Curtis Judd 4/29/24 Curtis Judd 4/29/24

How To Use Your Zoom F3 as an Audio Interface

In this episode we walk you through how to set up and use your Zoom F3 recorder as an audio interface for your computer! The awesome versatility of the F3 allows you to easily record 32-bit float audio straight into a DAW or recording app on your computer, as well as monitor system sound directly from the F3. Plus, it’s super easy to set up and get recording! Let’s see how it’s done!

Note that we do NOT cover using the F3 as an audio interface for phones, tablets, or other mobile devices in this video. We’ll cover that in a separate tutorial coming soon!

If you’d like to learn how to make great dialogue audio for your film and video projects, please have a look at my courses including processing dialogue audio in Adobe Audition and DaVinci Resolve/Fairlight, recording sound, how to use the Zoom F4, F6, F8, and F8n, and how to get the most from the Sound Devices MixPre series of recorders. Our latest courses cover Sound for Live Streaming with the ATEM Mini and an Intro to Izotope RX.

Support my work creating videos by donating at Ko-Fi.com.

Gear used or mentioned in this episode. The links below are Amazon.com, B&H Photo, Sweetwater, or other affiliate links. As an affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases:

- Zoom F3 2-Track Field Recorder — B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

Some of my other studio gear:

- Sennheiser MKH50 microphone — B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- Sound Devices MixPre audio recorder — B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- Impact Turtle-Base C-Stands — B&H, Amazon

- Aputure LS 600x Pro Bicolor LED Light — Aputure, B&H, Amazon

- Aputure Light Dome III Softbox — Aputure, B&H

- Amaran 300c RGBWW Single-Point LED Light — Aputure, B&H, Amazon

- Amaran Spotlight SE — Aputure, B&H, Amazon

- Rosco Prismatic Glass Gobo in Cool Lavender — B&H

- Canon C70 Cinema Camera — B&H

- Canon RF 24-70 f/2.8 lens — B&H, Amazon

- Panasonic GH5 camera — B&H, Amazon

- Panasonic 12-35mm f/2.8 II lens — B&H, Amazon

The intro and outro music for this episode is from Musicbed - “Dynamo” by Virgil Arles. Take your films to the next level with music from Musicbed. Sign up for a free account to listen for yourself.

Curtis Judd 4/22/24 Curtis Judd 4/22/24

ZOOM F3 Quick Setup Guide

In this episode we walk you through the process of setting up your new Zoom F3 recorder straight out of the box. We cover the basics of adding memory cards and batteries, show you how to set up mics for the best sound possible, and go over a couple handy settings that will help optimize your recording workflow! Let’s see how it’s done.

Note that we do NOT cover using the F3 as an audio interface in this video. We’ll cover that in a separate tutorial coming soon!

Support my work creating videos by donating at Ko-Fi.com.

Gear used or mentioned in this episode. The links below are Amazon.com, B&H Photo, Sweetwater, or other affiliate links. As an affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases:

- Zoom F3 2-Track Field Recorder — B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

Some of my other studio gear:

- Sennheiser MKH50 microphone — B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- Sound Devices MixPre audio recorder — B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- Impact Turtle-Base C-Stands — B&H, Amazon

- Aputure LS 600x Pro Bicolor LED Light — Aputure, B&H, Amazon

- Aputure Light Dome III Softbox — Aputure, B&H

- Amaran 300c RGBWW Single-Point LED Light — Aputure, B&H, Amazon

- Amaran Spotlight SE — Aputure, B&H, Amazon

- Rosco Prismatic Glass Gobo in Cool Lavender — B&H

- Canon C70 Cinema Camera — B&H

- Canon RF 24-70 f/2.8 lens — B&H, Amazon

- Panasonic GH5 camera — B&H, Amazon

- Panasonic 12-35mm f/2.8 II lens — B&H, Amazon

Curtis Judd 3/25/24 Curtis Judd 3/25/24

Zoom H4essential: I'm Ambivalent...

