Tiny Audio Recorder is Perfect Companion for HDV Videographers

The new Samson Zoom H2 is a tiny audio recorder that’s the perfect companion for HDV videographers who’d like to record 360-degree digital sound for easy conversion to 5.1 surround.
Since the HDV format doesn’t offer built-in surround capability, the Zoom H2, which can record high-quality uncompressed 96kHz/24-bit .WAV files, has a built-in microphone array that picks up from the front and rear with a 90-, 120- or 360-degree polar pattern.

Weighing only four ounces and mountable on a mic stand or tripod, the H2 has three onboard microphone capsules for mid-side recording. A directional mic is in the center (mid) and two more directional mics (side) are positioned left and right. The audio is decoded instantly, bringing these three signals together for stereo imaging.

From there the pattern is expandable to 360 degrees in 48kHz/24-bit format, which allows conversion to 5.1 surround. In addition to .WAV, the recorder can also directly record compressed MP3 files at up to 320 kbps.

The H2 recorder features one-button recording, gain controls on the side, and an intuitive user interface. To set it and forget it, use the auto-start and auto-gain controls. The time-stamp function offers a reference during production.

The H2 records on Secure Digital (SD) flash media. On a 4 GB card, the recorder provides up to two hours recording at 96kHz, six hours at 44.1kHz, or up to 138 hours of MP3 audio. It runs on two standard alkaline AA batteries, allowing four hours of continuous operation.

The recorder has a USB interface for moving recordings to a Mac or PC. At $199, the H2 comes with a mic clip adapter, tripod stand, USB cable, an AC adapter and a 512MB SD card.

For more information, visit www.samsontech.com.