I'm coming to multi-track recording late in the game - doing it for the first time in my mid-30's and having actually learned to do it first on my iPad and iPhone (using a variety of interfaces for guitar and audio sources into a DAW). So it's a little hard to articulate why I was drawn to the TASCAM DP-008EX, when it arguably offers far less editing capability and flexibility than a DAW. But, for me, I found the affordability, variety of input options, and simplicity for capturing ideas quickly to be very appealing with the DP-008EX. It even motivated me to purchase a dynamic microphone (SM-57 copy) and mic stand to finally attempt to mic and record some of my amps at home!

I will keep this review short, since I'm somewhat of a novice user and haven't put in the hours yet to fully explore this device. But I found relatively simple to get working "out of the box". There are a few design choices that feel archaic, such as the way inputs are assigned and pretty much anything having to do with the LCD interface. But keep in mind that those choices are part of what keeps this an affordable product for people who might not have used a multi-track recorder before, and for whom basic functionality (off a set of batteries, nonetheless) is more important than bells and whistles.

I found that the purchase of the DP-008EX led to a few other inexpensive purchases, including a 1/8" to 1/4" mono cable and the XLR cable for the aforementioned dynamic mic purchase. (I've actually heard the on-board condenser mics aren't half bad, but positioning those in front of a guitar amp while trying to start a recording seemed like a non-starter to me). One early concern I've read about and experienced with the use of an external mic is that the recording levels seemed low. However, there are a number of settings that impact this, including a switch on the back of the device, and a series of recording levels you can designate in the LCD menus. So, come to think of it, I might not have explored all of those options, in addition to being a total novice when it comes to mic placement and recording levels. I did record some other audio sources (iOS instruments and Korg Volca synths and drum machine) and had little problem getting the levels where I wanted them.

So, why buy a DP-008EX when you can purchase a $10 DAW and an interface and record directly on a mobile device? For me, it's much the same reason why I still enjoy playing real life guitar amps and effects pedals versus modeling software offering far more variety in sounds...it's just a much more satisfying experience working with physical gear. In my case, I already had the guitars, effects pedals, and even preamp "direct" pedals, so the DP-008EX was an affordable way to capture recordings without getting bogged down in a bunch of software.

The lack of an included power supply is a bit disappointing at this price point, but I might try using Eneloop rechargeable batteries for awhile in lieu of being tied to a wall plug. Really liked the level control, pan, and reverb send knobs laid out physically on the display. Getting content off of the device sounds a little harder than it should be in 2016, but I'd rather have difficulty on that end than hassle on the front end when I'm trying to record ideas.

The DP-008EX is easily the best $200 I have ever spent.

My background:

-Intermediate acoustic guitar player + vocalist

-Experienced in DAWs

-Emphasis on writing songs, not "production value"

I've only had this device for a few days and I can already say it is worth every penny. Here's why:

-The amount of functionality and quality you get out of a device this small and affordable is simply unheard of.

-The built-in mics really are as good as other reviewers say. One could almost say the $200 is worth the mics alone. Audiophile snobs will surely disagree, but 90% of people using this device I think will find the mics to be more than sufficient.

-I was able to lay down a 5-track recording, mixdown, and master in about 30 minutes from opening the box. Exporting and copying the song to my iMac using the USB interface was very easy and straightforward. The final product sounds better than anything I've done in a DAW, although I am not an audio engineer by any means.

-While you will have to drill down in menus on occasion, there are enough dedicated buttons to make most of the useful functions only one button press away (sort of: I'll get back to this).

-You can monitor during playback and recording with absolutely no latency that I can tell.

-The unit powers on in seconds. Once you're at the home screen (and assuming you had a song previously loaded) you can immediately start recording. All your work will be saved when you power off the unit.

-The simplicity of this device and the dedicated knobs makes the recording process a lot simpler and more fun than using a DAW in my opinion. I set this thing on my ottoman and crank out tunes from the couch. I record percussion tracks by punching the ottoman for a "kick" sound and tapping the guitar for a "snare" sound. It sounds amazing.

I would like to take a moment to debunk some of the complaints I've read in other reviews:

-Many say the battery life is weak. This doesn't surprise me based on all the functions this unit provides. A little tip I picked up from reading the manual: you can set an auto shut-off time for the backlight. This might help the battery life a little bit. Just get the power supply if you're worried about it, and pack a bunch of batteries with you if you're going to go record in the woods. Get rechargeable so you can juice them up again when you're at home.

-One reviewer complained that the phantom power takes two button presses to enable even though there is a dedicated button for it. I assure you Tascam did this on purpose, so that you do not inadvertently turn on phantom power and kill your battery life (or a connected mic that doesn't support it).

