Tascam Studio & Home Studio

The Tascam MS16 is a 1" 16 track tape machine. I'm not sure the exact years that this was in production, but I think it was made in the early 1990's. I only recently got the chance to use the MS-16 as I'm working with a new producer and he has this in his studio. We used it to record drums only on and then bounced it into Pro Tools, which is probably the common usage for the machine these days for those that are still around and being used. I don't know much more backing information on the MS-16, but it's a pretty small machine and fits nicely in any studio. It also has it's own remote which is thorough and makes it so you only have to go to the machine to put the tape on and take the tape off. I really like the sound of this machine as I think it gives you just the right amount of warmth for your tracks. It probably doesn't sound as thick as as a 2" machine, but since it's a 16 track it's pretty close and still sounds great in my opinion. Since drums are the only instrument that I've thus far used with Tascam MS16, I'm looking forward to trying it with other instruments like bass and electric guitars. The price seems to be varied for the Tascam MS-16, but it does seem like there are some out there for sale on the used market at a decent price for a 16 track tape machine. I really like the ease of use with the Tascam MS16 and definitely it's sound, I'm looking forward to having the opportunity to use this machine more and find out more about it. From what I know so far, it's definitely a cool little 16 track.

The DP-01 has two 1/4 in. TRS mic inputs for dual mono or stereo recording. The DP-01 has a USB 2.0 jack for file backup and transferring files to a computer, There are analog RCA line outputs, a headphone out and S/PDIF line output, as well as each of the 8 channels having an effects send. According to official specs the sampling rate is "CD quality 44.1kHz/16-bit." Problem is, no one with the capability to record at 24-bit would ever go slumming it in the 16-bit realm. Oh, how I wish I had read up more before buying. You will notice the difference. It will record eight tracks uncompressed audio to an internal 40g harddrive, which is really nice. Each channel of the DP-01 has a 45mm volume fader, plus dedicated controls for pan, effects send, high EQ and low EQ. An LCD display shows meters, editing settings and locate points, though it is not a lighted screen so a desk lamp of some kind is a MUST to use this thing. UTILIZATION As far as knobs and faders, its like running a mixer and self-explanatory. Navigating the menus is a whole 'nother story. Some will find difficulty, other will adjust and learn the ins and outs. I don't have a lot of patience for overly complicated menus, especially on such a beginner bottom-run-of-the-ladder piece of equipment such as this so my opinion is that they could have streamlined it and given it a more user intuitive interface than a couple VCR style buttons. This thing is NOT a Portastudio. Getting started is pretty easy though, and the manual does help when it comes to editing/copying/pasting/saving/deleting functions. SOUNDS The concerters aren't great. Maybe that is why Tascam just discontinued it because it won't be hard to replace it in their lineup of products. There are no effects, because I skimped and bought just the DP-01 and not the DP-01FX, but I read the effects were terrible quality anyway. OVERALL OPINION It would be nice to have true 3-band eq. It would be nice to have XLR inputs. It would be nice to record in 24 bit and not 16. It would be nice to back songs up on a USB drive, so I don't have to lug this thing into the next room to upload files onto my PC. It would be nice if it wasn't blue and felt like a toy. For your money, I would buy the cheapest 4 track that records in 24 bit, because you can't record 8 tracks simultaneously on this anyway. This is a definite step up from my Yamaha anolog 4-track days, but I was still disapointed and wished I had dropped more money. I would buy one of these if you got it real cheap and used it as a portable studio for scratch demos only.

