John from Annapolis follow up 
by Chris from Athens Georgia from Athens GA, July 2008
Music Background:  guitarist, field recordist

John mentions using the H2 to record vinyl. I used the mic input, high gain (not the line in) with a signal straight from the Shure cartridge on a turntable (no preamp) and got decent results. A little Audacity normalizing is probably all that's needed, but the recordings are listenable as is.

  Best investment in a while! 
by Brian fannin from Bellingham, WA USA, May 2008
Music Background:  Avid Giging musician

We record our rehearsals to write new songs, capture special jams and listen to what we need to change. This H2 has saved me at LEAST an hour or two per session. Taking the recorded sound files and putting them on CD has never been easier.

We were ALL blown away with how good it sounds. The mix is good enough for a quick demo.

As a bonus we recorded our last show, and again we were blown away with how well it handles high sound levels.

If you need something to record your band's rehearsals and live shows...and want it as simple as possible, this is the ticket. Seriously the best investment we have made in a while, and it was only $200. Amazing.

  An awesome field recorder for a rock band 
by John (Bass Guitar) from Annapolis, MD USA, April 2008
Music Background:  Semi-Pro Musician with Linux undertones

WHY: I needed a highly portable recorder to capture/distribute our 5-piece rock band's LOUD weekly practices, so when we're not together, we can practice on our own "with the whole band" (on CD). The H2 just works.

TOOLS: The Zoom H2 from Sweetwater.com, combined with Audacity (a free open-source cross-platform audio editor), a laptop w/CD-R, and a USB SD-card reader, means I have all I need to produce our band's music, or make demo CDs. Woo hoo!

ACCESSORIES: I labeled all the tiny SD cards with a Brother P-Touch labeler to have numbers and my phone# (a spreadsheet tells me which practice date is on which card). I bought a tiny case that holds 20 SD cards.

I initially bought three 2-Gb SanDisk SD cards (provides 3+ hours CD-quality), then bought two 4Gb SanDisk HCSD (?) cards for 6+ hours each. I'm still locating the one 8Gb card that works with the H2, and when I find it, that will give me over 12 hours continuous recording..."Ohhhh Yeahhhh Chicka ChickaaAAA" (Ferris Bueller ref).

TESTS: At my first recording test, I used the Mic (L)ow sensitivity setting (that was OK), and the LIMIT feature (caused overmodulation with the high volume of the drums).

I next tried the COMPression 3 (drums) setting, which I have been using ever since. No distortion--the H2 gets everything, even spoken comments about what we are playing/just played.

At the practices, I plug in the AC adaptor, set COMP3, press Record 2x, then let the H2 record everything. Later I edit it down with Audacity to just the songs I want (add Fade-Outs, Normalize, etc). I had to pitch-shift two weeks' practice after we mistakenly tried songs in Ab instead of A440 (that mistake was fixed in 15 minutes in software).

PLANS: We'll be using it to record our live performance at an outdoor venue in a few weeks, so the people that can't make it can still hear everything, including the crowd cheering and the glasses clinking.

I even plan to sample/digitize vinyl recordings with the H2 (unknown whether I need a pre-amp/stereo or can connect directly to the turntable. :-)

WHO: Sweetwater stands behind their products, provides quick-startup info with the product, and is very helpful all through the purchase and afterwards.

SUMMARY: This is a wonderful product. I HIGHLY recommend it.

  A Nice Unit for Music/City/Nature or whatever Capture! 
by Al from Sterling Heights from Sterling Heights, MI, March 2008
Music Background:  Musician & Hobbyist Home Recording Engineer

The H2 does a great job recording audio from live performances and speeches. I've used this unit in my church & it captured speech & music with a charm! I've also captured quiet conversations at my job & at home, from a good 10 - 12 ft away, I picked up normal conversations with ease. I also was able to capture great sounds from city traffic standing in my driveway. The cars zipping pass L to R in the mics were very nice to listen to. I was debating between the Tascam DR-1 & Zoom H2 for purchase. I decided to go with the Zoom H2 just by pull of the straw. I have to say that I'm very happy with my purchase & would recommend this unit to anyone looking to capture good audio either from a live band to birds chirping in the trees. Let me also say that ordering the unit was a breeze thanks to Joe Gilder from Sweetwater. I sent Joe an email Monday night, he responded early Tuesday morning & we chatted on the phone Tuesday afternoon to place the order and my Zoom H2 was at my front door Wednesday morning...Thanks Joe & Sweetwater for great service!

