Features:

  • A perfect music sketch pad with built-in high-quality stereo condenser microphones for multi-track recording anytime, anywhere
  • Easy to operate, just like a cassette MRT, with recording preparation achievable in just two steps after turning the device on
  • SD/SDHC cards are used for recording media, allowing data to be transferred to the computer via USB
  • To ensure a simple, easy-to-use interface, no unnecessary features were included that might complicate the recording process
  • Features two analog 1/4" inputs that allow users to connect external microphones, electric-acoustic guitars, and line-level devices
  • Also features two XLR inputs with +48V Phantom Power to allow the connection of external condenser microphones
  • Designed with many onboard effects for all input channels to get the most out of your recordings
Wonderful Unit, Even If a Few Drawbacks; Great Value!

These are GREAT little units! I've owned a Tascam DP-008EX for a couple of years now, and though it'll do everything this DP-006 will do (and more), the 006 has two distinct advantages, at least in certain situations: (1) It's SMALLER and even more important (2) It has a TRIPOD MOUNT (or with a special adapter, can be attached to a mic stand. I don't know why the 008 doesn't have a mount, but it doesn't. Maybe it's because Tascam feels the additional weight of the 008 would make it more prone to damage with a tripod mount? I don't know. The internal condenser mic's are AWESOME. You might not expect a cheap lil' unit like this to give such an great ambient recording, but it will; just set your levels so it's not gonna clip and you're good to go. And wherever you place the unit, whatever your ears are hearing is EXACTLY what you're gonna hear when you play back, and that's even BEFORE you do any mixing down or Mastering. This includes the LOW registers; The specs don't say what the internal mic's frequency response is, but the output's rated at 20Hz, and I wouldn't be a bit surprised if they'll capture down to that level. If you happen to have both units like I do and want more tracks, you can just pop the SD card out of the 006, stick it in the 008, and keep going. However, there are a few negatives, imho: (1) Maybe it's just me, but I don't consider operation of either unit to be as "intuitive" as it could be. Even with the Owner's Manual, I found myself jumping around all over the place, rather than being able to go through the Manual straight from page 1 to the end. Still, once I got the hang of the unit, it's quite easy (though Importing/Exporting are quite time-consuming; they happen in real-time). (2) I realize this is a smaller unit, overall, than my Tascam DP-008EX, and there's simply not enough room for 1/4" phone AND XLR inputs. But since you can ASSIGN inputs, if you had one of each, you could record a simple instrumental/vocal song without need of an XLR adapter. (3) And a glaring omission, LINE OUT RCA PLUGS. They call the headphone mini-plug a "line out" and sure, you can still patch into a Stereo receiver using the headphone jack, without having to export the tracks. But gimme a break! A couple of RCA line outs would make more sense; there's enough room on the exterior housing to accommodate this. Since I already own a 008, I didn't even think about this; I kinda assumed this unit would have 'em too, but no dice. I have the luxury of getting home from using the DP-006 and popping the SD card into my 008 (which I happen to be doing right now). Still, you shouldn't have to spend a coupla hundred more dollars to do that; I just happen to have needs for both units, depending on the situation. The 006 is better for remote recording but if you're planning on multi-tracking, the 008EX will suit you better. All in all, I think Tascam digital recording equipment is a GREAT value. And remember, Tascam is part of the TEAC family of products; there is not a more trusted name in the recording business. They've been around since the beginning, and you can't argue with that!

