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H4n Wigging Out – Defect or User Error?
I usually run a Sennheiser ME66 or a Rode NTG2 short shotgun into my H4n with phantom power, but I recently bought a Sennheiser G3 wireless mic and hooked it up to the recorder for the first time today. My battery indicated immediately started freaking out – going from full to zero to middle charge to zero again. I changed the batteries and they were dead within 6 minutes of recording time. Changed them again and it died again after about 5 or 6 minutes. Overall the H4n ate four sets of brand new batteries, each set lasting about 6 minutes.
Normally I’d think that my H4n was dying, but given it’s a new mic and a fairly trustworthy recorder, I’m wondering if this is user error. Anyone seen anything like this before?
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5 Replies
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The H4n does not like one mic that is phantom powered and the other not.
Depending on the connections in the G3 radio mic XLR it might in fact be putting a short across the phantom power supply.
You need to run both inputs without phantom (if you use a radio mic)
If you did a record like you tried to do you might also find the audio has quite bad audio clipping as well.
Zoom H4n’s are good units BUT they are NOT professional recorders, they do have shortcomings.PS; I have one and use it often… and like what it can do.
The difference between Knowledge and Wisdom is… Knowledge is the knowing of facts…. Wisdom is the sensible application of good quality knowledge…
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Yep, if you want to use a g3, then youll need to use a self powered mic on the other side, or use an external phantom power supply unit for the powered mic.
Peter
Post Production Dubbing Mixer
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Aaaaah, ok. Total user error. Hopefully I didn’t get anything – or did I possibly do savage to either the recorder or wireless mic?
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Wow, thank you iPhone.
Hopefully I didn’t hurt anything – or did I possibly do damage to either the recorder or wireless mic?
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Hard to say; best bet is to try it out. Hook up the H4n to your just one of your other mics and test it. If that works, then hook up the G3 by itself to the H4n. Or even better, if you can hook up the G3 by itself to another receiver (ie, some other audio unit, mixer board, etc.).
David H. Watson
dEhiN Entertainment
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