Thanks for doing this... Great review! I am SO pleased that you did not choose to add a background bed of chill beats to these demo snippets. Surprisingly difficult to find these days!
Hi! Sorry for hijacking your comment... I recently got one X8 myself but I'm getting a weird electronic buzz/noise while I'm navigating the menus. It seems to disappear when I arm one of the inputs though. Does your X8 have something like that? I haven't read anything about an issue like this and I just want to make sure mine is defective so I can go replace it. Thank you for your time!
It sounds great ! I wanted X8 for recording jams and ideas but decided to get the Tascam dp32 portastudio. Big great machines but I figured for the same price as the X8 i can get the dp32 portastudio and use it for every single thing X8 can do plus way more !
NONE of these handheld recorders are made to be dropped or treated roughly. To protect them from accidental abuse, the build costs would be much higher, and it would probably double the cost.
@@WINDSHEAR-STUDIO I think that some kind of guard to cover the screen might be beneficial, but if you drop any of these handheld recorders, you run the risk of damaging them internally. So having a screen protector like an aluminum guard might be superfluous because if you drop it, even if you don't break the screen, you might damage the internal components. They just are not made to be dropped. Even the more expensive $2000 recorders made by other manufacturers probably would not survive a five-foot drop onto concrete. I am guessing, of course, but given how fragile various parts are on these recorders, I doubt they will survive falls. I guess if you were going into a jungle to make a movie, it might be an issue. But really, if you are going into a jungle where the recorder is going to get wet and maybe be dropped, you probably should buy a recorder that is built for that environment. But I guarantee you, a hardened, drop-resistant recorder is going to cost a boatload of money more than this recorder does. Heck, you pick up this amazing recorder for around $300.00 on sale, and that is just an insanely good price. On Amazon, it regularly goes on sale for around $350.00 or less. BTW, Zoom does put aluminum drop bars on some of its recorders, but they are not as good as the X8 is. I purchased the Zoom H6 and H8 and I did not like either of them as much as the Tascam X8. I returned the Zoom H6 because the record buttons didn't work right, and I just didn't like the Zoom H8. The sound recording quality on the Zoom recorders was good, but they were much harder to use and did not have very good sensitivity (the recorder's sound levels had to be set to maximum to get a decent recording). Possibly, I didn't know how to use the Zoom recorders correctly, but I really didn't like them. The Zoom H8 would not survive any type of fall. Everything on that recorder is fragile on the exterior.
Given all the remarkable facilities of this recorder, does it offer any support for M/S recording? Of course it will happily record a mid mic and a side mic, but can it decode the M/S to normal stereo for monitoring or playback? M/S mics are quite often used in video making and so I'd hope that appropriate monitoring was provided. It would be very simple to do. Anyway, very clear review and I loved the canada geese sound samples! [Early reviews mentioned very poor RF shielding - apparently Tascam have said this was only on early models, which is tough on early purchasers... did you encounter any problems with that?]
You could use a 1/4" TR "Y" cable to route the direct dry sound of guitar into one input, and the wet guitar pedal output into another input to record them both at the same time. You might need a 2 channel "D.I" box between your guitar + pedal and the line level inputs of this recorder using two short XLR mic cables to connect the output of the D.I. box to the XLR inputs on the Tascam set to "Line".
Does anyone know, is the speaker in this of any use? I mean, if I choose to record my voice for notes, will I be able to clearly hear it? I realize they make other recorders for such an application, but…
Hello, I have a question, can you play a master track, for example a guitar, and add more tracks, a drums, a bass? performance like portable multi-track recorders. For example, if you want to record a drum set but you need the guitar track to play the drum set, regards
Sorry for a maybe stupid question but could I use this device on my mac (via USB-C) as an external recorder/ microphone for e.g. conference call? Would be nice if that is possible, in that case I could use the recorder for that as well besides my bird and podcast recordings.
