Long time Tascam user....back to the 424 in the mid 80's, the MIDIStudio 688 in the '90's, the original 2488 Mk I when it was released, and recently, a DP-24.
I'll agree with Billy's comment about the DP-24 not needing a drum machine per se, however....I feed the Audio Outs (RCA) into a headphone distribution amp, and unfortunately, the internal metronome doesn't come through those outputs, effectively rendering the metronome useless when tracking vocals, miking a guitar cab, basically whenever using a microphone. This is an instance where setting a basic pattern, even on a primitive MIDI kit, would effectively serve as a timekeeper for one individual laying down numerous tracks.
Luckily, I have an Alesis SR-18, so it's a simple matter to create a simple pattern of high hat strikes on the beat, record it to a stereo pair, and then have the necessary timekeeper....but the DP-24 should have something other than a metronome that only plays through the monitors.
Tascam wasn't exactly quick on the draw to release firmware upgrades for the 2488, but they did eventually come out, and they did address some of the more glaring issues the original release(s) had....let's hope they do the same for the DP-24, in a reasonable timeframe.
Overall, it's an impressive machine, and it's a snap to back up unfinished tracks from the 2488 as individual WAV files, and then import them to
the DP-24 to continue work. The Mastering tools do a good job overall, at times eliminating the need to bring a finished mix into
Sound Forge Pro and then run them through iZotope's Ozone to create a final master. Ozone offers more flexibility, and remains my tool of choice, but to be able to make a reasonable master right "in the box" is a nice feature.
Considering the price of the DP-24 (less than half the cost of the original 2488), you do get a decent bang for the buck, particularly in contrast to watching the clock in a studio....when you consider the rather large percentage of listeners that will play your work on portable MP3 players, listening on the ear buds provided with the unit....you can create more than passable quality on this deck.
I hope they do address the issues properly, without introducing new problems (as this 1.10 release has done) within a reasonable time.....but I'm not getting rid of my 2488 anytime soon either.....