Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Digital Pianos - Electronic Pianos - Synths & Keyboards How are you connecting Zoom H2 to your DPs?

Just wondering since I can't find out much at all on the Intraweb about exactly how to connect the Zoom H2 to a DP. I have line out cables from DP going to Line in on the Zoom but the sound is still coming out of the main DP speakers?

Thanks in advance
- Steve

Yes, of course the sound will continue to come out the DP's speakers until you do something to stop it, like for example plugging in a pair of headphones. Or if you don't want to do that, just plug in a 1/4" adaptor. Anything in the headphone jack will disconnect the speakers, even a wooden chopstick.

But how will you hear what you play? You are going to need either the speakers on or headphones.

If you don't want to hear the piano (can't imagine why), then just turn down the volume. The piano volume setting won't affect the sound you're recording on the Zoom.

That depends on what DP you have. On my Yamaha P155 (and I think most all Yamahas??) the volume control also controls the volume going out the line out jack. On other pianos the line out volume is constant

Hmmm,

I thought I had to wait to see the levels bouncing around (ready to record) like they normally do? I guess I'll give it a shot and see how it is.

Thanks
Steve

TTigg

I'm going line out of FP-7 to line in on H2.

I play some keys and adjust my H2's volume until I see the bars going approx 3/4 ways across the H2 screen.

Record mode is MP3 at 192, thought it was good trade off for file size and sound.

This was recorded that way :
http://www.box.net/shared/kolkion2y4

Thanks so much for this!
I'll mess about later and see if I can get that to work. I'm also going to have a go at recording directly into Pianoteq via MIDI (Yamaha P250) so we'll see.
- SC

In my opinion, the quality isn't very good... I expected more from a $150 device...

For your reference and comparison, here's a small MP3 sample of a recording with my Zoom H1 recording device ($99):

https://www.pianoworld.com/forum/ubb...ly%20for%20KAWAI%20CA93.html#Post1530455

I'm certainly no expert but the recorded sound should sound almost exactly like the original (being digital though reduced to the mp3 format). I can't imagine my wife's four year old laptop would sound better than what you're using and I'm very happy with my results.

I think there might be something else going on.

Depends where you are comming from. I look at the H1 and see that it has two built-in mics and think that made-in-china cheap mics start at $150 each. How do they do two mics, memory, electronics and a battery for the price of one cheap mic? So I don't expect much.

But still, the H1 is a huge step up from the built-in mic found in most consumer goods like flip cameras, cell phones and Mac webcams. I just edited a short video my 12 year old daughter shoot for school, man the sound is poor. She refused to use an external mic, nothing but "flutter echo" from the interior of a new-ish house. Apparently this is what people expect and are used to with amateur recordings. You can barely understand the words except for the close shots where the camera (with it's mic) is 3 feet from the subject. So my point is that people must be just blown away at the quality of an H1 recording if they compare it to "normal" consumer recorders.

The recording was done with line in and not mics, right?

Right, line in of course!

Blame it on me being a novice at recording and playing
.... not the H2.

No, I don't want to blame you at all. You're playing has nothing to do with the quality. If I turn the volume very loud, I can hear a distorting noise. Also at a normal volume level, I don't like the piano sound...
I now certainly know that I won't buy a Zoom. I'm looking for a cheap DP audio interface, and think I'll buy a Behringer UCA-202.

By the way, you have to use line-in indeed.

Robin, you somehow ignore my posts... Check the Zoom H1 which should be very good quality... No distortions... Etc... The $99 Zoom H1 is definitely at least on par with $200 Sound interfaces.

Yea mucci, but $100 . Is the Zoom H1 better than the Zoom H2? I have to consider if I really want to spend $100 on an audio interface. I know it's not very much compared to professional stuff, but I still want something more cheap I think.

Robin, that's fine. I thought because many are recommending audio interfaces that cost >>$200 I should provide you with a high quality alternative. But yes, there are cheaper audio interfaces which cost less than $100 and are of similar quality. On the other side the H1 provides you with an additional quality stereo mic that provide you a way to do field recordings. Furthermore you are independent from a PC while recording stuff. I find it very convenient. And: The quality is indeed better than the H2.