Tascam US-144 USB 2.0 Audio and MIDI Interface

by Tascam

Product Features

• 2 XLR mic inputs with phantom power ^S/PDIF Digital Input & Output^2 analog line inputs (1 switchable to high impedance for use with guitars, basses, etc.)^1 MIDI input, 1 MIDI output^USB 2.0 equipped (also supports USB 1.1)
• 2 XLR mic inputs with phantom power S/PDIF Digital Input & Output.2 analog line inputs .1 MIDI input, 1 MIDI output.USB 2.0 equipped
• 1 MIDI input, 1 MIDI output USB 2.0 equipped (also supports USB 1.1)

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 8 x 4.2 inches ; 3.1 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 4 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• Shipping Advisory: This item must be shipped separately from other items in your order. Additional shipping charges will not apply.
• ASIN: B000JWX4P2
• Item model number: TAS US144
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #22,564 in Musical Instruments (See Top 100 in Musical Instruments)

Product Description

The Tascam US-144, their follow-up to the mega popular US-122, delivers everything you'd want in a portable audio-MIDI interface and more. Record two tracks at a time with zero latency; whether you have a PC or a Mac, your song ideas go down in real time, real easy. Its size means you can take it anywhere you take your laptop, yet it's packed with features that make buying it an audio no-brainer. MIDI input and output, high quality mic inputs, 96kHz/24-bit recording (better than CD quality)-all the stuff you'd want without the fluff you wouldn't. The US-144: the answer to your recording needs.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great product for the money, January 12, 2007

By 

NH gadget guy (NH, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tascam US-144 USB 2.0 Audio and MIDI Interface (Electronics)

I absolutely love this product for portable recording. I have a Dell notebook computer and have used this to record solo piano and my music lessons. The microphone pre-amps are pretty decent. I have used the mic preamps directly and have compared them with the same mics used through Grace One preamps. Surprisingly decent in comparison. The recordings of piano compared to a setup with a MOTU 828 MKII and Grace One's was really pretty good. I absolutely loved the large controls for gain on the top of the unit. Very easy to manipulate and more solid than other competitive product cheap knobs. The fact that this unit is USB 2 means that the recording quality can be far superior than USB 1.1 units that are going to limit whether you can do high quality recordings on multiple channels. The midi interface works great also in Acid and Sonar. The unit definitely will cause your laptop battery to drain faster if you are using mic inputs with phantom power but that is fine by me for the great functionality. Line in works fine but if I had any minor complaint it would be that it would be nice to have an effects insert interface. Obviously, this should not be a problem for line-in devices but is more of an issue for mic recording where you might want some outboard vocal processing. The headphone interface is good and I like the ability to use a mix between the computer and the external source into the headphones.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars As advertised, January 29, 2007

By 

Geeky Lion "Know before you speak" (California, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tascam US-144 USB 2.0 Audio and MIDI Interface (Electronics)

The previous review is absolutely right. For the price, there's not match to this device. My only complaint is that the headphones volume doesn't get loud enough. Also, don't panic if you're having drivers problems such as device not working after you reboot your computer. Just update to the latest driver and don't forget to update the firmware also at www.tascam.com

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Worth a shot, November 1, 2007

By 

Jonnyseed (Milwaukee, WI) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tascam US-144 USB 2.0 Audio and MIDI Interface (Electronics)

I'm using it with Vista Premium on a desktop. I think the Vista drivers could be better, because I've had some compatability problems with programs like Cakewalk and Audacity, whereas these programs worked seamlessly before I got the Tascam. I would recommend it anyways simply because the majority of the time it does work with these programs and I get good recordings off of my guitar onto Audacity. It's basically a plug and play, but there is some adjustments that must be made to the sound card you're replacing.

The box itself is good quality metal, and is heavy enough that if I pull my guitar a little it doesn't come falling off my desk. The MIDI plugin is also just fine.

Hopefully they'll release better Vista drivers down the road, maybe when the first service pack is released? Till then, it's a good product anyways.