Zoom H4n Pro 4-Input 4-Track Handy Recorder with XLR Combo Inputs, Black
The H4n Pro is the handy recorder that stops being just a recorder. Two XLR/TRS combo inputs with phantom power sit under the onboard X/Y mic, so you can record four tracks at once and treat it as a small portable studio rather than a capture device.
- Four-track simultaneous recording: the built-in stereo pair plus two external sources, together.
- Adjustable X/Y mic: switch the built-in pair between 90 and 120 degrees to widen or tighten the image, with onboard MS decoding as well.
- Dual XLR/TRS combo inputs: mic, line or instrument level, with +24 V or +48 V phantom power.
- 3.5 mm mic/line input: with 2.5 V plug-in power for smaller mics.
- Up to 24-bit / 96 kHz: BWF-compliant WAV or a choice of MP3 formats, recorded to SD and SDHC cards up to 32 GB.
- Onboard effects: compression and limiting, low-cut filtering, modulation, reverb and delay, plus amp models, with 50 types and 60 patches.
- Musician tools: chromatic, guitar, bass, open A/D/E/G and DADGAD tuners, and a metronome from 40 to 250 BPM.
- Editing on board: overdubbing, punch-in and punch-out, four-track to stereo mixdown, normalize and file divide, plus up to 99 marks per recording.
- USB interface: 2-in / 2-out audio interface for Mac or PC, and an SD card reader mode.
- 2 AA batteries: up to 6 hours, or up to 11 hours in Stamina mode.
The H4n Pro has been the default answer to one particular question for years: what do you buy when a pocket recorder is not enough but a field mixer is too much? The answer here is two XLR/TRS combo inputs with phantom power, a built-in stereo mic that can be reshaped, and four tracks running at the same time.
Four inputs, four tracks, three modes
The H4n Pro records 2 tracks in STEREO mode, 4 in 4CH mode and works as a small multitracker in MTR mode, which plays back 4 tracks while recording 2. In practice that means the onboard X/Y pair can cover the room while two XLR sources take a vocal and a DI, all landing as separate files. The built-in mic itself adjusts between 90 and 120 degrees, so you can tighten the image for a single source or open it out for an ensemble, and onboard MS decoding is there when you use a mid-side setup.
Connections and power
Both combo inputs handle mic, line or instrument level and supply +24 V or +48 V phantom power for condensers. A separate 3.5 mm stereo mic/line input carries 2.5 V plug-in power for lavaliers and consumer mics. There is a headphone and line output with its own volume control and a built-in reference speaker for quick checks without unpacking headphones. It runs on just 2 AA batteries, up to 6 hours or as much as 11 hours in Stamina mode, and it mounts to a mic stand or tripod, or to a DSLR with the optional hot shoe adapter. Recording is up to 24-bit / 96 kHz in BWF-compliant WAV or a wide range of MP3 bit rates, to SD and SDHC cards up to 32 GB.
Studio features in a handheld body
Onboard effects cover compression and limiting, low-cut filtering, modulation, reverb and delay and amp models, with 50 types and 60 patches available. You get overdubbing, punch-in and punch-out, internal mixdown from four tracks to stereo, Normalize for maximum gain and Divide for splitting files, and up to 99 marks per recording. Loop playback with user-defined start and stop points, variable playback speed from 50 to 150 percent without affecting pitch and variable pitch without affecting speed make it a genuinely useful practice tool as well. A chromatic tuner with guitar, bass, open A/D/E/G and DADGAD modes and a metronome from 40.0 to 250.0 BPM round it out.
In the box
The H4n Pro ships with a protective case, two AA batteries, the owner's manual and a download licence for Steinberg Cubase LE and WaveLab LE, so there is an editing path waiting once the files are off the card.