Tascam DP-01FX Portastudio

[Barry]

Some background...

I like the TASCAM Portastudios. I've had a 414mkII cassette for years. It's been very reliable and easy to use, and I would've bought the 8-track open reel console they had available 15 or so years ago if I'd had the cash back then.

I owned a Korg D1600mkII about a year ago but sold it in favor of Mbox and ProTools. Lately I've wished for the ability to record without having to boot up a computer, to be a little more portable and to avoid extraneous fan noise, so the digital DAW route looked pretty attractive again. In contrast to the Korg, the design of this TASCAM eliminates the need to wade through a lot of menus to adjust EQ, which is an excellent feature to me. It also has an onboard effects modeler, which I suspect might be a little bit cheesy, but should be fine for the price.

I broke down and ordered the DP-01FX from Musician's Friend. Guitar Center will have a sale on it for $449.99 this month. MF currently has it for the same price, plus they throw in an MXL990 condensor mic, which is not pricy either but I've heard some good reviews about it over the last year and have considered getting one, anyway.

If there's any interest, I'll post up my own review of this unit once I've had time to play with it.

[dmw]

Please do. Your train of thought follows my own to a great extent. I'd like to get your opinion on that new all-in-one unit. When I need ProTools, I can go to my buddy's full-blown pro level ProTools based studio in Nashville, but that's not too often, unfortunately.

[Barry]

Okay, dmw... (and anyone else)

FedEx just delivered it about an hour ago. Upon a cursory exam - cosmetic once-over, slide the faders, turn the controls, power up, play the demo tune, etc, etc - all is well so far.

The wife and I have a fairly packed weekend. I'll go into more depth after I read through the manual and play with it a bit. Probably next week.

I'll say one thing... The demo sounds pretty good. The guitar track isn't too shabby, either. If they did that using only the onboard modeler, I think I'm gonna have a blast with this thing. :cool:

[Barry]

This is a nice unit for the money!

It's easy to learn, easy to use. The modeler has presets for guitar, bass, vocal and drums. While I haven't really begun to scratch the surface, I'll share the results of my first test:

http://www.soundclick.com/bardani

Look for "DP01 Test 01" (128kbps)

Consists of 5 one-take tracks mixed to stereo:

1- Strat using a "classic rock" modeler setting
2- bass (active, direct - EMG pups, TI Flats)
3- Strat using no effects
4- drums (using an Alesis SR-16 drum machine, just tapping the pads)
5- additional percussion (also using the SR-16)

It's not a perfect recording, but the main guitar track does accurately reflect that particular setting of the modeler. Each modeler effect has adjustable parameters.

All the controls have a positive feel, no slack. The faders could be a bit longer, but are sufficient and smooth. The transport controls operate similarly to a tape transport, so if you're used to that, you'll find that a real convenience.

It's easy to assign the inputs to specific tracks (2 inputs, 8 tracks) and assign the modeler to either track. Effects are applied at the input and are part of the recorded track(s).

The USB feature is quick and easy. It took hardly any time at all to turn it on and copy my mastered stereo wav file to the computer for final editing and conversion to mp3. XP Pro had no trouble with USB drivers.

Outboard effects can be applied to tracks using the built-in send-return feature (one track at a time). I don't have any outboard effects, so wasn't able to test this.

The faders and EQ can only be applied on playback but are individually settable on each of the 8 available tracks. Input gain is adjusted using a small knob next to each input. EQ adjustment points are set at a default of 10khz for the high setting and 100hz for the low and are individually adjustable via the menu.

You can also set it to sync with a midi drum machine. This might come in handy if you're working on a series of drum patterns for a song idea but aren't ready to commit it to tracks yet. I could do that with my SR-16 but haven't gotten that far with it yet in a programming sense.

There are also facilities to copy paste, copy insert, cut, move, clone tracks ... The basic editing functions.

The LCD display doesn't have a backlight, which would make it hard to see in low-light conditions, but that won't affect me at home. You can also only record 2 tracks at a time, each settable to mic/line. Track "A" can also be switched to accept a direct guitar input. There's a built-in 48v phantom power feature for condensor mics, which works well on both inputs, but I didn't include any mic'd stuff in my test.

You can, of course, bounce & mix tracks as well if you need more than 8 tracks for some idea you're toying with.

All recording is done in CD quality - 44.1 khz, 16 bits

All in all, this is a very good machine for those on a budget and who don't need something more sophisticated.

[dmw]

Thanks for the report. I've been debating about buying a unit like this or a unit with a built-in "beatbox." Boss units interest me, but the one I'd likely buy is $699.00 Would I be better off to buy this Tascam or a Fostex and get the Alesis as an outboard drum machine? I don't know for sure, but I suspect that the drum machines included with a DAW might not be too great. However, it might be adequate to use to lay down basic tracks. Right now my drums are an old TR-505 (I hear the laughter) or a real Pearl kit, when I can get my son over to play, unless I want the time all over the place when I play.