The Tascam CD-VT2 is a CD and MP3 vocal trainer that has an anti shock memory of up to 10 seconds. It has an LCD screen that will display the song title or album titles. There are not many inputs and outputs on the VT2 you will get a 1/8 stereo output for your headphone jacks and a 1/8 stereo line output. You inputs will be ¼ for an instrument or microphone. The microphone and instrument input has a level meter indicator on the display screen. The VT2 is battery operated and does not come with a wall AC power plug. You can buy a power plug separately which I do recommend. UTILIZATION Using the VT2 is pretty simple, it is not hard to understand and you can pretty much start using it right out of the box with no manual needed unless this is your first vocal trainer and don’t understand the basic functions of how to use one. SOUNDS There are no effects and filters on this unit, and it really does not matter what style of music you make if you need a vocal trainer. OVERALL OPINION If I could change one thing with this vocal trainer it would simply be that they include a AC power adapter to plug it into the wall. This device eats through your batteries very fast and you will find yourself running to the store more often to get batteries. If you want the wall outlet AC adapter you will have to pay about an extra 30 dollars to get one. I feel like it should be included with the purchase of this vocal trainer because spending that extra money is very unattractive. Though this vocal trainer is good because you can use it with CD’s I still think the Boss eBand JS 10 is a better player because it has more options to play files with. It does cost a lot more than the CD-VT2 does but if you are investing in something that is going to further your career do not cut corners and save money.

This four-track recorder was given to me as a gift almost three years ago. It's in almost every music store and catalogue around, and currently sells for around $299. If you want to perfect your playing by jamming along with your own grooves, or record demos of your own songs, but don't want to spend a grand for a digital recording system, go with this high-quality four-track. This may surprise you, but some four-tracks can't record four different tracks simultaneously. This one can. Each track has two effects sends and its own EQ. There are also two stereo inputs and stereo line and monitor outputs. The 414MkII, which is the most current model, also includes two XLR inputs (sweet)! I'm pretty convinced that this is about as good as four track tape recording gets. Using my Portastudio, I have cut two demos for my band, a demo of my own solo project, and dozens of side projects. And when I'm not recording, it comes in handy as a mixer as well. The instructions can be a bit confusing if you don't know alot about recording. You will probably gain a better understanding of the unit if you just work with it for a little while, but definitely read over the instructions first or you will be lost. Also, I have found the DBX noise reduction to be pretty useless. I recommend leaving it off at all times to acchieve the cleanest, purest sound possible, or you may find yourself missing some very important parts of an instrument's tone. My Portastudio has seen all kinds of dust, bumps, drops, etc., and it's still working well. One time, my dog even pulled it off of the table and it landed face down on the floor. I'm amazed that it's survived this long, since the outer shell of the unit is made entirely from plastic. The only thing that had to be replaced was the AC adapter, which burned to a crisp one day after having the four track about two years. Other than that, if you clean the heads and the pinch roller regularly, you shouldn't have any problems. Make sure you use the right cleaning solutions (Tascam sells their own, by the way.) The Portastudio is a great four-track. The 414MkII has everything you need, and it's pretty compact. There is also a 424MkIII, but it's much more complicated, and sells for about a hundred dollars more. I would encourage any developing musician/songwriter to get a four-track. I believe you will find it to be a great learning tool. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

The Tascam Porta Studio will give you everything you need to get up and running and creating great music. With very little recording experience under my belt I have been able to turn out good quality work. Ive been wanting to get into home recording for a while now and I needed an affordable way to begin. After many hours of research, the NEO has been by far the best decision I could have made. It's a little intimidating at first especially when you first unbox it but once you get the basics down...it's all gravy from there. The manual could be a little more comprehensive, especially for beginners! UTILIZATION I recommend purchasing the instructional video. YouTube also has short instructional videos. I have called TASCAM Customer Service twice so far and both experiences have been excellent. quick, comprehensive, knowledgeable answers, advice and instruction! I bought the package deal and the accessories that come with NEO are awesome. The condenser mic is an AT2020. I have recorded a lot of vocals and acoustic guitar and the audio quality is excellent for the price. I added a Shure SM57 dynamic mic. This set up is good for your live gear as well. I haven’t had much experience in analog gear and this was easy for me to set up and use. SOUNDS I've recorded, mixed, and mastered 2 tunes - basically for practice. There's almost nothing you can't do with this thing. The condenser mic that came with the package sounds very good- guitar, acoustic and vocs. My only complaint is the manual - not so detailed. But I did find the Tascam forums and the face book page so that helps a lot. OVERALL OPINION If you are looking to make great recordings and have a low budget I would highly recommend the tascam port studio 2488 to anyone wanting to get into analog mixing and recording. Unit also isn’t that heavy so you can take it around with your if you need it to be mobile.

