Modulate This! - A Blog for Electronic Music Artists

New Lower Price on Zoom H2 Portable 2-Track SD Recorder

I just saw that zzounds.com has lowered their price on the Zoom H2 recorder to $179! I have one of these and highly recommend it. It's very inexpensive yet has a great set of features for the price.

Here is a summary of features:

• It weighs 4 ounces.
• 4 mic capsules onboard for 360° recording in a W-X/Y configuration.
• The H2 records on Secure Digital (SD) media and a 512MB SD card is included. With a 4GB SD memory card, the H2 provides up to 2 hours recording at 96kHz, 6 hours at 44.1kHz, or up to a staggering 138 hours in MP3. Store your recordings on a PC or Mac with its USB 2.0 port. And you can use its time stamping function for reference during production.
• Use the H2 as a USB Mic for recording directly to a computer.
• Comes with earbuds, an 1/8 inch stereo to RCA cable, a mic clip adapter, tripod stand, USB cable, an AC adapter and a 512MB SD card.

Here are some thoughts on how you can use this little beast:

• Field recording for found sound
• Record band practice
• Use it as a song writing tool
• Record meetings and notes
• Use it as a USB mic (great for podcasters)

Conclusion:
The inclusion of all the accessories and the ability to use this as a USB mic make it this a no brainer buy at this price if you are in the market.

Links:

• Buy on ZZounds

Mark Mosher
www.modulatethis.com
www.markmoshermusic.com

Review of Plantronics DSP-400

I just picked up this headset. While this is not directly related to music production, I'm going to mention it becuase it's a fantastic headset for VOIP. Here is a quick review.

DSP-400 digitally-enhanced foldable stereo headset The foldable design allows for easy storage and transport

Installation 5/5
It's a USB headset. I plugged it in and Windows XP recognized it right away. No drivers, no software installation. Note you can download optional software for the headset if you like.

Design 4.5/5
This headset folds up for easy storage. It is really light and comfortable - the most comfortable USB headset I've used.  I only gave it a 4.5 out of 5 because the cords are kind of long and I could be a problem for some - although the cord length did not bother me.

Operation 5/5
There is an in line mute and volume control which I find to be quite handy.

Audio Quality 5/5
While there are no doubt better headphones on the market, the headphones are more than adequate for VOIP. The audio quality of the mic is fantastic!