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| | | Pedal Steel Guitar | Home » » Tascam DR-08 Portable Digital Recorder | | | | | | | Description: | | TASCAM's compact DR-08 portable digital recorder packs serious audio quality into a handheld dynamo that fits in your pocket. It captures audiophile-quality 96kHz/24-bit WAV files - or web-friendly MP3 files - to robust MicroSD media. The built-in microphones have a unique mechanism to change the width and angle of the elements, allowing you to tailor the pattern for the perfect recording. There's even a built-in kickstand for placing the recorder right where you want it. A pair of AAA batteries allows you to record for hours to the included 2GB card, then transfer the recording to your computer using high-speed USB 2.0. | | | Features: | |
• Portable digital recorderWAV recording from 44.1/16-bit up to 96kHz/24-bitMP3 recording from 32k-320 KBpsRecords to MicroSD media (2GB card included)Two cardioid microphones with variable angle mechanism to adjust width and angle of microphone elementsVariable Speed Playback: adjust the playback speed from 50% to 200% without changing the pitch to learn new musicAuto recording mode starts recording when the input reaches a certain sound levelTimer recording mode for beginning recording at a cert
| | | Product Details: | | | Product Length:
| 7.0 inches | | Product Width:
| 5.5 inches | | Product Height:
| 2.5 inches | | Product Weight:
| 0.65 pounds | | Package Length:
| 7.0 inches | | Package Width:
| 5.5 inches | | Package Height:
| 2.4 inches | | Package Weight:
| 0.65 pounds | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 14 reviews |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
 ( 14 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
65 of 69 found the following review helpful:
 Solid Product / Sub-Par User GuideMar 29, 2010
By William A. Schafer
I'm a do-it-yourself singer/songwriter and recording artist. I bought the DR08 largely for capturing ambient sounds to include in my home recordings and for recording band rehearsals and gigs. Overall I'm happy with the DR08. The interface is simple and intuitive to use. It's done a good job capturing and representing band rehearsals and live music. Of course, it's not what a pro would use to mic a show, but for my purpose of providing fairly faithful feedback of what the music sounded like at a particular position in the room, it does the job well. The ambient stuff I've grabbed has been solid fidelity with minimal background noise/hiss--to my ears, definitely good enough to incorporate into DIY recordings. I've also recorded some interview-type conversation, which sounded great.
Key problems are two-fold: the device is highly sensitive to wind (even light breeze) noise and to noise from the hand holding it. Which leads to my biggest disappointment...the lack of practical tips-and-tricks TASCAM could have included in the Manual. The Owners Manual covers the technical stuff clearly, but it offers little practical guidance on how to get good recordings from the device for the non-super-techy/audiophile (who, I suspect, based on where this falls in the spectrum of products and prices, is TASCAM's market for the product!). I'm left wondering...
How to deal with wind noise? No mention at all of this as a potential problem (which it is for outdoor recordings) in the manual. Do they sell a windscreen for this product? Would pantyhose or some home-made contraption help?
The device is very sensitive to picking up noise from the hand holding it. Not a shocker, but it would be great to have some tips on dealing with this issue besides the obvious one of setting it on its back on its stand--a so-so solution that is (1) often not practical based on the recording situation and (2) can create the issue of picking up reflected noise from the surface it's on). Are any of the "Low-Cut" settings meant to help here?
When, specifically, might I want to apply the different "Low Cut" settings of 40/80/120? What do those settings even mean? What difference in result can I expect? Some examples/scenarios would be appreciated.
For the EQ boost feature, when, specifically, might I want to use the TREBLE/MID/BASS boost feature? Again, some common examples/scenarios would be great.
There are three different mic positions. For each position, where exactly is the field of sound capture? In other words, which direction do I want to point/orient the devices to best capture certain types of sounds? How close/far should I be to capture the most "real" sound?
I realize I can and will figure this stuff out with extensive experimentation, which, sure, is part of the fun. But who wouldn't want some practical tips for a head start? If you're like me (and I'm guessing you are if you're considering buying at this product level/price point), then I'd say just about everyone would benefit from a more instructive "Manual."
So overall, a good product at a good price for the hobbyist/semi-professional, but it comes with a frustrating lack of guidance on how/when/why to use the technical features and get the most out of the device.
17 of 17 found the following review helpful:
 Use it almost daily for a yearDec 09, 2010
By Mark McInerney
Tascam makes good enough stuff, but as with most of their products I've used, the DR-08 has similar issues that I would consider if buying from them again:
1. Many of their products, and the DR-08 especially, have a lightweight, cheap plastic feel to them. The DR-08 feels so fragile, from the mics to the buttons and even the battery cover, that I am always concerned when I have it in my bag or pocket.
