Editor’s Note: This guest post by one of our student managers, Matthew Gizzi, relates the fun he’s had experimenting and working with audio recording. He uses the Zoom H2, which is available for checkout at the Music Library, to record demos for later use in his studio projects. Read on to learn more about the ways to use the Zoom H2.

For the better part of a year, the music library has had a small collection of H2 Zoom recorders, which are available for purposes ranging from recording private lessons to large concerts to more studio oriented recording and demoing.  Personally I’ve used them and relied on them heavily to aid my songwriting process.  They are incredibly versatile and I’d definitely recommend taking them out for a little while just to experiment with.

Originally, adding them to the library collection was a move to bring the music library into modern times.  Before the H2, we had a collection of boom boxes and tape recorders that add some recording capacity, though the quality and practicality left much to be desired.  Now though, the recorders come in a carrying case that is less than half the size of the tape recorders and still carry enough tools to help out with most jobs you’ll encounter.

The H2 is handy for recording your singer-songwriter demos! The stand is included with accessories for the H2.

As a musician and songwriter, I’ve noticed a number of ways the recorders have helped me.  First, I’ve learned a lot more about the instruments I play and how it is they produce sound.  Using the H2 as a 3^rd ear of sorts that I can place anywhere in the room, I’ve learned how my acoustic guitar, for example, sounds from different angles.  I’ve learned how to focus the microphone to get the fullest range from Booker’s pianos, and I’ve learned how to mike an amp to get the best tone for both clean and overdriven sounds.  Through experimenting with a recorder I can use for free, I’ve learned a lot that has certainly come in handy now that my studio has grown to include more professional equipment.

This is the Zoom H2, front display with buttons, and the inputs and other controls on the sides.

Also handy was the fact that I could really break into multi-instrument songwriting.  Once I had one track already recorded, I could easily play over that to come up with whatever harmonies, solos, extra instruments, or choruses I thought I liked.  As a result, my music began to become much more epic and larger in scope, something that I have certainly enjoyed playing around with.  The recorder comes with a built in metronome with count in, so you will have a good reference point to make sure all your tracks line up.

Need to recording acoustic piano in a practice room? Try the Zoom H2!
Rights to photo belong to kevinselby.com.

The last thing I’ll mention about the H2 is that is has a lot of flexibility.  It is great at recording acoustic guitar, but you can also widen the recording area to capture a full band rehearsal, or record a music lesson so you can always return to some good advice.  It is unlikely that you will check it out and find it cannot do what you want it to.  So I’d say: challenge yourself.  Check out the H2 recorder and record that demo for use in your portfolio, write a multi-track song or grab some friends and cover a great tune.  You have quite a few options when it comes to the music library’s Zoom.