I have the 12 and like it, it fits what I need it to do. I have a12 channel Yamaha mixer that I could mic drums ( if I had a drummer) and send them to one stereo channel. I take everything I do solo and put the card in the PC and mix with Audacity then take it back to a stereo channel on the 12. I like to separate playing from mixing functions since there is only one of me. On the negative side it's 3 years old and I had a power switch failure the first year that was warranty and now I have some sketchy noisy mute buttons on 2 channels.
Thanks for your comment. I figure Tascam will continue supporting the Model series as they have for about 10 years in total. They seem to be doing a hardware refresh in the 5th year of their mixer line. So, we should expect to see Version 2 come out in a couple of years. Tascam also seems to update the firmware until it reaches peak for the hardware. I don't the the Model 12 has hit that limit yet because it's digital, but the 16 and 24 probably have. So, this means Tascam could come out with new software for the 12. They recently released 1.41, which was nice. I don't like the sound of the power switch going bad. I have seen several people talking about that online and maybe it seems to be more common than it is. I don't know. Mine is brand new. Fingers crossed. Cheers.
A lot of the criticism towards the Tascam DP units oftem stems from the confusing documentation it had and a lot of people don't even know how to use half of the stuff it can do. Thankfully, there's a series of videos on UA-cam by Phil Tipping. Once you watch those, you'll master that unit easily. There's also one design flaw with the Model 12 which cannot be solved with firmware upgrades but it's not present on the Model 16 and above since they have different electronics.
I don't understand the criticism. These machines are great for perfecting vocals and dumping them onto a PC to do extensive edits and add the flair. I just dove right in and learned on my own. I did skim through the manual a bit just to see what was different from the ROLAND 1880 that I replaced with this... I love the DP unit but the ROLAND had way more and better effects 200 pres and 200 users. I love the DP though and I wish they would make an updated version with it being better in every since and more in depth with mastering and effects more tracks. I don't know about the SONICVIEW because there are no videos showing its use for the studio even though I know it has that functionality. The DP's are just great and I haven't had too many problems with self-learning on that system. I just bought a second DP for $350 because the person who had purchased it brand new did not know how to use it and did not want to take the time to learn. So I now have another for when I travel or a backup if mine ever goes down. I would like to buy a SONICVIEW but $7,500 though that is a chunk of change.
I got a great deal on a very lightly used DP32 sd. I think it's a great unit, but I need to relearn how it works every time because it's so complicated for me. All I want is a way to record tracks like I did with my Tascam 4 track and 8 track cassette units. 8 tracks and channel strips with knobs for pan, eq, effects etc. I guess it costs too.much for them to put pots on the front. Right now I'd like to go downstairs and record a track, but I dread the frustration of trying to understand how to eq or put effects on a track. I guess I need to sell it and buy a model 12 or 16.
Great video - there is not enough good content on the Tascam lines . . . and nobody seems to rave about their manuals . . . so this is much appreciated . . . new subscriber . . .
I have the DP32 SD and have hardly used it. I only record 1 track at a time and build a song that way. Usually a rhythm guitar track on track one, two and three for edit and mixdown followed by bass guitar on track 4, drums track 5, synth track 6 and lead vocals track 7, vocal harmonies and lead guitar I'll generally assign to following tracks. I'll usually never use or need more than 12 tracks. If i can safely get through on the machine at that level I'm content. I'll usually get a clean full sound for rhythm guitar tracks and use my in-line guitar processors rather than the internal sound effects. It's my plan to not overcomplicate things. I can still use all the help i can get with hard disk recording I'm more proficient with pc recording and mixing programs like Logic and a few other systems. Thanks for the info, I'll subscribe now why not?
Comparison videos like this between the Model and DP series tend to focus on recording. What I would love to see is a comparison in terms of mixing and mastering. My understanding is that the Model series is more limited in terms of on-board production capabilities unless you use it as a DAW controller. Is this accurate? I use the DP-03 and, although somewhat limited, it is designed for end-to-end recording, mixing, and mastering.
