Copy Audio Tracks To The Zoom H6

zoomh6The Zoom H6 is a great handy 6-track recorder. It can be used stand-alone, or as an audio interface to a Windows PC, Mac, iPad and (undocumented) Android. Recordings made on it are easily digitally transferred to a PC or Mac, to be imported into the DAW or editor of your choice – it is just a matter of hooking it up with USB and copying the tracks.

However, it is not so simple to digitally copy audio tracks into the Zoom – there is no process for this.

Why would I want to do this? Take my current project – I have a stereo backing track, recorded elsewhere, that I want to lay further tracks against. I could do this easily using Audacity on my PC or Tablet, with the Zoom H6 just as an audio interface. But the main track I am recording is going to be vocal, and I don’t want faff about with a computer or tablet while I am trying to sing. Aside from the possible fan and disk noise from the computer, I want as few distractions as possible, so I can concentrate on my vocal. For this, I would prefer to copy the backing track to the Zoom H6, then work entirely within the device, recording repeated vocal tracks until I get it right.

One easy way would be simply to record the track from speaker to microphone, or run a cable from the line-out of my computer to stereo jacks on the H6. But then I would be going from digital to analog to digital, which I don’t want to do.

So this is what you do. You play the recording on your PC, while the H6 is in record mode. Indeed, record it as it plays, but don’t worry about the quality, as we will be throwing out the recording when we have finished. The important bit is to make a recording on the H6 that is the same length or longer than the recording we are copying. Note the Zoom folder number and recording number. Then hook up the H6 as a USB device, and look for the new recording. If you have used one of the standard microphone modules (and why not, they are great), then you will end up with a file called something like ZOOM0006_LR.wav (where 0006 might be any number). You may also have a file called ZOOM0006_BU.wav, which is a backup, and also an indecipherable file called ZOOM0006.hprj.

Now simply delete both the ZOOM0006_LR.wav and ZOOM0006_BU.wav files on the Zoom. Leave the ZOOM0006.hprj where it is. Then rename the stereo file you want to transfer to the same name of your Zoom file – in this case ZOOM00006_LR.wav, and copy it to the Zoom to replace the file you have deleted. Forget about the BU file, we don’t need it.

Here is the important bit. The file you are copying MUST be a .wav file (not mp3, not .ogg), and it must be exactly the same bit-rate and sampling frequency as the Zoom recording. So if your original stereo track was 16bit 44.1Khz, that is what you should have set the Zoom to when you made the dummy recording. The other important thing is – as we have said – the Zoom recording must be as long or longer than the recording you are copying, or your copied file will be truncated. This is all because the .hprj file has a note of the bit-rate, sample frequency and length of the recording.

When you copy the file across and reboot the H6, you will find your original digital recording has taken the place of your dummy recording. It may have a little silence recorded at the end, but we can edit that out in mixing, later.

This all sounds terribly complicated, and the first time you do it it will probably take 20-30 minutes, while you work it out. But once you are used to it, it takes less than 5 minutes, plus the time it takes to make the dummy recording.

5 Comments

  1. chris
    April 6, 2020
    Reply

    A great email received from Ben Jacobs on this subject. Many thanks, Ben.
    It seems a later firmware release than I have makes this easier, although it still doesn’t give an easy “import audio” option.

    To use Ben’s own words:

    “Anyhow I did find one thing to make the process you described slightly less cumbersome: Zoom H6 firmware includes a Menu > Project > Rebuild function. Not much in the documentation about this, but it seems to look at files in the Project folder and updates the project duration accordingly. In other words, there’s no need to make a dummy recording which is “the same length or longer than the recording we are copying”. Just record a second or two, then proceed with the copy/rename process as you describe. Finally, use the Menu > Project > Rebuild function to clean up the overall project duration.”

    I didn’t have this option in my own device, until I upgraded to Firmware 2.30 (see below). I’m grateful for Ben’s advice, as I have just started playing with my Zoom again.

  2. chris
    April 6, 2020
    Reply

    So, to upgrade to the latest firmware, go to here:

    https://www.zoom-na.com/products/field-video-recording/field-recording/zoom-h6-handy-recorder-1#downloads

    Download the H6 System Software (currently 2.30) and then extract the files from the Zip file.

    There will be a .bin file there. Connect your Zoom to your computer by USB, and start it up, selecting the “SD Card Reader” option. Then copy the .bin file to the root directory of the SD card.

    Turn off your Zoom. Hold down the Play/Pause button while restarting the Zoom. You will be given the option to upgrade.

    Even if you always use your Zoom on USB power, do not try to upgrade without batteries in the Zoom, as an interuption to power during an upgrade could cause major problems.

  3. pbass
    May 31, 2020
    Reply

    Actually you don’t event need to precreate a project and can use a blank slot.
    You just have to put your audio file with a supported format and with the expected naming and path.
    FOLDER01/ZOOM0056/ZOOM0056_LR.WAV

    When you go to that project in the H6 it will say it’s broken.
    Then you rebuild it and it will create the ZOOM0056.hprj file from scratch.

    Zoom will play the tracks fine, however you may need to set recording rate correctly in the settings for recording.

    Since I use the XLR capsule instead of XY, I created two tracks ZOOM0056_L.WAV and ZOOM0056_R.WAV, however the rebuild isn’t working and only manage to rebuild a project for XY capsule.

    So it would not be possible to overdub this tracks with another capsule.

  4. July 17, 2022
    Reply

    Hi Guys a few updates related to Firmware 2.50
    Yes it’s still work by just creating the ZOOMnnnnn forler and placing it the renamed wav file then rebuilding the projecte, but alyways ensure:
    Wav bit rate is the excatly the same (use online converter to adapt if needed)
    wav stereo or mono set up is the same:
    – stereo with _LR suffix
    – mono with _L or _R or Tr1…Trn suffix
    If one of these parameter is not ok you will an error rebuild failed or worst when you read the projet with the H6 there is no level on the imported track (spend one hour fixing it)

  5. Gary
    February 5, 2024
    Reply

    Wow this worked fantastically well for me. Thank you. I can’t record vocals in the quiet house I’m currently in so I need to have a portable setup (the H6) I can take into the garage and record them there. THUMBS UP!

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