I'm coming to multi-track recording late in the game - doing it for the first time in my mid-30's and having actually learned to do it first on my iPad and iPhone (using a variety of interfaces for guitar and audio sources into a DAW). So it's a little hard to articulate why I was drawn to the TASCAM DP-008EX, when it arguably offers far less editing capability and flexibility than a DAW. But, for me, I found the affordability, variety of input options, and simplicity for capturing ideas quickly to be very appealing with the DP-008EX. It even motivated me to purchase a dynamic microphone (SM-57 copy) and mic stand to finally attempt to mic and record some of my amps at home!I will keep this review short, since I'm somewhat of a novice user and haven't put in the hours yet to fully explore this device. But I found relatively simple to get working "out of the box". There are a few design choices that feel archaic, such as the way inputs are assigned and pretty much anything having to do with the LCD interface. But keep in mind that those choices are part of what keeps this an affordable product for people who might not have used a multi-track recorder before, and for whom basic functionality (off a set of batteries, nonetheless) is more important than bells and whistles.I found that the purchase of the DP-008EX led to a few other inexpensive purchases, including a 1/8" to 1/4" mono cable and the XLR cable for the aforementioned dynamic mic purchase. (I've actually heard the on-board condenser mics aren't half bad, but positioning those in front of a guitar amp while trying to start a recording seemed like a non-starter to me). One early concern I've read about and experienced with the use of an external mic is that the recording levels seemed low. However, there are a number of settings that impact this, including a switch on the back of the device, and a series of recording levels you can designate in the LCD menus. So, come to think of it, I might not have explored all of those options, in addition to being a total novice when it comes to mic placement and recording levels. I did record some other audio sources (iOS instruments and Korg Volca synths and drum machine) and had little problem getting the levels where I wanted them.So, why buy a DP-008EX when you can purchase a $10 DAW and an interface and record directly on a mobile device? For me, it's much the same reason why I still enjoy playing real life guitar amps and effects pedals versus modeling software offering far more variety in sounds...it's just a much more satisfying experience working with physical gear. In my case, I already had the guitars, effects pedals, and even preamp "direct" pedals, so the DP-008EX was an affordable way to capture recordings without getting bogged down in a bunch of software.The lack of an included power supply is a bit disappointing at this price point, but I might try using Eneloop rechargeable batteries for awhile in lieu of being tied to a wall plug. Really liked the level control, pan, and reverb send knobs laid out physically on the display. Getting content off of the device sounds a little harder than it should be in 2016, but I'd rather have difficulty on that end than hassle on the front end when I'm trying to record ideas.

This is a great and much cheaper alternative to using a laptop. I normally record on a PC, but I needed some mobility in order to record in other rooms and locations. I was using a laptop, mixer, and usb interface, setting up every time was getting pretty annoying. With this I can ditch all the equipment.It's simple to use, the only thing I needed the manual for was to figure out how to mixdown and master. Everything else should be self explanatory if you have ever used a DAW before. If you are new to recording, then you will probably need to study the manual. The built-in condensers sound surprisingly good, I thought I wasn't going to use them, but they sound best with acoustic guitars. The preamps are quiet and give enough juice to drive my microphones.I normally use this to record the tracks, then export them to my PC and to do post-processing on my DAW, but the recorder has enough decent tools (reverb, 2 band EQ, compression, DeEsser), that you can completely forgo using a PC and mix and master with the unit alone.My only cons are, you will absolutely need good rechargeable batteries or a power supply, this thing eats up regular batteries very fast, especially when using phantom power. The exporting process is very slow, you can't just pull out the SD card to drag and drop the WAVs onto the PC, you need to export them first which takes a few minutes, then plug in the unit to the PC. It does 16-bit/44khz recording only, at least 24-bit would be nice, if you plan to load pre-recorded tracks onto the unit, you will need to mix them down to 16-bit WAVs otherwise the unit will not recognize them.Wish I had something like this when I was younger and could not afford equipment, this is the perfect solution for people who want to record on a limited budget, or people who just want to ditch using a computer.