  A Must Have!! 
by Todd from Greensboro,NC, February 2008
Music Background:  amateur sound engineer + amateur musician

Five stars is a tough act, but for the money I couldn't see anything else to say.

I have made a few recordings that shows me this is a great value. Easy to use, great recordings. A few seasoned musicians I have recorded were amazed at an immediate playback from the H2

  Beyond expectations 
by Robert Veith from Francistown, Botswana, January 2008
Music Background:  Ethnomusicologist

I purchased the Zoom H2 to record African choral groups in Botswana and Namibia. I had been using a Marantz PMD660 with a Rhode NT4 microphone (purchased a year ago for about $1,000). Some of my local colleagues want to start recording themselves, so I wanted to be able to recommend something which would record choirs well, but wouldn't break the bank. The Zoom more than fits the bill. I have now recorded with this in several settings, from soft traditional instruments to large acoustic and electric ensembles. The unit is small enough that I can tuck it in my pocket or throw it in the back seat of the car "just in case." It's easy enough to use that, when I had to perform recently, I taught someone sitting in the audience how to use it right before I took the stage, so that they could record me. It's not perfect. I wish I could use a combination of internal and external microphones. I wish I had phantom power or at least an XLR input. But given that it cost me 20% of what the Marantz/Rhode combination cost, takes up about 10% as much space in my kit bag, and sounds 90% as good, this is a great device.

  Perfect for the musician on a budget!!! 
by Corey Jackson from Beaufort, SC, December 2007
Music Background:  Songwriter / Keyboardist

First of all, the sound quality of the recording is excellent, especially when you take into account that it only cost $199. When a new vocal arrangement or song idea comes to mind this thing is ready to go. The 360 degree recording feature allows me to record congreational songs that picks up a congregation and not just the two - five people standing nearby. Long story short, this unit definitely provides more bang for you buck!!!

  Unbelievable 
by Mark from Chicago, November 2007
Music Background:  Rock band when young, piano now that I'm not

I suggested this for my piano teacher, who has been a professional concert pianist all his life but is technologically challenged. I set it up and showed him how to use it and we're both amazed at the quality of the sound and the features that allow automatic on/off recording based on volume levels. I'm going to buy one of these for myself.

  utterly amazing 
by Norman Cupit www.themuleskinners.com from Mississippi Gulf Coast, October 2007
Music Background:  Old Timey Swampbilly Gospel

Best two hundred we ever spent. Idiot proof operation, best sound results we've ever achieved in live situations.
We are a four piece string band (fiddle, guitar, mandolin, upright bass and four vocals). We're getting superior results from the 90degree setting (2channel). Can't say enough about. Email us from our site and we'll be glad to send you clips. Gettin to where I don't leave the house without it.
Finally, Sweetwater's very human service whoops all the others hands down.

  Great Piece Of Technology 
by RadianChalant from Aliquippa, PA, October 2007
Music Background:  Pro Musician (Guitar and Bass)

The Zoom H2 Handy Recorder is well built. The recorded sound is crystal clear. It has a built-in instrument tuner and metronome. It comes with lots of goodies in the box. You can connect this device to your stereo, so you can record your cassette or open-reel taped music to it, in wav or MP3 format. The taped music can be transferred to your computer (via USB cable), then it can be burned onto CD's, DVD's or loaded into your MP3 player. The sound quality is fantastic. You should purchase a 2GB memory card; I found a PNY 2MB SD card for $19.99....search around. The H2 is fairly easy to operate. This is a great piece of technology, which comes with a very good instructional manual. Buy it.

  Lean and Mean Recording Machine... 
by Fred from Portland, Maine, October 2007
Music Background:  Audio Drama Producer/Directory

I already have a Marantz PMD-660 which I use for heavy-duty field recording but wanted something ultra-compact for throwing in my back pocket, glove compartment, ditty bag, etc. After looking at what was already on the market (Zoom H4, Edirol R09, etc.) I saw that the upcoming H2 seemed to meet the bill and pre-ordered it.