Not to mention..the wonderful TASCAM DP32 is nearly free considering its quality .i had a Roland VS24 used the heck out if it ..sold its efx..then the efx-less unit and paid for my dp32. Theyre great .getting another.
Wish I would have got the Model 12 rather than the dp-24sd, because the Model 12 has the controls mostly right there instead of the funky layers of menus just to get at the EQ, panning etc . Also the 12 looks to have a better way to access send effects. As for the difference in # of trax, that doesnt matter much to me. I come from 4-track cassette, so the 12 still seems like kingly luxury to me.
It really just depends on what you are using it for.... live performances Model series is great. For Studio, work the DP SD32 for the win. If you buy these thinking that they do the same thing, you may be in trouble. Because the Model series does NOT work like the DP SD 32 are quite different in how they record. My MODEL 24 is a glorified mixer with an MTR workflow that is not at all what I need as an MTR. I'm saying that I'm not studio orientated.... so they can do the same thing it's just the way they do the same thing differently. For Studio work DP for me.
I want to record my solo acoustic live gigs. I have vocals, guitar and drum machine. Would either of these mixers provide me with a house mix, a live mix and also record my sets? I have the DP 24. I love the audio quality and pre-amps. How does the Model 12 compare on audio. Which can do both the best and which has the best audio quality for recording AND live?
Well done. Curious about your thoughts on the difference in sound quality of the two. I know the Model 12 uses newer "better" pre-amps, but to me, the DP24/32 seems to have a better feature set for home producers, which is more my use case. Any thoughts on this? Is it worth it to sacrifice some audio quality for the more robust feature set, mastering etc.?
No. What you describe your use with the DP SD32 is what I'm doing.... the Model 24 (series) does not record quite like the DP SD32. Now, if you are using it with a DAW, that may be key, but as a strand alone, MTR it is not what you would want.... with the understanding that you are using it as your Studio source.
Very well explained, but now I'm even more frustrated. I'm a "one-man" band and I'll never need more than 8 tracks of simultaneous recording so I figure a DP series machine will do, however, I need 5-pin MIDI for my old drum machines which the Model 12 has. And I thought it'd be really nice to mixdown to my HiFi VHS deck for which I'd need an optical connection - neither series has that. Hey Tascam, how 'bout a DP-24 with MIDI and a coax connection?
@@zebarzebra Agreed - that's kind-of what I'm doing now, although instead of a drum machine I'm using the program "Hydrogen" on my Linux box. But, after flying the drumtrack in (over USB), and recording a few tracks (I have a DP-006), I now want to make some changes to the drum track. If I delete the current drum track and import the new one, will it line up with the already recorded instrument tracks?
I’m toying with the idea of the model series for my home studio. Just me. No live band recording. The reason is that DAW’s just seem overwhelming. Too many options. The Model series seems straight forward. Make music, record it, and move on. Thoughts?
I use mine for exactly that same reason: sit down, record, mix, done. However, I have found that my problem with making music that way is I can record covers of other songs pretty easily. My music, not so much. I feel like it isn't finished, and the M12 makes it feel even more final. This is a headspace thing. All creators, regardless of the medium, will struggle with "completionism" at some point. Now, because I have a tool that can ACTUALLY put my songs together in a way that works best for me, I don't have any more excuses, and so I have kind of hit a brick wall. this is a different creative block that I didn't expect to experience. What it shows me is that most of my music wasn't ready, and the stuff that is, needs to get started.
@@RobertHamm Thanks for taking the time to respond. I’m the same way with my own songs, constantly tinkering and changing. Fortunately the record company isn’t pressing me with a deadline to release a new album😜
I have a DP24SD and am finalizing my home studio (taken me a while following a nasty car accident) and I came across your channel in search of knowledge and noticed your name, which happens to be my brother's and am curious if you are from Ohio of California?
