Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Adult Beginners Forum Zoom H1 Recording Settings

I just was wondering what settings I should have on my Zoom H1 in order to get the best recording of the piano. I just started recording with it, and I'm trying to optimize it. So far, I've found out how to set it to record in .WAV format and at 96mhz/24bit, which I believe is the highest setting.

The other settings I would like help on are:
1. The level--I have it at 50 (out of 100) because everything sounds so loud when I play it back at anything higher.
2. Lo Cut--on or off? I guess this is supposed to cut out low frequencies to cut out background noise, but do you really want this when recording a piano? Will it cut out the low frequencies on the piano.
3. Where do you place it when recording--I've been trying different places, and I can't quite get it right. Right now I have it on a tripod that I set up right where the piano opens (it's a grand). I don't know, it sounds pretty loud and close there. I think I might like it better behind me and 5 or 10 feet away.

Anyway, any input is greatly appreciated.

I recommend setting it on mp3 rather than wav as it takes less space and is considered to be the standard format. I set it at 192kpbs,which is not the highest setting.

As for placement with a grand piano, I place the recorder about 12 inches above the piano 1 ft away near the curve of the piano aimed toward the bass strings. Try this and see what you think of the results.

Hi, check out this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulKoHQCBZRg (in polish, every test he says "one two three, one two three, test, test" and choosed option).
Author compare different mp3/wav/lo cut options.
Conclusions are: there is no difference above 160kbps in mp3. He couldn't hear any difference between lo cut off and on.
My advice: if you want record music without any editions - record it as mp3 above 256kbps and lo cut option on.
But if you want to edit it in some DAW, record as wav (44kHz, 16bit) and lo cut on when you plan just cut file or lo cut off when you plan mixing/mastering.
I hope I'll buy mine own H1 in few next weeks, then tell about my experiences.

What do you set the level at?

Do you mean the mic level? I set it at 7. The LR levels should not exceed -12 on your display window, so watch for that when you play back and adjust your mic up or down accordingly. Also use the XY recording mode.

I don't use the LO cut because there isn't any extraneous noise when I'm recording.

I have a H2n so it may be a little different from the H1.It came with a very understandable manual. If you didn't receive a manual with your recorder, look online to see if you can find one. I'm not very tech savvy and found it easy to change the settings and operate it.