Origin#
In the earlier episodes of the Web Worker podcast, I recorded an offline session with my friends Defo and Wuhuarou. Defo brought a professional recording device, the Zoom H6, which allowed me to get a close-up experience with such equipment for the first time.
In the past, we recorded content online, and for offline recordings, we usually chose professional recording studios. We had a great experience at several offline studios in Pengpai. This time, the equipment brought by Defo made me feel fantastic; recording could be so portable and professional.
The device brought by Defo is a compact box, and inside is a professional recorder that can connect multiple microphones. Each of us had a microphone, recording and storing simultaneously, making the whole process very smooth. It also planted the seed of purchasing in my mind, and after some self-persuasion, I decided to get the same Zoom H6.
There are several reasons for the purchase:
- It meets the need for a portable mixing console. Last year, I bought a portable mixing console for multiple input channels, but it only supports one output. The Zoom H6 can record multiple inputs and multiple recordings.
- The hardware performance is excellent; it can be powered by both mains and batteries, and its small size allows it to fit into a backpack.
- It encourages me to collect different ideas offline more often.
Here’s the JD link for the Zoom H6 for easy reference and comparison.
So I Bought It#
I browsed Xianyu and made the purchase. The seller was an individual user, and after some communication, I bought it.
First Impressions#
This device was released in 2020 and is an older version. The menu controls are only available in English and Japanese, with no Chinese options, which is unfortunate.
After receiving the device, I encountered a few minor issues: the memory card and power supply.
I tried inserting an SD card but found that the TF card I had with an adapter was not recognized. Later, I took a 64GB TF card from a surveillance device at home, and it worked normally. I was also worried there might be an issue with the machine, so to further test it, I purchased a 128GB SD card from JD, which also worked fine. That’s good.
However, a 128GB capacity is indeed too large for a voice recorder, as even lossless format recordings occupy much less space than photos or videos.
Regarding power supply, this device has two options: one is to use four AA batteries, and the other is a 5V1A power supply. I didn’t have a power adapter on hand, so I used batteries. This reminded me of my previous experience as a recording assistant on set, where I carried rechargeable batteries with me. I happened to use the AA batteries I had stocked up; I tested it and found that after a full charge, it could record audio for three hours with almost no drop in battery level—three bars of battery remained unchanged. However, this doesn’t say much because I was using the top microphone, and I still need to test multiple inputs.
The device's body is made of a skin-friendly material, which feels nice to the touch, but over time, this material can become sticky. I have experienced this with my previous small speaker, so I have some expectations for the future appearance changes of this Zoom H6.
Feelings#
I am very happy to have it in hand and full of expectations for the future.
I hope to take it out on weekends with my backpack to record audio anytime and anywhere, collecting more audio materials.