The Tascam CD-RW700 is a discontinued CD recorder. CD recorders like this aren't really necessary in the world of Digital Audio Workstations, but the professional studio that I work at still has one of these set up, and I would think that you'll find many pro studios out there that still have them as well. These are certainly better CD burners than those you'll find in computers, so when burning a CD from the source in the studio we still use this to do the job. Of course sometimes we'll do it on the computer to save time, but if it's going to be a master CD, it's always done with our Tascam CD-RW700. I've used a few of these before but haven't ever had a need to use one extensively or get too in depth with it beyond making a simple CD, so I can't really speak to the more in depth features of the CD-RW700. Having said this, I wouldn't think that too many people out there are still using this for anything other than simple CD recording/burning. This device does sit in a rack mountable casing, as it takes up two spaces in a traditional rack space. While there are some benefits to using the Tascam CD-RW700, I wouldn't say that it's necessary this day and age and would really only recommend having it or something like it if you're going to be using it in a professional studio where a lot of masters are made. Even so, you could get away without using one if you wanted to. This having been said, if you do find yourself in need of a nice CD recorder, the Tascam CD-RW700 is more than capable of handling everything you'd need it to do and even though I only have a few other models to compare it to, it's probably the best one I've used...

The Tascam FW-1082 is a digital mixer and audio interface combined. It is firewire based, containing eight channels of faders and inputs, and four built in microphone preamps. It also has two MIDI channels and 1/4 inch outputs for stereo monitors and a headphone jack. Each of the channels has a fader, a gain knob, as well as solo, mute, and selection buttons. There is a three band assignable EQ built in, which can be applied to any of the channels, as well as built in panning. UTILIZATION I find the Tascam FW-1082 to be quite easy to use, as you've really only got the basics to work with here. This unit is aimed at making it user friendly, as there isn't anything more than what you would need to do some basic recording and mixing. Having said this, it still has a lot of features to work with, and it will take a bit of use to understand everything and to use everything to its full potential. However, the typical function are right in front of your face and easily accessible. Unless you're a beginner with interfaces and mixers, I think everything can be figured out on its on for the most part without the use of a manual, but it probably wouldn't be a bad idea to have it around anyway. SOUNDS The sound of the mic pres on the Tascam FW-1082 is about average, and while it will definitely get the job done for small home studio recording, don't expect all too much from them. They come through pretty clear, but they are bit too transparent and lack the depth that I would look for in a set of good pres. However, considering this price and the overall make up of the unit, I would imagine that users aren't looking for the world when it comes to the pres. The EQ is of course assignable, so it doesn't actually make any sound without linking it to a plug-in. For building a small home studio around and getting some demos and basic recordings done, the Tascam FW-1082 will certainly do the job... OVERALL OPINION Recently, the price of the Tascam FW-1082 has dropped in further than it was in the past, as it looks like they are trying to get rid of these to make room for the newer products that Tascam has to offer. This is definitely your gain if you're in the market for an audio interface and mixer combination, as this is a great deal as of right now. While it does not have the best sounding pres in the world, if you're just looking to get started making recordings and want to build a home studio, this would be a perfect place to start in my opinion. Definitely a unit worth looking into for those who want to start up a small studio...