The Port of studio gives you eight inputs to use at a single time. You can mic as many instruments as you have need up to eight inputs. Drums sometimes require eight mic's alone. Acoustic guitars May require to microphones. So you see, it depends on how you mic your instruments. But the portastudio only has eight inputs that can be used at one time.
Hey, Robert, I have a question. I bought a Rupert Neve preamp. How best can I use it to record tracks with my DP24 ? Do I just plug and play, or is it a more involved procedure ? I've heard that you can't truly bypass the DP24 preamps. What is your advice ?
I'm not aware of being able to bypass the preamps in the DP 24. You could download the manual and look at the schematic. There may be a way to do it in some of the settings, but I'm not sure. The DP 24 has quite a few settings as you know for routing inputs effects and more. So it could be possible, but I'm not sure. One thing you could do is use the preamp to record into your computer. You get something like logic or audition as the program, or any program you want, and then you would be able to run the preamp into your computer and plug your instrument/mic into the preamp. Cheers.
The track number thing is a scam. I was going to get a Model 16 but I want to record two or three guitars + Bass. They're penalising people for buying the more expensive 16 over the 12. Why TF are they doing that? Do they have weird ideas about bands?
I enjoy the dp series for what I do, which is just writing/composing. A one-stop shop.
Exactly, and a brand new upgraded in every area with more tracks and easy to use reverbs would be great.
I have the 12 and like it, it fits what I need it to do. I have a12 channel Yamaha mixer that I could mic drums ( if I had a drummer) and send them to one stereo channel. I take everything I do solo and put the card in the PC and mix with Audacity then take it back to a stereo channel on the 12. I like to separate playing from mixing functions since there is only one of me. On the negative side it's 3 years old and I had a power switch failure the first year that was warranty and now I have some sketchy noisy mute buttons on 2 channels.
Thanks for your comment. I figure Tascam will continue supporting the Model series as they have for about 10 years in total. They seem to be doing a hardware refresh in the 5th year of their mixer line. So, we should expect to see Version 2 come out in a couple of years. Tascam also seems to update the firmware until it reaches peak for the hardware. I don't the the Model 12 has hit that limit yet because it's digital, but the 16 and 24 probably have. So, this means Tascam could come out with new software for the 12. They recently released 1.41, which was nice.
I don't like the sound of the power switch going bad. I have seen several people talking about that online and maybe it seems to be more common than it is. I don't know. Mine is brand new. Fingers crossed. Cheers.
A lot of the criticism towards the Tascam DP units oftem stems from the confusing documentation it had and a lot of people don't even know how to use half of the stuff it can do. Thankfully, there's a series of videos on UA-cam by Phil Tipping. Once you watch those, you'll master that unit easily. There's also one design flaw with the Model 12 which cannot be solved with firmware upgrades but it's not present on the Model 16 and above since they have different electronics.
I don't understand the criticism. These machines are great for perfecting vocals and dumping them onto a PC to do extensive edits and add the flair. I just dove right in and learned on my own. I did skim through the manual a bit just to see what was different from the ROLAND 1880 that I replaced with this... I love the DP unit but the ROLAND had way more and better effects 200 pres and 200 users. I love the DP though and I wish they would make an updated version with it being better in every since and more in depth with mastering and effects more tracks. I don't know about the SONICVIEW because there are no videos showing its use for the studio even though I know it has that functionality. The DP's are just great and I haven't had too many problems with self-learning on that system. I just bought a second DP for $350 because the person who had purchased it brand new did not know how to use it and did not want to take the time to learn. So I now have another for when I travel or a backup if mine ever goes down. I would like to buy a SONICVIEW but $7,500 though that is a chunk of change.
Excellent.
