Zoom HS-1 Hot Shoe Mount for Handy Recorders

Hands-On Review: Zoom H6 Handy Handheld Recorder

The H6 Handy from Zoom is a portable handheld recorder and USB audio interface that features an interchangeable microphone system. The recorder ships with both XY and mid-side microphone modules, foam windscreen, 2GB SD card, four AA batteries, USB cable, Cubase LE and a hard carrying case. Optional module attachments can be purchased for expanded functionality.

The H6 Handy allows for versatile recording techniques, giving you several options right out of the box. The included XYH-6 XY microphone module is made up of two matched unidirectional condenser microphones and is intended for capturing accurate, phase-correct stereo audio. The module allows you to adjust the angle of the two mics to either 90 degrees, or for a wider stereo image, 120 degrees.

For situations that call for audio that allows for width control over your stereo image after it has been recorded, the XY module can be switched out for the MSH-6 mid-side stereo microphone module. Contrary to the appearance of the capsule, the mid-side module actually contains two elements positioned on top of one another: a unidirectional mic which faces forward (mid), and a bi-directional mic set perpendicular to it (side). In addition to providing you the ability to adjust the width of your stereo audio after it has been recorded, MS recording also provides true mono compatibility, a factor that comes into play in situations such as television production.

In addition, the H6 is equipped with four XLR/TRS combo inputs for connecting external mic/line sources such as microphones or mixers. All four inputs and each of the mic modules are equipped with their own preamps with dedicated gain knobs that are easily accessible whether you have the unit mounted to your camera, or strapped over your shoulder. Also, each of the four combo inputs has its own -20dB pad.

The recorder allows you to record up to six channels at once and stores them to SDXC memory cards up to 128GB in size. It also features a backup-record option that tracks a duplicate of the left and right channels with -12db input gain. This means that if you find that you have tracked your main audio too loud and that distortion has occurred in your audio, you will have a backup stereo mix with 12 db more headroom as a fail-safe. The unit also doubles as a 6-in/2-out USB audio interface and it can be used with your computer running the included Cubase LE or other DAW software.

Main Features

Large full-color angled LCD display that allows visibility whether mounted on a camera or strapped over shoulder

XYH-6 X/Y capsule also provides a secondary input for connecting an external mic or line level signal via stereo 1/8" mini jack

Optional wired controllers for remote transport controls

Optional hairy windscreen offers improved wind diffusion

Built-in speaker, located on the underside of the unit, for fast monophonic monitoring of the recorded signal without the need to make any connections

Interchangeable input capsules that can be swapped out as easily as the lens of a camera

Six-track simultaneous recording

Four mic/line inputs with XLR/TRS combo connectors

Physical gain control knobs and -20dB pads for each input

Phantom power for all main inputs: +12/+24/+48V

Records directly to SD, SDHC and SDXC cards up to 128GB

Up to 24-bit/96kHz audio in BWF-compliant WAV or a variety of MP3 formats

Auto-record, pre-record and backup-record functions

Multitrack to stereo internal mixdown

Independent monitor and playback mixes

Graphical VU meters

Voice memo and up to 99 marks per recording

Overdubbing, up to 99 takes

Built-in effects, including low-cut filtering, compression and limiting

Onboard MS decoding

Normalize, Divide and Trim editing

Chromatic tuner and metronome

Loop Playback with user-defined start and stop points

Variable playback speed, from 50% to 150%

Variable pitch per track without affecting playback speed

USB port for data exchange to and from computer

Multichannel and stereo USB audio interface for PC/Mac/iPad

Camera strap mounts

Mounts directly to DSLR or camcorder with optional HS-01 Hot Shoe Mount adapter

Accepts standard AA alkaline or NiMH rechargeable batteries

Over 20 hours of operation with 4 AA alkaline batteries