Excellent 8 Track Recorder That Won't Break Your Heart

I started working with this when I bought it in late January 2017. For me, having one of these is the only way I can write and nail down a song. I still have my old school Tascam cassette tape 4 track recorder Made in the early 90's. The 4 tracks really limited me. I recorded a total of 20 songs, they came out okay, but I lost interest. For many years. Now it's a whole new world out there with DAW and computerized stuff that I did research on. It sounds like the way I probably should have gone, but my playing was rusty enough. I did not want to spend days and money learning how to record all over again, with a chance I might not like it after all. So I went with something more familiar to me. And 8 tracks to work with, I was like a kid in a candy store when I got this. Now, the figuring out how to work this recorder.....in my case, I at least had experience with a 4 track, from the same brand. BUT swallow your pride and read the operating manual. I had to. No matter what, the operation of this may seem unintuitive at first, but once you get it down it is actually quite easy to use. I have yet to finalize anything yet, and have not plugged this in my computer as of now. That's my own fault, I just don't have anything quite ready that I think is worth it yet. Now I just turn it on, run my drum machine and guitar directly to this recorder, and from this recorder I have powered speakers hooked up. So all my dabbling around is ready for recording instantly once I find the right riffs worth recording before I forget them. There are some steps you need to take to do this. That's where things could be a little simpler. Basically, you go thru the menu, create a new song, then you have a blank canvas to create with. But if you were to go thru the menu and create a new song every time you come up with a good riff, you would more than likely forget it first. So I just keep the one song going, ready to record as soon as I come up with something that is worth going back to later. To do this, I have to write down the time I stopped recording, and keep repeating these steps. Once I have about 10 minutes of ideas, then I create a new song, and start over. I just wish this process was a bit easier. The recorder once turned off, then on again resets to the beginning of your "song", so using the times I wrote down, I have to fast forward to the point I left off. If not, of course what I previously recorded is overwritten. Also of note, and something I never got solid advice on, is if you can run your guitar to a pedal, then the pedal to this recorder. You absolutely can, and the sound quality is outstanding. You just need to adjust the recording levels accordingly. What this has done for me so far is amazing. I have a room I call my recording studio, and I am able to keep this available and ready the minute inspiration hits me. I cover it with a cloth to keep the dust off when not in use. Overall, this is a great little recorder and I love it. My next step will be to try out computerized recording with a DAW. But being old school, I wanted something I knew I could figure out with minimum frustration. This does it. Also, a kudos to Tascam. It's a little thing, but it came with a 4gb SD card instead of the 2gb advertised. A power cord added in would have been nicer, but no matter what this is perfect for what I need it for.

Some guys get a blonde and a Corvette; I got a Tascam

This is the centerpiece of my tiny home studio, my "midlife crisis" treat to myself. (Cheaper than a 'Vette; less trouble than a... well, you get the picture.) I've wanted a Tascam multi-track unit ever since I read about the very first cassette-based ones. I'm glad I waited until technology caught up with me. I'm still learning my way around but the sound is phenomenal. The onboard mics are so good that I got confused about my inputs and didn't realize I wasn't using my large-diaphragm condenser for several minutes until I couldn't figure out why getting closer to the mic wasn't making any difference. There's a LOT of stuff in the manual, but it's well laid out and the quick-start section has pretty much everything you need to know. I still refer to mine for mixdown and mastering, but the steps are getting more familiar. The auto-mastering does an excellent job. Record/mixdown/master/export/transfer to computer is straightforward. Saving and exporting files isn't instant, but it's not very time consuming either; I'm not sure why there are complaints in some of the reviews. I'm not trying to rush things when I'm in the studio anyway. I'm very glad I went with this unit vs. the DP-006, as it has several features that make it well worth the small price difference. Having controls for all 8 tracks is very handy, as are the XLR inputs and line outs. I quickly found that even doing solo work I was using several tracks, and not having to bounce tracks is very convenient. A couple of people mentioned the short (2-second) intro for the auto punch-in. I have found that manual punch-ins with a foot pedal are much easier. Any normally-open keyboard foot pedal will work. Also I purchased a nurse call button on eBay, with a momentary switch and a 1/4" plug. It is perfect for doing punch-ins for vocals. You can react faster to get punched in between phrases, and you don't have to look down for your pedal or worry about kicking it and making noise. Even if I waited almost 30 years to get one, my first Tascam is all I hoped it would be. Excellent product.

