New portable multitrack recorders from Tascam

[Ozpeter]

TASCAM HS-P82

TASCAM DR-680

The first seems to be an upmarket Nagra-style 8 channel recorder, the second appears to compete with the Edirol R-44 (but with 6 mic/line inputs plus digital, and with a more fully-featured monitor mixer).

[NorseHorse]

Very nice... They even record to external media.

What's the word on prices and preamps?

[Remoteness]

The DR-680 looks pretty cool.
I'm about to order a couple of these puppies.
I let you folks know how it turns out.
Seems like the same price point as the HD-P2.
MAP is at $999.99 USD.

[Jungle Jazz]

It looks like the HS-P82 is going to cost a bit of coin:

Tascam | HS-P82 8-Channel Field Audio Recorder | HS-P82 | B&H

[Baithak]

Thanks for the updates Oz. If the 680 is priced at about a 1000 bucks, it will be a really useful multitrack backup. Too bad it has only one digital in though.

Remoteness: would appreciate a review on the pres/converters when you get a chance.

Baithak

[sonare]

If the 680 pres/ADC are equal to the HD-P2 then there should be no cause for complaint. That is a sweet machine for concerts!

Rich

[Remoteness]

I wonder if the DR-680 has the same ADC/pres as the HD-P2 too?
I can look into this.

[resound]

This looks very promising. Please report back with any specifics on the hardware and the availability.

[JonesH]

Ah, nice! I just ordered an Edirol R-44, but if the 680 is much better I might opt for that instead...

[Don S]

I hope it sounds BETTER than HD-P2. And maybe built a little better as well. For 6 grand, I'll take a Nagra or SD any day of the week.

[sonare]

Don, Exactly what is it you don't like about the P2? It is as solid as any non-metal recorder I have used. As solid as a Sound Devices or Nagra? No-- but a fraction of the cost.

I have used a P2 many times but only for concert work and have no complaints-- but with Schoeps and other high-output mics. FYI the 680 is about one grand-- the HS-P82 is the high-dollar item.

Rich

[Don S]

Originally Posted by sonare

Don, Exactly what is it you don't like about the P2?
Rich

The analog front end sounds terrible. Even for spoken word. I was using it for the JR Dodge Poetry Festival a couple years back. Schoeps on the podium fed to a Mackie VLZ (for the house PA). Listened through cans from the Mackie, fine, then I put the cans into the Tascam. Couldn't stand to monitor it for very long. Grainy and harsh. Good enough for broadcast spoken word, maybe. For music, no.
There were sync issues as well. It did easily sync via the XLR input.
Tascam clearly wants this new box to be used for music, hence the multitrack format. Let's hope they put R&D dollars into making a better sounding product.

[Tommy-boy]

Originally Posted by JonesH

Ah, nice! I just ordered an Edirol R-44, but if the 680 is much better I might opt for that instead...

Don't fret over buying an R-44. It's a great 4 track recorder.

[resound]

Sweetwater posted a video online citing March availability (but no price).

I'm very interested in this as a backup recorder, but even more so as an easy solution for concerts. If anyone gets their hands on one early, please report back with a review of the conversion, analog stages (fed with external pres), and the internal pres.

I still want to see a four-track version of the Korg MR-1000 at around the $1500 mark, but no luck this year.....

[sonare]

Originally Posted by Don S

The analog front end sounds terrible. Even for spoken word. I was using it for the JR Dodge Poetry Festival a couple years back. Schoeps on the podium fed to a Mackie VLZ (for the house PA). Listened through cans from the Mackie, fine, then I put the cans into the Tascam. Couldn't stand to monitor it for very long. Grainy and harsh. Good enough for broadcast spoken word, maybe. For music, no.

I'd like to suggest that either your gain structure into the P2 was wrong or the P2 itself was malfunctioning. What you describe is unacceptable for anything.

Let's get back to the thread.

Rich

[MichaelPatrick]

I'd be interested in the DR-680 if it had digital inputs for all channels. If the converters are really good I may yet be interested. I agree the price makes it pretty compelling.

I'm definitely interested in the HS-8 as an alternative / backup to an HD24XR. With ADAT I/O they should play well together. TASCAM HS-8

Anyone heard price and availability for the HS-8?

[bishopthomas]

Originally Posted by Don S

The analog front end sounds terrible. Even for spoken word. I was using it for the JR Dodge Poetry Festival a couple years back. Schoeps on the podium fed to a Mackie VLZ (for the house PA).

Hey, Don. Was this at Waterloo Village in New Jersey? I worked for the lighting company that provided all lighting in all tents. What a huge lighting production in the main tent! Were you in the main room (you say Mackie mixer so probably not) or one of the side tents? Maybe we were there on the same year, I think they decided to cancel it after that. Who were you with that was doing the recording?

[Don S]

Originally Posted by bishopthomas

Hey, Don. Was this at Waterloo Village in New Jersey? I worked for the lighting company that provided all lighting in all tents. What a huge lighting production in the main tent! Were you in the main room (you say Mackie mixer so probably not) or one of the side tents? Maybe we were there on the same year, I think they decided to cancel it after that. Who were you with that was doing the recording?

Yes! That was 2005 maybe? I was in the chapel. Since it was a smaller venue, I did both the PA and the recording. Never more than 4 mics, some music, hence the mackie did a great job with a pair of EAW NT powered wedges. Skylands was the sound company and Mark gave each of us a tascam. After gig he offered to sell them to us at cost. Wasn't worth it! I really enjoyed those festivals. I hope they come back.