Long-story short, it's a combination of "get what you pay for me" and the recorder of my dreams. It is indeed tiny, just barely larger than my equally tiny digital camera (a Casio Exilim) and super-simple to use. Flick a switch and start recording in seconds (more or less).

While the stereo recording is pretty fine for a recorder of this size, it's still not quite what I'd like it to be. The noise floor is acceptable on "mid," but put it up to high and it sounds like you're recording on a tape deck. This means that the recorder is best suited for semi-loud events and misses out on a lot of subtlety.

It's also quite sensitive to handling noise, and though there's an included handle to carry around to minimize the noise, if you so much as brush up against the case you'll hear an unacceptable scratching sound. That said, it holds up pretty well to wind noise.

I didn't get this mic to record pro sound nor to use an external mic, and for what it does, it works quite well. Don't expect a lot of pro customization and bells and whistles, but as a basic, simple, inexpensive recording solution it's a great value.

Live FX from the recorder will be heard in an upcoming audio production by my FinalRune Productions /Radio Drama Revival.

  easy-to-use and the stereo or quad quality is very good! 
by David Miles Huber (www.51bpm.com) from Seattle, WA USA, October 2007
Music Background:  producer, musician, writer

One of the best ways to capture audio to an SD memory card is the zoom h2 stereo and surround (actually quad) handheld recorder. it sounds great and can act as an interface to your pc or mac... as a surround sound producer, the h2 has opened up options that weren't easily available!

  Really good buy. 
by Bob from Madison, September 2007

As easy and quick to use as a cassette deck with excellent sound- great for capturing song ideas or a live band. The multiple mic and recording configurations make the H2 versitile. The only thing I have a beef with is the small buttons and interface. The unit more than makes up for it in usefulness and sound quality.

  Zoom H2 Handy Recorder worth every penny! 
by Steve Bode (aka The BanjoNut) from Kansas City, MO, September 2007
Music Background:  30 years playing Bluegrass Banjo and recording accoustic music.

I have needed an affordable compact recorder with these full recording capabilities for years. Like hundreds of others, I ordered mine a full 2 months before the first units were shipped. Everything they advertise is what you get.
I am a bluegrass musician with another hobby of producing audio and video projects. In this accoustic venue we typically sit in a circle and each instrument takes a break while the other musicians play backup. By placing this little recorder in the middle of our jam session, set to any one of the many settings, I'll capture the BEST recordings possible. I've already tried it and the resulting files are just like sitting back in the middle of the jam session...awesome!
And I will be able to select the 4-channel setting and then use the double-stereo files in my video productions with the audio being 5.1 surround sound. How cool is that!
BTW - Even though tech support could not yet confirm that a "high speed" SD card would work, I went ahead and purchased a 4Gb SanDisk Extreme III SDHC card (~$65 online). It is rated at 133x. It formatted perfectly without a hitch and works just fine. I would advise making this and a set of rechargeable Ni-MH batteries w/ charger a must additional purchase.
I should mention that the mic-stand adapter and the table-stand adapter was really a great addition by Zoom the to package.
Thank you Zoom and thank you Sweetwater for this product and service!

  A Dandy and Handy small recorder 
by David Adler from Mashpee, MA, August 2007
Music Background:  former recordist for chamber music group

I waited months to get this but the wait was worthwhile. I sold the larger Zoom H4 and bought this in its place. Much easier to use. Has a handy
stand and also a handle to use with mic stands or by
hand. Fidelity using the internal mics is good and
probably better than the H4. Will record for over two hours with CD quality...even more with MP3.
The only disappointment is that I cannot get adequate volume using an external mic. (This mike works fine with my other various recorders.)I suspect an inadequate internal mic preamp. There is an interesting feature. If a recorded item was too low in volume, the machine will increase the volume to normal levels utilizing a special program. It has many bells and whistles I will never use but you can
figure out basic recording and playback in 5 minutes. I think this recorder will be very popular.

Write Your Own Review!
We all love gear, and we all love talking about gear with our friends and bandmates. Why not share your thoughts with the hundreds of thousands of customers who regularly visit Sweetwater.com? Write your own customer review on this product! To begin, just Click Here!