April 2012 \ Features \ Roundup: 5 Hand-Held Multitrack Recorders Reviewed

Roundup: 5 Hand-Held Multitrack Recorders Reviewed

James Rotondi

We evaluate the features, audio quality, and design of five of the leading portable recorders to give you a leg up on tracking your guitars on the move.


Premier Guitar April 2012
(5 of 5)

Tascam DP-004

• Front panel knobs for level, pan, and record arm controls.
• Quality built-in stereo condenser mics.
• 4-track recording with awesomely classic design.

Ratings

Pros:
No-frills, simple workflow in a classic design with built in mics.

Cons:
No bells and whistles like amp models and rhythms.

Audio Quality:

Function/Design:

Materials:

Value:

Street:
$149

Tascam
tascam.com

The Tascam DP-004 ($149, street) is a straightforward digital 4-track machine without a lot of bells and whistles, and that’s its strength. First of all, the input and output level knobs, record “arm” buttons, and the pan knobs are right there on the front housing—no scrolling through tiny LCD menus or using “multi-function” buttons on this baby. (Yes, I said “knobs”—actual physical knobs.) This old-school approach still makes a ton of sense, frankly, as does the inclusion of front-panel transport buttons for RTZ (Return to Zero) and LRP (Last Recording Position). These are all very sensible controls for a songwriter to have in easy reach.

The DP-004 has no reverb or other effects, and no amp models or “jamming buddy” modes, so it’s not pretending to be the ideal guitar-on-the-go partner. But it’s a smart, simple and good-sounding little 4-track machine (for less than 150 bucks!) with an intuitive design, a streamlined workflow, line/guitar inputs, and an excellent built-in stereo condenser mic that’s optimized by a range of input sensitivity presets for recording a band, guitar, or vocals. It records in CD-quality 16-bit, 44.1 kHz audio, and allows you to bounce multiple tracks to a single track, even if that track is part of your bounce group. Tascam has been making 4-track machines since 1979, and it shows. It’s great to see that they still know how to focus on what they do best.


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Comments

 (7 comments) display by
UsernameComment
Bill
on 10/30/2012 		You people have a major terminology-confusion. A two-track recorder is called STEREO. A MULTITRACK is MORE THAN TWO. It is silly and grossly unprofessional to call a stereo dictaphone multitrack recorder.
Dave
on 04/02/2012 		It appears that Olympus released the LS-100 without doing the sort of testing needed for this unit as a multi-track recorder. The user reviews by the video/audio users give it glowing praise. But when reading (harder to find) musician's comments on some forums you read about problems with latency during monitoring. I was all ready to buy this unit, but I'll proceed very very cautiously looking for more musically oriented reviews.
Jim Curtis
on 03/27/2012 		I love my BR-80!!!! I use it to record our practice sessions and then practice with the sessions whenever I feel like it. I agree about the case; but, I think a "stand" on the back would be just as important. When we practice, it is hard to find a position that will give the best recording: hence, the stand would allow you to direct it in such a way as to customize your recording. I don't know much about recording and wish the for more educational materials on the unit and recording in general.
80's boy
on 03/24/2012 		No offense to these Hand-Held Multitrack Recorders but the Zoom H1 is $90, runs on one AA battery, records stereo and sounds fantastic. Put it in your guitar case and take it anywhere. Record jams or song ideas and put them into your PC and you're ready to rock. I have one and love it.
another daniel
on 03/24/2012 		Thanks so much for writing these reviews. I needed them. One thing I'm very curious about: Do you (anyone else reading this) have any input on how easily any of these upload tracks onto a computer? In my experience, I'm never able to know exactly what to expect because that info is very often not accurately described on product sites, descriptions, reviews. I had horrible experiences with a (now dated) BR-864 multitrack. Even my tech-savvy friends couldn't figure out the issue, I lost so much music.
Daniel
on 03/22/2012 		I do own the Zoom, the boss and the tascam (along some other multitrackers. kind of a fan). I find myself using the DP004 most of all. Just a preference. I do favor the Zoom when in the field, for recording gigs, or practices, but when recording demos or reference tracks, that tascam kicks some serious behinds. Don't really appreciate onboard effects or amp sims, not just yet, they're close to the tone you want, but not just yet.
Renaldo
on 03/21/2012 		I just bought the Apogee MIC, and I can tell you, combined with the new iPad and Garageband, these dedicated recorders don't stand a chance in comparison. The Apogee, with a full digital interface, is nothing short of jaw-dropping quality, at least for a portable field mike. Garageband is a joy to use in terms of simplicity, and provides a wide range of functions for mobile recording. The combination of the Apogee and the new iPad will be a game changer, no question.



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