Tascam DP24

[Sacred Synthesis]

Soundquest wrote:

"I haven't used the Tascam DP24 for nearly 2 years.   I now use Audacity, which is free and with a few plugins is very useful and fairly easy to use.

The Tascam had more than adequate sound quality IMO.  Very quiet, zero latency.  I made some nice synth recordings with it and used to record my band as well.  It recorded at 24 bit from what I recall, but whittling down to CD was only possible at 16 bit of course.   I would need to look in the manual, but I think I could still save Wave files at 24 bit.   I always transferred files to my computer for safekeeping, which is the part that I found tedious.  You had to hook up cables, connect, transfer was slow, and somewhat confusing.

 I no longer needed more than one simultaneous stereo pair channel for recording since I'm done with the band thing, I think .  The Audacity suffices in that, but offers much more flexibility post processing, which I like to tinker with (mainly adjusting fade ins,outs, track levels and some panning).   I record thru input channels in my trustworthy Behringer mixer (ok, insert joke here), which has a USB out to the computer.  Never had a crash.   I felt this set up was the best compromise between my previous  hardware concept and going full blown pro software.  I really didn't want to invest in expensive interfaces, a larger computer and steep learning curve for like Pro Tools recording.  At least not yet.  If I didn't want to mess with recordings after a track is laid, I'd probably still be using the hardware recorder.

I will likely Craigslist in several days, so if interested beforehand just drop me a message."

[Sacred Synthesis]

Soundquest,

I'm very interested to hear about the DP24's finished product.  Was the audio quality satisfactory?  Did you ever mix down a piece/song and upload it to YouTube or SoundCloud, or even to a CD?  What was your judgment of the overall sound? 

I'm curious because I've been hoping to find a purely hardware means of making recordings, and the DP24 was the best thing I had found so far.

[Manbird]

Soundquest,

I'm very interested to hear about the DP24's finished product.  Was the audio quality satisfactory?  Did you ever mix down a piece/song and upload it to YouTube or SoundCloud, or even to a CD?  What was your judgment of the overall sound? 

I'm curious because I've been hoping to find a purely hardware means of making recordings, and the DP24 was the best thing I had found so far.

I perked up when I saw this. It's been years, but before I got hooked on Pro Tools, I was using a Roland VS1824. Similar sort of unit as the Tascam. Have to say, I loved working with it and bought a second one when I was living in England. It sounded great and felt very "physical" with its tape-deck type controls (you know, like a big Play button and Fast Forward etc). One charm I didn't think about back then was that all the musical action was all in the ears. No screen to stare at, no Internet lurking a split-second away. I'd lose myself in my work and I loved it. I still turn on the Roland from time to time if I'm looking for a certain track, and I'm tempted every time to use it for real, but the truth for me is Im hooked on PT, hooked on the screen. I do so much editing all the time - my bass playing and drumming skills have increased dramatically since I started using Elastic Audio (winky face etc). No matter what tech I use, I always see myself as a bit basic and my efforts at interfacing the Roland with my PT rig haven't gotten me anywhere. Otherwise maybe I'd use the Roland far more again. A charming creature!

[Soundquest]

I agree that the DP24 (and I assume 32 track version as well) are still the best all hardware option to record.

Sacred Synthesis.  Let me sift thru  some of my recordings and see if I can get you a WAV file I can shoot to you so you can hear the true audio quality.  Some of my older posts on Soundcloud are from that unit.  Here's one, but I'm fairly certain I reduced it to upload.  It used direct line for the synth stuff, and mic the inputs for the cymbal crashes.  Mastered on that unit with the onboard feature.  PS> lots of PEK. 

https://soundcloud.com/wavescape-1/whales-of-solaris

[Sacred Synthesis]

Soundquest -

That sounded pretty good, actually.  I would be satisfied with such a quality as the finished product.  I'm sure it would sound quite a bit better through a decent stereo.

The catch with my situation is that I don't need multi-track ability.  I can do what I do in one pass, and I'd like to keep it that way.  Hence, I don't need to, and I don't want to, go beyond hardware.  So, I'll take your comments and recording as a plus, in favor of the Tascam, even though you've now chosen a different method for your own recording.

[Sacred Synthesis]

Ant -

Regarding the sound quality of your completed mixed-down product, how would you compare the Roland with Pro Tools?

