Zoom H5 Handy Portable Recorder Overview
Zoom’s handheld recorders are great for anyone who needs to record audio for videography and music projects. The Zoom H5 takes the flagship H6’s low-noise preamps and puts them into a more handy and compact size at an affordable price. It lets you record four tracks at the same time and has interchangeable mic capsules.
The XYH-5 mic capsule’s design means the H5 can handle up to 140 dB SPL which is the same as a jet aircraft from less than 200 feet away, and compression and limiting let you keep the levels under control.
The Zoom H5 Handy Portable Recorder has rubber housing and shock-mounted microphones to reduce vibration and handling noise, and it has a low-cut filter that helps reduce wind noise and other unwanted noises.
The Pre-Record function lets you capture and save two seconds of audio before you press Record, making it great for unexpected starts. Auto-Record lets you automatically start and stop recording at predefined sound levels. Backup-Record lets you record a duplicate set of L/R tracks with 12db less input gain, which helps you protect your recordings.
The Zoom H5’s XLR/TRS combo inputs handle both mic and line-level signals for microphones, wireless receivers, mixers, keyboards and more. Each input has its own gain control knob, and the XYH-5 capsule also provides an additional mic/line input through a ⅛" mini phone jack.
The Line Out lets you send audio from the Zoom H5 to the input of a camera or other device without needing an attenuator cable. There’s also a separate headphone output, and you can use both outputs at the same time to route audio to your DSLR while monitoring with headphones.
If its abilities as a portable recorder were not already enough to convince you of the handiness of the H5 you can also use it as a high-quality USB interface. Via USB 2.0 you can use the H5 for 96kHz / 24-bit recording straight into your favourite DAW. If you need a portable system to edit and record on the go, match this up with a laptop for the ultimate portable studio.
2 AA batteries will let you record for 10 hours continuously, and you can use an optional AD-17 AC adapter to record for as long as you want.
- -Operation manual
- -XYH-5 X/Y mic capsule
- -AA size (LR6) battery x 2
- -USB cable
- -Foam windscreen
- -Case
- -Steinberg WaveLab LE software download
- -Steinberg Cubase LE software download
- Optional Accessories:
- -SGH-6 Shotgun mic capsule
- -EXH-6 Dual XLR/TRS Combo capsule
- -HS-01 Hot Shoe Mount adapter
- -APH-5 Accessory Pack includes RCH-5 wired Remote Controller,
- -AD-17 USB-type AC adapter and Hairy Windscreen
- Louder. Closer. Cleaner - X/Y recording allows you to cover a wide area yet still capture sound sources in the center with clarity and definition, making it ideal for all types of live stereo recording. The XYH-5 X/Y microphone capsule included with the H5 provides two matched unidirectional condenser microphones set at a 90 degree angle. These are housed within an advanced shockmount that employs rugged external mic wires and rubberized material to isolate the unit from the H5 body and thus minimize vibration and handling noise. The design of the XYH-5 also allows the H5 to handle louder sounds than any other Handy Recorder model: 140 dB SPL, to be precise-equivalent to the sound of a jet aircraft from less than 200 feet away-enabling you to capture sounds louder, closer, and cleaner than you ever could before.
- Five interchangeable mic capsules that can be swapped out as easily as the lenses of a camera
- Five interchangeable mic capsules that can be swapped out as easily as the lenses of a camera - The XYH-5 X/Y microphone capsule provides two matched unidirectional condenser microphones set at a 90 degree angle. These mics are housed within an advanced shockmount that employs rugged external mic wires and rubberized material to minimize vibration and handling noise, making the XYH-5 ideal for location videography and live broadcast/podcast applications. The design of the XYH-5 also allows it to handle extremely loud sounds-140 dB SPL, to be precise (equivalent to the sound of a jet aircraft from less than 200 feet away)-making it perfect for capturing the sound of live rock concerts and for electronic news gathering.
- The Hardware Ins & Outs - In addition to standard transport controls (stop, play/pause, record, rewind and fast-forward), the front panel of the H5 offers dedicated record arming buttons for each track, which double as mute switches during playback. A Hold switch disables all front panel buttons to prevent accidental operation during recording. The H5 can be attached to a camera strap or, with the use of our optional Hot Shoe mount, mounted directly to a DSLR or camcorder. The H5 also provides everything you need to connect with the outside world. Dual combo XLR/TRS inputs that can handle both mic- and line-level signals allow you to connect external microphones and line-level devices like mixers, portable music players, effects processors and electronic keyboards-even electric guitars or basses equipped with active electronics. Each H5 input has its own dedicated gain control knob, located beneath a protective bar that prevents accidental movement during handling. The supplied XYH-5 X/Y capsule also provides a secondary input for connecting stereo mic- or line-level signal via a â…›" mini phone jack. The H5 supports a 4 dB (professional) input level and utilizes the same high-quality preamps as our flagship H6, ensuring great-sounding recordings in all sonic environments. There are lots of output options as well. A dedicated Line Out with adjustable volume allows you to send a stereo audio output from the H5 to the mic input of a video camera or other device without the need for an attenuator cable. In addition, there's a separate headphone output with a dedicated volume control. You can use both outputs simultaneously to route audio to your DSLR while monitoring over headphones. There's also a built-in speaker for fast access playback, and a USB port which allows the H5 to be used as an audio interface for your computer or iPad.
- The Software File types - The H5 can operate in two different modes-choose stereo for two-track stereo recording, or multitrack for four-track recording (in either stereo pairs or individual mono tracks)-and it captures audio in the two most commonly used file formats: WAV and MP3. The WAV files recorded by the H5 can be 16- or 24-bit, with sampling rates of 44.1, 48, or 96kHz*. They are automatically time-stamped a
- Uses a system of interchangeable input capsules that can be swapped out as easily as the lens of a camera
- Includes detachable X/Y capsule (XYH-5) with extended signal capacity and shockmounted mics for reduced handling noise
- Compatible with all Zoom input capsules
- Four-track simultaneous recording
- Large backlit LCD display
- Records directly to SD and SDHC cards up to 32GB
- Up to 24-bit/96kHz audio in BWF-compliant WAV or a variety of MP3 formats
- Two mic/line inputs with XLR/TRS combo connectors, each with selectable phantom power and -20dB pad
- Analog-style gain controls for each input
- Protective "roll-bar" type covers prevent accidental movement of gain controls
- Plug-in power (2.5 volts)
- Built-in effects, including low-cut filtering, compression and limiting
- Chromatic tuner and metronome
- Auto-record, Pre-record and Backup-record functions mean that you'll never miss that perfect take
- MS decoding
- Multitrack to stereo internal mixdown
- Normalize, Divide and Trim editing
- Voice memo and up to 99 marks per recording
- A/B loop playback
- Variable playback speed and variable pitch without affecting playback speed
- Multichannel and stereo USB audio interface for PC/Mac/iPad with loop back function
- Mountable to DSLR or camcorder with optional HS-01 Hot Shoe Mount adapter
- Uses two standard AA alkaline or NiMH rechargeable batteries
- Over 15 hours of operation with alkaline batteries