I preordered ZOOM H1 Handy Recorder more than 1 month ago. Finally got it this afternoon.
ZOOM H1 Handy Recorder, click to see more
It comes with a 2GB microSD memory card. Nice!
I put my 8GB microSDHC memory card in it. Works fine. Great!
This recorder is very light. It takes only one AA battery.
The handhold part looks too plastic for me. The battery cover feels cheap!
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Later on, I find out some problem in the recording test.
Problem:
1. Use Windows XP to format a 8GB microSDHC memory card as FAT32.
2. Put this card into ZOOM H1. Then power ON.
3. Takes almost 1 minute to start up. The screen says “card access” and can NOT save a recording file.
Solve:
1. Hold the “delete” button. Then power ON to format the card by ZOOM H1.
2. Turn OFF and turn ON again. Everything works as it should be.
Conclusion:
Always use ZOOM H1 to format the microSD card. (Hold the “delete” button to power ON)
Read the little yellow paper in the packing. It says,
“To ensure optimum performance, be sure to format the SD card in the ZOOM product.“
ATTN:
There is no error handling on ZOOM H1. Even if there is no memory card in it, it still shows recording “correctly.”
- Make sure to format the micoSD card using ZOOM H1.
- Check if the microSD card is in ZOOM H1 every time before use it.
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Despite the little bug. ZOOM H1 performs really well in terms of acoustic guitar music recording.
Very clear sound.
No background noise.
Long battery life.
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2 road side sound samples recorded in WAV original file, 44KHz/16bit.
ZOOM0005.WAV 2,339,072 bytes
ZOOM0006.WAV 4,242,176 bytes
Music recording: classical guitar duet. Input level: 60; WAV: 44KHz/16bit.
Siciliano_ duet_2_ZOOM0009.WAV 36,850,432 bytes
See the video reference of this recording.
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How about comparing ZOOM H1 to big daddy Rode NT4?
Handy ZOOM H1 & big daddy Rode NT4, click to see more
Here is an example: use ZOOM H1 as a digital recorder and line in Rode NT4 as microphone.
Rode NT4 + ZOOM H1 + Samsung TL350/WB2000, Classical Guitar Music Recording Test
Related posts:
- Rode NT4 + ZOOM H1 + Samsung TL350/WB2000, Classical Guitar Music Recording Test
- Prelude from BWV 999 in D minor (J.S. Bach), Classical Guitar Solo
- Etude Op.6 No.11 in E (Fernando Sor)_1, Classical Guitar Study
- Etude in E minor, Op.60 No.19 (Matteo Carcassi)-2, Classical Guitar Study
- 3 Short Pieces of Classical Guitar Music
- Samsung TL350/WB2000 Digital Camera Firmware Upgrade
- Etude Op.6 No.11 in E (Fernando Sor) Use YouTube Video Editor
- Siciliano (M.T. von Paradis)_2, Classical Guitar Duet
August 26th, 2010 | 
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Some more samples: http://www.zoomh1.de/samples.php
Thanks for sharing your recording samples.
Thanks for relating the experience of having to format the card with the Zoom H1. Unfortunately I learned the hard way:
If you format the card *incorrectly* by using a Mac or Windows (even if you use FAT32) the Zoom doesn’t like it. Takes forever to start up. WORSE though, is that for me, it appeared to be recording — the red light goes on, the counter goes up, and all appears well. Pop that card into your computer, though, and all the files are zero length. Grrr. Screwed up an important recording.
To me that’s a bug. If the Zoom H1 indicates with red light and counter that it’s recording, it should be recording. If the filesystem is screwed up and it’s not writing to file, it should not show the light and count up.
Thanks for sharing your experience, Andrew.
Yes, I think that’s a bug. They forget to write a short error handling code for this.
This happened to me again when I forgot to plug in the microSD card. When I pressed the recording button, it appeared like normal recording and counting seconds. But nothing was written down. Damn!~
I got one month ago. It work fine in recording. However, I find that when I turn off the unit, the unit still use up the battery. This mean when I turn off the unit, and put it aside, after a day, the battery indicator will show empty, and I need replace the battery.
