Zoom H4N support in Reaper

cootcraig · 03-08-2009, 01:22 PM

I did a search for Zoom H4N and found no posts. I just purchased a Zoom H4N and will consider purchasing Reaper as my recording software. Feature I'm looking for include:

1) Essentially full control from Reaper over the USB connection.
2) Record to either memory on the Zoom H4n or over the USB cable to the pc hard drive.
3) Select any combination of the 4 recording channels.
4) Control of the digital pre-amp levels.

Any information on support for these features?
General comments on compatibility?
Any reviews of the Zoom H4N?

Thanks.

Fran Guidry · 03-10-2009, 05:21 PM

Quote:

I did a search for Zoom H4N and found no posts. I just purchased a Zoom H4N and will consider purchasing Reaper as my recording software. Feature I'm looking for include:

1) Essentially full control from Reaper over the USB connection.

From my use and reading of the manual, there is no control applied by the DAW software to the H4n - you control the H4n using its own physical interface.

Quote:

2) Record to either memory on the Zoom H4n or over the USB cable to the pc hard drive.

That part is easy. If you're not connected both physically and logically, you record to the memory card. If you activate the logical connection you send the bits over the USB, and hopefully have an app on the other end to collect them.

Quote:

3) Select any combination of the 4 recording channels.
4) Control of the digital pre-amp levels.

Sorry, those features do not appear to part of the USB interface. You can select either the internal or external pair, but I don't see any option to mix or match, and the input is two channel, not four channel.

And there's no communication from the DAW back to the H4n, so no control from the DAW. You have to set levels and options on the H4n.

Quote:

Any information on support for these features?

Yep. No support for these features. But I don't think you'll find such support in any software, the H4n just isn't designed to work that way.

Quote:

General comments on compatibility?

I fired up Reaper 2.54 and selected the DirectSound interface in WinXp, selected the H4 Audio device, armed a track, and I was recording.

Quote:

Any reviews of the Zoom H4N?

I have an H4n and did a blog post about it.

http://www.homebrewedmusic.com/2009/...-the-zoom-h4n/

This post compares the H4n to the H2, the Fostex FR2-LE, and to my studio rig.

Fran

carlier74 · 04-06-2009, 03:26 PM

You need to download the Zoom H series ASIO driver and follow the instructions in attached .txt file in order for the Zoom H4n to work without latency. It does work in Reaper; it's like having any other sound card.

http://www.zoom.co.jp/english/download/software/h4n.php

I was disappointed to find out you can't use two sound cards in Reaper simultaneously (using the Zoom to record in, and my M-audio to play out) like you can in Audacity.

Also, I just found out that using a USB extension cable creates an incredible amount of latency. Having always used PCI soundcards, I was unaware of this.

edit: there's another H4 thread about latency on this site. i'm having problems getting a low enough output latency with the Zoom, in Reaper and in Cubase. 13ms is the lowest, and sometimes it sounds slower or faster. Strange.

caotico · 06-22-2009, 03:07 PM

Yeah, other posters here are right, as far as I know. I have the H4n. It's Zoom (Samson) that hasn't given you the options to control the device from software. No other DAW is going to do that. I think you control levels from the device.

not to hijack, but since it came up, how long was your extension carlier? I was just looking at getting one, but the 16ft extension cables say they don't work with devices that require high power levels, and I wondered if the Zoom fits in that category.

from OP "General comments on compatibility?"

Yes, cootcraig. I plugged this in recently and was really pleased at how easy it was to get up and running with reaper. It was plug and play/record for me. I was on an older laptop. I've only tested it once, so I'll update if I have any issues.

kristen · 08-04-2009, 11:56 AM

I recently picked up a 4hn.
when i connected up as shown in book, the computer recognized it as a source and recorded a little stereo track with the mike (just me talking) in power tracks.
when I opened reaper and tried this, I was expecting reaper to see this as an audio interface, but it didn't. I cried for a while.
I figure i must have done something wrong because reaper is pure perfection... so if it didn't work it must be something wrong with ...... me!
I will try it again later.