You know your stuff! Thanks for so many quit moments and outside sounds. Most UA-cam guys " testing" recorders or microphones take a guitar and play a little, hope to get famous in some of them
Hello, I just bought the Portacapture x8. The user manual indicates the maximum card capacity would be only 512 GB. I need more (512 BG can be too limited with 32-bit recording). Have you checked if it is possible to use 1TB or 1.5TB microSDcards (Lexar, SanDisk...) ?
Everyone talks about how crappy the build is on the included mics. But then some people say they sound "good." What do you think about that. I'm thinking those trs inputs would be great for Clippys or HearSight mics for field recording. Have you done any testing with alternatives that way?
Most things are built pretty cheap… could it be better? Of course. My go to is the zoom f3, which is a little more beefy but lacking the TRS.. the screen is also nice, but one more thing to go wrong. It does the trick tho.
Merhaba harika bir video olmuş teşekkür ederim hakkım olmayarak bur soru sormak istiyorum Acaba nasıl bir camera almam gerek x8 e bağlamak için siz hangisini kullaniyorsunuz cevabınız için şimdiden teşekkür ederim
Well done, i've enjoyed the whole vid, as a german i like the efficiency in it ;) helps me a lot for my choice. u r still happy with the x8? Greetings.
Hi, thanks for the video. Very helpful I have just one question. How did you separate the channels of the upper microphone? 1-2. For me it appears as one wide band Thanks
It was the same one I used for my zoom H4n so this should work - www.amazon.com/Microphone-Windscreen-Recorders-Windshield-YOUSHARES/dp/B07NTQ6LSN/ref=mp_s_a_1_8_maf_2?crid=3BKUWWV9HHKCP&keywords=windscreen+for+zoom+h4n&qid=1698537019&sprefix=windscreen+for+zoom+h4n%2Caps%2C102&sr=8-8
Hi! sorry to bother you, I recently got one X8 myself but I'm getting a weird electronic buzz/noise while I'm navigating the menus. It seems to disappear when I arm one of the inputs though. Does your X8 have something like that? I haven't read anything about an issue like this and I just want to make sure mine is defective so I can go replace it. Thank you for your time!
@@ww1www I don’t have video of the issue right now but I’ll get some tomorrow morning. I have these recordings I made though… *link removed* I got the headphones output connected to my focusrite interface to record the noise I’m hearing when I navigate the menus. There I switch between sample rates and when I’m using 48k or below the buzz goes away. It’s very faint but it’s a bit distracting. Thank you for taking the time to reply!!
@@thenoisery I might be deaf or the headphones I have here are crap (I think both are true statements anyway), but I cannot hear anything right now. I will try to re-listen at home.
@@ww1www No worries, it is a very faint noise or maybe I'm just imagining things haha Here's a video with the issue if you want to check it out. ua-cam.com/video/35H8fhBsqDM/v-deo.html Thank you again!!!
@@JRESHOWonly when using a wireless microphone. Sometimes interference and can be fixed. It sounds as if a little tiny clap comes over every 2 or 3 seconds. Like hi my name is g_-+$ I love making v#&$3 but. Almost sounds like cell phone dropping reception. I now have 15 videos I have to reshoot and some of them it's not possible. Sucks but I'm contacting DJI out of pure frustration and requesting a warranty replacement.
@JRESHOW are there any 32bit float audio files online that are dowloadable so that they can be compared in quality to non-32 bit float? can the difference be heard.
You are not the first to say that you can remove the XY microphones. But the first to say that you then have 2x 3.5 mm inputs for a lavenier. In my case with an interview I would give 1 lavenier to the speaker and leave the Y-mic and aim at the speaker as an additional option. What I can't find anything about, not even in the manual, is that there is also a line-in 3.5mm stereo input. But nowhere is it mentioned on which track that is recorded. Is that instead of 2 XLR tracks or instead of the XY tracks?
Plastic garbage. One cannot have a decent handheld recorder these days because brands think a flashy smartphone like touchscreen is more important than durability. Ridiculous.