-The most common complaint seems to be that it's hard to use. I assure you that anyone with even a tiny bit of multi-track recording experience (in a DAW or elsewhere) should find this unit very intuitive and easy to use. If you are new to multi-track recording, take your time and read the manual. It is one of the best-written manuals I've seen in a long time. They left nothing out, and the quick start guide should get you up and running right away. I don't know how they could have made anything any simpler on this device without sacrificing functionality or introducing problems/confusion. If you think this is too complicated, multi-track recording just isn't for you.

-Some complain about the real-time mixdown and mastering. If you are using the DP-008EX for its intended purpose, your songs should not be longer than 5 minutes or so. That's 10 minutes of total wait time to export your master. Big deal. If you are trying to record 3-hour long band practices, look elsewhere. The DP-008EX is designed for recording individual songs. Don't leave a negative review because you used the product for something it wasn't intended for.

-A couple people said the metronome is so quiet it is not usable. I agree that the metronome could be louder, but there is a very simple solution to this: turn down your master volume, increase your headphone/monitor volume. The metronome volume does not change with the master volume (it has its own dedicated volume setting). This should not have been hard to figure out.

-Some complain about the 2-second count-in for auto punch in/out. I actually agree with this one. Tascam should just release a software update that increases this time (or make it configurable by the user). Not a deal breaker though.

To summarize, this is the best piece of studio gear I have ever purchased. I can produce songs with this thing that sound as good as my $2k studio setup, and I can do it literally anywhere I want. Whether you are a professional or a beginner, this unit has something for everyone at a price for everyone.

This unit is great for anything you would want to do to record. Great for live recording, also great for recording on your own. For example, I use it to record myself laying one track down at a time. Drums, bass, guitars, piano or keys, then vocals and backing vocals. If you're a first time recorder, I will warn you, it may take some patience. You will have to read the manual thoroughly and tinker with it for awhile. So in that case its best to lay down one song and perfect your understanding of it before you move on. After you lay down all your tracks, you simply go into mixdown mode do mix and pan your tracks. Then you go into mastering mode (which can be done manually or automatically). I strongly recommend that you master it manually. Because you can play around with it as much as you want to come up with the exact mix that YOU want, not what the machine will automatically do. I hear a lot of people say that it takes forever to convert on to a WAV file and produces low volume cds. Not true at all. You actually create the WAV file in the master mode. Once you plug the USB cable into your computer, it literally takes seconds to drag and drop it into your itunes. And as far as the sound quality reviews, as long as you know how to use the compressors in manual mode, (threshold, ratio and level), and know how to balance your low, mid and high frequencies in your master mode, not only will the sound be more than satisfactory, you will have the mix and sound quality that YOU wanted and created. I do however recommend that you buy a phantom powered condenser Mic for vocals. Although the built in ones are very good, I think they're more suited for instrument recording. (Piano, violin, etc.) Plus you dont want to have to hold the entire unit in front of you to sing into. Also, one downer is that it doesnt come with the adapter, but u can get one for under $20 so its no biggie. But its a must have because batteries just wont cut it for the time you will spend with it. Bottom line, its a fairly priced, well functioning recorder that will satisfy all of your needs. Im very glad with the purchase and I've had to problems whatsoever, unless you count the learning curve a problem. But there is a learning curve with every recorder. Buy this unit, and you will not be disappointed! !!

I started working with this when I bought it in late January 2017. For me, having one of these is the only way I can write and nail down a song. I still have my old school Tascam cassette tape 4 track recorder Made in the early 90's. The 4 tracks really limited me. I recorded a total of 20 songs, they came out okay, but I lost interest. For many years.

Now it's a whole new world out there with DAW and computerized stuff that I did research on. It sounds like the way I probably should have gone, but my playing was rusty enough. I did not want to spend days and money learning how to record all over again, with a chance I might not like it after all. So I went with something more familiar to me. And 8 tracks to work with, I was like a kid in a candy store when I got this.

Now, the figuring out how to work this recorder.....in my case, I at least had experience with a 4 track, from the same brand. BUT swallow your pride and read the operating manual. I had to. No matter what, the operation of this may seem unintuitive at first, but once you get it down it is actually quite easy to use. I have yet to finalize anything yet, and have not plugged this in my computer as of now. That's my own fault, I just don't have anything quite ready that I think is worth it yet.