I got a great deal on a very lightly used DP32 sd. I think it's a great unit, but I need to relearn how it works every time because it's so complicated for me. All I want is a way to record tracks like I did with my Tascam 4 track and 8 track cassette units. 8 tracks and channel strips with knobs for pan, eq, effects etc. I guess it costs too.much for them to put pots on the front. Right now I'd like to go downstairs and record a track, but I dread the frustration of trying to understand how to eq or put effects on a track. I guess I need to sell it and buy a model 12 or 16.
Great video - there is not enough good content on the Tascam lines . . . and nobody seems to rave about their manuals . . . so this is much appreciated . . . new subscriber . . .
Glad it was helpful!
I have the DP32 SD and have hardly used it. I only record 1 track at a time and build a song that way. Usually a rhythm guitar track on track one, two and three for edit and mixdown followed by bass guitar on track 4, drums track 5, synth track 6 and lead vocals track 7, vocal harmonies and lead guitar I'll generally assign to following tracks. I'll usually never use or need more than 12 tracks. If i can safely get through on the machine at that level I'm content. I'll usually get a clean full sound for rhythm guitar tracks and use my in-line guitar processors rather than the internal sound effects. It's my plan to not overcomplicate things.
I can still use all the help i can get with hard disk recording I'm more proficient with pc recording and mixing programs like Logic and a few other systems. Thanks for the info, I'll subscribe now why not?
Nicely explained! Just picked up a Model 12, even though I have an Apollo x4 + MOTU 8 pre in the studio with Logic.
Comparison videos like this between the Model and DP series tend to focus on recording. What I would love to see is a comparison in terms of mixing and mastering. My understanding is that the Model series is more limited in terms of on-board production capabilities unless you use it as a DAW controller. Is this accurate? I use the DP-03 and, although somewhat limited, it is designed for end-to-end recording, mixing, and mastering.
Not to mention..the wonderful TASCAM DP32 is nearly free considering its quality .i had a Roland VS24 used the heck out if it ..sold its efx..then the efx-less unit and paid for my dp32. Theyre great .getting another.
Wish I would have got the Model 12 rather than the dp-24sd, because the Model 12 has the controls mostly right there instead of the funky layers of menus just to get at the EQ, panning etc . Also the 12 looks to have a better way to access send effects. As for the difference in # of trax, that doesnt matter much to me. I come from 4-track cassette, so the 12 still seems like kingly luxury to me.
It really just depends on what you are using it for.... live performances Model series is great. For Studio, work the DP SD32 for the win. If you buy these thinking that they do the same thing, you may be in trouble. Because the Model series does NOT work like the DP SD 32 are quite different in how they record.
My MODEL 24 is a glorified mixer with an MTR workflow that is not at all what I need as an MTR. I'm saying that I'm not studio orientated.... so they can do the same thing it's just the way they do the same thing differently. For Studio work DP for me.
I want to record my solo acoustic live gigs. I have vocals, guitar and drum machine. Would either of these mixers provide me with a house mix, a live mix and also record my sets?
I have the DP 24. I love the audio quality and pre-amps. How does the Model 12 compare on audio. Which can do both the best and which has the best audio quality for recording AND live?
Well done. Curious about your thoughts on the difference in sound quality of the two. I know the Model 12 uses newer "better" pre-amps, but to me, the DP24/32 seems to have a better feature set for home producers, which is more my use case. Any thoughts on this? Is it worth it to sacrifice some audio quality for the more robust feature set, mastering etc.?
No. What you describe your use with the DP SD32 is what I'm doing.... the Model 24 (series) does not record quite like the DP SD32. Now, if you are using it with a DAW, that may be key, but as a strand alone, MTR it is not what you would want.... with the understanding that you are using it as your Studio source.
I bought a 24sd and was about to start recording when my grandmother fell and I had to move to Alabama and leave it with my bass player, boo
If I get this, I'll get the 16...
I'd really like a GigCaster 16 from Boss / Roland - fat chance...
