Zoom H8 Handy Recorder

Overview
Zoom H8 is a versatile recorder that caters to different types of audio recording needs. With 12 simultaneous recording tracks, interchangeable capsules, and a touchscreen interface, it offers convenience and adaptability to the user. It also comes with three distinct interfaces for field recording, music, and podcasting, making it suitable for various projects.

The H8 comes with a variety of features such as built-in effects, auto-record functions, and a large color LCD touchscreen display. It also has interchangeable input capsules and can record up to 12 tracks simultaneously. Additionally, it can function as a USB audio interface and has a long battery life, making it a reliable choice for on-the-go recording.

Summary
Recording Formats: WAV
Outputs: 3.5mm
Battery Mount / Type: AA
Included in box
1x H8 Handy Recorder
1x XYH-6 X/Y Mic Capsule
1x Quick Guide

About the Zoom H8 Handy Recorder
ZOOM H8

The Only Recorder That Adapts To Your Way Of Creating

12 simultaneous recording tracks, interchangeable capsules, and an App-driven touchscreen interface, the H8 is designed to meet all your audio recording needs.

There’s An App For Your Workflow

Whether you’re capturing audio on location, recording music, or producing a podcast, the H8 color touchscreen adapts to your project’s needs with three App-driven interface options. All with the touch of your finger.

The Podcast App

The PODCAST App makes producing your podcast simple. With dedicated Sound Pads, use the touch screen to trigger sound effects, music beds and more. Choose from 13 high quality sounds or load your own via an SD card.

The Podcast App accommodates up to 4 mics and two Sound Pad channels.

The Music App

The MUSIC App puts all the important controls at your fingertips: audio levels, faders, metering and more. With 10 inputs and 12 tracks, capturing a large group is easy. Mix, overdub, and enhance your recordings with EQ and compression. Connect to Zoom’s Guitar Lab via USB to access an endless assortment of amps and effects.

The Field App

The FIELD App is ideal for location sound, sound design, conferences, and more. It gives you instant access to large meters for every track, so you can make sure your recordings never clip. Adjust input type, lo-cut, compression, limiter, noise gate, and other key settings.

TheMic Capsule

The H8 comes with the Zoom XYH-6 microphone. This capsule provides two matched high-quality unidirectional mics, for capturing signal directly in front of the recorder. With the Zoom mic capsule system you can easily swap capsules to ensure you’re always using the right mic for the job

Six interchangeable mic capsules that can be swapped out as easily as the lenses of a camera

XYH-6 X/Y Capsule – Live Recording Personified

The X/Y capsule employs two angled high-quality unidirectional mics which are sensitive to signals coming from the front but less to signals coming from the sides and rear. X/Y recording is optimum when you want to cover a wide area yet still capture a strong center image, making it the perfect choice for all types of live stereo recording.

MSH-6 MS Capsule – The Ultimate in Image Control

Welcome to “Mid-Side” recording, a whole new level of precision in your ability to shape sound. The MS Capsule contains dual mic elements – a forward-facing, unidirectional mic (the “Mid”) and a side-facing, bi-directional mic (the “Side”). Together they capture a fully mono-compatible stereo image that can actually be adjusted after recording – ideal for film, video, and television projects.

XYH-5 X/Y Capsule – Louder. Closer. Cleaner.

The XYH-5 X/Y microphone capsule provides two matched unidirectional condenser microphones set at a 90 degree angle. These mics are housed within an advanced shockmount that employs rugged external mic wires and rubberized material to minimize vibration and handling noise, making the XYH-5 ideal for location videography and live broadcast/podcast applications. The design of the XYH-5 also allows it to handle extremely loud sounds—140 dB SPL, to be precise (equivalent to the sound of a jet aircraft from less than 200 feet away)—making it perfect for capturing the sound of live rock concerts and for electronic news gathering.

SGH-6 Shotgun Capsule – All the Pickup, Half the Length

The optional SGH-6 Shotgun Capsule is a highly directional ideal audio setup for film, video, live theater, and ENG (electronic newsgathering) applications. Three elements combined with digital signal processing inside the SGH-6 give you the highly directional pickup power of a conventional shotgun mic in a unit only half the size – ideal for recording dialogue and narration with no intrusive mic in the scene.

EXH-6 Dual XLR/TRS Combo Capsule – Expanded Connectivity

Plugging in the optional EXH-6 Dual XLR/TRS Combo Capsule gives you two more inputs, transforming your H8 into the world’s smallest eight-track recorder. Connect up to six discrete signals from external microphones, instruments, mixers, or portable music players to fully realize your audio vision. It’s all the power of a professional recording studio, right in the palm of your hand.

SSH-6 Stereo Shotgun Capsule – The Best of Both Worlds

The SSH-6 Stereo Shotgun capsule adds a super-directional mic for capturing sounds directly in front, plus a bi-directional one for capturing ambient sounds. It’s ideal for location recording, allowing videographers and content creators to capture dialogue or narration with the center microphone and mixing in the desired amount of environmental sound captured by the side microphone.

Next Generation Capsule System

Zoom’s Capsule System 2.0 allows up to 4 channels of audio to be added to the H8’s capsule connection, creating new ways to expand your recording capabilities.

COMBINATION XY / AB MIC XAH-8

The XAH-8 capsule delivers pristine stereo recordings. Easily rotate the capsules from a tight XY pattern to a wide AB pattern to enhance the stereo image of your recordings.

AMBISONIC MIC VRH-8

The VRH-8 is an Ambisonic mic capsule that utilizes four condenser microphones to deliver immersive 360 audio recordings. A built-in accelerometer helps ensure the capsule is always perfectly aligned, while the on-board Ambisonic decoder automatically handles the necessary conversions, saving you time in post-production.