Is this normal?
Hi Alexis,
This issue doesn’t happen to me. I keep the battery in my ZOOM H1 all the time. The first one lasts at least 2 weeks.
You might want to contact tech support from ZOOM.
Joe
The type of battery may be the issue. Lithiums will last much longer than alkaline.
I downloaded files onto my computer, and yet it reads as card full, and I cannot record. Any suggestions?
I don’t use USB cable to download files from ZOOM H1. I take out and read the micro SD card instead. It’s simple. Just cut and paste those audio files out of the card.
If you are sure that you have all files downloaded, you can just reformat your micro SD card.
Do the following,
Hold the “delete” button. Then power ON to format the card by ZOOM H1.
Hi. Purchased one a few days back to record wedding vows (to go with video)
Very happy with some simple tests so far (not used in wedding yet!). I found the battery supplied did not last long (may its shelf life was short). I found deleting a .wav file on my PC with microSD, the zoom would not start on moving microSD to it; saying card access and shutting off straightaway.
Stuck a new AA battery in and all OK. I can only presume battery condition can be a factor in its behaviour.
I think always use new batteries for anything important.
Dave, how did the wedding audio turn out? i too am recording (audio & video) a wedding for a friend of mine this weekend. Its in a large church and I’m not able to get close to the bride and groom. I was hoping to setup my zoom h1 near by but out of site (maybe 10-15 feet away) but i am concerned that the audio will not be great. do you have any advice for me? THANKS!
I have had the same experience as Dave (hey, he posted on my birthday, which was the day that I got this mic!), I found that the battery that came with the product had only provided me about an hour of recording time before dying. I haven’t found a replacement battery yet, and I’m hoping that a brand new and stronger battery will last me much longer.
Apart from this initial issue, I’ve been happy with the recording quality of this product. I’m also looking forward to possibly using it to record cassette tapes through the line-in…!
Thank you so much for putting your solution to the issue you had. I had the same problem, and couldn’t figure out what to do until I read your piece!
Thanks!
Thanks for your comment, Muhammad.
I have no problem recording, or transferring files to the computer using my USB cable, however, I find that once I have listened to them on my PC then they are no longer on the H1 Handy Recorder and I sometimes want to listen to older sessions from my recorder. Are they not automatically saved if I didn’t delete them?
I did an unboxing/review video on it, if anyone is interested
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JrUCMxfC6k
The only thing I don’t like is the body quality. Plastic body doesn’t feel durable, and it makes noise when you scrape it against your clothes or tap on it.
Hi Sean,
Thanks for the video. Like your points regarding the budget video shooting.
BTW: The labeled price on your box is a little high.
Joe
Zoom H1 will record with no memory card fitted, but only for around 25 seconds.
Main issue I see is making an effective fluffy wind muffle. I will not spend £15 – £40 on commercial one, because all they are is a bag made of very light haired faux fur. I see this type of material endlessly in children’s toys, gloves, scarves in every charity shop. I shall but some unfortunate soft toy animal and disembowel it for a new life as wind muffler.
You saved my life with the delete+power trick, THANK YOU!!!
Haha~ I often forget this function. I always take out this SD card and put in a computer to operate.
Thanks for reminding me
Joe
if you are finding the battery life is short- particularly if the battery seems to run down without it being switched on, then you have probably got one of the h1′s with a fault- i think it is something to do with a capacitor-and you should return it and ask for a replacement-this has been a fairly common fault with a particular batch of h1′s – thankfully mine seems ok.
Hi Rich,
Thanks for your input. The battery life is good on my ZOOM H1. I keep a battery in it all the time. It doesn’t seem like loosing power. I guess I’ve got a lucky one.
Joe
Hello guys! Please help! MY PC cannot find ZOOM H1 recorder, so no possible to connected it to pc via usb 2.0
Any ideas why the problem?
Please writte me on my e-mail ur3ctb@gmail.com
Thanks
Sergey
Hi Sergey,
There are a number of ways you can try.
The easiest way is to try other USB ports. You might have a defected USB port.
Change a USB cable. It might be caused by connection problems.
