By site editor Dan Chung:
Zoom’s new flagship H6 audio recorder was announced a few weeks ago and offers a novel solution for DSLR video shooters. An interchangeable capsule system allows users to add different mics – of which the most interesting for news shooters will surely be the shotgun option. This is in addition to four XLR audio inputs which can be individually Phantom powered and which have the option to record a duplicate left and right channel with -12db of gain as a backup. There is a colour display and individual gain knobs for each channel. The whole setup can be mounted atop your DSLR using an optional hotshoe adapter and recordings can be played back using a speaker on its rear. It records to SDXC or SDHC cards and can also be used as an audio interface for your computer – great for voiceovers. Zoom says the battery life is around 20 hours on four AA batteries.
We haven’t managed to lay our hands on the unit yet but Sound-on-Sound magazine were lucky enough to get this interview with Zoom.
Strangely there are a couple of things which don’t appear to be included. There is a line out, but it’s not clear if it can be set as a mic level output for feeding a reference track to your DSLR, so a pad cable like the Pinknoise one for the H4 may still be required (unless you have a newer Canon like the 700D which can take a line input). Also, there is no integrated shock mount for the setup. If buying the H6 I would opt for this shock mount from Rycote.
The H6’s main competitors will be the Tascam DR-60D and audio adapters like the Juicelink Riggy range. The acid test will be how clean the H6 Pre-amps section is and how the shotgun module sounds.
The Zoom H6 can be pre-ordered now from B&H for $399 US.
Here’s the manufacturer’s info:
Large full-color angled LCD display that allows visibility whether mounted on a camera or strapped over shoulder
XYH-6 X/Y capsule also provides a secondary input for connecting an external mic or line level signal via stereo 1/8″ mini jack
Optional wired controllers for remote transport controls
Optional hairy windscreen offers improved wind diffusion
Built-in speaker, located on the underside of the unit, for fast monophonic monitoring of the recorded signal without the need to make any connections
Interchangeable input capsules that can be swapped out as easily as the lens of a camera
Six-track simultaneous recording
Four mic/line inputs with XLR/TRS combo connectors
Physical gain control knobs and -20dB pads for each input
Phantom power for all main inputs: +12/+24/+48V
Records directly to SD, SDHC and SDXC cards up to 128GB
Up to 24-bit/96kHz audio in BWF-compliant WAV or a variety of MP3 formats
Auto-record, pre-record and backup-record functions
Multitrack to stereo internal mixdown
Independent monitor and playback mixes
Graphical VU meters
Voice memo and up to 99 marks per recording
Overdubbing, up to 99 takes
Built-in effects, including low-cut filtering, compression and limiting
Onboard MS decoding
Normalize, Divide and Trim editing
Chromatic tuner and metronome
Loop Playback with user-defined start and stop points
Variable playback speed, from 50% to 150%
Variable pitch per track without affecting playback speed
USB port for data exchange to and from computer
Multichannel and stereo USB audio interface for PC/Mac/iPad
Camera strap mounts
Mounts directly to DSLR or camcorder with optional HS-01 Hot Shoe Mount adapter
Accepts standard AA alkaline or NiMH rechargeable batteries
Over 20 hours of operation with 4 AA alkaline batteries