I have used this Tascam cassette 4 track for over 4 years now. These machines are pretty out dated but I enjoy the simplicity of recording onto cassette tapes. You can buy cassettes at many stores making it easier than memory cards. and you are recording analog! I also use the machine to make mix tapes so I can listen to them in my car. So many different uses for such a versatile recorder. I enjoy the mutitracking and simple equalizer controls. I have no complaints with the machine. It fits the easy 4-track recording I want. Perfect to record a simple demo for a new song or to record that real tape sound. George Harrison said 'I like a little bit of tape hiss' and don't we all. There are micrphone XLR inputs as well as guitar cord 1/4'' cords for easy connection. Also has main stereo outs and headphone jack.The recorder only has two inputs between XLR and ¼” so only two track simultaneous recording can happen. Each input has a gain level to keep the tracks from peaking out. Each input also has 3 equalization controls, low middle and high, and left right panning controls. Recordable cassette tapes can be bought that have normally 45 minutes of recording time on them. Any cassette used can only be used one sided – remember – otherwise you will record backwards over everything you have already recorded! Recording on tape can be tricky but very rewarding. I bought my model used for 50 US dollars at a trade show. A rare find that was between other outdated tape recorders. 50 US dollars was a very generous price because if you want to buy a new 4-track cassette recorder it would run at least 150-200 US dollars. I love this cassette recorder and wouldn't trade it for an other one.

Everything is great. i can't say much, besides everything's great. $1,150 CDN UTILIZATION Although the unit is a little overwhelming at first, some time spent with the manual can clear up the cobwebs in no time. the manual itself is in depth but the layout of it is a little confusing. it just needs better organization. the extra "quick start tutorial" included is a joke though, it's unecessary and really only explains half of everything. very rugged and sturdy design. the entire body of it is made of metal, no plastic structure at all. it is definately robust enough to use at a gig, buttons are well laid out, all knobs and buttons have GREAT action for live performance, however, those wonderful little vacuum tubes seem a little fragile for a lot of transport. all in all, the unit is built like an olympic athlete / supermodel: tough, purposeful, and friggin' GORGEOUS. SOUNDS Phat and warm sound. many boast, but korg's valve force technology with real vaccuum tubes actually does warm up that digital sound. the effects are stellar, but the reverb could use some other settings; as it stands, only the decay time and wet/dry mix can me modified. this is no biggy, however, as a more advanced reverb can be applied in your mixdown to protools or other sequencing programs. the clarity of sampling is nice, 44.1 khz, no complaints at all. OVERALL OPINION I couldn't be happier with the SX-1. many samplers may boast "the new classic of samplers/drum machines" but the SX-1 could definately fill that role. it is a integral part of my studio and will be for years to come, i'm sure. Originally posted on FutureProducers.com Posted by: Unknown (January 2-, 2003)

I bought Tascam DR-70d earlier this year (2025) second hand, but for the second time! In 2018 I bought one new. I sold it in 2024 but regretted it. I also owned Tascam DR-07. Handier, but a lot more hiss when using the built-in mics. When I bought the DR-07d for the second time, I briefly considered the Zoom H4n Pro which ticks most of the boxes. My experience with the Tascam was what drove me to buy that again. When reading older reviews of this recorder you may find some issues about problems with memory cards. Note that all problems have been solved with a software update, so those reviews are not valid anymore. I never had issues with my recorder. The Tascam has a design that is sold since 2014 but still very much competing with other digital recorders. Selling points for me were: - 4 lockable XLR inputs with Phantom power - low noise on every every input - USB-c power bank can be connected for long recording sessions - plug-in powered 3.5mm input also has very low noise level - very sturdy, but not too heavy - simply attachable to DSLR - built-in mics There are some minor issues that are no deal breaker for me, but may be good to know: - display is nice, but small (no issue if you're young, but I'm 68 years old) - the knobs are small and close together - battery life is short (1.5 hrs) when recording 4 channels with Phantom power. No issue with a power bank - built-in mics are good to have, but of average quality - monitoring is only on all channels at once. At the moment I use this mostly with DIY binaural mics based on Primo EM 272 on the 3.5mm input and a Sony MS mic using XLR inputs.