Thanks for doing this... Great review! I am SO pleased that you did not choose to add a background bed of chill beats to these demo snippets. Surprisingly difficult to find these days!
I particularly liked that the outdoor recording was done with the included mics. Which appear to be very good 😀
Thank you for this review, very informative.
I just got this last week and updated the firmware. The startup time is 5 seconds.
Hi! Sorry for hijacking your comment... I recently got one X8 myself but I'm getting a weird electronic buzz/noise while I'm navigating the menus. It seems to disappear when I arm one of the inputs though. Does your X8 have something like that? I haven't read anything about an issue like this and I just want to make sure mine is defective so I can go replace it. Thank you for your time!
Great demo and great sound ambiances, thanks !
Can I record a guitar track on one channel. Then play that track and record bass on track two as guitar one track is playing?
It sounds great ! I wanted X8 for recording jams and ideas but decided to get the Tascam dp32 portastudio. Big great machines but I figured for the same price as the X8 i can get the dp32 portastudio and use it for every single thing X8 can do plus way more !
I mean for $200 extra it should be able to do more
except 32 bit float.
The Tascam DP 32SD also records with 32 Bit Floatingpoint. @@zakklee2556
Pretty crazy they fit the “metrodome” in the presets 😜
NONE of these handheld recorders are made to be dropped or treated roughly. To protect them from accidental abuse, the build costs would be much higher, and it would probably double the cost.
But it wouldn’t cost that much more to make the microphone frame out of cheap metal than cheap plastic 😔
@@sunnyboner676maybe I’m wrong but will insulation of rubber make it more shock proof and protective of the preamps?
Agree. But they could have at least designed it with a guard (aluminum) like the Sony model has.
@@WINDSHEAR-STUDIO I think that some kind of guard to cover the screen might be beneficial, but if you drop any of these handheld recorders, you run the risk of damaging them internally. So having a screen protector like an aluminum guard might be superfluous because if you drop it, even if you don't break the screen, you might damage the internal components. They just are not made to be dropped. Even the more expensive $2000 recorders made by other manufacturers probably would not survive a five-foot drop onto concrete. I am guessing, of course, but given how fragile various parts are on these recorders, I doubt they will survive falls.
I guess if you were going into a jungle to make a movie, it might be an issue. But really, if you are going into a jungle where the recorder is going to get wet and maybe be dropped, you probably should buy a recorder that is built for that environment. But I guarantee you, a hardened, drop-resistant recorder is going to cost a boatload of money more than this recorder does. Heck, you pick up this amazing recorder for around $300.00 on sale, and that is just an insanely good price. On Amazon, it regularly goes on sale for around $350.00 or less.
BTW, Zoom does put aluminum drop bars on some of its recorders, but they are not as good as the X8 is. I purchased the Zoom H6 and H8 and I did not like either of them as much as the Tascam X8. I returned the Zoom H6 because the record buttons didn't work right, and I just didn't like the Zoom H8. The sound recording quality on the Zoom recorders was good, but they were much harder to use and did not have very good sensitivity (the recorder's sound levels had to be set to maximum to get a decent recording). Possibly, I didn't know how to use the Zoom recorders correctly, but I really didn't like them. The Zoom H8 would not survive any type of fall. Everything on that recorder is fragile on the exterior.
Is it manual the only one you can do six tracks on? That’s the one for songwriters correct you can’t do that on Music
dos the mixer display work when pluged into a computer?
Great review. Thank you for doing this!
Given all the remarkable facilities of this recorder, does it offer any support for M/S recording? Of course it will happily record a mid mic and a side mic, but can it decode the M/S to normal stereo for monitoring or playback? M/S mics are quite often used in video making and so I'd hope that appropriate monitoring was provided. It would be very simple to do. Anyway, very clear review and I loved the canada geese sound samples! [Early reviews mentioned very poor RF shielding - apparently Tascam have said this was only on early models, which is tough on early purchasers... did you encounter any problems with that?]
