Zoom H1n Handy Recorder advice needed!

[RottingBrains]

Hello, I'm new to these forums, never made a post before. I need some help or advice with using a Zoom H1n Handy Recorder. I'm using it to record a podcast and while recording solo episodes is fairly easy and works just fine, recording with a guest presents some problems. I only have 1 mic so two people have to get close to it to talk. Is there any way that I can point the mic upwards for example and pick up multiple people speaking at once? I have plans to record an episode with maybe 3-4 people including myself and I want this to sound good. Any tips you have on this would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks. 

[Bombastinator]

16 minutes ago, RottingBrains said:

Hello, I'm new to these forums, never made a post before. I need some help or advice with using a Zoom H1n Handy Recorder. I'm using it to record a podcast and while recording solo episodes is fairly easy and works just fine, recording with a guest presents some problems. I only have 1 mic so two people have to get close to it to talk. Is there any way that I can point the mic upwards for example and pick up multiple people speaking at once? I have plans to record an episode with maybe 3-4 people including myself and I want this to sound good. Any tips you have on this would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks. 

To have separate mics would be one or two channels for each mic, and they would have to be mixed down to two before it could be actually recorded.  I know how I would do this analog using a mixing board.  That’s ancient tech though.  I would assume there is some sort of electronic equivalent.  The process of combining separate channels is called “mixing down”, but you’d have to record the separate channels first.  My first impulse would be to look at the hardware and software you already got and do a search for “mixing down from multiple sources (product name)”  Antother thing you might want to look at if you don’t already have it is an app called potato.

[RottingBrains]

2 minutes ago, Bombastinator said:

To have separate mics would be one or two channels for each mic, and they would have to be mixed down to two before it could be actually recorded.  I know how I would do this analog using a mixing board.  That’s ancient tech though.  I would assume there is some sort of electronic equivalent.  The process of combining separate channels is called “mixing down”, but you’d have to record the separate channels first.  My first impulse would be to look at the hardware and software you already got and do a search for “mixing down from multiple sources (product name)”  Antother thing you might want to look at if you don’t already have it is an app called potato.

I honestly have 0 equipment other than the mic itself and a foam cap on it and I certainly cannot afford an additional microphone. I edited some episodes in Audacity but that's about it. My experience with mixing and/or equipment is 2% so I don't really know much about this stuff. If you could let me know in infant terms that would be best because I'm having trouble understanding much of this. Apologies in advance. 

Thanks.

[Bombastinator]

2 hours ago, RottingBrains said:

I honestly have 0 equipment other than the mic itself and a foam cap on it and I certainly cannot afford an additional microphone. I edited some episodes in Audacity but that's about it. My experience with mixing and/or equipment is 2% so I don't really know much about this stuff. If you could let me know in infant terms that would be best because I'm having trouble understanding much of this. Apologies in advance. 

Thanks.

Hmmm..  if you’ve got only one microphone period, there isn’t much in the way of options.  do-wop style is the only way I could see it being done. 
 

there are some weird advantages to do-wop style.  For one the vocalists can effectively manually mix in real time by placing themselves closer or farther away from the mic.
 

any microphones could be leveraged though.  In headset game microphones, etc..  they’ve all got to have their own audio in though

[The Flying Sloth]

The H1N is a stereo recorder, if your room is acoustically treated it will be fine for recording two people. Place them so that each is in front of one of the small silver microphone capsules. Yes, of course they will be louder if they're closer but you can just turn up the sensitivity.

[ShearMe]

3 or 4 people.... set it on a table or chair in the middle of the room, and no one bump the table. Turn up the gain/sensitivity to maybe 70%. Do a short test recording of everyone sitting in their spot, talking. Make adjustments based on the test.

 

Lots of background noise = too much gain. You want the least amount of gain needed to make the talkers audible. I'm sure you already know how to boost them and remove some background noise in Audacity (or can youtube it quickly).

 

Good luck with the podcast!

[Bombastinator]

3 minutes ago, ShearMe said:

3 or 4 people.... set it on a table or chair in the middle of the room, and no one bump the table. Turn up the gain/sensitivity to maybe 70%. Do a short test recording of everyone sitting in their spot, talking. Make adjustments based on the test.

 

Lots of background noise = too much gain. You want the least amount of gain needed to make the talkers audible. I'm sure you already know how to boost them and remove some background noise in Audacity (or can youtube it quickly).

 

Good luck with the podcast!

That was a good explanation of how to set up do-wop style.  To make one speaker louder or more quiet move the mic on the table. 

[ShearMe]

3 minutes ago, Bombastinator said:

That was a good explanation of how to set up do-wop style.  To make one speaker louder or more quiet move the mic on the table. 

for some reason I was thinking do-wop was this: 

 

....wrong kind of wop. 

[Bombastinator]

48 minutes ago, ShearMe said:

for some reason I was thinking do-wop was this: 

 

....wrong kind of wop. 

I am wounded!  
 

The four tops! The commodores!

 

You must be educated!  
 

they did it with multiple mics I. The 70’s, but it’s the 60’s and 50’s stuff that’s amazing for these purposes.

 

The wild thing about the style is they got so good at it replicating it actually requires a single microphone because they would do things. 
every song here was sung into a single mic with no mixing.  Live.  Notice how no one stands too close to the mic.  They’re almost equidistant but not quite and their bodies are between the mic and the much louder instruments.

 

later stuff added more mics, but there was a period of 2 mic that is most useful where the soloist had a mic and the chorus had a mic.  Notice how they face each other and move their heads.  

Here’s a video of a guy doing the tracks independently.  You can do it with multiple people though into the mic at the same time, live.  And they can do the stuff this guy does with mixing just by moving closer or farther from the mic and sometimes interposing their hands. 

 

 

[ShearMe]

27 minutes ago, Bombastinator said:

I am wounded!  
 

The four tops! The commodores!

 

You must be educated!  
 

they did it with multiple mics I. The 70’s, but it’s the 60’s and 50’s stuff that’s amazing for these purposes.

 

The wild thing about the style is they got so good at it replicating it actually requires a single microphone because they would do things. 
Here’s a video of a guy doing the tracks independently.  You can do it with multiple people though into the mic at the same time, live.  And they can do the stuff this guy does with mixing just by moving closer or farther from the mic and sometimes interposing their hands. 

 

Oh, I'm familiar with the music. Didn't know there was a specific recording technique associated with it

[Bombastinator]

22 minutes ago, ShearMe said:

Oh, I'm familiar with the music. Didn't know there was a specific recording technique associated with it

More like the lack of a recording technique. At least as far as an audio technician goes.  It’s the job of each artist to control what goes into the mic.  I guess I’m just saying it can be controlled.  It’s harder though.  The reason do-wop is do-wop is All about the mics.  instruments don’t have the fine control of volume a voice does.   They needed to sing rhythm because a drum couldn’t cut it.