(by the way i had no trouble transferring to computer a few test wav files i made and played them in reaper... awesum sounding thunderbolts!. i think when i finally get my reaper-zoom h4n connection working right, it will be a super usb mike.

Super Kristen

caotico · 08-04-2009, 12:18 PM

Kristen,
I just tested this out again on a different computer. I have a motu, so I don't use the H4n as my go to audio interface (but I like the option for portability). I plugged it in and connected as a recording interface. XP automatically loads H4 drivers for a usb audio interface. When I go to reaper, I can select inputs from the H4 (but I have to change the device settings in reaper).

You can download the asio driver here:
http://www.zoom.co.jp/english/download/software/h4n.php

kristen · 08-04-2009, 12:21 PM

I forgot to mention that when playing back a few random wav files made with the h4n, the random "markers" i made while recording with the zoom actually showed up in reaper as very light cute little purple dotted lines. there was no real marker made by reaper, but you can clearly see the lines made by the zoom. this was a pleaseant surprise.

Super Kristen

kristen · 08-04-2009, 07:56 PM

I am still not having any luck. I downloaded the new driver and istalled it. In preferences I can select the "h4" but it never shows up as a recording choice. in fact, since i started doing this it doesn't even see my audigy sound card anymore and i can't record at all. To make matters worse, after i close reaper i get one of those messages to "send the error" over the internet, probably because something isn't right. But still, in power Tracks, I set my drivers to both the audigy card and the zoom , and it sees both.

Help!

Super Kristen

airon · 08-05-2009, 03:24 AM

Try the Directsound or the WaveOut drivers in Preferences/Audio/Device .

Those usually work well and let you specify an input driver different from the output driver as well.

carlier74 · 08-05-2009, 03:57 AM

Hi Kirsten,

I would try reinstalling Reaper. It's a very quick install anyway.

I assume the H4 is connected as audio card and on when you're trying to find it?

You should be able to select ASIO and then, if the device is on, the in and output channels should be visible.

kristen · 08-12-2009, 09:57 AM

Has anyone had any luck copying files from the computer to the zoom? (i had no problem from the zoom to the computer), ..... it copies over but it doesn't play on the zoom. is there a special format? (I used 44.1k 16 bit mono- to be used as a single track in multitrack mode.
Having a hard time finding help on this! Book sucks.
Thanks
K

tenorman · 05-16-2020, 02:43 PM

I'm new to both the H4N and Reaper. I've connected the H4N to my Mac via USB, and I do see that the input is recognized in the Mac OS, but I can't get a signal from the H4N to a track.
- In Reaper Preferences/Audio/Device "H4" appears as an option, and I have selected it
- I have armed a new track for recording
- When I test the mic, no signal is recognized.

What am I doing/not doing?

Thanks in advance for any help!

Judders · 05-16-2020, 03:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tenorman

I'm new to both the H4N and Reaper. I've connected the H4N to my Mac via USB, and I do see that the input is recognized in the Mac OS, but I can't get a signal from the H4N to a track.
- In Reaper Preferences/Audio/Device "H4" appears as an option, and I have selected it
- I have armed a new track for recording
- When I test the mic, no signal is recognized.

What am I doing/not doing?

Thanks in advance for any help!

Have you selected the H4n as the input for the track?

solger · 05-17-2020, 03:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tenorman

I'm new to both the H4N and Reaper. I've connected the H4N to my Mac via USB, and I do see that the input is recognized in the Mac OS, but I can't get a signal from the H4N to a track.
- In Reaper Preferences/Audio/Device "H4" appears as an option, and I have selected it
- I have armed a new track for recording
- When I test the mic, no signal is recognized.

What am I doing/not doing?

Thanks in advance for any help!

In general, make sure that Reaper is enabled in the mic privacy settings of macOS: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT209175
And, if you haven't already, maybe also double-check the H4N manual for which settings are necessary on the unit itself (for using it as an USB audio interface).

If the problem persists, check the Track input, as Judders already mentioned above:

Recording Audio: https://www.reaper.fm/videos.php#eOegtqEOv1Q
Reaper 6 Theme Introduction: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8LTBlNzmhA