Tascam US1641 USB 2.0 Audio and MIDI Interface with digital Connection - Macintosh and Windows Review

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(More customer reviews)I looked at virtually every multiple mic interface on the market and couldn't find anything to touch this in features and/or price... so I bought it.
Wow!This thing rocks! I connected up 8 microphones for Kick, Snare, Hi-hat, Tom 1, Tom 2, Tom 3, Left Overhead and Right Overhead... all those mics plug into the 8 XLR mic sockets at the front of the unit. Got some really great 20ft XLR mic cables from Amazon for only $6.95 each (Whirlwind LowZ Microphone Cable (20 Foot) I then plugged in my bass guitar into one of 2 switchable line/guitar 1/4" mono inputs on the front.
Each of the 10 front panel inputs has a volume control knob and red/green led. The drummer hits each drum individually one by one so I can adjust each vol control so that it just occasionally clips red but mostly stays green.
After adjusting the six individual drum mics I now get the drummer to play the whole set and I adjust the left and right overheads mics so they don't clip (go red). That's it! The mics are setup ready to record.
I took the main output from the back of the unit to my monitors and there's a volume control on the front of the unit to allow you to turn down the monitor while recording... then you turn it up to listen back... so in effect, the unit has it's own monitoring control.
Two headphone jacks would've been nice, but I used a Y-adapter 1/4" Headphone Splitter to split the output allowing me to plug in the two headphones for me and the drummer.
I now setup recording on my laptop (HP TX2500z) using the supplied Cubase LE4 software which is really easy to use - buy yourself the The Complete Idiot's Guide to Recording with Cubase. There's no specific book for version LE4 but this idiot's guide worked great for me.
A note about my notebook - It's a tablet PC laptop HP Pavilion tx2500z 12.1" TOUCH-SCREEN Notebook with a great touch screen - so you can arm/disarm or mute/unmute your record channels/tracks just by touching the screen buttons with your finger - it's just like a real mixing desk with real tactile switches - it's really cool!
You may need to tweak your laptop for audio recording to get the best results otherwise you will hear artifacts (odd noises) when recording if the laptop is struggling to find the necessary processing power. I tweaked my laptop and it was just amazing to see the difference in performance. You can Google "Tweak Vista for audio recording" to find the information on how to tweak.
I also replaced my 5400rpm drive with a 7200rpm drive Seagate 500 GB 7200RPM 2.5" Drive - it's real easy to do... Google "Upgrading laptop hard drive". As well as getting a faster speed drive I also made it a 500GB to replace the 320GB drive that I had - so lot's more space... and very low cost too!
RESULTS!!!!!!!!!!!
Well... Let me tell you, I was absolutely BLOWN AWAY by the results obtained with this unit! The Tascam 1641 is an amazing piece of gear and Amazon's price is just out of this World at only $299...
It's like having a whole recording studio in a box - the mic pre's, the mixing desk (vol controls), the signal LED's, the monoring vol control, headphone controls, etc... AND the software - all for $299 - You can't beat that!
The actual sound that I got was totally professional - I couldn't have done better if I was in a top-notch recording studio. I am 100,000% satisfied!
GO FOR IT!!! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!!!!!



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Tascam DP-02 Digital Portastudio - 8 Track Review

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(More customer reviews)This is an outstanding system for demo recording and I am sure it would also be useful for live recordings with some added components.
After much research, I purchased the Tascam DP02 Portastudio instead of the Boss BR900CD. I had previously used the BR900 with much success and had my mind set on it for quiet some time. I kept my options open and the DP02 seemed to be the most comparable system. Despite some reviews stating the DP02 did not allow you to hear the effects while recording, I decided on it due to the on-board high, low, and reverb adjustment options. (I did not want to transfer to a computer for mastering) I was going to add an effects processor and pre-amp for the mic, but found all effects do play through recording.
The system has a lot of built in guitar (acoustic and electric), drum, bass, and vocal effects. It took me only a few hours to record several tracks, master them, and burn them to disk. Only being able to record to 2 tracks at once is a small drawback, but if you are doing all of your own recording shouldn't be a problem.
READ THE MANUAL!
Although it is not the easiest to follow page to page, if you know how to find what your looking for it's in the manual. For those of you that want to sit down, push record, and be on your way, you may want to look for a simpler system. Once you get it down, the DP02 is quite easy to use, but not something you can just turn on and go without some instruction. The trickiest part would would be mastering, but it is by no means difficult if you follow the directions.
All around this is a great system for a home studio and possibly more.
P.S. Thanks to Amazon for having the lowest price, and quick delivery.Just a quick update. May 29, 2010. I have put many hours onto this Portastudio and can say it has absolutely been worth it. The volume on the final track can be a little tricky, but nothing some time and patience cannot overcome. It has not given me any trouble and has never locked up as some people have said. Great piece of equipment for a very fair price.

