Zoom H6essential User manual

© 2024 ZOOM CORPORATION
Copying or reprinting this manual in part or in whole without permission is prohibited.
You might need this manual in the future. Always keep it in a place where you can access it easily.
The contents of this manual and the specifications of the product could be changed without notice.
Proper display is not possible on grayscale devices.
Quick Tour
zoomcorp.com/help/h6essential
You must read the Usage and Safety Precautions before use.
Software and documents related to this product can be found at the following
website.

2
Attaching the XY mic capsule (XYH-6e)
■Removing the cover from the mic capsule connector
Press and
hold up.
Slide toward front
and remove.
■Attaching the XY mic capsule (XYH-6e)
Attach by sliding until a
clicking sound is made.

3
Inserting microSD cards
Supported recording media:
microSDHC: 4 GB – 32 GB
microSDXC: 64 GB – 1 TB
We recommend using microSD cards that have been
conrmed to operate with this product.
See the ZOOM
website (zoomcorp.com) for information about
microSD cards that have been conrmed to work with
this unit.
• Always turn the power off before inserting or removing a microSD card.
• To remove a microSD card, push it further into the slot and then pull it out.
Turning the power on
Alkaline,
nickel-metal hydride
or lithium batteries
Open while pressing up.
Power can also be supplied through the USB (Type-C) port by connecting a commercially-available portable battery
or a dedicated AC adapter (AD-17).

4
Making settings when rst turned on
Use (select) and (conrm/execute) according to the screen.
Accessibility setting
A function that can enable audio guidance and
beep sounds is included to assist use by people
with vision impairments.
Language setting
Press to return to the previous screen.

5
Date format setting
The year, month and day will be used in
recording le names in the order set here.
Date and time settings
Select a setting item and
conrm.
After setting all the items, select
“OK” to complete setting the date
and time.
Change the value and
conrm.

6
Battery type setting
We recommend running SD card tests on microSD cards after purchasing them new or using them
with a different device.

7
After settings are complete, the Home Screen will open.
■Home Screen overview
Status icon
Remaining
battery
charge
Counter
(elapsed recording time / available recording time)
Menu bar ( FILE LIST / INPUT / OUTPUT / REC / SD CARD / USB / SYSTEM )
Waveform
display
(MIC, INPUT 1-4)
Preparing to record with the XY mic
■Enabling tracks
The indicator will light red, showing it is
ready to record.

8
■Connecting headphones and adjusting the volume
Headphones
■Reducing noise from wind and vocal pops
can be pressed to return quickly to the Home Screen (from most screens).

9
■Tip to improve recording sound quality
If the H6essential is placed directly on a table, reected sound can interfere with recording and
reduce clarity. We recommend using a tripod, for example, to distance it from the table. Placing a
handkerchief, for example, can also be effective in reducing sound reected from a table.

10
Preparing to record with inputs 1–4
■Connecting dynamic/condenser mics
Condenser mic
XLR plug
Dynamic mic
Turn on phantom power for inputs that have con-
denser mics connected.
When disconnecting an XLR plug, pull it while pushing on the connector.

11
■Connecting wireless mics
If the receiver output jack is stereo mini, use an adapter for XLR conversion.
XLR plug
Receiver
■Connecting mixers and other line-level equipment
Use a cable or adapter so that a TRS plug is used to connect to the H6essential.
TRS plugTRS plug
Keyboard PA mixer
When stereo-linked, tracks are recorded as a
stereo le with the odd-numbered track on L
and the even-numbered track on R.

12
■Adjusting the monitoring mix
Select a track and conrm.
Adjust the monitoring balance and conrm.
Press to return to the Home Screen.

13
Recording
This ends recording.The indicator will light red and
recording will start.
Slide toward HOLD when recording to prevent misoperation.
■Using the Recording Screen
MARK This adds a marker for cueing
during playback.
OUTPUT Use this to set the line output
level.
TRASH This stops recording and moves
the le to the trash.

14
Playing recordings
This starts playback.
■Using the Playback Screen
FILE LIST
This opens the FILE LIST Screen.
AB REPEAT
Use this for repeat playback of
a specied range (A–B).
OUTPUT
Use this to set the line output
level.
Use this also to normalize the
audio and set the playback
speed.
EXPORT Use this to convert and export
les.
TRASH This moves the le to the Trash.

