Zoom H3-VR Handy Audio Recorder

Ive been working with ambisonic audio for the past few years and when I saw Zoom was launching the H3-VR at a quarter the price of the systems Ive been using, I had to try it out.First, a quick crash-course on what ambisonic microphones are for the uninitiated. On the mic are four capsules pointed in particular directions; these capture what we call A-Format audio, the raw sound of each of these capsules. A decoder, using techniques similar to mid-side processing, uses this to create an industry-standard B-format file. This is where the magic begins: in software (or in the case of the H3VR, in hardware too), this B-format file can be used to generate in effect one or more virtual microphones by carefully processing the four channels to create any pickup pattern or ... MoreIve been working with ambisonic audio for the past few years and when I saw Zoom was launching the H3-VR at a quarter the price of the systems Ive been using, I had to try it out.First, a quick crash-course on what ambisonic microphones are for the uninitiated. On the mic are four capsules pointed in particular directions; these capture what we call A-Format audio, the raw sound of each of these capsules. A decoder, using techniques similar to mid-side processing, uses this to create an industry-standard B-format file. This is where the magic begins: in software (or in the case of the H3VR, in hardware too), this B-format file can be used to generate in effect one or more virtual microphones by carefully processing the four channels to create any pickup pattern or facing direction. End result? You can generate stereo, quadraphonic, 5.1, 7.1, whatever coincident array you can possibly dream up (or non-coincident array using multiple ambisonic mics).Its clear Zoom is really pushing this as VR video creation tool, which as a general sound recordist I think is a bit of a shame. Ambisonic mics can make fantastic sound design tools, live show recording devices, and even find their way into studio use. One of these could potentially replace an entire 5.1 field recording setup! So, how does the Zoom H3-VR handle these tasks?First some good stuff- the menus are laid out very well. Even though the device does feel very light and admittedly a little cheap, it seems rather rigidly constructed and durable. It comes with a foam windscreen so you can use it outside (in very mild conditions), and overall the device makes the annoyingly obtuse activity of recording ambisonic audio into a simple, bullet-proof process even a 12-year-old could do. It fits in a lens pocket in my camera bag (yes, its THAT small!) and thus is by far the most portable ambisonic recording solution out there. Best of all: they even added official lithium battery support. Thanks, Zoom!Another nice feature is their desktop software, the Zoom Ambisonics Player, which is available on the Zoom website as a free download. It uses the metadata from your recordings to properly decode and play them back and provides an easy, again, bullet-proof way to mix and export your recordings. Its not quite up to snuff with solutions by competitors, but the smart metadata features and reasonable feature set makes it perfectly suitable for everyday users.If you want maximum control while recording, they also offer a mobile/tablet control app, which looks very useful for the frequent recordist. I havent tried this, but it looks cool. Note that you have to buy the separately available Bluetooth adapter, which slides into a cute little slot in the back of the unit, for this to work.However things arent entirely perfect with the H3-VR; the largest weakness is the sound. The capsules are... well, just plain bad; they sound no better than whatever cheapo SDC you can pick up from no-name Chinese manufacturers. It basically sounds like someone put a 1-pole highpass over the entire frequency domain of the mic, with those stereotypical cheap, crunchy sounding highs and near-non-existent lows you might expect out of a budget pocket recorder or cell phone. I did a shootout comparison with a pair of studio SDCs and one of my other ambisonic mics (about 4x the price) with everything configured in XY and they absolutely blew the H3VR out of the water in sound quality.Granted, the fact Zoom managed to fit four capsules of any quality and an entire custom-built 4-channel recorder & decoder in this tiny thing for such a low price leaves plentiful reasons to excuse this, and indeed, for recording ambiances and voices it does fairly well with this frequency response, but most other competitors provide calibration files which improve upon their capsules mediocrity during the conversion from A Format into B Format- something Zoom has not (yet) done, aside from an Ambisonic Correction Filter in their desktop software which just makes it sound different, not necessarily better and is not explained anywhere other than that it improves spatial accuracy.You could come up with an EQ that decently fixes some of the issues with the capsules to the point that the end result is passably usable even for music recording, but thats a lot to ask of many users, especially if you record hundreds of little files and have to batch apply that EQ every time you record new material. So, verdict at this point- if you want to get this for recording music or critical sound design, youre probably better off even with one of zooms stereo recorders or a higher-end ambisonics setup, at least until someone comes up with some kind of calibration for these capsules or they offer a version with better capsules (maybe a H3-VR Pro?).On the other hand, if you do VR video and just need some audio for your work, or maybe youre a travelling sound designer and want something ultra-portable to capture the odd sound here or there with full flexibility in post, this is probably your best bet.There are also a few general caveats Id like to mention too-- The boot-up time is about 12-14 seconds. If youre recording a bunch of little clips, its best to just leave it on.- It requires a micro-SD card rather than the SD cards you might be familiar with from Zooms other products.- The foam wind screen is about enough to stop a very light breeze, but any noticeable wind will be picked up. You will want the fur wind screen accessory if you plan to record outside at all.- Sensitivity of the capsules is REALLY high; even on 0 gain, I managed to clip once or twice recording a jazz quartet. Without any pad option included, youre going to clip this recording a gung-ho drummer or even a typical band up close.- The record button is occasionally a little finicky to activate and takes a little bit of time to respond.- The screen is the back of the unit, in case youre an idiot like me and record an entire set backwards. ;)- The thread on the bottom is a camera tripod thread. If you want to put this on a mic stand, you need a 3/8ths male to 5/8ths female adapter.