[LoboLives]

I have a Tascam 32 track SD card recorder. I like it, it's a great all in one. My only issue is it doesn't have midi.

[Manbird]

Ant -

Regarding the sound quality of your completed mixed-down product, how would you compare the Roland with Pro Tools?

It's a little tricky to compare, because the first Roland album I did featured bass and drums recorded to 2" tape in a studio, with all the rest done at home. It was a very layered, sometimes messy, psychedelic affair, labored over for two years. The second album was made entirely at home, quickly, with a very lo-fi approach to everything. My first PT album was very clean, and also featured drums recorded in studio. Plus the songs/arrangements themselves were "clean," a shift from a murkier psychedelic style.

I can say, I love the "sound" of the Roland. Whether it's the preamps or the effects, it really does have a sound. Dare I use the term "warm?" Pro Tools, for me, has been much more about "what you put in you get out," give or take. Honest, though - I'm never sure how much of this is in my head, or really, "on the screen." The Roland existed mainly in earphones or through speakers, whereas obviously DAW is all-screen, all-the-time. I zoom in to details differently when I'm staring at an upcoming edit, my ears are maybe always looking ahead etc.

Long rambling non-answer, but here's the only Soundcloud track I have up that was rec'd on Roland. Important to note it was mixed on a different Roland, a 24-track machine, by a mate in England. Drums and bass, as mentioned, were tracked to tape and lead vocal was a Telefunken 251 through glorious pre's and comps. The rest is hausgemacht!

https://soundcloud.com/anton-barbeau/in-the-village-of-the-apple-sun

[Sacred Synthesis]

I have a Tascam 32 track SD card recorder. I like it, it's a great all in one. My only issue is it doesn't have midi.

It sounds like these Tascams may be popular among synthesists.  And who is more demanding than a synthesist?  This is good.

[LoboLives]

I have a Tascam 32 track SD card recorder. I like it, it's a great all in one. My only issue is it doesn't have midi.

It sounds like these Tascams may be popular among synthesists.  And who is more demanding than a synthesist?  This is good.

For my synth stuff I switched over to using a Roland VC 1824-CD simply because it has midi and it's a lot more intuitive. It's a bit slow and takes a while to load but I'm okay with that. I have it set as a the midi master clock so whenever I start the sequencer my gear is all in sync.

[Manbird]

I have a Tascam 32 track SD card recorder. I like it, it's a great all in one. My only issue is it doesn't have midi.

It sounds like these Tascams may be popular among synthesists.  And who is more demanding than a synthesist?  This is good.

For my synth stuff I switched over to using a Roland VC 1824-CD simply because it has midi and it's a lot more intuitive. It's a bit slow and takes a while to load but I'm okay with that. I have it set as a the midi master clock so whenever I start the sequencer my gear is all in sync.

This intrigues me, as I've got the 1824 as well, yet when I was working most with it, I wasn't doing much synth stuff at all. The synths I have in Cal aren't very MIDI-friendly, but perhaps I can cough something together with this machine when I'm back in Germany. I do love these Rolands, have to say!

[LoboLives]

I have a Tascam 32 track SD card recorder. I like it, it's a great all in one. My only issue is it doesn't have midi.

It sounds like these Tascams may be popular among synthesists.  And who is more demanding than a synthesist?  This is good.

For my synth stuff I switched over to using a Roland VC 1824-CD simply because it has midi and it's a lot more intuitive. It's a bit slow and takes a while to load but I'm okay with that. I have it set as a the midi master clock so whenever I start the sequencer my gear is all in sync.

This intrigues me, as I've got the 1824 as well, yet when I was working most with it, I wasn't doing much synth stuff at all. The synths I have in Cal aren't very MIDI-friendly, but perhaps I can cough something together with this machine when I'm back in Germany. I do love these Rolands, have to say!

Yeah those are fantastic. I love the fact you can save it on CD and it separates the tracks when you import it to a DAW for mastering. It's slow but I love having a dedicated recorder. You aren't straining the thing with VSTs or anything else. It is simply there to record and edit what you put into it. In fact I was thinking about getting the Vogel CMI Fairlight APP and using the headphone jack on the iPad and running it directly into the 1824 as well so I can get some Fairlight stuff in there with my Prophet/Moog/Tempest.

[Soundquest]

PS>  I confirmed , yes the DP24 does record at 24bit.