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Initial Thoughts Redhead windscreens is a small company that saw a need for something and went ahead and created it. The growing popularity of small digital recorders such as the Zoom H4N means there is likely to be a growing market for companies like Redhead and their products such as the H4N Custom Windscreen I have owned an H4N since they first came out and its one of my main pieces of equipment. I use it weekly and its 4 track capability means I can record on the two external input channels as well as use its built in stereo mics simultaneously. I have adopted this as my standard practice on most location recording trips as the H4N's own mics are quite good. They do however, like most mics, need to be shielded against wind when used outdoors. Up until recently I have been using a standard sized fluffy cover designed for use on several sizes of mic, so the cover is much too big for the H4N and sags over the display area, can fall off easily, and generally just isn't built for the purpose I am using it for. Along comes the RedHead to save the day! Sent to me by a fellow sound designer the web page for the RedHead is simply and straight forward. It has a few pictures, some information and a link on how to order. You can even choose from a range of colors. Initially I thought of grabbing a couple as they are priced fairly reasonably, but I thought I'd test one out first and then if it works as expected I can order another one. It also just happened to be the perfect thing to ask my wife to buy me for my birthday. She ordered it online and it arrived in Australia from the makers in Hawaii in about 3-4 days which was awesome service. I of course ordered the bright red one, so now my H4N looks like its disguised as Elmo from Seasame st. Initially I didn't think it was working very well as I went straight up to the roof of the studio and tested it out. I got a bit of wind noise coming through and was a bit disappointing, but then when I changed back to the cover I have been using for the last 6 months I still got wind noise. Maybe being ten floors up in Melbourne was a bit of an unfair test. After a few more standard tests it seems to work about as well as the cover I have been using previously. I have only had it now for a few days so I can not be certain, but it looks like it will do its job as required. From a practical purpose it is much better than the non custom one I have been using. It is much smaller and so packs away more easily. It has an elastic base that helps it attach to the H4N securely and it doesn't obscure the display at all. In fact I am pretty confident that it attaches so well I could use this in quite difficult situations without any fear of it dislodging from the recorder which is really good to know. It will take some more time to really get a feel for it, but so far I think it was money well spent.  Later Observations After using the Redhead windscreen for a while now it is pretty much a permanent fixture on my H4N. I have started the carry the H4N around as my regular emergency recorder instead of the R09 because even though its bigger it is a far better unit. As such the Redhead travels with me most days as well. It is obviously not going to be as effective as a full blimp cage and fluffy, but it is easily as good as any of the other single layer screens I have tried. Verdict Good Fits Well on the H4N Good range of colours Reasonably priced Bad Nothing so far Price US $39 Website http://www.redheadwindscreens.com/ Comments are closed.
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