I have one, yeah it does
What camedid yo use to film the ducks and did you colorgrade in post?
is wifi A need for the mixer to work?
Does this have send return features So one can connect a guitar pedal , And record the performance ? Thanks
You could use a 1/4" TR "Y" cable to route the direct dry sound of guitar into one input, and the wet guitar pedal output into another input to record them both at the same time.
You might need a 2 channel "D.I" box between your guitar + pedal and the line level inputs of this recorder using two short XLR mic cables to connect the output of the D.I. box to the XLR inputs on the Tascam set to "Line".
I got it recently, however I can’t use it as a USB audio interface, cannot monitor sound from my laptop, anyone have the same problem?😢
Try matching the sampling rate on the laptop to the one on the recorder
@JRESHOW
Have you been able to compare this directly to the Zoom H6 in regards to Signal-To-Noise ratio and how "clean" the mic preamps are?
I have not. Never had the H6..
What camera do you recomend to connect the x8 to and what is the best way, trying to reduce the steps in edit mode.
Thanks for all of the information.
Hello, Great Video. I am having trouble connecting my Tascam Portacapture x8 to Gopro Hero12. How do you connect them? What cables do I need?
Before I comment I realized I commented last year. 🙂But thank you very much for sharing. Now, how do I attached the device to iPhone 15 Pro Max? 🙏🏼
Great review!! Thanks so much !!
Fantastic Job! Thanks.
Can this recorder receive multi tracks or a main mix from a mixboard?! Can’t find that answer anywhere… seriously need some help here.
Does anyone know, is the speaker in this of any use? I mean, if I choose to record my voice for notes, will I be able to clearly hear it? I realize they make other recorders for such an application, but…
is the screen on the tascamx8 A camera,ifso, can the tascam be used to both record video and music with or wihout wifi?
Great review thank you
Hello, I have a question, can you play a master track, for example a guitar, and add more tracks, a drums, a bass? performance like portable multi-track recorders. For example, if you want to record a drum set but you need the guitar track to play the drum set, regards
Sorry for a maybe stupid question but could I use this device on my mac (via USB-C) as an external recorder/ microphone for e.g. conference call? Would be nice if that is possible, in that case I could use the recorder for that as well besides my bird and podcast recordings.
Yeah but waaaayyyyyyy overkill man :)
You know your stuff! Thanks for so many quit moments and outside sounds. Most UA-cam guys " testing" recorders or microphones take a guitar and play a little, hope to get famous in some of them
Hello, I just bought the Portacapture x8. The user manual indicates the maximum card capacity would be only 512 GB. I need more (512 BG can be too limited with 32-bit recording). Have you checked if it is possible to use 1TB or 1.5TB microSDcards (Lexar, SanDisk...) ?
I haven’t checked that.. will you let me know if you find out?
Thank you!
Everyone talks about how crappy the build is on the included mics. But then some people say they sound "good." What do you think about that. I'm thinking those trs inputs would be great for Clippys or HearSight mics for field recording. Have you done any testing with alternatives that way?
Most things are built pretty cheap… could it be better? Of course. My go to is the zoom f3, which is a little more beefy but lacking the TRS.. the screen is also nice, but one more thing to go wrong. It does the trick tho.
Merhaba harika bir video olmuş teşekkür ederim hakkım olmayarak bur soru sormak istiyorum
Acaba nasıl bir camera almam gerek x8 e bağlamak için siz hangisini kullaniyorsunuz cevabınız için şimdiden teşekkür ederim
Any camera would work
Well done, i've enjoyed the whole vid, as a german i like the efficiency in it ;) helps me a lot for my choice. u r still happy with the x8? Greetings.
I mostly use my zoom F3. It fits most my needs. This one has a lot of function tho for more advanced uses.
What camera are you using?
Thanks going to get myself one
GREAT VIDEO!!!
Hi, thanks for the video. Very helpful
I have just one question. How did you separate the channels of the upper microphone? 1-2.
For me it appears as one wide band
Thanks
“Stereo pair” slider off
What windscreen did you use with it?
can you send me a link to the wind screen you used?