If it still doesn’t work, take out your Micro-SD card, use a card reader to connect your PC.
Hope it works.
Joe
As a sound engineer I was wondering can you use a H1 as a USB Mic for multitracking on a laptop like the H2?
Good question! I don’t know. I’ve never used the USB connection on ZOOM H1. I should try it and find out.
Joe
When I turn on my Zoom H1 looks normal, when I try and record or access files on the card I get a message HOLD. What causes this error msg?
Thanks
re-format the SD card will do the trick.
I’m having the same issue with the H1 Zoom. New recorder. Worked the first time, then I mistakenly deleted the files from the card on the computer. Tried the DELETE button Power On try. Did not work. The msg constantly says “Card Access” blinking. Keep trying, nothing snaps it out of that mode–it appears to be ok but you get a 0Kb file if you try recording. No H1 software downloads. Cannot reformat in the H1. Any ideas? Emailed US Zoom tech support. No response. I know that the H1 records nicely–but this is ridiculous. Thanks.
If you still can’t format the SD card, try
1. take out the card and format it from your computer,
2. then put it back to ZOOM H1,
3. hold the “delete” button and power ON ZOOM H1.
I think this will clear any file system corruptions.
How pocket sized is this unit? I want a unit to carry for every day work. The item has been described as the size of an Average TV remote control. Is it really that big? I need a good pocket sized unit so don’t know if this is right for me. Can anybody give me real life measurements please? It would be very helpful before I purchase something that may not be a “fit” for me.
Thanks, Thomas
The approx. measurement is 13.5cm x 3.5cm x 2.5cm (5.5″ x 1.5″ x 1″). The microphone head is a little bit bigger.
Has anyone here ever successfully recovered a deleted file from the zoom H1? I gave phoenix recovery software a try out but with no luck
If you recorded something else after you deleted the file from ZOOM H1, the deleted file data part could be overwritten by the new recording files. If this is the case, you might have no luck on recovering the deleted file.
Joe
We can recover deleted files from it using a Disk Doctors Recovery Tools.They are fabulous.They can recover data even from formatted memory or SD cards.Isn’t it cool?I recommend u must try this.
HI
I am using my H1 Zoom to record broadcast radio and the sound is good. I have one problem though, the recorder seems to turn itself off during recording. How can I stop this?
Josephine from Radio Gorgeous x
It doesn’t turn off by itself during recording unless the battery runs out.
Suddenly I cannot delete any files from my unit. Whats up with that?
I tried the delete power trick to format card but still doesn’t work. All files read 0 when I try bring them into computer. It’s killing me!
Hi Kate,
Have you tried another SD card?
Joe
I accidently deleted a really really really really important recording of a song. Can anyone please help. I need a quick, free and easy way. Please help! I dont know what to do as I need this recording desperatly!!!
Please try these links,
1. How to recover deleted photos from your SD card
2. How to Restore Deleted Files on a SD Card
3. Retrieve Deleted Pictures, Files From SD Card: Restore Deleted Photos From Digital Camera SD Card, Recover Photos
I wish you the best luck!
Joe
The format issue is not a fault of the device, it’s a fault of the user. Rtfm.
USB power – I have seen some vague references to powering the H1 via USB, however, when I plug it into my PC, the display says USb and I cannot turn the device on to record. Is the “USB Power” limited to using it as a SD Card reader? or is there some special startup sequence that can be used to power off USB?
Oh wow i got the zoom H1 for christmas
) , quality is pretty awesome and i havent had any problems with it so far except that it wont let me delete recordings on the device itsself even tho theres a button for just that… now if only i could play anything worth recording haha
So if I see a file that says “Zoom0001″ with a 0kb file size, is there any chance of recovery? We used the same H1 the night before and it worked fine.
Hey all.. just bought the H1 and worked great for my frst video. transferred the files to my laptop by copy and paste from the sd card… worked great. second time around, i transferred via the usb. I can play the wav clips with Mindows media player, but when I try to use them in Studio Pinnacle, the software thinks they are of 0.0 duration? Can it be the USB transfer? any idea?
Thanks