Actually quite easy to use

I've only had this thing out of the box for a couple of hours, but I felt compelled to write a review because of all of the people who have said this is difficult to use. Now, I do have a lot of experience recording music on computers, but still, I haven't even opened the instruction manual and I had no problem creating a multitrack recording within a couple of minutes of powering it up. The sound quality using just the built in mics is even more impressive than I would have imagined (especially for a unit that costs less than I've spent on a single microphone before). This is a no brained for musicians looking for a quick and easy way to demo songs or just record for fun.

Great

I was a little worried considering the price its fairly inexpesive for what it says it is. But once able to mess around with it worries are at rest. This is an awesome little device for begginer to advance. And especially if your like me have some knowledge and experience with different instruments but dont know anybody else musically inclined. This is a great thing to have get the music from your head to other peoples ears or just yours. Packaging was great, well protected and fast. Thank u sorry for a half review i havent played with it enough yet to give suffient feedback. Oh also do yourself a favor when getting this device get the ac adapter and another sd card atleast 16gig. Otherwise youll spend a fortune on batteries, great feature though so its very portable and with built in mics u can record anything anywhere. Only downside which i thought at first would be great was the sd card says 4gig which is true and theres a demo song on it less then 2min 43MB not bad. Heres the bad the whole "song" takes up 2.03gigs! And u cant delete it. So get another one with it. But other then that little tid bit at the end, i would highly recomend this to anybody whos looking to expand there horizon in there music life. Thank u A++++

High fidelity with great portability

I have been looking for a multi-track digital unit that wasn't going to cost an arm and a leg. I'm a guitarist/songwriter (somewhat!) who has been setting up a recording situation in my little music room. Did the google search thing and this TASCAM unit kept popping up that it's quite a workhorse. Amazon's good about backing up their products as far as satisfaction goes, so I took the plunge, and not a deep one for an 8-track for under $200. I've so far used it for live gigs and jams. The fidelity of the built-in mics is surprisingly good. As long as you watch the meters and set the gain correctly, you're gonna get pretty much what is going on on stage. Good separation and good bandwidth to capture everyone (unit placement is vital, of course). I've also recorded from the p.a. mixer direct out on one side and a field mic to capture everything else. Pretty impressive. The only downside is that you can only record on 2 tracks at a time, which is understandable given the unit's price point. After all, it's not the Rolling Stones' mobile recording semi! The instruction book does leave a lot to be desired, however. When you're studying how to do a particular function, it may refer you to another part of the book, something you haven't covered yet, so the new part becomes it's own sub-study section. Then you gotta go back to what you were initially trying to figure out. It's understandable enough, but I suggest read it until it gets a little frustrating, turn the unit on and start recording something. I figured out more stuff just by messing around with it. Then after a few recording attempts I could go back to the manual and go "Ohhh! That's what they meant!" But otherwise, I love the portability, and the fact that, if necessary, you can run it on batteries. I usually use a power transformer wart plug-in thing to be sure to get constant voltage, but one time I forgot the power unit. I always carry a fresh set of batteries Justin Case. Battery power got me through the entire 4 hour gig with plenty of power left in the batteries. It's pretty light and is made of what I think is high-grade plastic. So I carry my unit in a Crown Royal velvet bag which, in turn, is carried in one of those shoulder bags with the power unit, extension cord, and other back-up junk, so I try to not let it get bumped around too much. So, if you're OK with recording only 1 or 2 tracks at a time (track bouncing and mixdown options aplenty!) there is no reason to not give this unit a spin. Built-in reverb, e.q., mic assignment, line levels, all the basics to making a groovy basic recording live in this TASCAM unit. Get the 64-gig micro-card and space will not be an issue.