15
Accessing online help (2D code)
Select Help from the SYSTEM menu to show a 2D code.
Scan it with a smartphone to access detailed documents about the product.
zoomcorp.com/help/h6essential

16
①Mic capsule (XY mic)
This stereo mic has two crossing
directional mics. This mic can record
three-dimensional sound with natural
depth and width.
②Track buttons/Status indicator
Press a track button, lighting its status
indicator red, to enable that track for
recording.
③Speaker
Sound is output here during le playback.
④MIXER button
This opens the Mixer Screen.
⑤Transport buttons
STOP button: This stops recording or
playback.
PLAY/PAUSE button: This starts/pauses
playback of recorded les.
REC button/Indicator: This starts record-
ing. The indicator lights during recording.
REW button: This skips to the previ-
ous le. Press and hold this to search
backward.
FF button: This skips to the next le.
Press and hold to search forward.
⑥Display
This shows various types of information.
■Top
Functions of parts

17
■Left side
①INPUT 1, INPUT 3 jacks
Connect mics and instruments to these.
These support XLR and 1/4-inch phone
(TRS) plugs.
②VOLUME dial
Use this to adjust the volume output
from the speaker and headphones.
③Headphone jack
This can output sound to headphones.
④USB port (Type-C)
Connect this to a computer, smartphone
or tablet to use le transfer and audio
interface functions.
This supports operation on USB bus
power.
Use a USB cable that supports data
transfer.
⑤LINE OUT jack
This outputs sound to a connected
device.
■Right side
①microSD card slot
Insert a microSD card here.
②Select dial
Use this to select menu items.
③ENTER button
Press this to conrm menu items.
④INPUT 2, INPUT 4 jacks
Connect mics and instruments to these.
These support XLR and 1/4-inch phone
(TRS) plugs.

18
■Front end ①POWER/HOLD switch
Use this to turn the power on/off and to
disable button operation.
②REMOTE connector
Connect a ZOOM BTA-1 or other dedi-
cated adapter here.
This enables use of the H6essential Con-
trol smartphone/tablet app to operate the
H6essential wirelessly.
■Bottom ①Tripod mounting threads
Use these when connecting a tripod.
②Battery cover
Open this when installing and removing
AA batteries.

Z2I-5084-01
ZOOM CORPORATION
4-4-3 Kanda-surugadai, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101-0062 Japan
zoomcorp.com
Product names, registered trademarks and company names in this document are the property of their respective companies.
The microSDXC logo is a trademark of SD-3C LLC.
USB Type-C is a trademark of the USB Implementers Forum.
All trademarks and registered trademarks in this document are for identification purposes only and are not intended to infringe
on the copyrights of their respective owners.
Recording from copyrighted sources, including CDs, records, tapes, live performances, video works and broadcasts, without per-
mission of the copyright holder for any purpose other than personal use is prohibited by law. ZOOM CORPORATION will not
assume any responsibility related to infringements of copyrights.
The illustrations and display screens in this document could differ from the actual product.
Troubleshooting
Sound is not output or the volume is very low
→Check the headphone and LINE OUT connec-
tions.
→Conrm that the headphone volume and line
output level are not too low.
→Check the orientation of the mic or the volume
settings of the connected equipment.
→Check the mixer settings.
Monitored sound is distorted
→Use to adjust the volume.
“MIC INPUT OVERLOAD!” or “INPUT 1 (2/3/4)
OVERLOAD!” appears
→The input sound is too loud. Increase the distance
between the mic and the sound source.
→Wind can also cause loud noises to be input. We
recommend using the Lo Cut setting to reduce
noise if air is blown directly at a mic, for example,
when recording outdoors or when a mic is near
the mouth of a speaker.
Recording is not possible
→Conrm that the microSD card has open space.
→Conrm that a microSD card is loaded properly
in the card slot.
The recorded sound breaks up
→Test the microSD card.
See the Operation Manual for details.
→Use the H6essential to format the microSD card.
→We recommend using microSD cards that have
been conrmed to operate with this product.
See the ZOOM website (zoomcorp.com) for
information about microSD cards that have been
conrmed to work with this unit.
Not recognized by computer when connected
→Use a USB cable that supports data transfer.
Date and time are reset frequently
→If power is not supplied by an AC adapter or
batteries for a long time, date and time settings
will be reset.
If the Set Date/Time Screen appears during start-
up, set them again.
Operation is not possible
→Conrm that is not set to HOLD.