n
You get exactly what you pay for and even more.
This was my first multi channel interface. I got that because I was on a budget and I had to record a band for an ep with real live drums, so I needed inputs. Pretty basic design and no features at all, although the digital compression may save the day at some cases. The construction is not the best but it is ok for the money. the signal clarity is one of the worst on the market for an 8+ analogue input interface without being inadequate though. One other issue might be the lack of pad switch and the very hot input on all the channels.
In general is a very decent buy if you are on a budget and you want to buy a 16 analogue input interface. 5 stars because it saved me and I managed to deliver the work in a pretty good final quality, despite its drawbacks.
Pros:
- Cheap
- easy to use
- Lots of inputs
- quite sturdy for the price
Cons
- not the best signal quality (it actually has the worst in the class without that making it a bad interface)
- very hot inputs (you might find it difficult to deal with gain with different mics)
- no features at all except for the digital interface compression.
In general is a very decent buy if you are on a budget and you want to buy a 16 analogue input interface. 5 stars because it saved me and I managed to deliver the work in a pretty good final quality, despite its drawbacks.
Pros:
- Cheap
- easy to use
- Lots of inputs
- quite sturdy for the price
Cons
- not the best signal quality (it actually has the worst in the class without that making it a bad interface)
- very hot inputs (you might find it difficult to deal with gain with different mics)
- no features at all except for the digital interface compression.
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x
For the price range it is amazing.
I've had mine probably a few years now (late review), and its stood up to abuse from moving around plus it sounds really great.
I mostly use mine for tracking a few synths at a time into Cubase or Ableton Live. Windows 10 here. It worked on Win7 just fine.
You can download all the latest drivers and software from Tascams website. NOTE that it says in the manual to set your Windows power management mode to "high performance", this is in fact essential, you'll suffer audio dropouts on the faster machines if you don't do this.
Sound: well it's as clean as any other interface and i have had Roland and RME interfaces over the years. No problem there.
I can only recommend this interface if you need 16 inputs via USB. 8x pres and 8x line inputs for that price. Amazing!
I mostly use mine for tracking a few synths at a time into Cubase or Ableton Live. Windows 10 here. It worked on Win7 just fine.
You can download all the latest drivers and software from Tascams website. NOTE that it says in the manual to set your Windows power management mode to "high performance", this is in fact essential, you'll suffer audio dropouts on the faster machines if you don't do this.
Sound: well it's as clean as any other interface and i have had Roland and RME interfaces over the years. No problem there.
I can only recommend this interface if you need 16 inputs via USB. 8x pres and 8x line inputs for that price. Amazing!
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K
Lots of quality inputs, cheap
Use for recording drums and sometimes full band.
Pros:
Lots of inputs for the price
Transparent pre-amps
Cons:
Phantom power must be turned on for 4 inputs at a time, would prefer if they could be done individually or in pairs.
Pros:
Lots of inputs for the price
Transparent pre-amps
Cons:
Phantom power must be turned on for 4 inputs at a time, would prefer if they could be done individually or in pairs.
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TO
Powerful multi track interface. Love it.
I had been messign around with options to record in the studio, and had tested and bought several different interfaces, looking for the right product and method to hook everything up.
The Tascam ended up being the best option for me, in terms of features and price, as well as overall quality of the brand.
16 seperate audio in channels , and decent quality, solid build without any noise or usb ground loop sounds or latencuy troubles.
Somewhere in between the budget multi channel interfaces and the high end stuff out there, but kind of offering both in my opinion.
If you have a multi synth set up, and u will probably expand , this is a nice alternative to a mixer, with a decent array of direct individual inputs for each instrument.
Exactly what I needed, works for me :)
The Tascam ended up being the best option for me, in terms of features and price, as well as overall quality of the brand.
16 seperate audio in channels , and decent quality, solid build without any noise or usb ground loop sounds or latencuy troubles.
Somewhere in between the budget multi channel interfaces and the high end stuff out there, but kind of offering both in my opinion.
