Tascam DP-01 series (users out there, a little help if u will)...

[diogo]

hello everyone...

after having won the auction on a porta 488MKII and then having the owner saying he changed his mind and he's keeping it after all (has happened twice), and after loosing a 246, im ready to give up on analog for the time being (i will later get a 246 to mix down to)...i need something fast, cheap and that will deliver..this seems to be it...

i was once on the siab route, and considered Korg (easy, but filled with crap i would never use..who needs a million amps and whatnot), roland (cant touch these without years of training, ive used one before and its not that hard, but trying to max the thing is), yamaha (im actually considering the AW16G, but these are supposed to be so cool and good that they rarely come up on ebay, and there's no way im paying 1000 bucks new for it..no one should)...i wont even mention boss or zoom...

fostex...i just sold "my" MR8 and i dont want anything to do with fostex ever again...weakest pres ive ever heard, stereo pairs (whomever invented this should be sho...)...totally impossible to use, a toy..thats what ive heard here again and again and it is true.

i hear the VF series are pretty good, but sincerely, to hell with fostex.

so that leaves me with the option on the Tascam DP01 series...

im probably going for this unit to see how i can make it work for me...im not too sure if itll be enough, but ill give it a try...i know the knobs aint exactly alone there, theres still menus (right?), but i like knobs...we all do right? idd kill for some knobs after a year using the MR8..

ok here's what im thinking...

- can the DP series bounce tracks? if so, will they retain panning and EQ levels after being bounced? or at least keep the panning? im asking this cause ocasionally ill need more than 8 tracks and i dont want to get the computer involved in this..

- how's the sound quality? what would you guys rate the final product of this thing against? im gonna be using it with a dmp3, a couple of mxl condensers (v67 and a 603) and a 57 to mic my fender hotrod deluxe...i dont really care for the pres in this thing, but im worried about what itll do after the sound gets in there...how would u guys rate the conversion...

- are the effects at least usable? if they're anything like fostex's idea of a reverb, god help us all ill be using the unit with either a TC M300 or a Lexicon MX200....

- can i use more than one fx at the time with this? i see that it only has one fx send per track...but i was wondering if i could assign 2 different fx's ..like one fx on track 1..same on track 3, but different on track 2. is this possible? will it be able to take advantage of a good fx unit capable of stereo processing like the TC or Lexicon?

- are all the 1/4" ins on this, balanced?

- are the DP01 and DP01FX exactly the same machines safe for the effects, xlr ins and phantom power? if so, can the panels be removed? if i get the blue one ill have to spray paint the rascal

- i know i said i dont care about the pres, but how would u rate them against something like a DMP3 or other well known budget pres? seeing if the dp01fx is worth it or not...

- can i hook up a synth or a drum machine to the line ins of this? any experience with this? im afraid the drum machine and synth signals will just be too weak compared to the ones coming from the mics connected through the DMP3, thus ruining the song...

- is the EQ (2 band) at least usable?

- this would be nice - can anyone post some samples/or files/or link to files of their recordings with this unit and describe what was used in terms of extra outboard equipment?

- last thing for now...does anyone have a link for the sound on sound review of it..its subscribers only thinkin it might be floatin around the net somewhere...

sorry for the long post guys...i could really use some input on this, im buying it used and there's a few going soon..

many many thanks in advance!


diogo

 

[TNO]

I've just started using mine, big step up from my MR-8. I skipped the FX version since I have a DMP3 and a couple of compressors. I plan to get a M300 at some point. I'm a technophobe and find it's a very useable machine. Various frequencies can be selected for the two band eq. Hard drive is fairly quiet. Display is dim. I got mine new on ebay for under $300. Knobs make all the difference.

 

[diogo]

hey TNO,

tanx for the reassurance man..it seems everyone that gets this is upgrading from an MR8...dreadfull useless piece of crap :/

even a macthbox would be a step up from the MR8

is the sound quality that better? i used to use my DMP3 with the MR8 and i got usable results...is it a better combo (dmp3 + dp01)?

im thinkin i MUST get one on the cheap...or else i wont be able to justify it..my goal is the yamaha AW16G, but thats still very expensive nowadays, and i need something fast, and i cant waste time learning it...with the yamaha unit that would be impossible, idd had to waste some time there..anyway, we can make the tascam sound good right? my intention with this is surround it with stuff (dmp3, decent mics, tc m300, drum machine, etc) and use it basically as a hard drive..let the other stuff do the work..you think it sounds good enough for that in terms of conversion?

thanks!

 

[TNO]

Sound quality is fine on both machines but everything is nicer on the Tascam-headphone amp, faders, etc. A word of warning about the Yamaha-it is VERY hard to use. I had one for about a week and even with the manual I never figured out how to record anything.
We seem to have the same approach-get a decent, inexpensive machine and surround it with gear that will be still be useful later if we upgrade.

 

[lovegoodsoul73]

Dp01-fx

Bought the FX model recently. While I'm a novice at recording, I must admit it sounds great and it's easy to use. I'm really pleased with it. I bought it instead of the MR8. The only downside I found was having only two inputs to use at a time.

-jimbo

 

[diogo]

fellas,

many tanx for the replies...

TNO,
absolutely. i wouldnt rely on the pres of the yamaha unit, let alone these...im counting on this machine for its hard drive mainly, and the intuitive interface..i hate computers more each day and i want to stay away from it. i wonder if i can fit larger hard drives on the DP-01 though. surrounding a decent data receiver with decent equipment always works..i expect a lot from this recorder...i disagree on the MR8 though..it sounded bad...as in BAD...no dimension, no nothing. as soon as i added the DMP3 and software reverbs, i got national air play with my demos, believe it or not. i cant get enough of this great pre, it really does its job. but i wont touch another MR8 as long as i live..its a toy...i think this tascam is kind of a toy too, but a much more serious one, and useful too!

you're right about the yamaha...im getting the tascam and seeing if i like it and if it can deliver..if not ill swing for the yamaha..my guess is, by the end of the year yamaha will have something new and these will drop like flies on ebay...

if the tascam delivers, all the better!

but im also afraid tascam will come up with a better unit in a matter of months (like 12 tracks, bigger disk, 4 simult rec, etc...)...that would be frustrating.

any sound clips guys?

that would be cool..

tanx!

 

[diogo]

i would really like to know what happens when u bounce tracks guys...

like, for instance if we bounce 2 tracks into one, will they keep the panning they had originaly? my guess is that it wont, but as i never tried one

tanx!