Solid budget 8-track recording device with a variety of input options for guitars, mics, synths, and other audio sources

I'm coming to multi-track recording late in the game - doing it for the first time in my mid-30's and having actually learned to do it first on my iPad and iPhone (using a variety of interfaces for guitar and audio sources into a DAW). So it's a little hard to articulate why I was drawn to the TASCAM DP-008EX, when it arguably offers far less editing capability and flexibility than a DAW. But, for me, I found the affordability, variety of input options, and simplicity for capturing ideas quickly to be very appealing with the DP-008EX. It even motivated me to purchase a dynamic microphone (SM-57 copy) and mic stand to finally attempt to mic and record some of my amps at home! I will keep this review short, since I'm somewhat of a novice user and haven't put in the hours yet to fully explore this device. But I found relatively simple to get working "out of the box". There are a few design choices that feel archaic, such as the way inputs are assigned and pretty much anything having to do with the LCD interface. But keep in mind that those choices are part of what keeps this an affordable product for people who might not have used a multi-track recorder before, and for whom basic functionality (off a set of batteries, nonetheless) is more important than bells and whistles. I found that the purchase of the DP-008EX led to a few other inexpensive purchases, including a 1/8" to 1/4" mono cable and the XLR cable for the aforementioned dynamic mic purchase. (I've actually heard the on-board condenser mics aren't half bad, but positioning those in front of a guitar amp while trying to start a recording seemed like a non-starter to me). One early concern I've read about and experienced with the use of an external mic is that the recording levels seemed low. However, there are a number of settings that impact this, including a switch on the back of the device, and a series of recording levels you can designate in the LCD menus. So, come to think of it, I might not have explored all of those options, in addition to being a total novice when it comes to mic placement and recording levels. I did record some other audio sources (iOS instruments and Korg Volca synths and drum machine) and had little problem getting the levels where I wanted them. So, why buy a DP-008EX when you can purchase a $10 DAW and an interface and record directly on a mobile device? For me, it's much the same reason why I still enjoy playing real life guitar amps and effects pedals versus modeling software offering far more variety in sounds...it's just a much more satisfying experience working with physical gear. In my case, I already had the guitars, effects pedals, and even preamp "direct" pedals, so the DP-008EX was an affordable way to capture recordings without getting bogged down in a bunch of software. The lack of an included power supply is a bit disappointing at this price point, but I might try using Eneloop rechargeable batteries for awhile in lieu of being tied to a wall plug. Really liked the level control, pan, and reverb send knobs laid out physically on the display. Getting content off of the device sounds a little harder than it should be in 2016, but I'd rather have difficulty on that end than hassle on the front end when I'm trying to record ideas.

A Self Contained Studio

This is a great and much cheaper alternative to using a laptop. I normally record on a PC, but I needed some mobility in order to record in other rooms and locations. I was using a laptop, mixer, and usb interface, setting up every time was getting pretty annoying. With this I can ditch all the equipment. It's simple to use, the only thing I needed the manual for was to figure out how to mixdown and master. Everything else should be self explanatory if you have ever used a DAW before. If you are new to recording, then you will probably need to study the manual. The built-in condensers sound surprisingly good, I thought I wasn't going to use them, but they sound best with acoustic guitars. The preamps are quiet and give enough juice to drive my microphones. I normally use this to record the tracks, then export them to my PC and to do post-processing on my DAW, but the recorder has enough decent tools (reverb, 2 band EQ, compression, DeEsser), that you can completely forgo using a PC and mix and master with the unit alone. My only cons are, you will absolutely need good rechargeable batteries or a power supply, this thing eats up regular batteries very fast, especially when using phantom power. The exporting process is very slow, you can't just pull out the SD card to drag and drop the WAVs onto the PC, you need to export them first which takes a few minutes, then plug in the unit to the PC. It does 16-bit/44khz recording only, at least 24-bit would be nice, if you plan to load pre-recorded tracks onto the unit, you will need to mix them down to 16-bit WAVs otherwise the unit will not recognize them. Wish I had something like this when I was younger and could not afford equipment, this is the perfect solution for people who want to record on a limited budget, or people who just want to ditch using a computer.