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With a classic, well-known interface that's easy to pick up by new users, the 8-track Tascam DP-02 Digital Portastudio sports dedicated controls for level, pan, effects send and EQ instead of the menu-cursor interface found on most other recorders. You can make music with two hands with the DP-02--just reach and twist a knob when your creativity strikes. The DP-02 records to a 40 GB hard drive, and it includes a multi-effect processor, stereo reverb and CD burner for CD masters and song backup.
A pair of CD-quality XLR mic inputs includes phantom power for condenser mics and a direct guitar input. High and low EQ controls for level and frequency are provided for every channel. It also includes a multi-effects processor, stereo reverb, even a dedicated stereo channel for recording your mix. You can transfer tracks and mixes to a computer using USB 2.0, or burn a master disc in the CD drive.

Key Features
Two XLR mic/line inputs with phantom power for condenser microphones
Eight-track recording at uncompressed 44.1k/16-bit audio quality
Portastudio-based interface with volume fader, pan, effect send, high and low EQ controls per channel
EQ frequency button to access high and low EQ shelf frequencies
USB 2.0 interface for transferring tracks, mixes and backup files to a computer
Dedicated stereo master track for mixdown
Internal metronome and bar/beat display for song position
Headphone output
Stereo line outputs on RCA analog and S/PDIF optical digital connectors
40GB internal hard drive
Multi-effects processor with guitar, bass, vocal and drum programs
Stereo reverb processor with send/return controls for multichannel mixing
Built-in chromatic tuner
Built -in CD-RW burner for CD mastering and song backup

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Tascam DP01FX 8 Track with Effects Digital Multitrack Recorder Review

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(More customer reviews)My first multitrack recorder was a Fostex cassette based recorder back in the early 90's. I loved it - used it nearly daily to work out arrangements or learn new songs. When it finally quit working, I was a little heartbroken.
At that time, someone had turned me on to PC multitracking software - which was a suitable solution, until I started upgrading. I found that certain programs wouldn't work with certain operating systems, conflicts with various attached devices would cause recording errors. I felt like I spent more time troubleshooting my system than actually recording.
After much research, I settled on this unit. As a solo artist this is an excellent machine - I mostly record acoustic arrangements, with some electric guitar and drums. Although I've used this for a week, I couldn't be happier with the results...far superior to my old cassette unit, and much easier to use than software. The sound is much better than I hoped for...and the menus are easy to navigate.
The guitar effects are OK, but not great. I don't expect I'd use them at all...the sound I get when I mic my amp is far better. The vocal and drum effects, on the other hand are more useful. Overall, I expect I should be able to make very high quality demos.
You can only record two tracks at a time, but as a solo artist, that's not such a big deal. For bigger arrangements, such as with my band, I have a 14 channel Mackie mixer that I run into the unit that allows me greater flexibility.
The unit is easy to learn how to use, and the user's guide is written so that my 11 year old can figure it out. I had no trouble recording, mixing and mastering...following the instructions in the guide, I was able to successfully transfer the final mixdown of my music to the computer without any hangups.
Overall, I'm very satisfied with this unit.


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TASCAM DP-008 8-Track Digital Portastudio Review

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(More customer reviews)After wanting a digital multi-track for a long time, I finally decided on this model, and I'm glad I did.
One thing that is not included in a list of specs is the usability factor. I've purchased my share of electronic devices for making and recording music over the years. Just looking at a dry list of specs has often been my method of deciding on what to buy. Well, on paper the DP-008 looks good, but it's not until you use this to cut a few tracks that you realize how well it is designed. I'm SOOOO glad I didn't buy the DP-004, as this model is clearly the results of Tascam eliminating the weaker aspects of the 4 track model just in time for the 8 track version.
I have seen a lot of digital multi-tracks that look good on paper, but to use them is a real pain. The fact that the DP-008 has all the individual track knobs means that you don't have to go flipping through pages on a menu or choosing the "hot track" in some other way. Here it's all laid out logically and makes tweaking the final stereo mix a piece of cake. Sure it would be nice if there were level sliders rather than dials, but these work just fine.
I use this model to record myself playing guitar and bass, run a Boss drum machine into it, and I record vocals with an external mic though a small mixer that has some helpful effects on it. You don't need a mixer, though, as the included mics are quite good. I am able to record several tracks, "bounce" them if I want to, and then write them to a stereo master mix. Then, I export that mix on the unit itself (sounds weird, but basically you're just creating a wav file that can be seen by a computer). The final step is connecting the DP-008 to a computer and merely dragging the song files over to the computer. I then use Audacity to convert it to an ogg file or mp3.
I use Linux and the process of transferring songs to the computer is very simple. In the past you would have received a useless cd-rom with a crappy "song transfer" program and maybe some crapware to go along with it. I'm glad that Tascam has decided to treat the customer right and state it clearly: There is no need for special software. Once you export the song, it will show up as an external storage device and you can simply transfer the files over to your computer, whether it's a PC running Windows or Linux, or a Mac.

