Tascam DP-02CF for multi-tracking?

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gamete18

gamete18

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Hi.

http://pro-audio.musiciansfriend.co...gital-Portastudio-Recording-Studio?sku=241813

I would love some responses on this machine because i play guitar and sing and have been writing some songs that I need to record and put on cds to sell at my shows.

Im pretty sure its a decent machine for recording acoustic/electric guitar, bass and vocals. and maybe even drums....

What do you guys think? What other gear would be a necessary to make decent recordings to sell? I probably would sell the cds for around 2-3 bucks.

Thanks for any responses! =]
 
With rebate, the Portastud is a pretty good deal.

Of course, it will make a good sounding recording.

My only recommendation would be to consider a small and versatile stereo mixer to serve as front end to the DP02cf, that would provide a much needed boost in mic/line volume and input mixing versatility. The preamps on this unit are a little underpowered, as is, and there's no front-end mixing onboard,... just A-input/B-input-to-track archetecture.. That's MO, YMMV.

The short answer is: Yes. It's a good deal, sounds good & I'd approve of getting it.

I have 3 tunes done on this unit.
DP02cf Portastud Demo 1 (out-of-box demo).
DP02cf Portastud Demo 2 (using 244 mixer as front end).
DP02cf Portastud Demo 3 (using 244 mixer as front end).
 
Man those tracks sound great!! Im defiantly going to purchase it! Thanks so much for the help! Ill post some demos that i record once I mix some stuff. Thanks again! =]
 
Thanks, bro!

I like the DP02cf Portastud despite it's minor limitations, that are workable (with all the extra gear I have) and are not a show stopper. For the money it's hard to beat. I didn't get the rebate, but mine was discounted in a promotion. I only paid $10 more than your net cost after rebate, and I've not regretted this as a recorder purchase. I have a lot of other gear, but this fits a niche really well.

I was able to record tracks and render the "master" stereo tracks for those demos entirely onboard the DP02cf, lest you consider the two tunes I used the vintage 244 Portastudio as a front-end (input) mixer section for tracking. The 244 has a small but premium mixer section, and it greatly enhanced the flexibility of staging the sound to the recorder and sound quality itself, by dialing in proper mic/line gain and EQ going in.

As with other CF solid state memory recorder devices, you'll use USB 2.0 to pull your tracks over to the 'puter for backup and burning CDs. It's pretty slick. The "Portastud" logo is hilarious and is worth the price of admission! The unit is silkscreened that way, as well as one panel of the box. Haha. Portastud. That's hilarious! I don't think you'll be disappointed.

I saw you inquiring about low end preamps. I don't have a huge preference, (as I just dig mixers out of the closet at will), but F/I I was thinking of a small desktop Mackie mixer or something like the Behringer UB802 for front end. A front end mixer will greatly enhance the utility of the A/B-input scheme of the DP02cf. I don't have a preference or hands on with those contemporary mixers, but just to throw out some ideas of common gear.

Good luck, & welcome to the board!:eek:;)
 
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Thanks so much!

So, for a front end mixer would i need a power amp to run it? Or is it built in or what? I have ordered the TASCAM porta stud! I cant wait! And i even got the rebate! So, it will be coming with a mic and headphones... (wonder what brand and quality?) BUT THERE FREE SO HEY! =]

Once i throw down some mixes ill figure out how to post some samples in the forums!

I may even need some help on how to export different tracks to Sony ACID music studio 6.0 for more editing..And then figure out how to take them back to the recorder.
unless i cant figure it out....

Well, thanks again!

And I love the forums! =]
 
Well,...

It's two different things.

A front end mixer is recommended to up the utility of the A/B input scheme, plus give lower gain mics a bit of a bump in levels and EQ, on the way into the recorder. Though I'd recommend a front end mixer, the A/B inputs are workable without it,... just maybe not up to par of what I'd expect or prefer. It's functional but not stellar.

A power amp & speakers would be recommended for the outputs of the L/R-Stereo monitor (playback) section, so you can hear what you've done on speakers, as opposed to phones. Alternate to this is getting self-powered monitor speakers, or using your home stereo or boombox as playback monitor. The higher quality, the better, but you get the idea. While you're doing the overdubbing of tracks, headphones will be required to prevent ambient feedback from the monitors back into the mics.

The "Get Started Pack" from Tascam gives you a Tascam brand dynamic mic and Tascam brand headphones. They should be workable and of midline quality, but for free that's another $40 of value they're throwing in to sweeten the deal. All told, it's a darned good deal.

There's a sequence of menu choices and keystrokes that get either the raw tracks or the "master" stereo (mixdown) track to copy from the Tascam partition to the FAT partition. Once data is in the FAT partition, you'd hook up the DP02 to the 'puter using USB 2.0, and just pull them over. It's not too difficult, and the manual explains it all in detail. Importing tracks is just the opposite, tho' I've never done an import operation. It should be easy.:eek:;)

Implied is that you'll need a 'puter with Windows XP and USB 2.0, minimum.:eek:;)
 
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Thanks for all the info!

Yeah i believe that i will probably just stick with the recorder with out a front end mixer. I mean, maybe in the future (when funds are more available) ;)

O I have a question that has been confusing me a little lately. What is the difference between a Preamp and a power amp?

And for monitoring, ill have the free headphones. And, Ive figured out also that i can use my computer speakers for monitors. They are powered audio speakers that plug into my computer by 1/8th. So, ill need a 1/8th - stereo L/R RCA that hook into the recorders L/R outs. Do you know where i could get one of those? Radio Shack maybe? Is a power amp really necessary for running those speakers with the recorder? Heres a link to the exact speakers that i own:

http://www.avadirect.com/product_details_parts.asp?PRID=9640

Yeah, the TASCAM starter pack doesn't seem so bad...But ill see exactly how the FREE mic and headphones work out...

Yeah ok that doesent seem to hard to do. But what i meant was how would i open it up with SONY ACID music studio?

OH CRAP! Are you saying that it wont let you convert tracks to Windows Vista?? I hope it does because that's what i have on my Compaq Presario! :eek:
 
Windows Vista should be okay. Try it.

A powered monitor speaker doesn't need a separate power amp, as it's already built-in. You'll need an 1/8"-to-RCA stereo Y-cable adapter. Radio Shack should have this item.

A preamp is for amplifying mic signals up to line level to be input into another device, such as a recorder or PA power amp.

A power amp is for amplifying line level signals and outputting it to speakers.:eek:;)
 
Midi out

A Reel Person said:
Of course, it will make a good sounding recording.
DP02cf Portastud Demo 1 (out-of-box demo).
DP02cf Portastud Demo 2 (using 244 mixer as front end).
DP02cf Portastud Demo 3 (using 244 mixer as front end).
Click to expand...

Hallo,

I agree with you Reel Person that it is nice working with the Tascam DP02-CF. However I came across the following issue. I want to synchronize my Tascam with my Drummachine. But it just doesn't work out. I used different midi cables, different slave devices, checked and doublechecked all manuals - no midi signal showed up at the midi out. My question is: can anybody here confirm that he successfully used the midi out of the Tascam? If so: Please tell me how that works! Because I really don't have a clue what's going wrong here.

I say thanks in advance!
Regards,
Sympathisant
 
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