Very well explained, but now I'm even more frustrated. I'm a "one-man" band and I'll never need more than 8 tracks of simultaneous recording so I figure a DP series machine will do, however, I need 5-pin MIDI for my old drum machines which the Model 12 has. And I thought it'd be really nice to mixdown to my HiFi VHS deck for which I'd need an optical connection - neither series has that. Hey Tascam, how 'bout a DP-24 with MIDI and a coax connection?
Do you really need that midi connection? You can record the drum machine and then overdub everything else for example.
@@zebarzebra Agreed - that's kind-of what I'm doing now, although instead of a drum machine I'm using the program "Hydrogen" on my Linux box. But, after flying the drumtrack in (over USB), and recording a few tracks (I have a DP-006), I now want to make some changes to the drum track. If I delete the current drum track and import the new one, will it line up with the already recorded instrument tracks?
I’m toying with the idea of the model series for my home studio. Just me. No live band recording. The reason is that DAW’s just seem overwhelming. Too many options. The Model series seems straight forward. Make music, record it, and move on. Thoughts?
I use mine for exactly that same reason: sit down, record, mix, done. However, I have found that my problem with making music that way is I can record covers of other songs pretty easily. My music, not so much. I feel like it isn't finished, and the M12 makes it feel even more final. This is a headspace thing. All creators, regardless of the medium, will struggle with "completionism" at some point. Now, because I have a tool that can ACTUALLY put my songs together in a way that works best for me, I don't have any more excuses, and so I have kind of hit a brick wall. this is a different creative block that I didn't expect to experience. What it shows me is that most of my music wasn't ready, and the stuff that is, needs to get started.
@@RobertHamm Thanks for taking the time to respond. I’m the same way with my own songs, constantly tinkering and changing. Fortunately the record company isn’t pressing me with a deadline to release a new album😜
Bwhahaha. Me either!
@@RobertHamm Based on what you say in the video it seems like the DP24 would be better for what you are doing.
@@syncMixeragreed
I have a DP24SD and am finalizing my home studio (taken me a while following a nasty car accident) and I came across your channel in search of knowledge and noticed your name, which happens to be my brother's and am curious if you are from Ohio of California?
I have both the Tascam DP24 and the Model12 can I use them together in a studioi set up?..
Can you set up the portastudio to record a live band of say about 6 different pieces of equiptment at the same time
The Port of studio gives you eight inputs to use at a single time. You can mic as many instruments as you have need up to eight inputs. Drums sometimes require eight mic's alone. Acoustic guitars May require to microphones. So you see, it depends on how you mic your instruments. But the portastudio only has eight inputs that can be used at one time.
Hey, Robert, I have a question. I bought a Rupert Neve preamp. How best can I use it to record tracks with my DP24 ? Do I just plug and play, or is it a more involved procedure ? I've heard that you can't truly bypass the DP24 preamps. What is your advice ?
I'm not aware of being able to bypass the preamps in the DP 24. You could download the manual and look at the schematic. There may be a way to do it in some of the settings, but I'm not sure. The DP 24 has quite a few settings as you know for routing inputs effects and more. So it could be possible, but I'm not sure.
One thing you could do is use the preamp to record into your computer. You get something like logic or audition as the program, or any program you want, and then you would be able to run the preamp into your computer and plug your instrument/mic into the preamp.
Cheers.
Model 12 has midi, dp 24 does not have that anymore.
The track number thing is a scam. I was going to get a Model 16 but I want to record two or three guitars + Bass. They're penalising people for buying the more expensive 16 over the 12. Why TF are they doing that? Do they have weird ideas about bands?
I'm glad I'm just an artist & producer, cus 8 tracks is all I need, yall guitarists got it bad👎
I want rascal to come out with a new Model 12 🔥🫡🇨🇦
Probably two years down the road. That's when I expect to see a hardware refresh.
@@RobertHamm But a new Portastudio would be great! With Midi and usbc powered..