Customer Reviews

TASCAM DP01 Digital Portastudio Recorder

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Before I bought this item I saw a few reviews of it online commenting on how after the user purchased the Tascam DP-01, a short time later it would crash and the user would lose everything that that they had written and recorded on it. I ignored these reviews, purchased the DP-01, and began recording music onto it. A few weeks later, the DP-01 crashed and not only did I lose everything I had recorded but I also could no longer record anything new. I will give it two stars because it was relatively easy to figure out and use. Besides the crashing feature that seems all to common, it is a pretty decent product. But if you do decide to buy this item, be sure to save everything on a back-up disk.

When I first got it, I thought it was great. Easy to use, adequate sound quality (not great). Then, as other people have said, the hard disk started grinding, and I lost all my songs. I sent it back to Tascam with a note for them to send me recovered songs if they could, and they did not. I got a new one which worked fine. Then yesterday, the hard disk locked and I lost the song I was working on. This time I could retrieve my other songs, so I mastered them, but the hard disk still grinds and I'm going to have to send it back again. Obviously a design flaw, and not the only one (why doesn't it have a back lit LCD? Why no digital inputs?). Don't buy this unless you want to lose all your songs.

I have had this thing for about 5 weeks now. I thought it was great as well, I had about 15 recordings done and was happy with everything the machine had to offer. Until the hard drive crashed. Tascam needs to seriously consider the parts used in this machine's construction. One day worked fine, next day it wouldn't even boot. Now I have to send it back, and try and remember the songs I recorded (which are usually improv.)

Many have complained that the hard disk unit inside their DP-01 machine went bad at an early point in the machine's life, and I don't doubt that this is a valid complaint that has affected numerous people. However, my own experience has seen over 2 years of heavy, problem-free use with the DP-01.

It's definitely a little light on features, since there's nothing in the way of effects and such, but if you've already got an established sound via other equipment and are looking for a cheap, small, and (in my experience) reliable way to get it down, this is a great way to go. You won't be recording a full outfit, but it does have 2-channel simultaneous recording, making personal recording a breeze. I've gotten roughly 60 songs recorded with the unit, and while there are a few niggles with the design (and a backlight for the screen would sure have been nice), for the money this thing has been a wonderful tool that's never failed to do what I wanted it to in any capacity.

If you're thinking about picking one up, research more on the hard disk failure issue. I don't know enough to educate anyone about it, but my own experience has been exactly the opposite of some others (and this is coming from a guy who lost a perfectly good Roland unit which the DP-01 was purchased to replace!).

I've experienced the same hard drive problems. It stopped being able to read the disk during only my third extended period of usage. I'm still trying to get in touch with somebody at Tascam about the problem. They're hard to get a hold of. Awesome work, Tascam!

As with all reviews, I had many songs recorded and was in the process of backing them up to the FAT partition (to move to my computer) and it just stopped working saying "HDD not found, please power down." Now it does not work at all---it will not move beyond the startup screed. DO NOT BUY THIS PRODUCT--YOU WILL LOSE YOUR SONGS AT SOME POINT!

Tascam took their four track cassette recording technology as an inspiration for this portastudio. A few notes, I do feel that the phrase "portastudio" is not accurate. It is not really portable and contains warnings in the manual that it is not wise to transport this unit, because bumping it around may throw off the hard drive spindle. If you do pack it for mailing, it would be wise to use a two layer protection (like a computer hard drive). This unit does not have the bells and whistles of some other more expensive recording units and this makes it simple and easy to figure out. It has a USB interface that can link with a computer. It reads as an external hard drive. It has a swap space where you can shuttle stuff to and from the computer and to and from the part of the hard drive allocated for recording and mixing. This is an easier interface than some studios which depend on a software driver and I/O template. It has an array of choices for input and output, but no three prong XLR inputs/outputs. It does have digital optical I/O. I do not know how to weigh the reports of hard drive crashes I have read about. I am wondering if the unit was transported and may have gotten bumped. The DP01 does not have a CD burner, but one can be added through the ports on back or the mix can be shuttled to a computer with a CD burner. I give the unit four stars, because the phrase "porta" is a little misleading.

Get the DP01FX. It has XLR inputs, digital in and outs, USB, and other cool features. It has been a great piece of equipment for me.

I just recieved this recorder and started jamming out once i got all the equipment. I don't know what everyone hates so bad about it... I looked on Musician's Friend and there is some really honest/good reviews that average 4/5!! I have had no problems, great recorder!!!

I picked up this recorder used at a music shop for about $120. I came to it after using a 4-track cassette recorder and various other computer based recording programs. I love the simplicity of this thing. I've recorded probably close to 100 songs and demos on the DP-01 and have never experienced a single hard drive problem. Even while recording, it's gotten knocked a few times or shifted, and had no problems whatsoever. I think it you treat it like a little computer, and shut it down properly and let it go through the motions, it has no problem. And clearing your master .wav folder every once in a while helps the speed also. The only downfall is that there are no XLR's, and you can only record two tracks at once. I wouldn't say that the EQ is a downfall, with it just being Low and High, but I think that that actually helps you strive for a better sound, as your not relying on a bunch of bells and whistles. If you start out with a good sound, it can only get better from there. I use analog preamps and an old DBX compressor before going into the DP-01 and I have had great results. People ask me what studio I recorded at...