In this episode we have a look at and listen to ZOOM’s newest handy recorder, the H4essential. This new iteration of the 4-track handy recorder adds 32-bit float recording capability to the classic user-friendly design so you don’t have to worry about clipping. In this episode we do a quick overview of the H4e’s features and discuss whether or not this is the recorder for you. Let’s take a closer look and listen!

Have a listen to our raw audio samples and unprocessed tests here.

Support my work creating videos by donating at Ko-Fi.com.

Gear used or mentioned in this episode. The links below are Amazon.com, B&H Photo, Sweetwater, or other affiliate links. As an affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases:

- ZOOM H4essential 4-Track Handy Recorder — B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- ZOOM H1essential Single-Track Handy Recorder — B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- ZOOM H6essential 6-Track Handy Recorder — B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

Some of my other studio gear:

- Sennheiser MKH50 microphone — B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- Sound Devices MixPre audio recorder — B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- Impact Turtle-Base C-Stands — B&H, Amazon

- Aputure LS 600x Pro Bicolor LED Light — Aputure, B&H, Amazon

- Aputure Light Dome III Softbox — Aputure, B&H

- Amaran 300c RGBWW Single-Point LED Light — Aputure, B&H, Amazon

- Amaran Spotlight SE — Aputure, B&H, Amazon

- Rosco Prismatic Glass Gobo in Cool Lavender — B&H

- Canon C70 Cinema Camera — B&H

- Canon RF 24-70 f/2.8 lens — B&H, Amazon

- Panasonic GH5 camera — B&H, Amazon

- Panasonic 12-35mm f/2.8 II lens — B&H, Amazon

Curtis Judd 3/12/24 Curtis Judd 3/12/24

Sound for Video Session — ZOOM H4essential first test & Q&A

The ZOOM H4essential is a new version of a very well known handy field recorder. The original H4 was my first audio recorder back in 2007. It was super convenient and affordably priced and a great way to get a start in recording sound for podcasts and video. But it had some major weaknesses, too: Preamps which didn't supply much gain and were quite noisy when pushed to higher gain levels, odd controls, and not the greatest build quality. But the newer versions have become progressively better and, astonishingly, the newest version H4essential is still priced at only $200 USD. So we bought one to try it out. Oh, and they added 32-bit float recording which a lot of prosumers, in particular, find quite useful.

We'll also answer your sound for video questions.

If you’d like to learn how to make great dialogue audio for your film and video projects, please have a look at my courses including processing dialogue audio in Adobe Audition and DaVinci Resolve/Fairlight, recording sound, how to use the Zoom F4, F6, F8, and F8n, and how to get the most from the Sound Devices MixPre series of recorders. We have a course on sound for live-streaming with the ATEM Mini, Introduction to Izotope RX for Dialogue Audio, and Mixing fundamentals in DaVinci Resolve Fairlight.

Gear I often use or that we mentioned in this episode. The links below are Amazon.com, B&H Photo, Sweetwater, or other affiliate links. As an affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases:

- ZOOM H4essential audio field recorder — Amazon

- ZOOM H6essential audio field recorder — Amazon

- ZOOM H1essential audio field recorder — Amazon

- Mackie DLZ Creator XS adaptive audio mixer — B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- Mackie DLZ Creator adaptive audio mixer (the original, bigger one) — B&H, Amazon

- Earthworks ETHOS microphone — B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- Allen & Heath SQ5 digital mixing board — B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- Sound Devices 888 field recorder/mixer with Dante — B&H, Sweetwater

- Sound Devices MixPre II Series Recorders - B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- Panasonic GH5 camera - B&H, Amazon

- Teleprompter Ikan 17" high bright — B&H

- Canon C200 Camera - B&H

- Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 lens — B&H, Amazon

- ATEM Mini Extreme & Extreme ISO - B&H, DVE Store, Amazon

- Rupert Neve Designs Shelford Channel, pre-amp, EQ, compressor - Sweetwater, B&H

- Universal Audio 6176 channel strip pre-amp, EQ, compressor — B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

The intro and outro music for this episode is from Musicbed. Take your films to the next level with music from Musicbed. Sign up for a free account to listen for yourself.