Great for small-scale 'home studio production'. Incredible capabilities built in to such a compact device. Signal to noise ratio in the pre-amps is excellent. Used to have the 6-track cassette version of the portastudio decades ago; way more 'bang for the buck' in this version! Quality hasn't changed, it's less than half the size of its 'grandfather' and very rugged. Love that a final mixdown may be rendered without too much effort. The Phantom power feature on the XLR inputs enables long extension cords for on-site recording (using powered mics) without picking up much ambient EMF interference; good for live recording as a result. The display and firmware takes some getting used to, but it's logically laid out and uses protocols from the recording industry so learning how to use it is not a wasted effort as this may be helpful as you 'upgrade' your studio hardware and skills. Replaced the disposable batteries provided with rechargeable Li-ion cells with no decrease in performance. A 4-hour session drained the 2400 mAh a fair bit but they held up. If no replacement batteries are available, a quality power supply would be a useful investment. Best to get something 'Taskam approved' to cover any warranty if something goes wrong.Places semi-pro capability within the financial reach of those with tight budgets. Small enough to fit into a guitar case with the instrument as well!

8 track recorder that is easy to use. There are plenty of YouTube videos and the recorder comes with FULL printed user manual. This is becoming less the rule these days. You can download the manual if you wish.The quick start up guide takes you through the main features of recording, downloading to two tracks and mastering to .wav format.The quality of the internal microphones are very good but a good external mic will improve quality. You can also plug in electronic instruments directly. You can monitor as you go through wired headphones.The DP-008EX T provides a lot of options for inputs and outputs.All in all a good piece of equipment for anybody wanting to record more than one track with the advantage of being portable.

If you enjoyed using the old cassette 4 track recorders, then you will find this is easier and better to use. The nuances of eq-ing, de-essing and so on have passed me by in this first week of use, but I've put together two passable songs in a very short period of time, bouncing down, mixing to multiple stereo pairs, using the very natural sounding automatic mastering function, transferring my mastered song to the FAT portion of the SD card.. the whole thing is so much easier than it should be. And no tape noise.People who complain about the proprietary format on the active part of the SD card probably bought the wrong recorder. This device is a stand alone device. If you wanted something to extract individual tracks and work with them on your computer, then this isn't it. And is the almost real time transfer to the FAT portion of the drive a problem? I don't think so personally. It's exciting - you've worked for hours on a song. Is three minutes while it processes such a pain?The internal mics are great. I was going to buy a mic, but honestly I don't see the point. I might get a vocal processing unit if such a thing exists, and if it does, I would get a mic. It would be nice to have the ability to do something with my voice outside of what this box can do with its fairly limited reverb. Still though - this box rules. Get an adaptor or you will be recharging like nobody's business.

Just great. Amazing sound and features. No latency. No fussing with drivers and extra equipment and cluttered DAW UIs. Great presets for compression and mastering. I’ve had so much better results on this than with Logic. Let’s you focus on what matters - capturing your musical expression. I use an NT1A with its phantom powered input and the results have been great for vocals and percussion. It’s built in mic’s may be ok but I’ve always used my NT1A. If I don’t have the NT1A handy then I’m glad the built in mic’s are there! Line inputs for synth and guitars work great too.Only thing that I see as missing is the option to convert time code and in/out points to bars/measures (if recording with the metronome) instead of minutes and seconds. But this hasn’t really prevented me from working at all. Was just surprised.Works very professionally. This really is a portable studio. It gets deep, but you can learn all of its functionality in about one evening. It's worth investing the time to learn this machine's capabilities.The build quality is good. Knobs don’t wobble. Feels great. Bought a zippered amazon gadget case to protect it from dust and scratches.

Used for amateur recording of live music. The Inbuilt microphones are extremely adequate. I can see its use for speech recording in the future or recording interviews and conversations. Obviously, the unit is directed at garage band recording of original music, but there are more possibilities.