TASCAM Portacapture X8 Teardown and mini review
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- Опубліковано 5 гру 2022
- The Portacapture X8 is one of only a few handheld field recorders on the market that capture audio in 32-bit float. I wanted to know what hardware is under the hood and how this thing works. Also included are a few thoughts and gripes that I have with this device.
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![[TEST] TASCAM Portacapture X8](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/zKGwNNicVnw/mqdefault.jpg)
![[TEST] TASCAM Portacapture X8](/img/tr.png)
The XLR inputs are critically important for singer-songwriters and musicians. I am not sure why you don't understand that. This was primarily designed for creators and podcasts. But it is a competent field recorder also.
The smaller Tascam X6 would probably be a much better match for your requirements.
Great job in reviewing the internal components of the recorder.
I've owned this device for 1-2 years and use it almost daily.
It's great. It's the cheapest device available with the functionality it has.
So Tascam did things well, as they usually do.
It could be better, fortunately mostly through software so I hope Tascam spend some time releasing one for it.
Pls more of this. It’s kinda rare for people to actually really dive into the technicalities of gear so far as to open it up physically! M4 next?
The AKM its one of the biggest Japanese DAC Chip constructors in the world. Its on the same categorie like ESS that make all the also famous SABRE Chip especially for the biggest High End DAC home devices. I know because my DAC have 8 different AKM Chips inside and its amazing. I am not technician, i just say because you ask about the AKM. Thank for your video and all your explanation, its really very useful,, i just order the X8 and i wonder how much good or bad is.
There's a thorough review, and then there's a "take apart the circuit board review"
Thanks for taking such bold move and share it with us, this is something I wait for so long to see.
Amazing work! Please take a look at the Zoom M4!
yes, kindly take a look at zoom m4 mictrak
This was an amzing video I feel like I understand my x8 way more now.
Thanks for doing this it's very helpful! AKM is Asahi-kasei, a big chemical company in Japan. They do audio codec and they are good one.
I must say that I am recording very nice quality with the xlr inputs to my X8. Once you get the hang of everything, it’s a very good device. It could be easier from an UI perspective but hey…. Still love using it.
This is really interesting - I'll draw attention to it on a relevant online forum where a number of owners, and potential owners (me!) have been discussing it. Firstly, the dual preamp system is standard issue for this category of device - that's how the cope with having a digital dynamic range way bigger than the analog dynamic range. But it's worth pointing out that there's no free lunch on the analog side - if you do drive the preamps into analog distortion, or present them with a super low signal, then the digital stage will faithfully record the analog clipping, or when you crank up the quiet bits, any analog noise will also get cranked up. One thing you haven't mentioned is the famous hum lines or RF interference issue that was raised in early reviews. It seems the Tascam fixed that in later manufacturing runs (they say) and they also tinkered with it in firmware updates. Maybe you therefore didn't encounter it. But I wonder whether anything you saw under the hood was related to Tascam fixing that issue.
There's now an X6 which might have been more the device you personally wanted. But currently it's only $20 less than the X8, so it's only worth buying by those who really don't like the size of its big brother.
Thanks for this video - it's kept me up at 1:30am when I should be in bed!
Thanks for taking the time to comment, I appreciate it. I did not look too closely into the hum, as it's in the ultrasonic range and doesn't as much matter to me so there's a good chance my unit has that as well. I did see the x6 that just came out. Still seems larger than it needs to be. I would be very excited to see Sony come out with a new high end recorder, maybe a D100 replacement some day.
Thanks for taking it apart, great video. I have one and I love it. It is truly versatile, whatever I just needed was there in this compact device. A few changes in UI would do good to it though. That presets cannot be renamed or updated only pisses me off, but that recording mode (e.g. 32 bit float) gets lost when going into another recording app and then back is very-very dangerous. Recording settings should be retained per recording app, even those that are in general setting menus. Recently they added some timecode capability with Atomos Blue devices and bluetooth, but if you use that feature, you can no longer use the blutooth remote control via the app. I love that you can remove the top mics to reveal two jack inputs, I hardly ever use those mics anyway, but having 3.5 jack inputs is very-very much appreciated.
Thanks for being brave and taking your unit apart. Hopefully someone will make the work flow better via update, but idk. The audio quality from my unit is good, but I’m worried I’ll break the battery door and mics. Also the handling noise is pretty bad, but with the blue tooth phone app there is a work around. Over all though I really like it and I’m hoping tascam improves the unit as time goes on. Subbed.
oh yeah! forgot to mention the battery door, it's a really weak design. One little piece of plastic breaks and from then on you gotta use tape to keep it shut. I'm sure the mics would break from a direct drop and that's not great for a hand held unit. But I'm still using it and will just find a place to put it down or use a little tripod for field recording.
The UI is clunky, but the unit is built really well. The mics sound great and I use the xlrs all the time. X8 has a lot of handling noise, but a tripod & Bluetooth adapter fix that. I wish it was rechargeable, but it can be USB powered, so that’s great.
I own the Tascam X8 and I think you are making your life really hard with file names. After you make your recordings on the X8, just plug it into your laptop with USB, and then transfer the files to your laptop. Then you can name the files whatever you want. This is MUCH easier than trying to rename the files in the Tascam X8 UI. I bought the Zoom H8, which is comparable to the X8, and I could not find a way to even rename files on the Zoom H8 (possibly I didn't know how to use its UI). Further, just naming a file on the Zoom H8 is a pain in the ass. So I think you missed it on the file naming problems that you list. You've got to remember that most people using the Tascam X8 are going to transfer their audio files to their laptop and into their DAWs to fine tune the recordings. It makes total sense to FIRST transfer your audio files to your laptop, and THEN rename them. I record original songs and I have not had ANY problems renaming the X8 audio files in my laptop and you can name them virtually anything you want - there is no 8 letter limitation.
