Zoom H4n line recording

[Ron German]

I have Zoom H4n recorder and, reading the manual, couldn`t figure out how to set it up to record in line, from a mixer, for exemple.
Can anyone explain it to me?
Thanks
Ron

[Daniel Karr]

Strange as it may seem, the Zoom H4n does not have a line input mode. It's either mic level or instrument level. I found that out the hard way at a live concert I was trying to record. To get a good recording level from a mixer you are going to need a stereo DI. Run from the Mixer to the DI, and from the DI to the Zoom. If the output from the mixer is low enough, you might be able to get away with not using a DI, but that's the only way I've been able to reliably record line level on my zoom.

[Steve House]

Originally Posted by Ron German

I have Zoom H4n recorder and, reading the manual, couldn`t figure out how to set it up to record in line, from a mixer, for exemple.
Can anyone explain it to me?
Thanks
Ron

The "line" inputs are the 1/4" TS jacks on the XLR/TS combo jacks on the bottom. You plug in there. But important note ... the H4n doesn't HAVE actual line level inputs. Those jacks are instrument level, designed for sources such as keyboards and guitar piclups. Their level is higher than mic level but lower than consumer line level and their impedences are higher than a true line level .... 480 kilohm compared to the 20 kilohm or so that is typical of a line level input. If your mixer has the option of sending a mic level ouput, you might be better off using it and sending the signal to the XLR mic inputs on the Zoom.

[Ron German]

Thank you Daniel and Steve
So I`m not crazy. I`s incredible that a so capable recorder doesn`t record line levels inputs (I`m sorry Daniel, but I don´t know what`s DI).
Very disapointing.
Ron

[Seth Bloombaum]

DI refers to a direct box. It contains a transformer for instrument-to-mic, and some padding, which is usually used to take a guitar amp's "line" out to mic. Usually, to get that signal to a mixer for a PA system. A very common bit of gear in the sound reinforcement and band world.

For this application, you'd run mixer output to a passive DI's 1/4" input, probably select -20db or more of pad, then run the DI's xlr output to the xlr mic input of an H4n.

This is probably the least expensive interface from a line-level source, depending on the DI you buy.

Other alternatives, if your mixer doesn't have mic-level out (many audio-for-video mixers do, most sound reinforcement mixers don't), would be to use an in-line 30db pad.

However, though a sound reinforcement mixer's output is nominally line-level, be aware that many house engineers run quite a bit less than that. So, depending on the situation, one might wish for 10 or 20db of padding. Many DIs have switchable levels of pad. Some in-line pads do as well.