Now I just turn it on, run my drum machine and guitar directly to this recorder, and from this recorder I have powered speakers hooked up. So all my dabbling around is ready for recording instantly once I find the right riffs worth recording before I forget them. There are some steps you need to take to do this. That's where things could be a little simpler. Basically, you go thru the menu, create a new song, then you have a blank canvas to create with. But if you were to go thru the menu and create a new song every time you come up with a good riff, you would more than likely forget it first. So I just keep the one song going, ready to record as soon as I come up with something that is worth going back to later. To do this, I have to write down the time I stopped recording, and keep repeating these steps. Once I have about 10 minutes of ideas, then I create a new song, and start over. I just wish this process was a bit easier. The recorder once turned off, then on again resets to the beginning of your "song", so using the times I wrote down, I have to fast forward to the point I left off. If not, of course what I previously recorded is overwritten.

Also of note, and something I never got solid advice on, is if you can run your guitar to a pedal, then the pedal to this recorder. You absolutely can, and the sound quality is outstanding. You just need to adjust the recording levels accordingly.

What this has done for me so far is amazing. I have a room I call my recording studio, and I am able to keep this available and ready the minute inspiration hits me. I cover it with a cloth to keep the dust off when not in use.

Overall, this is a great little recorder and I love it. My next step will be to try out computerized recording with a DAW. But being old school, I wanted something I knew I could figure out with minimum frustration. This does it.

Also, a kudos to Tascam. It's a little thing, but it came with a 4gb SD card instead of the 2gb advertised. A power cord added in would have been nicer, but no matter what this is perfect for what I need it for.

I originally purchased the DP-004 about 6 months ago and I thought it was the best 4 track you could get, as well as the most easiest to use. I moved up to the DP-008EX because I wanted the extra tracks and was excited about the new features.

I have already worked on a couple songs and was surprised how well they turned out. The DP-008EX has adjustable input compression for all tracks which is a new feature on this model as far as I know. It is a nice feature, but cannot be used at the same time as the other two new features, the exciter (a treble/harmonics booster) and the de-esser. Not a big deal. The old two band EQ feature is nice for removing some unwanted frequencies or boosting others. There are some other small things on this series of recorders that make it easier to use like the auto punch in/out and the track silencer in the edit functions. Just like the previous models the ease of use has not changed and you almost don not even need the instruction manual.

The only dislike I have is that it does not seem to be as rugged and sturdy as my DP-004. The input level knobs seem a little loose. I have only had it a fairly short time and haven't really had any problems so far.

The brand new and probably the most important feature on the DP-008EX when compared to the older model is the mastering section. There is an automatic mastering option and a manual mastering option, which gives you another two band EQ, compression and normalization. These three options only affect the mixdown and not the individual tracks. The manual mode is a little complicated and requires a little more time to figure out how to get the sound you are looking for, but once you have figured it out I think it will greatly improve the quality of your song. It really depends on how much detail and time you are willing to put into the song. Most recorders probably have more options as far as effects and mastering tools, but you can spend hours on these types of things.

I myself am not a producer. But, the DP-008EX allows me to be able to create a fairly decent CD of my own recordings and cover songs without costing me a lot of time and money. The best thing about the DP-008EX like its predecessors is that it is easy to use and you can record tracks very quickly.

I have been looking for a multi-track digital unit that wasn't going to cost an arm and a leg. I'm a guitarist/songwriter (somewhat!) who has been setting up a recording situation in my little music room. Did the google search thing and this TASCAM unit kept popping up that it's quite a workhorse. Amazon's good about backing up their products as far as satisfaction goes, so I took the plunge, and not a deep one for an 8-track for under $200.

I've so far used it for live gigs and jams. The fidelity of the built-in mics is surprisingly good. As long as you watch the meters and set the gain correctly, you're gonna get pretty much what is going on on stage. Good separation and good bandwidth to capture everyone (unit placement is vital, of course). I've also recorded from the p.a. mixer direct out on one side and a field mic to capture everything else. Pretty impressive. The only downside is that you can only record on 2 tracks at a time, which is understandable given the unit's price point. After all, it's not the Rolling Stones' mobile recording semi!

The instruction book does leave a lot to be desired, however. When you're studying how to do a particular function, it may refer you to another part of the book, something you haven't covered yet, so the new part becomes it's own sub-study section. Then you gotta go back to what you were initially trying to figure out. It's understandable enough, but I suggest read it until it gets a little frustrating, turn the unit on and start recording something. I figured out more stuff just by messing around with it. Then after a few recording attempts I could go back to the manual and go "Ohhh! That's what they meant!"