2. Using batteries with this unit is horrible. I use NiMH rechargeables and they usually last around 2 hours recording mp3s.
3. The controls can be a bit glitchy and slow in response. You get used to it, but it's not ideal.
4. No editing file names on the unit. This means that if you record 20 tracks on the unit and then want to import them from the file on your computer, you'll be faced with 20 file names like, "000110_553", which may not correspond to the track number on the unit. Sound confusing? Well...
5. The external speaker is so quiet, it's essentially useless. The line out jack to phones or stereo is the way to go, and works well.
6. The rubber feet/stoppers on the back and on the folding stand will eventually slide off and be gone forever. I've emailed Tascam repeatedly about getting replacements, but they do not respond.
What I really like about the DR-08 is that the mics are quite nice, and manually adjusting the input levels almost always yields good results for me. Granted, I usually rest the unit on a table or flat surface. Holding it in your hand will usually get poor results.
The DR-08 is great for capturing quick, decent quality sound. I use it for songwriting and music ideas, and it's been pretty efficient. I've also had good results recording concerts and band practice sessions. The features like play speed, playlists, and split all work nicely. I don't use this in the field or to conduct interviews, but I imagine it might disappoint in those circumstances.
24 of 26 found the following review helpful:
Nice device with a couple of quirksMay 06, 2010
By Wingnut
Editing my previous review below, I still like this recorder (and now it's way less bucks than when I bought it), but, I recently used it to record a live performance of my friend's band and the results were not good. Even with the input set to the low level, with the TR-08 on a table 40 feet back from the nearest speaker in a medium-sized venue that wasn't particularly loud, there was considerable distortion -- much more than from the video cameras I had set up, and I don't get that at all.
This thing is great for quieter recording -- several people playing instruments in a small room, you and a guitar, a dinner conversation, a talk with your boss who's telling you there's been some cutbacks -- that kind of thing. But not live rock-type concert recordings. And hand-holding it is a noisy nightmare; don't even try.
I guess if I were really serious about this stuff I'd invest in the Zoom H4n, which looks really, really cool.
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This is my first digital recorder, so I can't fairly compare it to others on the market, but for what it is, I am very happy with it. The sound quality is excellent, and the microphones are pretty decent. Very small and light. Recording quality goes up to 24-bit, 96kHz, although I can't imagine why I'd need that; I don't have an audio application that will work with files of that quality. But, you can select from various MP3 and PCM qualities.
A couple of things though. First, the new lithium batteries cannot be used -- only alkalines and rechargeable NiHM batteries. I haven't done an exhaustive test, but it seems that the AAA alkalines last less than an hour. There is no power adapter available, although the USB port and supplied cable can be used to provide bus power from either a computer or one of those little USB power adapters that plug in an outlet.
Second, the unit is likely to only work with the tested microSDHC cards listed on the Tascam Web site. It comes with a 2GB card but, depending on your needs, you might want more storage. Check the list first. Also, although I installed an 8GB card, the "time remaining" still shows what it would be for a 2GB card. Not sure if that's a problem yet.
Third, while it's nice to have the microphones that rotate out to provide wider stereo separation when recording, they feel a little delicate. In the wrong situation, I can see them breaking off.
Otherwise, nice device, great recording quality, some useful features that may not ever be needed...and a pretty sweet price.
8 of 8 found the following review helpful:
Great audio, but battery hog.Oct 04, 2010
By toothdok50
The Tascam DR-08 is a nice piece of electronic gadgetry. The audio files it generates are superb, even with the built in microphones. The ability to separate the directional microphones certainly helps ad a depth to the stereo and helps recordings capture more of the room's sound. Very sensitive and background noise is minimal. In linear mode its excellent, but doesn't do too bad of a job with compressed files either. Two downsides to the device is the battery life and the flimsy nature of the positionable microphones. Alkaline batteries are chewed up by this little device and rechargeable NiMH don't fare much better. I haven't tried lithium batteries, but I'd suspect they'ed do a better job powering it. Yet who wants to put $10 worth of batteries in this thing every couple of weeks. In addition, the microphones are on small plastic arms that allow them to be positioned. The play in the arms make me worry about their longevity and sturdiness. I handle the device very carefully. Throwing this in a bag or suitcase and expecting it to survive a plane trip with its microphones in tact would be foolish.
14 of 16 found the following review helpful:
Good, with some flawsJul 30, 2010
By Julie
This is a perfectly good recorder, although it's easy to overlook the fact that the microphone is really sensitive. If you're only doing recordings sitting down in a room, it works. But as soon as you're moving and at the same time touch the recorder. You will be dissapointed... every sound of touching and breathing is recorded, and I higly recommend bying some windsscreen at the same time. Also I'm waiting for a case of protection, to make it easier to carry around.
See all 14 customer reviews on Amazon.com
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