I agree. You should be slating your recordings anyway.
What I find confusing with the X8 is that the apps seem designed to make it easy for beginners to use but they are basically useless for anyone with experience. Which limits you to the manual mode. So it’s alot of real estate taken up on the UI for no real reason.
The playback and renaming features aren’t a big deal for me as you should be slating your recordings so you can recall them later. Since this is a device that has 4 XLR Combi jacks and provides phantom power and the ability to stereo link them, I think it’s reasonable that TASCAM expects a more experienced individual to be the main market for this device and therefore I can forgo the kinda crappy playback and renaming UI. I think most professionals and enthusiast have the expectation of renaming files and adding meta data in post. Especially if they are following the UCS.
I think for the money they could have beefed up the screen quality. If you shell out the $40 for the Bluetooth adapter it is nice to use your phone as an alternative to the built in display. It’s a 1 to 1 copy and does work quite well. Worth it? It depends on your needs. For field recording I say it’s a nice luxury to have.
Kinda cool that it functions as an interface. I don’t see myself utilizing that feature as I already have an interface but if you were just starting out it’s not a bad option. An interface with comparable I/O to the X8 would run the same or more and would not necessarily provide the convenience or portability that the X8 does.
The microphone capsules are decent sounding but they are cheaply made. A common complaint. Really no excuse here. The housing should be metal and not plastic for the mics. As well as the part they plug/screw into. If you don’t press them in firmly when changing for XY to AB you will damage the plastic to some degree. Not to the point of being inoperable but I wonder over a long period how it holds up.
Power through USB C is nice. Sucks you have to get a separate adapter.
Don’t buy the TASCAM Windscreen. Spend the money on the Bubblebee X8 Windkiller SE if you plan on recording outside. Look for the bundle that includes the screen for both AB and XY configurations.
It’s a fun device. A bit pricey. Well built for being made of plastic. It still feels quality in the hand. If you don’t need 1/4in jacks then I would consider the X6 instead. Unless you really need 4 inputs. I’ve said before if they had included combi jacks on the X6 I would have chosen it over the X8. Still enjoy the X8 though. I like the option to have a lot of I/O if I need to in the future. The UI works well enough and feels quite good on my phone. Maybe TASCAM will come out with some upgraded mic capsules to buy on the side later on. It would be nice to see them take a page from Zooms book in that regard. The device is a 7.5 out of 10 for the average enthusiast and maybe an 8 if it happens to fit your needs especially well.
Good video. Good to see the way this functions on a component level. Very neat.
I saw your cyberdeck build and really liked it. Sad to see you leave the space, I hope all is well
I ordered X8 and zoom f3, zoom f3 was my pick.
I also wish it had no XLR, and no prosumer recording modes. If it was as small as possible at 96khz/32bit it would be an instant buy for me. The metal shim was a surprising haha.
Zoom F2?
They are releasing a smaller version, the X6, so they listened to you :)
Wow.. I mean, the sketchy off-brand mystery chips were interesting, but you had me at the scrap metal shim 😂
This is a good device,good quality and easy to use for me..Podcast maker..
I totally agree with you, Dennis. It's very strange device with strange features. You can save presets, but you cannot name them. You can plug-in stereo line signal, but you cannot use binaural stereo mics (like Roland CS10EM) because mini-jack input does not supply plug-in power (which is present in older DR100 and DR05 recorders). It's a big monster, but if you have big fingers, you have a problem with microSD card and small touch-screen buttons. It's a "half-baked" device and was not designed by users and engineers, only by marketers/traders :(
Well, IDK about everyones issue w/ the naming restrictions -I ONLY use it as a sampling device to capture sounds that immediately get off-loaded into 1 of 4 sampling device/🎹 -which can EASILY be renamed to whatever I want on ANY One of Four (check-it -5: My DAW on computer), i.e. 'descriptive' sample. I looked at similar 'Pro' handheld recorders e.g. ZOOM-8 (which I thot was a BAD joke), and having used the Tascam Porta One for a couple decades before it FINALLY broke, not to mention the plethora of other Tascam products over the past 30+yrs in many different Studio arenas -I chose the Tascam H8 based on my decades-long recording experience, Tascam's reputation & the fact that as far as Professional hand-held digital recorders go -there REALLY wasn't any viable competition on the market in THAT price range🤔...
THAT being said however, I was interested at seeing the guts of the Tascam H8, so -Thanx for showing Me THAT! Subbed!🧐
Things like that you have to press the button to play the recording is nothing really. Try Zoom H8. In the music mode there you simply cannot play any recording except the last one recorded. There is no such possibility. Not to mention how hard it is to use the mixer and anything that you have to control through the shitty touch screen. The interface of that device is a freaking nightmare and it makes Tascam X-8 a recorder of the future.
Hello, and Tascam x8 has a problem with ultrasonic noise above 20khz, this is extremely important for sound designers like me, please tell me if they have fixed this ? Or maybe you know how to fix it ? Thanks.
Man I keep hearing so many bad things about this field recorder I'm thinking about just sending it back I literally just bought it but every video is talking about all the problems with it.
Спасибо
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Please do create a Twitter account so that I may tag you when I share your videos as I have with this one.
I would like contact X8 to Mobil phone as beter mic to Mobil, tried diffrent USB c cabel but not working, how can do it? do you have idea?
👀👍🏻
are there any 32 bit float files available to download ?
I had one and it was a bad! lots of noise, odd issues.... I sent it back.... junk