[Don S]

Originally Posted by sonare

I'd like to suggest that either your gain structure into the P2 was wrong or the P2 itself was malfunctioning. What you describe is unacceptable for anything.

Let's get back to the thread.

Rich

The gain structure was correct, hence a beautiful sound at the mixer, and a -18 peak at the tascam. There was a notable difference in sound quality while monitoring. Maybe the headphone amp is bad quality and the files sounded better than I heard them. However, I was also using a DA78 as a backup. Monitoring back into the board, the DA78 confirmed what I was hearing from the P2 - nothing "wrong", it just sounded sub par.

[bishopthomas]

Originally Posted by Don S

Yes! That was 2005 maybe? I was in the chapel. Since it was a smaller venue, I did both the PA and the recording. Never more than 4 mics, some music, hence the mackie did a great job with a pair of EAW NT powered wedges. Skylands was the sound company and Mark gave each of us a tascam. After gig he offered to sell them to us at cost. Wasn't worth it! I really enjoyed those festivals. I hope they come back.

Oh, okay. I think I must have been there in 2007 since I didn't move to NJ until 2006. I didn't notice any recorders in the tents, but I didn't pay a whole lot of attention. Skylands was there when I was and had 4 hangs of EAW line array in the main tent. Yes, I hope they bring it back too, it was a good gig to be on. I think they just didn't have the money to do it again, and I can believe it after seeing what a production it was.

Anyway, sorry the Tascam didn't do it for you. I wonder how the other ones did; maybe you just had a bad unit.

[Don S]

Originally Posted by bishopthomas

Anyway, sorry the Tascam didn't do it for you. I wonder how the other ones did; maybe you just had a bad unit.

No one else decided to take on home either. We had recorders in each tent and be glad you missed the year at Duke's Farm in Sommerset!

[mgoorevich]

Tascam HD-P2 has Time Code in. DR680 - No!
Tascam HD-P2 has Video Ref. in. DR680 - No!

I have HD-P2 for many years and can say several things:

After my (early) unit's both pres went down caused by switching phantom power on/off with connected 416 and mk41 mics (yes it happens in the field and the recorder must be the fool proof in this term), tascam has changed all the input circuit and placed different resister to eliminate the problem.
It took me 6 months of negotiations and repairs with Tascam Japan or more correct Teac Europe. Six months before they admited tat this was their fault not mine. I am happy later SN's users don't suffer from this.

HD-P2 preamps are good. Very good. However the noise floor is higher than in more serious recorders like SD744T.
Converters are very good too.
Headphone amp is awful, giving an impression of bad incoming sound. Doesn't affect it of course but the real quility can be heard only in studio.

No MS monitoring. No firmware updates for years!

Very difficult access to controls. Especially in the field. Power off requires two operation to complete.

Only 1.5 hour running on internal 1.5V X 8 batteries.

But overall it's a professional quality recorder and I hope DR680 will be too.
No TC option makes it less welcome for TV and Film productions.

[postprosound]

Any update on the price of the DR-680?

[resound]

Originally Posted by postprosound

Any update on the price of the DR-680?

I saw another online video from NAMM with the Tascam rep citing a $999 street price.

[Remoteness]

The going price for the DR-680 is indeed $999.99 USD.

[rumleymusic]

Maybe the headphone amp is bad quality and the files sounded better than I heard them.

Tascam headphone amps are terrible in their portable recorders. That could be it. I have never found Tascam analog sections to be particularly outstanding either. For the most part the preamps are just uninteresting, not bad, just boring. For the price, however, I am willing to bet the HS-P82 has a better design and better components. I only wish there was a hard drive option, either internally or through USB/Firewire externally. I am just not willing to bank on the longevity or easy availability of Compact Flash in the future.

[MichaelPatrick]

Originally Posted by rumleymusic

...I am willing to bet the HS-P82 has a better design and better components. I only wish there was a hard drive option, either internally or through USB/Firewire externally. I am just not willing to bank on the longevity or easy availability of Compact Flash in the future.

The next major revision of CF will utilize the SATA specification for disk drives instead of PATA, the older IDE interface spec. They will not be compatible, though some manufacturers might make chips that can talk to both.

I'd bet that companies with solid support, like Sound Devices, will provide hardware upgrades, and TASCAM may too. That would be my hope.

http://www.compactflash.org/080414_e..._interface.pdf

P.S. I was eying the HS-8 but it makes no sense to cost ~$5K, so I decided on a 788T. It works much like my 744T and they can be linked for 12ch.

[9sbean]

B&H is accepting order now. It is 999.99 including S&H. It could be a good backup recorder.
Wondering the 8 iso tracks, since there're only 6 analog input. Could track 7/8 be the SPDIF in

Agree with Michael, HS-8 list at 5K is nonsense, Who will choose a Tascam if the price is so close to Sound Devices or Nagra? Not me for sure.

[MichaelPatrick]

Originally Posted by 9sbean

B&H is accepting order now. It is 999.99 including S&H. It could be a good backup recorder.
Wondering the 8 iso tracks, since there're only 6 analog input. Could track 7/8 be the SPDIF in?

Great question. If 7/8 is SPDIF-only I'll bet Grace's Lunatec V3 preamps will become even more popular. It's a great little preamp w/converter, and portable like the DR-680.

[videoteque]

Originally Posted by resound

I still want to see a four-track version of the Korg MR-1000 at around the $1500 mark, but no luck this year.....

I still don't understand why they didn't make an 8 track, 1 rack unit, no preamps, with decent sync abilities...