Tascam US-16X08

I've owned this interface for two years now. Previously I had my first Focusrite 8i6 which I upgraded for more imputs. At the time I wasn't even an audio student, just a hobby musician.
Bought this interface when I started studying looking for something that would let me mic a drum set. Imagine my surprise when I found out this is the ONLY interface that offers 16 real imputs. No ADAT, SPDIF, etc. I've since used it to mic entire bands with low latency. Multiple outs allow you to set up different mixes other than the stereo out (which has one headphone out).
The pres aren't that great. After 3 o'clock there begins to appear heareable white noise. This usually isn't a problem, but beware of SM57s that require a bit more drive. It has 2 instrument imputs with regulable gain, so it's like it had 10 pres for me. The 6 line imputs can be pushed using the DSP compressor's makeup, or you could simply connect more pres. So, hardware-wise, this interface is one of the best.
On the software end, things were buggy at first. As many early reviews said, this thing was unstable on 2016. Ever since, Tascam released new drivers that work fine with Windows 10. If you want to make it work, it will work. I've used it with Nuendo, Cubase, WaveLab, Pro Tools 10 and 12. No issues there.
Between this one and Focusrite, I think Focusrite has better drivers with lower latency. At 44khz, US 16x08 has huge latency settings. 10ms in and 4ms out at 128kbps. So you may consider using it at higher sample rates if you want DAW monitoring. It has DSP monitoring with virtually no latency at all, but then you don't hear any plugins you may have added.
Don't let this turn you down. Pres and latency are a problem at almost everything in this price range, so between this one and other brands, I'd stick to US 16x08 for the I/O. With it you can really learn how to mic a drum set, record a full band, try M/S configs, all of it with no problems at 96khz/24bit.
By the time you begin to really hear what's "wrong" with Tascam 16x08, you will be ready to move on to a higher quality interface like Audient, RME, UAD. These units move in a different price range and have better converters, pres, drivers, etc. and are just what you may need for a more proffesional home studio down the future. I've upgraded to an Audient ID44, so only 4 analog ins for me now. I don't miss US 16x08 because I've moved on from my initial "want to record everything" need, I may get more imputs with an outboard octopre in the future just to get that feel again though.

Conclusion: A great interface for audio beginners, students, and just people with lots of I/O needs.

Using a DAW (Cubase Pro 8.5) the device is fine. The drivers I have work (so-far) flawlessly with W10 and a 5 year old I7 processor.
The problem for me is this, without the DAW there is no Safe way to set up an effects send/return loop when the device is connected to the computer. I've been using a 1st gen. Focusrite 6i6 and have had a send/return loop set up so that I can play my guitar straight into the interface via an H&K 1812 amp DI output. With a simple setting change I can configure the interface to either send the effects loop through Cubase, or straight out of the interface into the same effects loop. The only way I can find to do this on the Tascam leads to a feedback loop through the interface which can only be controlled by turning down the gain on the effects return input channels. It appears as though the Tascam is really designed for use in a DAW environment, or not connected to a computer at all. Maybe the Focusrite has spoiled me, but I cant help thinking (and hoping) that this is something which could, if not should, have been built in to the software from day one. Without this capability the interface seems to be somewhat lacking in it's abilities, although so-far the quality of the interface itself seems not to be an issue, it's just a little limited. I hope to be proven wrong.

Hi all, I have been looking myself for reviews or videos on this Tascam US-16x08 audio interface.
First, here it is :



Content

Unboxing, the product looks well-finished, gain knobs look sturdy.
Originally, the two sides are screwed upon a frame to allow leaning it slightly.
If you wish to put it in a 19" rack, dedicated mounting bars are provided to replace the sides.
AC adapter is universal, with a US-to-EU adapter.

Installation & Windows drivers

This is where the troubles begin. Tascam has (lately) put online 1.0 drivers for Windows and/or Mac.
Caution: don't do the same mistake I did, install the drivers BEFORE turning on the USB-connected interface.
Why is that? Out of the three peripherals it detects (without the drivers installed), 1 was not recognized (red cross). Difficult to sort out afterwards.
Except for this small inconvenient, nothing to mention. A light indicator shows whether the USB connection is working or not (practical in case anything went wrong).

Standalone mixer interface

It is composed of three tabs :



This is the mixer part, if you wish to use it standalone without a third-party program (Cubase, Sonar etc...).
The basics are here, EQ, compressor. I haven't tested it in standalone mode, but my mic signal was detected with a very little latency. 10 stage/mixe settings can be saved.



This picture shows the interface's routing.
A downside, only the outs are assignable and can be changed.
You can choose either a Master L/R out or another out for monitors or headphones while recording.
As a reminder, the device itself has a headphone out, which can be parametered to receive either the global mix or one specific out.



This is the part where buffer size can be managed.
And this is where the interface causes problems. I'll describe those I faced.
Originally, buffer size is set at 512, which allows a 12ms latency "in" and almost 30ms "out": for live headphone monitoring, it becomes hard to manage with a total 12+30=42 ms. Latency can be heard.
Through a mixern no problem of course.

I first tried to use the interface with my laptop computer: i7 2GHZ / 4 GB RAM. And - catastrophic, no way to get under 512. Sometimes I managed to get to 256, sometimes not, so I was about to return the interface. I used several different DAWs, including CUBASE 5 - Ableton Live - Reaper version 5.
Depending on the software used, it worked more or less. What is impossible to understand is the fact the CPU never was overloaded.

So, I switched to my desktop computer. i7 3700k - 3.8Ghz / 16gb Ram / SSD

I first had the same problem in 256 with Cubase. I tried with Reaper 4.77 64bits, and everything worked fine even with a 64 buffer (2 ms latency in/6ms out). I dare not change the buffer setting so that the problem doesn't reappear. I also tried Reaper 4.77 on the laptop but the problem was still there. I conclude a big setup is needed to get under 256, and that the drivers are still very unstable as nothing seems logical in the way the buffers are managed.

OTHER VARIOUS DETAILS:
- I have already used different M-Audio interfaces including the 2-ins Fast Track Pro, and mis gain was set to 8-9. Here, the gain is only at 6-7 with the same AT2020 XLR-style diaphragm mic. Sound is very clean.
- 8 XLR preamplified ins and 2 front panel line ins which are useful as one can choose either line or mic level. The same behind with a +4dB/-10dB selector.
- I haven't tried the MIDI function as my keyboard is USB

Overall:
I think the drivers are still unstable, hence the interface doesn't work properly. I thought of sending it back then I thought I'd keep it to see whether new drivers wouldn't solve the remaining bugs. Currently drivers are still at v1.0.

As a conclusion, should this interface be recommended or not?

If you wish to use this 16 ins interface just for recording using a mixer for headphone monitoring, do nos hesitate, this price in just awesome. Preamps are very good (for this price range).

If you intend to use it for a 100% homestudio recording with a need for several monitoring outs with a not-so-powerful computer, I advise you to wait for other feedbacks on this product. Everyone can adapt more or less to latency but as far as I am concerned more than 20ms is very disturbing.

This remains a very good product but it is hindered by youthful bugs. Hopefully it will soon be sorted out.

Thanks for reading.
So long!