trying to figure out where to balance me,
and it probably took some time to achieve that.
Now if I stand here,
let's see how terrible it sounds trying to figure out,
you know, where my normal is.
And that's something that usually always bothers me
about Auto on any kind of recording device is that
it takes it a minute.
If you're quiet for too long, it's going to assume
the background noise is what it's trying to pick up,
and it's gonna elevate the audio level even, like,
way too high and then when you finally talk,
it brings it back down.
So you have these ebbs and flows, these peaks,
you know, at the beginning of when someone speaks.
But, you know, maybe this,
maybe the F1 isn't doing such a bad job and maybe it's
doing auto very well.
I would very surprised,
but we'll see if I'm surprised in post.
The recorder
(laughing),
but I am assuming that you can not hear me at all.
If necessary, I will switch back to the Boom
or throw some Boom in so you know what I'm saying right now.
Low.
Again, I'm seeing a little bit of.
But you probably can't hear me.
Again, I'll supplement this with Boom so that way
you can know what's going on.
Here's Mid Minus.
I'm assuming that
there's some inklings there, you know?
But I'm still, like, way below negative 32, so.
This is probably laughable.
Here I am at Mid.
So Mid is probably
not good, but you know, you're still picking me up.
I'm getting there.
Or maybe this sounds better, I'm really not sure, you know?
I really wanted to do this without listening to it
in my headphones, just so,
because the idea with this thing is that
you're using it on the go and maybe you're not
necessarily taking the time to put your headphones in
and listen and do all that.
You just wanna throw something,
throw this on the person and get going, so,
you know, here I am at Mid.
And then here I am at Mid Plus,
which
ironically might be the best version.
I feel,
well, I still feel,
if I'm just looking at the audio levels,
I feel like it's too low.
I'm barely getting up to negative 18.
I believe when I took my Audio classes in college,
they really wanted to have it in between negative 18
and negative 12.
I'm barely even getting up to negative 18 and, like,
I'm still at negative 32-ish range, so.
And then here I am at High Minus, which
I think that's what I started on.
I can't even remember now 'cause I've been doing this video.
(laughing)
But I think that's what I started on.
I'm hoping that this is the best thing to be on.
And yeah, I think I've gone through all of them now.
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So, overall what are my thoughts?
I appreciated that the F1 is a step up from the H1n,
however, if you're first starting out and you have
limited money to invest,
the H1n
is a solid LAV mic, you know?
All you have to do is buy the H1n, which is around $100,
buy a little LAV mic to go with it.
You can get those for around 20 or 30 bucks
and you're ready and set to go.
But, if you have a little bit more money to invest
and want something that, you know, you don't have to worry
about dropping it and it just shattering, possibly,
maybe check out the F1.
Also, I think it's really neat that the F1 can take these
different microphone attachments.
Granted, that adds another level of investment,
but it gives you, again, that capability to have
one piece of equipment have multiple uses so
it feels like a more strategic
investment in on upping your production value
rather than the H1n, where,
you know, it's a good investment because it has a recorder,
it has microphones built into it,
but all you can ever really do with it is add a LAV.
So yeah, those are my thoughts on the
Zoom F1 Field Recorder.
Like, share and subscribe if the spirit moves you.
I'm Hallease.
I'll see you when I see you.
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