If you have a multi synth set up, and u will probably expand , this is a nice alternative to a mixer, with a decent array of direct individual inputs for each instrument.
Exactly what I needed, works for me :)
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FM
Great sounding interface until I bought an Audient ID14
This review has been updated - It is basic but has a reasonable sound with a hint of noise and is very loud so you need to keep an eye on levels.
Great format for rack mounting. Is it as good as the Behringer UMC 1820 with an ADAT? Since I have that as well I can tell you it isn't because feature-wise the UMC with a SPDIF cable has two more channels, has better gain staging and more outputs but it is cheaper and takes up less valuable rack space.
I bought it as a spare because if I didn't have at least 16 channels available I'd go crazy :)
Update: Comparing this to a product with new digital to analog converters the Tascam is let down by the cloudiness of its output - compared to my new Audient it lacks detail, however, with 16 clean inputs it makes for a sound DAC into your DAW.
Great format for rack mounting. Is it as good as the Behringer UMC 1820 with an ADAT? Since I have that as well I can tell you it isn't because feature-wise the UMC with a SPDIF cable has two more channels, has better gain staging and more outputs but it is cheaper and takes up less valuable rack space.
I bought it as a spare because if I didn't have at least 16 channels available I'd go crazy :)
Update: Comparing this to a product with new digital to analog converters the Tascam is let down by the cloudiness of its output - compared to my new Audient it lacks detail, however, with 16 clean inputs it makes for a sound DAC into your DAW.
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d
Just buy it. You will not regret about it. It has pretty good pre-amps and you can connect bunch of things to its IOs. We are recording our sessions and running our In-Ear-Monitors for 5 people in our rehearsal room.
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R
I still love it
Has done sterling work in both studio and on-the-road recording sessinos, It's a fundamental part of my 16 channel mixing desk and allows me to record a set raw, from the desk, during the performance directly into Presonus Studio 1 Artist whilst at the same time mixing down the drums into a single stereo input to the live desk ... I love it
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H
Great interface at an exceptional price
There are not many interfaces with 16 inputs and 8 outputs, specially at an affordable price.
This one is simple to operate, 8 XLR, 2 Line/Instr jack input and phones at the front (all with individual gain/volume control).
at the back the other (8) inputs make it easier to link to the (direct out) channels from a behringer 2442fx I have(for drums). Allowing me to record all drum channels, individually, alongside the rest of the band.
The software allows you to use it standalone (as if it was a mixer), or it's easily integrated with DAWs, in my case Reaper. The latency is very low, allowing you to play with monitoring though a PA without lag.
A cool feature, is that if you don't plug the USB, it will bypass XLR channels 1-8 directly to the jack outputs (as it was a patch bay) Meaning you could keep all wiring in place, whether you are recording, or just playing/rehearsing
Con: Mac users might find a problem that there is only a USB2 interface. But I use a PC, so still a 5*.
This one is simple to operate, 8 XLR, 2 Line/Instr jack input and phones at the front (all with individual gain/volume control).
at the back the other (8) inputs make it easier to link to the (direct out) channels from a behringer 2442fx I have(for drums). Allowing me to record all drum channels, individually, alongside the rest of the band.
The software allows you to use it standalone (as if it was a mixer), or it's easily integrated with DAWs, in my case Reaper. The latency is very low, allowing you to play with monitoring though a PA without lag.
A cool feature, is that if you don't plug the USB, it will bypass XLR channels 1-8 directly to the jack outputs (as it was a patch bay) Meaning you could keep all wiring in place, whether you are recording, or just playing/rehearsing
Con: Mac users might find a problem that there is only a USB2 interface. But I use a PC, so still a 5*.
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BM
The best.
In the past I used several USB and firewire external rack sound cards.
This is by far, the best, specially after the latest drivers release.
I recommend it hands-down.
This is by far, the best, specially after the latest drivers release.
I recommend it hands-down.
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s
Worth!
Had absolutely no problem at all , very well built , no draw backs . I use it for drum recording and it has been a great pick and surely worth the price (which is very good as well for the quality). I highly suggest it.
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