Curtis Judd 11/20/23 Curtis Judd 11/20/23

Zoom F6: Is it time to upgrade your recorder?

In this episode we discuss whether or not you should upgrade to a new recorder from your ZOOM F6. We cover things to consider when choosing a potential new recorder– and when to pass on shiny new tech. In this episode we examine what’s available on the market in late 2023, show you how to determine whether recorder features will be useful to your workflow, and give you some opinions on and examples of when it’s best to upgrade versus not. Let’s take a closer look!

Support my work creating videos by donating at Ko-Fi.com.

Gear used or mentioned in this episode. The links below are Amazon.com, B&H Photo, Sweetwater, DVEStore, Perfect Circuit, Trew Audio or other affiliate links. As an affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases:

- Zoom F6 Field Recorder/Mixer — B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- Zoom F8n Pro Field Recorder/Mixer — B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- Sound Devices MixPre II Series — B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- Sound Devices 888 Field Recorder/Mixer — B&H, Sweetwater

- Sennheiser MKH 50 Supercardioid Condenser Microphone— B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- Sennheiser MKH 416 Supercardioid Shotgun Microphone — B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- Sennheiser MKH 8050 Supercardioid Condenser Microphone — B&H, Amazon

- Mogami XLR cables — B&H

- Canare XLR cables — B&H

- Impact Turtle-Base C-Stands — B&H, Amazon

- Amaran 200x S LED light — B&H, Amazon, Aputure

- Aputure Light Dome II soft box — Aputure, B&H, Amazon

- Aputure Spotlight Mount — Aputure, B&H, DVE Store, Amazon

- Rosco Prismatic Glass Gobo in Cool Lavender — B&H

- Canon C70 Cinema Camera — B&H

- Canon RF 24-70 f/2.8 lens — B&H, Amazon

- Panasonic GH5 camera — B&H, Amazon

- Panasonic 12-35mm f/2.8 II lens — B&H, Amazon

Curtis Judd 8/15/23 Curtis Judd 8/15/23

Sound for Video Session: ZOOM F6 Setup & Q&A

In this week's session, we run through the ZOOM F6's menus to solve common questions and issues. Then we answer your sound for video questions.

If you’d like to learn how to make great dialogue audio for your film and video projects, please have a look at my courses including processing dialogue audio in Adobe Audition and DaVinci Resolve/Fairlight, recording sound, how to use the Zoom F4, F6, F8, and F8n, and how to get the most from the Sound Devices MixPre series of recorders. We have a course on sound for live-streaming with the ATEM Mini and just added Introduction to Izotope RX for Dialogue Audio.

Gear I often use or that we mentioned in this episode. The links below are Amazon.com, B&H Photo, Sweetwater, DVE Store, Waves, or other affiliate links. As an affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases:

- ZOOM F6 32-bit float audio recorder — B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- Mackie DLZ Creator — B&H, Amazon

- Earthworks ETHOS microphone — B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- Sound Devies 888 field recorder/mixer — Trew, B&H, Sweetwater

- Sound Devices MixPre II Series Recorders - B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- Panasonic GH5 camera - B&H, Amazon

- Canon C200 Camera - B&H

- Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 lens — B&H, Amazon

- ATEM Mini Extreme & Extreme ISO - B&H, DVE Store, Amazon

- Allen & Heath SQ5 Digital Mixer - B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- Rupert Neve Designs Shelford Channel, pre-amp, EQ, compressor - Sweetwater, B&H

- Universal Audio 6176 channel strip pre-amp, EQ, compressor — B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

The intro and outro music for this episode is from Musicbed. Take your films to the next level with music from Musicbed. Sign up for a free account to listen for yourself.

Curtis Judd 4/29/18 Curtis Judd 4/29/18

Zoom H1n Review for Filmmakers - Impressive Sound Effects Recorder

After nearly a decade, Zoom has released an update to their very popular H1 stereo audio recorder. The “H” in H1n stands for handy, and I agree, that’s a very apt name for this little field recorder. In this episode, we review it from a filmmaking perspective. I find it to be a great device for recording stereo sound effects and as a general purpose learning tool for those new to recording sound.

