Zoom M-series Sound Recorders (1 Viewer)

[3dpan]

Is anyone thinking of adding one of these to their collection?
The part that appeals to me is their 32-bit recording, having just tried to record a thunderstorm with a standard Zoom H recorder, and being blown out by an unexpected overhead thunderclap.
Yeah I know that's not strictly bird song, but it would be nice to be able to think laterally.

 

[Jon.Bryant]

The M2, M3 and M4 are all 32bit float recorders with integral mics. However, I am not convinced that the integral mics are the best for bird sounds and the fact they are built-in mics means a lack of flexibility. Looking at the specs for the mics, the sensitivity of the built-in ones for the M2 and M4 appear quite low, so not great at picking up faint or distant sound. The M4 has two additional XLR, but if I was looking at a recorder for XLR mics, I would personally opt for the Zoom F3 which is cheaper.

The M3 has a Mid-Side mic - a super cardiodal and a figure of 8. This could be better for isolating bird sounds, but unfortunately in the spec section and user manual I couldn’t see any details regarding the mics apart from max SPL. I would like to see if the sensitivity is reasonable and that the super cardiodal has good directional performance. The suspension system is also designed for a hot shoe, so you would need to invest in a suitable pistol grip if you are not going to mount it on a camera.

The side mic of the M3 has a max SPL of 119dB, which is loud but not not super-loud. In theory you could therefore still get a distorted recording is you place the mic close to a loud source - firecrackers are apparently circa 135dB, so goodness knows what a thunder crack could be if close enough.

 

[Joop99]

Is anyone thinking of adding one of these to their collection?
The part that appeals to me is their 32-bit recording, having just tried to record a thunderstorm with a standard Zoom H recorder, and being blown out by an unexpected overhead thunderclap.
Yeah I know that's not strictly bird song, but it would be nice to be able to think laterally.

With thunderstorms you will have rain, so noise is masked. Recording level can be set at -20dB or even lower. After the "bang" you will have pressure from the air which can be even "louder" than your "bang". You don't hear anything, but your levelmeters go to the right corner. If you have a thunderstorm without rain then don't switch on recorder and hide inside if possible. This thunderstorm is a dry thunderstorm which can strike at ANY point on earth. If it rains all levels are equalized and the thunderstorm sees one big broccoli without a hotspot for a strike.

 

[Jon.Bryant]

With thunderstorms you will have rain, so noise is masked. Recording level can be set at -20dB or even lower.

Yes agreed.

I was just trying to say that if the noise is excessively loud and above the maximum sound pressure level (SPL) of the mic, I understand that you will get mic distortion regardless of recording level. I say 'understand', as I have read this is the case, but never tried to record anything loud enough to be a problem. A lot of mics have a max SPL circa 130-135dB, but the side mic on the M3 is 119dB, so a fair bit lower. Extremely unlikely I know, but if you were to set up in close proximity to a White Bellbird calling at 125dB, you would get mic distortion regardless of the fact that the M3 is a 32bit float recorder. I don't know how loud a thunder clap can be, but I agree with your warning. I would not want to be anywhere near, if I was getting 119dB at the mic!

 

[Joop99]

I have made once a recording of a thunderstorm. The mic was on axis with the thunder. The recorded thunder clap was calculated at 128dB, only 2dB away of maximum spl microphone. I played back the recorded sound after recording, after the clap it was silence but the woofers came out of the box and the VU-meters where on the utmost right corner of the scale. Happily nothing broke, I still use the mic.