But otherwise, I love the portability, and the fact that, if necessary, you can run it on batteries. I usually use a power transformer wart plug-in thing to be sure to get constant voltage, but one time I forgot the power unit. I always carry a fresh set of batteries Justin Case. Battery power got me through the entire 4 hour gig with plenty of power left in the batteries.

It's pretty light and is made of what I think is high-grade plastic. So I carry my unit in a Crown Royal velvet bag which, in turn, is carried in one of those shoulder bags with the power unit, extension cord, and other back-up junk, so I try to not let it get bumped around too much.

So, if you're OK with recording only 1 or 2 tracks at a time (track bouncing and mixdown options aplenty!) there is no reason to not give this unit a spin. Built-in reverb, e.q., mic assignment, line levels, all the basics to making a groovy basic recording live in this TASCAM unit. Get the 64-gig micro-card and space will not be an issue.

First of all, I love this multi-track recorder. Easy to use, clean noise-free recordings, phantom power for condenser microphones, small foot print, yet offers controls for all key functions, an intuitive menu system; a perfect recorder for guitarists and musicians who want to lay down a few tracks and song ideas and actually produce a mastered song. Or record a band rehearsal...

The internal mics as reported by others work very well, and I appreciate the multiple levels of control the unit offers to control the noise pressure from the various inputs. The EQ section and reverb are excellent, though I have to admit that the EQ setting menu is the one menu that confused the heck out of me...

Oh, and I also appreciate NOT paying for a bunch of simulated guitar amps and effects (i.e., Boss and ZOOM).

The DP-008EX really is an excellent choice at an incredible price. Who would have thought a few years ago that you could purchase a portable, 8 track recorder, with all of these bells and whistles for $180?

So, it is all good, right/ Well, almost. I have one complaint. Getting the song to the computer.

You see, when you record your tracks they are stored in an "invisible" partition on the SD card in an... only Heaven knows format. To get them to your computer you need to run through the Tascam export routine, not a big deal, but it does take some time to complete.

My bigger complaint is the process to export a "song". After creating the tracks, if you want to save them as a mastered song, you must go through a lengthy procedure including: 1) Mark the in / out points of the recording, 2) Create a mixdown track which includes "recording" the tracks. So if the song is 3 minutes long, it takes 3 minutes, and then, 3) Master it using a series of menu steps and start the master process which also takes approximately the length of the song. All told, it can take 7-8 minutes or more to complete the process. On my previous machines, I simply recorded tracks and ejected the SD card and inserting it into the computer...not so with this unit. I realize this is being really picky, but for me, it is a bit of a pain in the ______.

So there you have it. Great recorder. 8 tracks of clean recordings. Decent mastering tools. But a bit of pain to actually get the files to your computer.

Would I buy it again? In a heartbeat.

I've been doing some home recording with software based programs (Audacity and Reaper) for the past couple of years with reasonable results. However, I've been frustrated by latency issues, and the degree to which you need to become a computer hardware expert just to record a multi-track song. I found myself longing for the simplicity of the old 4 track reel to reel Tascam days. (Not to say there aren't HUGE advantages working in digital media.) I thought this recorder might recapture some of that simplicity while still allowing me to manipulate the final tracks or master recording in a pc program if I wished. I have found that to be the case.

I've had this unit for 3 weeks now and I'm quite impressed by the quality. This unit feels substantial in your hands. All the controls are solid. I've recorded 6 songs already on it with nice results. The manual is somewhat long, but that is because it is VERY detailed and has pictures of every screen you will see as you follow the instructions, which is incredibly helpful. It also has a great Quick Start section at the beginning. I followed the quick start section to record my first arrangement of a percussive electric guitar song as a test. 2 stereo tracks doing the primary guitar part, 2 stereo tracks doing a bass part, and two tracks of background chords and harmonics. Took me about 20 minutes. You tell the unit which inputs you are going to use (mic, line, guitar), press the 1+2 track record buttons, set your levels, press PLAY and RECORD together and you’re off. Go back to the beginning and press 3+4 to record the next stereo track, etc. If you flub a take, you just stop and go back to the beginning of that track and rerecord. It has individual reverb, pan and level for each track. The previous tracks automatically play back while your are recording new tracks AND THERE ARE NO LATENCY ISSUES! (I can't stress this enough even with caps!) If tracks 5+6 don't enter into the song until 2 minutes in, you simply arm the tracks and start at 1:50. No need to start from the beginning to record new tracks.

