Tascam US144 USB 2.0 Audio/MIDI Interface

Included with all TASCAM interfaces is a copy of Steinberg's Cubase LE recording software.

Overall User Ratings

Overall:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
Features:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
Quality:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
Value:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
I Want It:
* * * * * * * . . . 7 out of 10
Sound:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
Ease of Use:
* * * * * * * . . . 7 out of 10
Support:
* * * * . . . . . . 4 out of 10

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"Good machine for the money."

Overall:
* * * * * * * . . . 7 out of 10
Features:
* * * * * * * . . . 7 out of 10
Quality:
* * * * * * * . . . 7 out of 10
Value:
* * * * * * * . . . 7 out of 10
I Want It:
* * * . . . . . . . 3 out of 10
Sound:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Ease of Use:
* * * * * * . . . . 6 out of 10
 
 
 
Feature:
Size is good and convenient. Everything does what it should. Only complaint is the large rubber dials, which are a bit touchy. Hard to change the volume/mix/etc "just a little bit."

Quality:
Sturdy. Not likely to break anytime soon.

Value:
I got it for about $170. Considering most comparable products I've seen are in the same price range, I suppose it was a good deal.

Desirability:
The color scheme goes with my desk and monitor. That's about it. Granted, I'm not one who generally buys interface hardware based on its "sex appeal."

Sound:
Always get the sound I want out of it. No detectable line noise on anything I've recorded so far. Gives me a good clean base sound to work with.

Ease of Use:
Fairly straightforward, simple enough setup to use. The Giga software, however, I had to uninstall as soon as I put it on. I compose alot of industrial/electronic music using Acid 6, and the Giga conflicted with it. Any time I turned on either program my computer (PC, WinXP) would crash and I'd have to reboot.

Support:
Haven't needed any yet.

Overall:
I'll probably be purchasing a new piece with 8 or more inputs in the near future, but only because my needs have changed. I'll likely be keeping this around for personal and supplementary use for some time.

3 of 4 people (75%) found this review helpful. Did you?

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"TASCAM US-144. Does EXACTLY what it say's it can do... and more!"

Overall:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Features:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Quality:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Value:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
I Want It:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Sound:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Ease of Use:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Support:
* * * * * . . . . . 5 out of 10
 
 
 
Feature:
The accessories included: a USB cable, Cubase LE 3.0, GigaStudio LE 3.0 and the drivers (also Various PDF files giving instructions for the software). Also a very brief 'instruction booklet'.

Quality:
Very sturdy and well assembled. I don't particularly like the 'rubber' dials, but evrything works - atleast it does what it claims to be able to do!

Value:
Compared to a couple of other units I had a look at, at around the same price level, this is excellent value for money (It cost me approx US$180. It actually has more than I really need.

Desirability:
The colors go with my laptop! Compared to a lot of others, the design is top notch!

Sound:
The US-144 has no "sound" - it's an Audio/MIDI interface (external/portable soundcard if you like). It's very 'transparent' and does exactly what I expected it to do. (I feel the headphone volume is a little under-powered - I use AKG K141's)

Ease of Use:
To install/use: Very easy, use the CD installer and follow the instructions. (I use mine with a Laptop PC. OS:WinXP) It wasn't my intention, but I've ended up using the Cubase and GigaStudio software that came with the 'package'.

Support:
I've put a '5' - (half-way-house).. as yet I've not had the need to call or contact them, so I can't really express an opinion.

Overall:
I will probably need to update my laptop way before I need to update this. There are many reviews/criticisms about USB, telling ppl to go 'firwire'... I really do get "zero latency" (actually it's about 0.2ms) to my ears so it does exactly what I want/need, and that's what counts!

5 of 7 people (71.43%) found this review helpful. Did you?

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"Unmet Expectations"

Overall:
* * * * * * . . . . 6 out of 10
Features:
* * * * * * * . . . 7 out of 10
Quality:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
Value:
* * * * * * . . . . 6 out of 10
I Want It:
* * * * * * * . . . 7 out of 10
Sound:
* * * * * * * . . . 7 out of 10
Ease of Use:
* * * * * * . . . . 6 out of 10
Support:
* . . . . . . . . . 1 out of 10
 
 
 
Feature:
Usual features. Separate headphone volume, but could never get it high enough.

Quality:
Seems sturdy enough

Value:
It's an unknown commodity for the most part. I bought it and returned it. Don't want to be a paying beta tester. I think they've got a ways to go to perfect this one.

Desirability:
I thought it looked cool online, and it does, but it was much bigger than I imagined it.

Sound:
Weird clicks on one of the inputs.

Ease of Use:
Tough to get the drivers working.

Support:
Next to zero support from Tascam or Teac. You're on your own.

Overall:
Like I said, I returned this item. I had a bad feeling about it after a few weeks, and decided to look further. A pity, cause I waited excitedly for this product to hit the street. Too bad.

4 of 8 people (50%) found this review helpful. Did you?

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"Not bad if you can deal with sound quality quirks"

Overall:
* * * * * . . . . . 5 out of 10
Features:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
Quality:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
Value:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
I Want It:
* * * * * * * . . . 7 out of 10
Sound:
* * * * * . . . . . 5 out of 10
Ease of Use:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
Support:
* * * * * . . . . . 5 out of 10
 
 
 
Feature:
It had all the features I needed, aside from the ability to properly record with a High-Z input. I liked the fact that all controls could be done with the hardware. Didn't have to do anything in a software control panel.

Quality:
The hardware itself seemed pretty high quality, aside from the knobs, which seemed a little cheap. But they didn't seem like they'd break really.

Value:
Cheaper than most other products

Desirability:
It's a pretty attractive, rugged design

Sound:
Produced some clicking noises when using the right line-in with the guitar setting. You can switch it back to mic/line and it will record guitar without clicking, but it doesn't sound as good (because you're not using the High-Z input). The headphone output is a little too low. Also, it seemed like everytime you launched a new application that used sound, it would click for a few seconds before being ready.

Ease of Use:
Easy to use

Support:
Never had to deal with support. But I returned the product.

Overall:
Too many problems with sound quality to keep this product. I returned it.

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