It was the same one I used for my zoom H4n so this should work - www.amazon.com/Microphone-Windscreen-Recorders-Windshield-YOUSHARES/dp/B07NTQ6LSN/ref=mp_s_a_1_8_maf_2?crid=3BKUWWV9HHKCP&keywords=windscreen+for+zoom+h4n&qid=1698537019&sprefix=windscreen+for+zoom+h4n%2Caps%2C102&sr=8-8
I picked one up recently and I enjoy how versatile it is.
Hi! sorry to bother you, I recently got one X8 myself but I'm getting a weird electronic buzz/noise while I'm navigating the menus. It seems to disappear when I arm one of the inputs though. Does your X8 have something like that? I haven't read anything about an issue like this and I just want to make sure mine is defective so I can go replace it. Thank you for your time!
@@thenoisery i havent noticed anything like that, can you show me some video about this issue?
@@ww1www I don’t have video of the issue right now but I’ll get some tomorrow morning. I have these recordings I made though…
*link removed*
I got the headphones output connected to my focusrite interface to record the noise I’m hearing when I navigate the menus. There I switch between sample rates and when I’m using 48k or below the buzz goes away.
It’s very faint but it’s a bit distracting.
Thank you for taking the time to reply!!
@@thenoisery I might be deaf or the headphones I have here are crap (I think both are true statements anyway), but I cannot hear anything right now. I will try to re-listen at home.
@@ww1www No worries, it is a very faint noise or maybe I'm just imagining things haha
Here's a video with the issue if you want to check it out.
ua-cam.com/video/35H8fhBsqDM/v-deo.html
Thank you again!!!
Have you got the latest firmware? My X8 is almost instant
Mine still takes 5-8 secs with the latest fw
If I'm using the task can recorder and I get audio that is just bad there still is no way to fix it lol just clipping right
What do you mean by bad audio? If it’s too loud or too quiet you can def. fix it, but what are you referring to?
@@JRESHOWonly when using a wireless microphone. Sometimes interference and can be fixed. It sounds as if a little tiny clap comes over every 2 or 3 seconds. Like hi my name is g_-+$ I love making v#&$3 but. Almost sounds like cell phone dropping reception. I now have 15 videos I have to reshoot and some of them it's not possible. Sucks but I'm contacting DJI out of pure frustration and requesting a warranty replacement.
Thanks! Subbed.
are there any 32bit float audio online that are downloadable?
Not sure what you mean…
@JRESHOW are there any 32bit float audio files online that are dowloadable so that they can be compared in quality to non-32 bit float? can the difference be heard.
@@zakklee2556 oh gotcha. I’m sure there is, unfortunately I don’t know where to direct you.
You are not the first to say that you can remove the XY microphones. But the first to say that you then have 2x 3.5 mm inputs for a lavenier.
In my case with an interview I would give 1 lavenier to the speaker and leave the Y-mic and aim at the speaker as an additional option.
What I can't find anything about, not even in the manual, is that there is also a line-in 3.5mm stereo input. But nowhere is it mentioned on which track that is recorded. Is that instead of 2 XLR tracks or instead of the XY tracks?
Are you an android?
No, more similar to Linux
Lol but i actually like his voice, its no nonsense🤷🏿♂️
Plastic garbage. One cannot have a decent handheld recorder these days because brands think a flashy smartphone like touchscreen is more important than durability. Ridiculous.
I use this to record the audio on all porno films I make, and since my films are very story forward, picking up the dialogue is very important. 10/10
Love those films
🫡
It's not made out of plastic... it's fiber glass.
Really? Didn’t know that. Felt like plastic to me..
@@JRESHOW Well, at least that's what it says on their website about the FR-AV2 😅. I couldn't find it for the X8. But it seems to be the same material.
@@GUANTA23Kand the same preamps... A recent test showed that X8, X6 and new tascam av-fr2 have better noise floor than the zoom F3 🤷