I make my living selling technology products; but when it comes to recording gear, I'm kind of a plug-n-play kind of person and want it to be as straightforward as possible. That's why it's been hard to totally make the break from analog tape, even though the medium is not too swift unless you've got a high-end machine.

[Barry]

To be honest, I haven't really looked at the Boss & Fostex recorders enough to know how good they are. I just like the Tascam design and was easily sold on it based also on past experience with Tascam and TEAC. As I recall, the Korg D1600mkII I had a couple of years ago had a drum machine built-in and sounded okay, but the menu structure and editing features were rather confusing and not really my cup of tea. That caliber of DAW costs over $1000, even used.

Of course, if I had 20 grand, I'd probably opt for a studio grade console and outboard effects racks and hard disc recorders. :cool:

Back to reality...

The beauty behind having a seperate drum machine (or drum kit), in my opinion, is in that there's less that can go wrong with the recorder.

I bought the Alesis SR-16. Without going into detail (which you can get in product descriptions, anyway), the drum samples sound fair and, if you read the manual, it's easy to figure out how to program and set it up. Oh, there are other more expensive machines out there. I might've bought a Boss DR-880 if I had a couple hundred more $$$ to spend, but this little SR16 takes up very little desk space, connects using a standard 1/4" plug (just like any guitar) and seems like it will be good enough for my purposes (at least for now). Besides, I don't need bass samples. I've got the real thing for that.

I don't understand, frankly, why open reel is all but gone. Actually, no, I do. Given a choice, most people will go for something light-weight and small over a large, heavy tape machine that requires frequent preventive maintenance to stay in top condition and shelves full of magnetic tape.

[popthree]

Effects are applied at the input and are part of the recorded track(s).
hmm, that might be the one thing that keeps me from buying one of these units. this is good to know. i have been considering making this purchase. are you quite sure that the effects cannot be added after the fact? i would much prefer to have a totally clean take to work with and then blend the desired effects afterward. maybe the dp-01 would be a better fit for me...cheaper too.

thanks for taking the time to write up the review.

[Barry]

I'm sure, pop3. They cannot be added after the fact, only as part of the recording. I know that's not ideal, but that's how it's designed. I might recommend you spring for something that will undoubtedly be a bit more pricey if you need that flexibility. I personally don't have a real need to do that since I can always boot into my Protools partition if I need something more meaty.

I sold a Korg D1600mkII that I had a couple of years ago. At about $1200, it could do what you're asking and a lot more, but I didn't like it's menu structure (it seemed a bit too unintuitive to me) and I wanted my desk space back.

The DP01 is a step BELOW the DP01FX. You still wouldn't be able to add effects to a track that's already recorded.

The DP01 series is Tascam's "low end". They're designed to be the digital version of the cassette-based PortaStudios. There is an effects send and return, but you can't use that with more than 2 tracks at the same time. I suppose you could get around it somehow, maybe by outputting your "clean" take to the input of another track and applying an effect that way, but that would tie up 2 tracks. With only 8 tracks and no virtual tracks, that would quickly eat up your channel assignments... unless you also start bouncing and mixing down tracks to regain the empty tracks. That's not really the easiest, or most desirable, way to go if you can afford something more. And the effects themselves are okay, good for playing around, but not the high quality that you'd find in a studio or in a dedicated effects unit costing hundreds of $$$.

In a nutshell, like anything else, you get what you pay for.

You can download the user's manual as a pdf (it covers both units) and take an in-depth look at the specs if you have more questions. Here's the link:

http://www.tascam.com/Products/dp01fx.html

Happy shopping! Let us know what you finally end up doing...

[popthree]

I personally don't have a real need to do that since I can always boot into my Protools partition if I need something more meaty.

yeah, thats where i was going with my thoughts. i figured i could lay down tracks using the dp01, and when i have what i want, i could go to the pc with it for effects and mixing. if that won't work, maybe i will have to consider a more expensive unit.
i just hate having to hook up my gear every time i want to record something. (we have a small place, and no room for my stuff to stay out all the time.) i figure the ease and convenience of one of the self contained units will be alot more condusive to spontanious creativity.

[Barry]

i figured i could lay down tracks using the dp01, and when i have what i want, i could go to the pc with it for effects and mixing. if that won't work, maybe i will have to consider a more expensive unit.
i just hate having to hook up my gear every time i want to record something. (we have a small place, and no room for my stuff to stay out all the time.) i figure the ease and convenience of one of the self contained units will be alot more condusive to spontanious creativity.

Similar situation here space-wise, though I do have my own desk space and half of our shared "den". My CFO (aka "wife") pretty much has control of the rest of our space.

You can transfer WAV files back and forth between it and your PC (you'll see that it does have a USB 2.0 port), but the DP will only do 16-bit and 44.1khz. "CD quality" sound. Not the best for critical recording, but it does work well enough for practice and to lay down ideas.