EXPANDER CAPSULE EXH-8

The EXH-8 capsule provides 4 additional XLR inputs, giving you a total of 10. Each additional input has a dedicated gain knob and pad switch. You can even use your favorite condenser microphones—just connect a power source to the EXH-8 capsule to supply phantom power.

Remote Control

You can monitor level meters and hit REC,PLAY, and STOP in each H8 application mode. Just insert the BTA-1 to your H8 and connect to your iOS device.

*BTA-1 sold separately.

Inputs & Outputs

H8 offers 4 XLR inputs with dedicated pad switches and gain control. 2 additional XLR/TRS combo jacks with Hi-Z switches allow you to capture line level signals, microphones, or directly record electric guitars and basses.

Monitor tracks using the built-in 1/8” headphone output or connect directly to your camera using the dedicated stereo line output.

Multi-Channel Audio Interface

The H8 is a powerful USB audio interface. Connect via USB to your PC, Mac, iPad or tablet for up to 12 channels of simultaneous recording.

Recording Time & File Formats

Get more than 15 hours of recording time from just 4 AA batteries. Or record forever with the optional AD-17 adapter.

The H8 records BWF-compliant WAV and MP3 files in any of the following formats:

44.1kHz 16-bit / 24-bit, 48kHz 16-bit / 24-bit, 96kHz 16-bit / 24-bit

State-of-the-Art Editing

The Zoom H8 comes with a free download license for Cubase LE and Steinberg’s WaveLab Cast software. WaveLab Cast helps you to finalize your project with a wide range of comprehensive editing, mixing, and refinement tools.

Podcasting
WaveLab Cast connects you directly with podcast directories, such as Spreaker or Podbean*. You can upload episodes quickly, plus directly create and publish RSS feeds.

Audio for Video
Import your video file and WaveLab Cast will automatically extract the audio. You can use the editing tools to lower unwanted noise, change levels and remove loud sibilants. Metering options allow you to build new tracks, fade-in your music, use EQ and compression. Re-attach the audio to the video file using WaveLab Cast’s export functions.

Field Recording
WaveLab Cast supports up to 96KHz audio quality and includes a high-end re-sampler. RestoreRig removes noise and unwanted sounds. You can assemble new files using the snap functions and crossfade options. Once you’re done, export your sound files in any popular audio format.

Number of input channels: 8 (XY mic capsule, 1-4, A, B)
Number of output channels: 2 (stereo headphone and stereo line)
Connectors: MIC IN: ZOOM mic connector
INPUT 1-4: XLR jacks (2: HOT)
INPUT A/B: XLR/TRS combo jacks (XLR: 2 hot, TRS: TIP hot)
USB: USB Micro-B (audio interface, mass storage and Guitar Lab connection functions)
Note: Use a USB cable that supports data transfer. Operation using USB bus power is possible.
REMOTE: ZOOM BTA-1 or other dedicated wireless adapter
LINE OUT: 3.5 mm stereo mini
PHONE OUT: 3.5 mm stereo mini
Phantom power: +24 V/+48 V (independent ON/OFF for INPUTS 1–4, A and B)
Recorder: Recording media: Cards that support SD/SDHC/SDXC specifications
Formats: WAV: 44.1/48/96 kHz, 16/24-bit, mono/stereo; MP3: 128, 192, 320 kbps
Maximum simultaneous recording tracks: 12 (MIC IN, backup recording, 1-4, A, B, and LR)
Audio interface: Multitrack mode: 44.1/48/96 kHz, 16/24-bit, 12-in/2-out
Stereo mix mode: 44.1/48 kHz, 24-bit, 2-in/2-out
Tuner: Chromatic/Guitar/Bass/Open A/Open D/Open E/Open G/DADGAD
Built-in speaker: 400 mW 8Ω mono speaker
Display: 2.4″ (320×240) full-color touchscreen LCD
Power: 4 AA batteries (alkaline, NiMH or lithium)
AC adapter (ZOOM AD-17): DC 5 V/1A
USB bus power
Estimated continuous operation time using batteries (hours: minutes): Using alkaline batteries, Using XY mic, 44.1 kHz/24-bit (stereo × 1): about 15:00
The above values are approximate.
Continuous battery operation times were determined using in-house testing methods. They will vary greatly according to use conditions.
External dimensions H8: 116.4 mm (W) × 163.3 mm (D) × 48.6 mm (H)
XYH-6: 78.9 mm (W) × 60.2 mm (D) × 45.2 mm (H)
Weight H8: 354 g XYH-6: 130 g
Note: When using a USB cable designed for recharging, audio interface, SD card reader and Guitar Lab connection functions cannot be used.

Customized applications for field recording, music and podcasting
3 distinct interfaces for field recording, music and podcasting
Interchangeable input capsules
12-track simultaneous recording
Four mic inputs and two XLR/TRS combo connectors
Gain control knobs and -20dB pads for each input
Supplied XYH-6 X/Y capsule provides secondary input via a stereo ⅛” Mic/Line In mini phone jack
Phantom power for all six XLR mic inputs: +24/+48V
Large colour LCD touchscreen display
Records directly to SD, SDHC and SDXC cards up to 512GB
Up to 24-bit /96kHz audio in BWF-compliant WAV or a variety of MP3 formats
Auto-record, Pre-record and Backup-record functions mean that you’ll never miss that perfect take
Built-in effects, including low-cut filtering, compression, and limiting
Multichannel and stereo USB audio interface for PC/Mac/iPad
Accepts standard AA alkaline or NiMH rechargeable batteries
Over 15 hours of operation with 4 AA alkaline batteries