If you’d like to learn how to make great dialogue audio for your film and video projects, please have a look at my courses at https://school.learnlightandsound.com

This episode shot with the following gear:

Zoom H1n Handy Stereo Recorder - One of my favorite tools for when I need to quickly and easily record stereo sound effects

Zoom H1n Accessory Pack - this includes the foam wind cover I find critical for recording outdoors with your H1n

Zoom Hairy Wind Cover - also critical when recording outdoors

Blackmagic Design Ursa Mini Pro Cinema Camera - Used for the talking head clips

Sigma ART 24-70mm f/2.8 OS Lens (Canon EF Mount) - This lens stays on the Ursa Mini Pro 99% of the time. Versatile and not overly sharp, which is what I wanted.

Panasonic GH5 - Used for the product shots on the white background. Small, versatile camera.

Panasonic 12-35mm f/2.8 OIS Lens - incredibly versatile lens that is on the GH5 most of the time

Music - MzA by Cary Judd, used with permission

Curtis Judd 4/7/18 Curtis Judd 4/7/18

Sound for Video Session: Quality, iOS Mics, Limiters, Monitoring, G4, Lavaliers, Cameras Audio, & Quiet Voices

In this week’s Sound for Video Session, we answer your audio for video questions:

00:12 Quality Difference Between USB and SD
01:04 iOS Mics
05:37 Limiters and Quality
06:31 Getting Audio to Boom Op
09:20 Sennheiser G4
12:57 Lavalier microphones directly to Mixer
16:43 Camera Audio
21:51 Quiet Voices

Gear and links discussed/used to record this episode:

DPA d:vice - dual lavalier interface for iOS, Mac, PC

Sennheiser Clip-Mic Digital (Lightning)

Sennheiser MKE2 Digital Microphone (Lightning)

Shure MOTIV MV88 Stereo Microphone (Lightning)

Zoom iQ6 Stereo XY Microphone (Lightning)

Zoom iQ7 Stereo Mid-Side Microphone (Lightning)

RODE iXY Stereo Microphone (Lightning)

Sending wireless audio from your mixer with the Sennheiser G3 system:

WAV.REPORT’s First Look at the Sennheiser G4 wireless system:

Outro music licensed from Artlist: Keep an Eye by Back to Dream. Artlist provides high quality music tracks for your film and video projects. You can receive two months off an Artlist account by using our link.

Curtis Judd 3/11/18 Curtis Judd 3/11/18

Zoom F1 Audio Field Recorder

Zoom’s new F1 is a tiny audio field recorder which works well in place of a wireless lavalier system but can also be used as a camera-top shotgun or “wireless” shotgun microphone. Here’s our overview of the Zoom F1.

Thanks to B&H for lending us the F1 for this overview.

Links to gear discussed and used to record this session:
Zoom F1 (with lavalier microphone)

Zoom F1 (with shotgun microphone)

32GB microSDHC Card (you’ll need one, not included with the F1. This'll give you over 30 hours record time at 48kHz, 24 bit)

Mic Stand Adapter (I used this to mount the shotgun mic configuration on a regular 5/8” mic stand)

Voice Technologies VT500 Lavalier Microphone (this does NOT come with the F1)

Panasonic GH5S (My current favorite small camera)

Panasonic 12-35mm f/2.8 OIS Lens - incredibly versatile lens that is on the GH5S most of the time

Curtis Judd 11/23/17 Curtis Judd 11/23/17

Zoom F4 Special Pricing

One of my favorite pro-sumer level audio recorders is the Zoom F4 (affiliate link to B&H which helps support my reviews). It was a very good value when it was priced at $650 USD, but now it looks like it is (at least temporarily) priced at $500 USD over at B&H Photo. If you've been on the fence, now may be a good time to jump in.

Here's my most recent comparison episode which includes the Zoom F4:

And here's my original review of the Zoom F4: