Designed to provide big Hollywood sound on an affordable indie budget, the Zoom F4 is a 6-input / 8-track professional field recorder featuring super-low-noise preamps and timecode with pinpoint accuracy. The unit provides recording and playback resolutions up to 24-bit/192 kHz with impressive audio specs including an extremely low noise floor (-127 dBu EIN) and high gain (up to +75 dB), with +4 dB line-level inputs. The on-board temperature-compensated crystal oscillator (TCXO) generates timecode at 0.2 ppm accuracy and supports all standard drop-frame and non-drop formats, as well as jam sync for external devices.

The advanced on-board limiters provide overload protection for all inputs and outputs, which lets you capture audio in a wide range of environments. Limiting can be applied simultaneously at full resolution with 10 dB of headroom and features controls for setting threshold, attack, and release.

The F4 offers four combo XLR-1/4" inputs, a 1/8" stereo input, and includes a Zoom mic-capsule input for recording six discrete tracks with an additional stereo mix, all at full 24-bit/192 kHz resolution. With gain linking capability between the various inputs, the F4 is suitable for recording audio in VR formats, specifically Ambisonics. Plug in a mic like the Sennheiser AMBEO, for example, and you'll find you can control all four capsules at once from the F4, and thus, capture the 360° audio necessary for immersive entertainment.

Additionally, inputs 5/6 can function as a camera return for audio-monitoring only for confidence checks, or can accept two additional mic/line signals via the EXH-6 combo input capsule (available separately). The dual-SD card slot features simultaneous recording to both cards allowing you to make a backup or split recording with all eight tracks on one card and a stereo mix on the other.

Each of the four XLR-1/4" inputs offers a dedicated preamp with gain control, phantom power, a six-segment LED level meter, plus a Record Ready and PFL switch. In addition to the 1/4" headphone output with a dedicated volume control, the F4 provides two main balanced XLR outputs, as well as two sub outs on a single unbalanced 1/8" stereo mini-jack, enabling easy connection to a camera. All timecode I/O is provided on BNC connectors and the unit includes a variable-frequency slate-tone generator to confirm levels.

The front panel offers an output button, which provides quick access to the unit's outputs, while the option button offers quick access to TC Jam, Trim Link, Clear Clip and other important shortcuts. An easy-to-read 1.9" LCD display is suitable for use in all lighting environments including dark low-light sets to bright sunlight. The on-board mixer not only provides user-adjustable level, pan, and input/output delay, but also offers high-pass filtering for noise and wind reduction, phase inversion, and Mid-Side decoding. The F4 ships with a camera-mount adapter, a DHC-1 DC-HIROSE adapter, an AC power adapter, and download codes for Cubase LE and Wavelab LE.

Portable Recorder

Number of Tracks     WAV: 8 (6 Inputs + Stereo Mix)
MP3: 2
Max Sample Rate/Resolution     192 kHz / 24-Bit
Built-In Speaker     No
Display     Monochrome LCD
Memory Card Support     SD (16 MB to 2 GB)
SDHC (4 to 32 GB)
SDXC (64 to 512 GB)

Recording

Audio File Formats     BWF, ID3v1, MP3, WAV, iXML
Sample Rates     WAV: 44.1 / 47.952 / 48 / 48.048 / 88.2 / 96 / 192 kHz
MP3: 44.1 / 48 kHz
Bit Rates     128 to 320 kb/s
Timecode     Yes
Frame Rates Supported     23.976 / 24 / 25 / 29.97 / 29.97 DF / 30 / 30 DF
Clock Accuracy     ±0.2 ppm
Recording Time     WAV 48 kHz/24-Bit:
57.8 Mins per GB (Stereo)
WAV 192 kHz/24-Bit:
14.4 Mins per GB (Stereo)

Connectivity

Analog I/O     1 x Proprietary Mic Capsule Input
4 x Combo XLR / 1/4" Input
1 x 1/8" / 3.5 mm TRS Input
2 x XLR 3-Pin Balanced Output
1 x 1/8" / 3.5 mm Aux Output
1 x 1/4" TRS Unbalanced Output
Digital I/O     1 x BNC Timecode Input
1 x BNC Timecode Output
Phantom Power     +24 / 48 V
Phantom Power Current     ≤10 mA per Channel
Host Connection     1 x Micro-USB (USB 2.0)

Performance

Frequency Response     10 Hz to 80 kHz +0.5/-1 dB (at 192 kHz)
Gain Range     Mic Inputs: +10 to +75 dB
Line Inputs: -10 to +55 dB
1/8" Inputs: -10 dBV / +4 dBu
Max Input Level     Mic Inputs: +14 dBu (Limiter On, at 0 dBFS)
Line Inputs: +24 dBu (Limiter On, at 0 dBFS)
1/8" Inputs: +24 dBu
Max Output Level     +10 dBV
Headphone Output Power     100 mW per Channel into 32 Ohms
Dynamic Range     A/D Converters: 120 dBA
D/A Converters: 106 dBA
Impedance     BNC Inputs: 4.3 kOhms
BNC Outputs: ≤50 Ohms
Mic Inputs: 3 kOhms
Line Inputs: 22 kOhms
Inputs: ≥10 kOhms
Outputs: ≤150 Ohms
Aux Outputs: ≤1 kOhms
Headphone Outputs: ≤15 Ohms
THD     Mic Inputs: <0.009%
Line Inputs: <0.01%
EIN     ≤-127 dBu (A-Weighted)
Power
Power Options     Batteries, AC/DC Power Adapter
Battery Type     8 x AA
Approximate Battery Life     48 kHz/16-Bit:
9.5 Hours (Alkaline, 2 Channels, without Headphones)
11.5 Hours (NiMH, 2 Channels, without Headphones)
17.5 Hour