ZOOM H2 usb mic issues

I'm having a very similar problem with the H4. I just posted about it.

My problem with the using it as a USB mic is that high pitch frequencies create a distortion, a low rumbly distortion. It's not to do with levels or anything, and it's the exact same distortion in GB and in Quicktime as well.

My housemate also has a new Mac, and again the exact same distortion.

However my friend has an older mac and doesn't experience this distortion at all. It works fine.

So I think it's some issue with the newest Macbook Pros .. at least in my case.

Help us!

I'm having the same problems with my Zoom H2. Actually, it works well as a USB mic for about eight minutes, then it just sends static into the notebook. The static crops up in GarageBand and Skype.

I tried removing the batteries, switching the sampling rate, and installing the new firmware. Nothing worked.

Called Zoom today and they said they don't have the problem with their Macs. They told me to exchange the unit for another one and see if the problem persists.

The Zoom tech did mention that people have similar problems with PC USB ports that are underpowered. Similar, but not the same.

I have a Santa Rosa MBP, if that helps anything.

I'm going to exchange this recorder for a new one and hopefully that'll fix things.

I'll post here if it does.

Good luck.

P.S. I've also read of static problems with the Zoom USB mic. Perhaps a QC issue with Zoom? Or some strange incompatibility with certain Macs?

I was having the same problems with my Zoom H2 and a MacBook Pro as described above i.e. it works OK for a few minutes and then audio quality dramatically drops and static appears. I have found that plugging in the H2 via a powered USB hub rather than directly into the MacBook Pro solves the problem.

I'm guessing that the H2 is on the borderline of the USB specs for power consumption or is drawing more power than it has negotiated with the host. Interestingly, I can plug straight into my aluminium iMac with no problems.

I haven't investigated further to find what is at fault and whether it is a one-off or a general problem. Having to use a powered hub is not too much bother for me - when I want to be truly portable I will record to the H2's SD card in stand-alone mode anyway.

Hope this clarifies things a bit.

Robin

Hey guys,

I'm have the same issues above with my Zoom H2 and Garage Band with a Macbook Pro when using it via USB. Sometimes it works fine and sometimes it gets really static-y and distorted - even on the lowest setting. I find restarting garageband a couple of times fixes the issues for a good while.

Will try the separate powered USB hub in the future if I keep using the H2 like this.

hi all -

i tried to update my h2 system software recently and it looks likes ive missed alot of updates. im on 1.20 and 1.80 isnt recognized by the zoom.

any tips on where to get these updates, or workarounds? thanks in advance.

Hi Guys! I'd just like to say it's fantastic i've finally found a solution. I took my mic back to the store and showed the sales guy my problem. I never thought of putting it through a powered USB hub. that worked!

I'll also say that I called ZOOM and spoke with a person there and they told me they had had not heard of any problems. I knew there had to be others out there!

Hello,

Did you try this with a SD-HC card ? Because, upgrade work only with classic SD cards : put SYSTEM.BIN (if i remember) on the root of the SD-card, turn on your H2 while pressing PLAY/PAUSE button and it should work !

I just tried using my H2 on my unibody Macbook and no rumble or distortion. You guys should contact Samson, they're usually pretty fast at issuing firmware updates.

Thanks for reminding me that this functionality existed. Not having any difficulty recording with my Zoom H2 (Firmware v1.5) going into my MacBook.