Tascam DP008EX or DP24SD : Pros and cons ?

[Maxime1980]

Hi!
I have seen the videos, read the manuals in pdfs formats online, read here (my apologies if this question has been asked prior!)and there to try to find out what are the pros and cons of each to make an enlightened decision to purchase. To be honest, besides the track recording capabilities differences between the two (8 tracks vs 24 tracks) and price (+/- 350$ CAD vs +/- 699$ CAD), I am left scratching my head trying to see what one does better than the other or how they compare or not...

What are some of your experiences on one and/or the other?
Merci!

 

[Crater]

The DP008 can only record two channels simultaneously. The DP-24SD can only record 8 channels simultaneously. The "8 channels" and "24 channels" refers to playback only.

I bought a DP-008SD a couple of years ago, and I've hardly used it since then. It works fine, and in fact the audio quality is quite good. I doubt I'd be able to hear any significant difference between this and my interface/DAW setup. But using it is can be a little awkward compared to a computer recording setup. You've got a tiny screen and little buttons and knobs to manipulate.

About a year ago, my (ex) band made a multitrack recording using the guitarist's DP24. Again, the unit worked and sounded great, I think the quality of the recording is fine, and limited by our mics and recording room. Yes, you can edit, "massage" and apply effects to tracks in the DP24, but again, you have to deal with a smaller screen and numerous knobs. It's OK, some people prefer the 'portastudio' layout and workflow.

We however, ended up exporting the tracks into my laptop, and I did the mixing in Reaper.

Portastudio pros:
Portable, self-contained, "one box" solution for multi-track recording & mixdown.
Simple to learn, at least for basic multi-tracking
"hands on" faders and knobs interface

Portastudio cons:
Smaller screens
Less versatility - you have to use the Tascam's built-in effects if you're mixing on the machine.

There will always be a learning curve with any recording system, whether is a digital portastudio or a put together system with a PC, interface and DAW software. It really comes down to what your priorities are for a recording system.

 

[bearfoot]

DP24 might record at a higher bitrate than DP-08, I would dig into the manuals deeply as the manufacturers will hide it if the unit only records in 16 bits. Which is still quite good and workable, but is something to look out for.

DP24SD is far superior as an interface - it's a mostly normal mixing board in addition to being a MTR. You can mix smaller acts and bands on the fly with the DP24. This is impossible with the DP-08.
I would look at the DP24 as a hybrid live/recording tool. If you don't need live, intuitive mixing, you can probably get most of the features and capabilities out of the DP-08EX.