I purchased the Zoom H6 a few weeks and its been so great that I keep it with me daily. I mostly purchased it to record found sound for samples, with the added benefit that it could also be a USB interface when needed. The sound quality is amazing and the included microphones work much better than expected. Because of the supplied hard case carries it all securely I feel comfortable keeping it in my backpack all of the time and I have been able to grab a ton of good samples. Ive also been playing with recording my guitars and synths on it and it, again, sounded far better than expected. I suppose you could distill this review to it sounds great and you are going to want to have it with you at all times. The phantom power over the four inputs is pretty great as well, ... MoreI purchased the Zoom H6 a few weeks and its been so great that I keep it with me daily. I mostly purchased it to record found sound for samples, with the added benefit that it could also be a USB interface when needed. The sound quality is amazing and the included microphones work much better than expected. Because of the supplied hard case carries it all securely I feel comfortable keeping it in my backpack all of the time and I have been able to grab a ton of good samples. Ive also been playing with recording my guitars and synths on it and it, again, sounded far better than expected. I suppose you could distill this review to it sounds great and you are going to want to have it with you at all times. The phantom power over the four inputs is pretty great as well, and the supplied mic with its linein has helped make this into a Swiss Army knife of recording for me, especially coupled with the 1010 Black Box sampler. I havent had to replace the batteries yet so it seems like they hold a charge well. Overall it has been a great purchase and really helped me acquire new sounds, record more traditionally, it feeds my sampler, is obviously portable, and keeps me able to work out ideas wherever I am.

I use the Zoom H6 for a YouTube fitness channel. The built in mic is excellent and sound just as good as a headset mic and it picks up voices perfectly even with music playing. I use channel 1 and 2 for line in audio from an iPhone andor other musical devices. To do this I flip the pad switch and the audio is perfect. Initially I used a balanced 3.5mm to XLR cable and I noticed on some songs with high pitched audio it was as if there was a sound filter. I changed to a 3.5mm splitter cable and used inputs 12 in stereo mode and that doesnt happen on those specific songs any longer. Also audio streaming quality sounds good in 1080p or 4k streams especially at higher bit rates. When the system is hooked to my Mac or PC via USB it can be powered via the laptop and also ... MoreI use the Zoom H6 for a YouTube fitness channel. The built in mic is excellent and sound just as good as a headset mic and it picks up voices perfectly even with music playing. I use channel 1 and 2 for line in audio from an iPhone andor other musical devices. To do this I flip the pad switch and the audio is perfect. Initially I used a balanced 3.5mm to XLR cable and I noticed on some songs with high pitched audio it was as if there was a sound filter. I changed to a 3.5mm splitter cable and used inputs 12 in stereo mode and that doesnt happen on those specific songs any longer. Also audio streaming quality sounds good in 1080p or 4k streams especially at higher bit rates. When the system is hooked to my Mac or PC via USB it can be powered via the laptop and also act as a sound card. The sound stays in sync with 4K and 1080P video 100 of the time. Overall the Zoom H6 Black has exceeded my expectations.