[Bob Kessler]

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/734644-REG/Tascam_DR_03_DR_03_Portable_Digital_Audio.html

Peace,

Bob
____________________________________________________________________
Filmmaking is the art of the invisible;
If anyone notices your work you haven’t done your job right.

[Bob Kessler]

Yes, but it’s and up/down button and difficult to see/access.

Peace,

Bob
____________________________________________________________________
Filmmaking is the art of the invisible;
If anyone notices your work you haven’t done your job right.

[Bob Kessler]

I’m just curious…

The waveforms are flattened top and bottom, but is the actual audio itself distorted when you listen to it?

I don’t know anything about NLEs, but in DAW programs you can adjust the size of the waveforms. I sometimes have to increase the size of the waveforms to find artifacts and/or edit points, and the rest of the audio looks like your screen shot.

I’ve also seen waveforms that look like that when a brick wall limiter is used on the mixer; the audio pumps and breathes but is not (terribly) distorted.

Peace,

Bob
____________________________________________________________________
Filmmaking is the art of the invisible;
If anyone notices your work you haven’t done your job right.

[Bob Kessler]

The two XLR inputs and the on-board mics can record simultaneously.

Peace,

Bob
____________________________________________________________________
Filmmaking is the art of the invisible;
If anyone notices your work you haven’t done your job right.

[Bob Kessler]

I guess that I should have phrased it better; you cannot record four discreet inputs- i.e. 3 lavs and a boomed mic – which is what I would want out of a four channel production sound recorder.

Peace,

Bob
____________________________________________________________________
Filmmaking is the art of the invisible;
If anyone notices your work you haven’t done your job right.

[Bob Kessler]

The Zoom H4n has several known problems. The first is that low battery levels tend to create some of the problems that you noted. It doesn’t make any sense, but that’s the way it is. The second is that you can’t record to all four tracks simultaneously; the H4n was aimed at musicians and the extra two tracks are for overdubbing. The H4n is also finicky about which SD cards are used. And, as already noted, properly starting and stopping the recording mode is quirky.

Peace,

Bob
____________________________________________________________________
Filmmaking is the art of the invisible;
If anyone notices your work you haven’t done your job right.

[Bob Kessler]

Each lav will require it’s own transmitter and receiver; each set must each have discreet frequencies so they do not interfere with each other. Each receiver will require it’s own audio input channel. In an optimum situation each audio input channel would be recorded on a separate audio channel, otherwise they will have to be mixed together.

Peace,

Bob
____________________________________________________________________
Filmmaking is the art of the invisible;
If anyone notices your work you haven’t done your job right.

[Bob Kessler]

You can turn the volume all the way down, but it will not prevent the Zoom from using the data space for (recording nothing to) the “empty” track. The track can’t be entirely disengaged, only muted.

The feature that I would really like on the Zoom is to record from one input to two channels at different volumes.

Peace,

Bob
____________________________________________________________________
Filmmaking is the art of the invisible;
If anyone notices your work you haven’t done your job right.

[Bob Kessler]

You get what you pay for. Will it work? Probably. How will it sound? It will sound like a $75 mixer.

BTW, it’s only a mono output.

Peace,

Bob
____________________________________________________________________
Filmmaking is the art of the invisible;
If anyone notices your work you haven’t done your job right.

[Bob Kessler]

I try very hard not to dis certain products, but from personal experience and numerous war stories from peers I would recommend that you steer clear of Azden products. The Sign Video ENG-44 is a decent mixer for those on a restricted budget, as is the PSC ProMix.

As you are shooting primarily indoors a hypercardioid mic is the best choice. The Audio Technica AT4053b is popular, as is the AKG SE300B w/the CK93 Hypercardioid Capsule. The CAD CM217 cardioid is an acceptable extreme micro-budget alternative; it’s good enough to find its way into pro kits as a “disposable” for recording where the mics might get damaged. Musicians Friend currently has two (2) for $50. You could use the Cads on mic stands to record the students to one audio track and perhaps use a wireless lav on the instructor on the second audio track. The Audio Technica Pro88 series is usable as long as the receiver is close to the transmitter

Peace,

Bob
____________________________________________________________________
Filmmaking is the art of the invisible;
If anyone notices your work you haven’t done your job right.