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Tascam MPGT1 Portable MP3 Guitar Trainer Review

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(More customer reviews)Ok, I will do my best to answer everyone's questions that aren't asked here yet, in which I also had before I purchased this item. This trainer is just amazing. It helps you out in so many ways. First off, this CAN be used simply as a portable amp, exactly as the "Dean Stack in the Box". I know I'm not reviewing that item, but I would like to give some information about it. The Dean stack in the box is a great portable headphone amp. It has great volume, great distortion, and most of all (in which no one else covers) it carries through great pinch harmonics great. Unlike the portable pignose amp, where it does not carry through pinch harmonics one bit. The Dean in a box though can be a pain changing the 9v battery, which can lead to the wires breaking, wich is what happened to me. It was still an amazing product though, with amazing sound, and amazing pinch harmonic carry through.
Now, with that said, it leads me to this. THIS guitar trainer, has GREAT sustain also, and carrys through pinch harmonics just like a normal amp, and jsut like dean in the box. They will not die out like the pignose amp. Also, it has a rechargeable battery in it, so there are no wires to rip off, like dean in the box while changing a battery. This is also built like a tank. Super tough and durable. Makes you want to take good care of it right away. The rechargable battery on it also lasts a long time. I would say well over many many hours.
I want to clarify what exactly the guitar cancelling feature does. It does not cancel the guitar out, so you can substitute your own. It instead pushes all other sound (vocals, drums, etc) into the background (which is dim but still heard) while the guitar in the track shines through so you can hear it clearly and study it more, note for note. Let me tell you, it works very very well. Like one reviewer said, you do hear wayyy more than you have heard before. And this is coming from me, a guitarist of many years, whom has an ear for music, and picks up on every single note and plays by ear. I was even very amazed.
I will now do the best I can to break everything down into all the positive parts of owning this trainer, as there are no disadvantages that I have found:
* This trainer CAN be used as a portable headphone amp, without any song playing in the background, and it does have many amp effects, from clean, to overdrive and distortion for metal (which I play). It has great affects like reverb, chorus, flanger, overdrive, etc.
* Is not cheap, like other portable devices, so no wires will break off changing batteries, since you simply dont have any batteries to change.
* Built very strong and durable.
* It DOES let you create sub-folders, so you can put entire folders into it and sort by artist or albums, instead of having one long list ot a thousand tracks.
* Guitar cancelling feature (as described above) works fantastic.
* While playing a track, you can adjust the volume of the track playback, and your guitar volume, so if the track volume, or guitar volume is higher than the other, you can equalize them at the same volume, or make your guitar volume louder, or the track volume louder.
* You can slow the track speed down 50%, which is amazing. You can also keep the pitch the same, so whether you speed the track up or slow it down, it wont sound like a chipmunk, or someone from a horror movie. It keeps the original tone. You can, however, turn this function off.
* You can turn the pitch up or down, so if it is in standard e tuning, you can chance the tuning of the song. Although it WILL NOT drop all the way down to drop d tuning or anything like that, it still works great.
* You can quickly pick a start and stop point for it to start looping, so if there is a solo, or any part like that, that you want to keep going over and over until you learn it, you can loop it.
* You can create a playlist, just like on an mp3 player.
* This can be used as an mp3 player (although I never would, since it's expensive, and I never want to break it.
* Has a ton of storage. About 900 MB worth (actually a hair more.
So all in all, this trainer is simply amazing! It does exactly what it says it does, and a whole lot more. Even if I didn't need it for a trainer, but was simply looking for a portable headphone amp for travelling, I would easily choose this over dean stack in the box or anything else. I was not disappointed one single bit. I love this thing.
Hope this helps! Enjoy!

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Designed specifically for musicians, the Tascam MPGT1 MP3 player/guitar trainer enables you to slow down, loop and even eliminate guitar parts to help you learn new riffs. This MP3 player can store up to 240 songs and includes a Variable Speed Audition playback feature, which slows down the speed without changing the pitch, and sections can be seamlessly looped while practicing tricky passages. Songs can even be pitched up or down to match the tuning of your guitar, so you don't have to re-tune for every song.

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