Zoom Mic Capsule Overview

Hi everyone, this is John from Zoom, and I’m here to show you Zoom’s line of interchangeable microphone capsules. Swap capsules as easily as changing the lens on your camera, allowing you to record in virtually every environment.

The X/Y miking technique is optimal when you want to cover a wide area and still capture sound sources in the center with clarity and definition, making it great for all types of live stereo recording. The Zoom H5 package includes the XYH-5 and the H6 package includes the XYH-6. Both feature two matched high-quality cardioid unidirectional microphones. This kind of microphone is most sensitive to signal coming from directly in front, and less sensitive to signal coming from behind or from the sides.

Playing back stereo X/Y tracks in mono results in a fuller sound than you would get with one microphone, but if mono compatibility is critical (for example, in television production), the Mid-Side (MS) mic technique can be a better choice.

Mid-Side recording is an incredible technique that allows you to adjust the width of the stereo image after it has been recorded. Although the MSH-6 MS capsule appears to be just one microphone, it actually contains two mic elements, positioned directly on top of one another. One of the microphones inside the MSH-6 is unidirectional, while the other is bi-directional.
The basic concept behind MS recording is that the Mid microphone picks up signal coming from the center, while the Side microphone creates ambience and directionality by adding or subtracting information from either side. The Mid-Side technique works well whenever you need a variable amount of room sound.

Zoom also offers two shotgun microphone capsules: the SGH-6 and the SSH-6. A “shotgun” is a long, cylindrical microphone which excels at picking up sounds in front of it while rejecting sounds to the sides and rear. Shotgun microphones are often used when you can not position a microphone directly in front of a sound source. For example, if someone is speaking in front of a video camera and you don’t want them to hold a microphone, the solution is to use an off-screen shotgun mic.

Shotgun mics have a narrower focus than the average microphone. Even though they do an above-average job of picking up sounds that originate from a short distance away, they always sound better when they’re physically close to the sound source. That’s why whenever you use a shotgun mic, you should always strive to get as close as possible to the sound source, which often means hovering right at the edge of the frame of a shot.

The SGH-6 is a mono shotgun microphone and the SSH-6 is a stereo shotgun microphone. The SSH-6 uses a Mid-Side recording technique, so you can choose to mix in ambient sound from the sides, or disable the side mic to record in mono.

If you just need more inputs, simply plug in the EXH-6 capsule which features two XLR ¼” combo inputs. It allows you to connect two additional discrete channels for external microphones, instruments, mixers or portable music players.

[clicks]

The H6 is a superb recorder. I am amazed by how much they were able to cram in this little beast. It would be great if they built Bluetooth into them and make them controllable with an iPad. The colored display is nice but it’s very small. Fortunately, the buttons for each channel are illuminated and when armed to record, will flicker if the channel is clipping. I have owned my for just a few months so I am still learning how to fully utilize its features. So far, it has worked flawlessly and the recordings I have made with it are very good. Nice job, Zoom.

[Aaooee]

Will Zoom ever release a device that allows capsules to be used as XLR/TRS inputs so multiple capsules can be connected to one recorder device? That would be very helpful since I have many capsules but can only use one per recorder. There is a market for this: A capsule mic to line adapter.

[martinb.]

I got some questions: What is the difference between the H5 and H6's XY capsules, apart from the selectable angle of the XYH-6 and the rubber decoupling of the -5?
And concerning the shotguns: Is the mono versions capsule/result identical to the stereo/MS-versions center capsule?
For last: What is the typical distance to use them?

[mania]

@ZoomSoundLab Thanks for useful info, Three questions please: 1. which microphone capsule is used for Zoom H4 Pro?
2. And which of the capsules are best for recording educational youtube videos?
3. which device is giving best sound quality for recording educational youtube video, Zoom H4 Pro or Zoom H8 if only using the built in microphone capsules? Much appreciated if you could help.

[prabhuja]

No other video said so damn clear wats all these for...Thankyou Zoom for the creators

[TheRangeControl]

What is "capsule 2.0" When are the capsules arriving for X8???

[prabhuja]

So for a Casual Karaoke 🎤 music performance recording what should I use...i can get only 6 feet in front of performers ...not near than that distance....XY or SSH 6, Mid Side mic???please guide

[JesusPiano]

Hi, Im desperately searching the web for REAL specs on the capsules on the H6 XY but I cant find anywhere if this are condensed microphones and neither I seem to find specs on their frequency range from to. Please could you answer this. Also, since you are at it, please indicate the size of its diafragma. Thanks :)

[Marcus_R]

Will there be a difference in overall audio quality when recording with these on the h6 vs. The f1?

And Do these interchangeable capsules have integrated preamts or will they use the preamp of the particular recorder?

[GrotrianSeiler]

Excellent demo. So many options...maybe too many.

[Bilalizaddin]

Nice, I just purchased the h5 and it is amazing I will use it for my YouTube channel

[wvuncommonplace]

So what module should be for a two person podcast ? I’m looking for something where I don’t have to add mics at all

[prabhuja]

If i have latest 90-120 xy ...do i need old model xy with shock mount??

[VossWaterKim]

I hate how they don't explain things enough on their website. XYH-6 comes with the H-6 which is the model above the H-5. So why does the XYH-5 that comes with the lower model advertise as "LOUDER BETTER CLEARER" I dont understand. Seriously they are the most confusing site I have ever tried to buy from. No comparison feature for mics and I STILL after 3 hours don't understand what they changed with the Pre-2020 H6 and the 2020 Version.

[mikeexits]

Is the mid-side (not the shotgun mid-side, the round-shaped mic capsule) recording technique's output comparable to that of an AB stereo mic configuration? I just learned about the wider stereo field of AB mics and I was wondering if I could achieve the same on the H6.

[saptarshisarkar]

Can the EXH - 6 capsule be used with the Zoom F8n in order to record two additional XLR inputs on top of utilizing the 8 XLR inputs, since it is a 10 track recorder . . . ?

[alzombie]

Can you use the EXH-8 4 XLR H8 expansion capsual with the zoom H6?

[osuperjames]

The XYH-5 can be rotate and give a 120° sound or it's just to 90º?

[grahamhembrough]

Hi. Can you connect Zoom Mic Capsules to the Zoom F6 recorder?