The condenser mics on the front did a nice job recording an acoustic guitar song, in stereo and with reverb (numerous different reverb types available). The unit has a built in metronome and tuner, you can bounce tracks with no degradation (freeing up tracks for more recording), mix 8 tracks down to a stereo mix, and then mastering effects (auto or manual) can be applied to the final master. All this is recorded on an SD card. You can transfer files via USB to a computer for further work or to save as WAV files. Also has built in condenser mics on the front of it for capturing live performances. Plus auto punch in and out. All this on something the size of a VHS cassette. Pretty fun.

NOTE:

1. this is not a mixing board. Admittedly, this looks like a small mixer for 8 simultaneous inputs. It doesn't do that. You can only record 2 tracks at a time. The "mixer" is used to set levels for recording the 2 active tracks and/or playback levels of previously recorded tracks.

2. this cannot be used as a USB recording interface. You can transfer files to a computer AFTER recording them, but not WHILE you are recording them.

If you enjoyed using the old cassette 4 track recorders, then you will find this is easier and better to use. The nuances of eq-ing, de-essing and so on have passed me by in this first week of use, but I've put together two passable songs in a very short period of time, bouncing down, mixing to multiple stereo pairs, using the very natural sounding automatic mastering function, transferring my mastered song to the FAT portion of the SD card.. the whole thing is so much easier than it should be. And no tape noise.

People who complain about the proprietary format on the active part of the SD card probably bought the wrong recorder. This device is a stand alone device. If you wanted something to extract individual tracks and work with them on your computer, then this isn't it. And is the almost real time transfer to the FAT portion of the drive a problem? I don't think so personally. It's exciting - you've worked for hours on a song. Is three minutes while it processes such a pain?

The internal mics are great. I was going to buy a mic, but honestly I don't see the point. I might get a vocal processing unit if such a thing exists, and if it does, I would get a mic. It would be nice to have the ability to do something with my voice outside of what this box can do with its fairly limited reverb. Still though - this box rules. Get an adaptor or you will be recharging like nobody's business.

Great for small-scale 'home studio production'. Incredible capabilities built in to such a compact device. Signal to noise ratio in the pre-amps is excellent. Used to have the 6-track cassette version of the portastudio decades ago; way more 'bang for the buck' in this version! Quality hasn't changed, it's less than half the size of its 'grandfather' and very rugged. Love that a final mixdown may be rendered without too much effort. The Phantom power feature on the XLR inputs enables long extension cords for on-site recording (using powered mics) without picking up much ambient EMF interference; good for live recording as a result. The display and firmware takes some getting used to, but it's logically laid out and uses protocols from the recording industry so learning how to use it is not a wasted effort as this may be helpful as you 'upgrade' your studio hardware and skills. Replaced the disposable batteries provided with rechargeable Li-ion cells with no decrease in performance. A 4-hour session drained the 2400 mAh a fair bit but they held up. If no replacement batteries are available, a quality power supply would be a useful investment. Best to get something 'Taskam approved' to cover any warranty if something goes wrong.

Places semi-pro capability within the financial reach of those with tight budgets. Small enough to fit into a guitar case with the instrument as well!

8 track recorder that is easy to use. There are plenty of YouTube videos and the recorder comes with FULL printed user manual. This is becoming less the rule these days. You can download the manual if you wish.

The quick start up guide takes you through the main features of recording, downloading to two tracks and mastering to .wav format.

The quality of the internal microphones are very good but a good external mic will improve quality. You can also plug in electronic instruments directly. You can monitor as you go through wired headphones.

The DP-008EX T provides a lot of options for inputs and outputs.

All in all a good piece of equipment for anybody wanting to record more than one track with the advantage of being portable.

llegó muy rápido y en perfecto estado, estoy muy contento con la tascam. lo recomiendo ampliamente, la calidad del producto es muy buena, la grabacion en mi casa es perfecta

Just great. Amazing sound and features. No latency. No fussing with drivers and extra equipment and cluttered DAW UIs. Great presets for compression and mastering. I’ve had so much better results on this than with Logic. Let’s you focus on what matters - capturing your musical expression. I use an NT1A with its phantom powered input and the results have been great for vocals and percussion. It’s built in mic’s may be ok but I’ve always used my NT1A. If I don’t have the NT1A handy then I’m glad the built in mic’s are there! Line inputs for synth and guitars work great too.

Only thing that I see as missing is the option to convert time code and in/out points to bars/measures (if recording with the metronome) instead of minutes and seconds. But this hasn’t really prevented me from working at all. Was just surprised.

Works very professionally. This really is a portable studio. It gets deep, but you can learn all of its functionality in about one evening. It's worth investing the time to learn this machine's capabilities.

The build quality is good. Knobs don’t wobble. Feels great. Bought a zippered amazon gadget case to protect it from dust and scratches.