All user reviews of 4/5 for the Tascam DR-40

I want to start off by saying this is a very good recorder. Tascam truly delivered with this unit and I'm surprised other companies don't follow in their footsteps.

What I liked Least:

I hate the floor noise, the preamps are a lot noisier than other recorders in this price range, but not by much. I making this non because it could have been a little quieter. But still, fantastic recorder and the noise is nothing that can't be cleaned

Other Recorders:

I've tried tons of recorders: Zoom H1, Fostex FRle, Zoom H2n, Olympus etc... I'd like to focus in on the main competitor this recorder rivals which is ZOOM's H4n.

The DR40 doesn't have as many features as the H4n, but it has enough as well as 2XLR inputs and it's $70-$100 cheaper than the H4n. There is no record in the DR40's price range that offer 2 XRL inputs, that's something major to consider.

The stock mics switch from XY to AB pattern and they have a guard which helps reduce the chances of the mics breaking when bumped around unlike the most recorders.

I also love the fact that the DR40 has "Dual Recording" Mode. This means it has a auto safety track so if one track clips, there is a another track (a back up track) which is recorded lower than the original.

That allow is a really great feature and one that has saves me time and time again.

Sound Quality:

I would say the Dr40 sounds just as good as most recorders. Especially it's close rival the H4n. I've put the recorder up against a more expensive recorder like the FR2LE and could hardly notice a difference.

The stock mics sound good, but not as good as a shotgun mic so I would suggest using this recorder a long with a shotgun mic.

If you're planning on getting this recorder, know that it accepts 3 AA batteries. I would buy lots of rechargeable batteries and keep them on hand.

When you use the Phantom power (to power mics) it eats at the batteries a little quicker, so be prepared

I just want to thank Oliviercool for his time to analyze various digital recorders.
I wanted to buy a good quality recorder to record a conference in order to make a CD.
Well, I left off with the old technology, and I did some research on the material now (forgive me ... I left off the DAT I was not interested ... more about).
And there I see that for 200 to € 300 you can have something unimaginable 25 years ago.
So I head quickly zoom H4N a priori well (especially true XY microphones).
And then made a comparative Oliviercool Zoom H4N - Tascam D40, especially vis-à-vis autonomy H4N, anyway low.
Also, I prefer to use rechargeable batteries, greener, cheaper, but lower capacity than alkaline batteries. Thinking about the actual duration of autonomy.
Our friendly analyst also deals with ergonomics better on the Tascam.
In short, I finally decided for the Tascam, and I discovered.
The plastic side is no problem: it looks strong, provided we do not throw it (but hey, this type of equipment is not in the wild ...)
The ergonomics are downright good, the user manual (given for many languages, including French) is very clear.
I find it very pleasant to use.
My first recording with mics is clear voice. No problem.
Anyway, if you want really good, we must separate microphones, electrostatic, a good string sound with good pre-amps, it is no longer the same budget. So: for € 200, I think it's great!
It is very sensitive if handled during recording, it is inherent in the fact that the electret microphones are integrated into the case: any manipulation with the fingers is a structural noise picked up by microphones.
A priori, all models will be affected.
On the other hand, a small delay of 0.3 s is scheduled between when you press "Record" and when it registers: we will not hear the sound of the button, but it is not very reactive. The best seems to use the "Pre Rec", which, when the unit is armed to record, in fact, running up to 2s signal before pressing record on actually (I think when the camera records he is armed, a buffer, which validates the last 2 seconds when actually on record). Still, then, the plop of the key is taken! In short, for quality recordings, I think the wired remote control is needed, including any trademarks, or even to stop! In practice, pressing gently, it passes.
I stop here my missive.
This unit is nice, would recommend.
Oh yeah I bought a wind filter to eliminate such a Rycote wind noise: it remains.
There is a low-cut function (which cuts?), But I am not served.
I will try to treat it for editing, but I would lose the tone of voice. What to see
I just downloaded audacity, which seems simple enough. Is it enough for a voice recording?
I saw that there was a software professional, always in open source: ardor, apparently more complicated.
Does anyone have experience of these two programs, in an optical assembly, to inquire about their capabilities, especially for a soundtrack as clean as possible? In advance thank you.