A most amazing little machine!

I have had one of my own for a couple weeks and I love it. Brings me back to "the day". If you read the manual this thing is incredibly easy to use. I had gotten used to 24-bit quantization on all of my gear in the studio, so setting input levels on this was a bit difficult for me at first (since there is no compressor or limiter). Note: If you are not going from a 24-bit system to a 16-bit system this WILL NOT be an issue for you. The fidelity of this unit is amazing. The A/D converters are very well executed. The small size means you can take it anywhere. I have tried it with every mic I have in the studio and it worked very well with all of them, regardless of whether or not they wanted phantom power. About 40 years ago I bought my first Teac 3340S 4-track. I paid about $900 for it. Tape cost about $25/10" reel, and you had to deal with a lot of tape hiss. Looking at this thing, it amazes me how far we have come in audio recording technology. If you are thinking about getting this, dont think any longer. Buy one today! Also NOTE: I bought one for my son for Christmas and it arrived today. When I went to replace the SD card with a 32GB card, I noticed that the card that came with it was a 4GB card. That amounts to nearly 1 hour of recording/playback time if you use all eight tracks at once. Although a quality 32GB HDHC card can be bought for less than $10, 4GB should be more than enough to get you started.

Easy to just grab and record- no pc needed

I've been doing some home recording with software based programs (Audacity and Reaper) for the past couple of years with reasonable results. However, I've been frustrated by latency issues, and the degree to which you need to become a computer hardware expert just to record a multi-track song. I found myself longing for the simplicity of the old 4 track reel to reel Tascam days. (Not to say there aren't HUGE advantages working in digital media.) I thought this recorder might recapture some of that simplicity while still allowing me to manipulate the final tracks or master recording in a pc program if I wished. I have found that to be the case. I've had this unit for 3 weeks now and I'm quite impressed by the quality. This unit feels substantial in your hands. All the controls are solid. I've recorded 6 songs already on it with nice results. The manual is somewhat long, but that is because it is VERY detailed and has pictures of every screen you will see as you follow the instructions, which is incredibly helpful. It also has a great Quick Start section at the beginning. I followed the quick start section to record my first arrangement of a percussive electric guitar song as a test. 2 stereo tracks doing the primary guitar part, 2 stereo tracks doing a bass part, and two tracks of background chords and harmonics. Took me about 20 minutes. You tell the unit which inputs you are going to use (mic, line, guitar), press the 1+2 track record buttons, set your levels, press PLAY and RECORD together and you’re off. Go back to the beginning and press 3+4 to record the next stereo track, etc. If you flub a take, you just stop and go back to the beginning of that track and rerecord. It has individual reverb, pan and level for each track. The previous tracks automatically play back while your are recording new tracks AND THERE ARE NO LATENCY ISSUES! (I can't stress this enough even with caps!) If tracks 5+6 don't enter into the song until 2 minutes in, you simply arm the tracks and start at 1:50. No need to start from the beginning to record new tracks. The condenser mics on the front did a nice job recording an acoustic guitar song, in stereo and with reverb (numerous different reverb types available). The unit has a built in metronome and tuner, you can bounce tracks with no degradation (freeing up tracks for more recording), mix 8 tracks down to a stereo mix, and then mastering effects (auto or manual) can be applied to the final master. All this is recorded on an SD card. You can transfer files via USB to a computer for further work or to save as WAV files. Also has built in condenser mics on the front of it for capturing live performances. Plus auto punch in and out. All this on something the size of a VHS cassette. Pretty fun. NOTE: 1. this is not a mixing board. Admittedly, this looks like a small mixer for 8 simultaneous inputs. It doesn't do that. You can only record 2 tracks at a time. The "mixer" is used to set levels for recording the 2 active tracks and/or playback levels of previously recorded tracks. 2. this cannot be used as a USB recording interface. You can transfer files to a computer AFTER recording them, but not WHILE you are recording them.

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