I would like to weigh in here a little. I will never just bash the Chinese or any other maker of products, I have seen good come from all countries. Regarding the TASCAM machine in question, one of my biggest pet peeves is a given company will make a great machine, for instance, years ago I bought a Casio DA-7 the portable DAT machine. It worked wonderfully, it was easy to operate and sounded very good in all ways...what did they do, ended up miniaturizing it to the point where you almost needed magnifying glasses (today I would!) to run the damn thing. What do I like about the HA-P82? Why am I going to buy one? Because you can see the damn thing and all it's switches and meters. I have always felt when something gets really small you lose something as they have to compromise to do it. I want a recorder I can use to just record up to 4 tracks of music at once that is all I will do with it...I better hurry up and buy one before they shrink it 60%

Peace,

Rowman

I can only agree with Rowman; the Tascam is still in the human realm, it is possible to handle it without having to ask a small child with small hands and good eyes to move or switch something. And I'm still shocked about how good the preamps are. The only complaint (I'm joking...) is the weight. But if it was lighter, it would probably be a plastic toy...

The HS-P82 is like the movie Rocky. Like Jennifer Lawrence in Hunger Games. It gets little respect but absolutely is a winning device.

Well another thing that pisses me off with "recorders" is when the mic cables weigh more or pull enough on the unit to pull it and it falls on the floor! Years ago I bought an M-Audio unit, it weighed around 3 ounces, recorded very well but I had 1/4" connectors going to it and it pulled it off the table and on to a concrete floor...it wasn't pretty! Yeah, the TASCAM unit is the way to go. One of my friends who is a pro at all this location recording stuff bought one, he had a friend (also in the business) come and they tested it out, before he left his house he called and ordered one. This guy regularly uses a Sound Devices 744T! I cannot wait to get mine. Next I will keep my eyes open for another CAD VX'2 to round out the pair I have!

That's an expensive way to get weight & stability You could have screwed or glued a stainless steel plate to the bottom of your M-Audio unit for quite a few dollars less than a SD744T.

That said, you'll get a whole lot more into the bargain with a 744 than just 'staying in place'.....

Indeed, how would a recent TEAC TASCAM design like the DR-701D be rated in a true double blind test, only referring to audio performance using some high-end mics (both with integrated recorder preamp and with external preamp)?

If some TEAC TASCAM recorders came in an expensive version with machined aluminium case, premium display, pots, encoders and switches maybe they'd get more respect...

I've got one for sale. PM me if you're interested.

John

I keep a saved search on ebay for the hs-p82 and the prices hold steady. I see used ones with some stuff for $1500. Thats not a bad fall from $2400 for a old digital recorder in a competitive space. Long live tascam.

edit: also if they refreshed this one with 8 [email protected] 192khz I would buy.

Will you really need that? I can tell you that the HS-P82 is such a great sounding device that I bought it and selling my Nagra VI. Why? 8 preamps and the preamps are less colored...more accurate, more life in the sound versus “pretty” from the Nagra VI.

Do I need 192khz? Yes. I record sound effects and being able to pitch down it a big part of the job. So much so I’m using sanken co-100k and doing extreme pitch shifts.

I second that HS-P82 is a great sounding machine, but obviously there is no generalization as to the needs or requirements one can have for specific purposes. Portability may be another issue depending on what you are doing...

Yes, I use P82 when I don’t need portability and under 8 tracks. MixPre 6 for even simpler task.

Would a Tascam HS P82 still be a good solution, if I look for an alternative rig for smaller live recordings (classical+jazz), when I have less time for setup and don't want to carry my ULN8+MBP?
Is there a significant difference in sound quality between both solutions.
I just got an offer for a second hand Tascam and have a hard time to decide, whether a 7 year old recorder, heavy, no app for remote controlling, but with good sound (at least in rojaros comparison with a SD MIxpre) is worth paying around 1000$ for? At the moment I use a Zoom H6 +SD302 for these smaller events and would like to upgrade, because this combo is not so comfortable to use
Any opinions, ideas?

Ronald

Personally I would never rely on a all-purpose computer to do live recordings, I'm just too paranoid and always anticipate some hang-ups of the OS. But whether the Tascam is your best bet? It's certainly the best sounding 8 track portable in 1000 $ range, you can set up presets for specific applications, and there is a cable bound remote control if absolutely necessary. It's a bit heavy, but still well manageable. Difficult to tell for somebody else. I'm glad I have it exactly for those purposes.

There is one important difference between Tascam recorders and Sound Devices recorders that is not known to many people. The line level inputs on the Tascam actually can bypass the mic preamp, while on the Sound Devices they cannot. For those intend to use external preamp with the recorder, it will make a big difference. I tested my lowly Tascam DR 680MKii against my Sound Devices 702T, both use line input fed by a pair of Grace Design M101s recording a grand piano. The difference is staggering to my ear. The sound comes out from the Tascam is noticeably more clear and better defined.