Tascam DP-02 8-Track Hard Disk Recorder with CDRW

zZounds' Take on Tascam DP-02

Composing and recording use two completely different parts of your brain. When you've been struck with inspiration, you don't want complicated machinery stifling your creative flow, but you also don't want a unit that's so simple it limits your creative expression. The Tascam DP02 8-Track Hard Disk Recorder strikes the perfect balance between ease of use and powerful design. And with the integrated CD burner, sharing your vision is just that much easier. It's like a conduit through which your greatest ideas can enter the world.

Intuitive Layout

If the term "multitrack recorder" makes you nervous, fear not: the DP02's layout was designed around a streamlined recording workflow, and it makes laying down multi-part instrumentation a snap. Plug a microphone into one of the recorder's two XLR inputs or a guitar into the dedicated instrument jack, "arm" the first two tracks, and hit record. When you've captured your basic idea, keep the mics plugged in, select two different tracks, and hit record again. . . you're overdubbing! Repeat this process to layer embellishments, harmonies, and counter-melodies until you've got a pop-orchestral number that'll make Brian Wilson green with envy. A built-in metronome helps keep all those parts in synch with one another, and the clear LCD and footswitch punch-in option make it easy to clean up flubbed takes. The overdub process is made so effortless by the Tascam DP02, it's like having your own studio assistant.

Powerfully Flexible

Intuitive layout is only the beginning. With eight separate tracks, you've got plenty of space for even complex arrangements, and keeping each element separate gives you more arranging flexibility after you're done recording. Say you've just added a violin part that you think might conflict with the accordion lick you recorded three takes ago, but you're not sure which one you want to keep. Simply ride the respective tracks' faders to pull them in and out of the mix and listen to which one sounds best. Do you think that vocal track could use a little reverb to really sparkle? Don't just imagine it, use the DP02's built-in effects section and give it a listen. There's even flanger, overdrive and a bunch more effects to add a little spank to your guitar and bass parts. Dedicated EQ and left-right panning controls on every track helps you hear exactly what works and what doesn't in your stereo mix.

From Start to Finish

This flexibility makes the Tascam DP02 a great sketch pad and indispensable pre-production tool, but you can also use it to take your project from idea to finished product. Simply bounce down your song to the Tascam's 40GB internal hard disk, then burn to audio CD with the integrated CDRW burner. Now you've got a physical recording you can take with you anywhere and share with anyone. Alternately, connect your DP02 to a computer via USB and drop your project into any multitrack recording program for the ultimate in mixing and mastering flexibility.

Great ideas that aren't acted upon remain just that: ideas. Let the Tascam DP02 help you get those ideas out of your head and into the world! Whether or not you've used a multitrack recorder before, the DP02 makes expressing, developing, and sharing your unique creativity a whole lot easier. You won't have to keep those unrealized musical masterpieces to yourself any longer.

Manufacturer's Description for Tascam DP02 8-Track Hard Disk Recorder with CDRW

Tacam's DP-02 makes recording simple by matching 8-track CD-quality recording with a Portastudio interface--so you can ditch the menus and concentrate on the music. A pair of record-quality Tascam mic pres feature XLR inputs with phantom power for condenser mics and a guitar in for direct recording. Each channel gives you dedicated controls for instant access to fader level, record arm/track mute, pan, effect send, high and low EQ. There's also an EQ frequency button for finer control over the mix.

Dual Effects Processors

Two effects processors are included in the DP-02. A multieffects processor on the input provides great-sounding overdrive, flange, delay and more for your guitar, vocal, drum and bass tracks. In addition, there's a reverb processor on a send and return for adding hall, room, plate or chamber reverb to your mix. The DP-02 is loaded with great Tascam extras like a chromatic tuner, metronome, and bar-and-beat display for getting around your song.

40GB Hard Drive

The DP-02 records two channels at a time to a built-in 40GB hard drive. When you're satisfied with your production, arm the dedicated master track for your stereo mixdown. You can transfer your tracks and mixes or backup your song to a computer through a speedy USB 2.0 connection or burn it to a CD with the slot-loading drive. No other workstation makes recording so simple, affordable and fun as the Tascam DP-02.

Features:

- Two XLR mic/line inputs with phantom power for condenser microphones
- Eight-track recording at uncompressed 44.1k/16-bit audio quality
- Portastudio-based interface with volume fader, pan, effect send, high and low EQ controls per channel
- EQ frequency button to access high and low EQ shelf frequencies
- USB 2.0 interface for transferring tracks, mixes and backup files to a computer
- Dedicated stereo master track for mixdown
- Internal metronome and bar/beat display for song position
- Headphone output
- Stereo line outputs on RCA analog and S/PDIF optical digital connectors
- 40GB internal hard drive
- Multieffects processor with guitar, bass, vocal and drum programs
- Stereo reverb processor with send/return controls for multichannel mixing
- Built-in chromatic tuner
- Built-in CD-RW burner for CD mastering and song backup zZounds is an authorized dealer of Tascam products.