TASCAM DR-05 Reviews

using the T dr05 for years , live band and rehearsals
excellent sound and reliable
great value

You can not really go wrong with this product for the money. Operation is simple once you get the hang of it. Recordings are of very high quality and about the only negative I can think of is the microphones are fixed and can not be moved. You can always use a separate mic if you prefer. This machine is small enough to fit in a guitar case and holds a ton of music. I have all of the songs on it I am working on. Changing the speed without changing the key is a great and useful feature.

Amazing recording from a small had held device. Easy to use and easy to download. You can set levels easily & configure the device with no effort at all
The audio sensitivity is incredible
Overall a good device for the price

Used it for the first time this weekend. Three different concerts. Still learning but everywhere I placed it, it picked up beautifully.

This thing amazed me with the sound quality it captures and the versatility, I laid down a guitar track then used it overdub a drum part with minimal adjustments then followed up with a bass and vocal part very little tweaking great sound the bottom end sounded just as good as the top my kick and bass were nice and punchy the strat was crystal and my vocals were... well as good as they can be lol, I got it for recording my acoustic at various outdoor locations that I frequently play because I like how it sounds there. Something I did yesterday was I wanted to record Who'll stop the rain by CCR and I though it would be cool to have rain in the back ground so I did it on my porch and you can hear the rain on the tin clearly at the beginning and end for the middle I overdubbed the rain at a higher gain setting so it can be heard all through the song it sounds great. despite what other reviews have said this thing is not that complicated to operate, to record you press "record" to play you press "play" to change settings press "menu." during any operation press the "quick" button to access relevant options to the current screen. i.e. you just stopped recording press "quick" then you have option to delete and a few others. The manual is very clear. great tool for a great price!

This is almost twice as wide as my Zoom H1 was and I like this better. Gives a nice area for button layout and can still be used as a camera mounted mic.

Some people might find including your sales technicians name in the review is because of some sort of secret kick-back or discount thing, but it's not. You're getting a real person not some computer generated robot or someone who is thousands of miles away and not even in the store. So with that, I want to thank Abraham Sanchez (800) 222-4700 ext 1645 for all his help :)

Love it!!! I have only used it a few times, but, so far I am blown away at the quality! This is definitely a Great Purchase!

Recording pipe organs is really difficult. The enormous bass sounds are hard to capture. The dynamic range of the instrument is far beyond that of almost any other type of music. I am really pleasantly surprised at how well this little recorder does. Although I'm still playing around with it, it's pretty easy to use even though I have not (yes, this is a man thing) read the instructions thoroughly. I certainly need to find out more about WAV and MP3 settings. And, OMG, reverb settings built in! Far better and easier to use than my CD recorder.

A great little recorder. So far it"s wonderful value for the money.

Haven't had a lot of time to mess with the recorder yet, but what I've done with it a lot of fun. It's very straightforward to set up and record with. The sound quality is only limited by the room you record in. Its well worth the money.

I was totally blown away by the quality of the recording at a live show. I saw the gadgets jumping all around thinking that this recorder is broken. But when I pulled the audio off, I was floored!

The low price tag made me wonder about this recorders overall quality. Let me say Im blown away, my band Good Pholk had been recording practices with my i Phone and the results were nill, of course, the phones EQ is tailored to pick up voice, so the hi and mids were in the front with the bass being almost undetectable. Recordings were thin and sounded sub par. This was such a difference! Good clean recordings, I also use it at home to write and record with my acoustic, you could in theory record a live album or even singer-songwriter studio takes, just no overdubbing, which is not needed anyway, that's what GarageBand or your fav DAW is for. Complete with playback eq presets and a basic set of reverbs this is prob the most useful tool you can have aside from talent and hard work of course.

I bought one of these recorders about eight years ago and it is an amazing machine I use it on stage and it"s amazing the quality recording that I get. I highly recommend this for anyone

Excellent recording from this device. Love the quality of the audio and the options it offers. I've used it for live recordings and it's amazing. I highly recommend this product.

the recording quality is " super". you can't go wrong for the price.

It's very nice, it does everything that I was expecting from it. Thanks, keep up the good work!

Great recorded for the price, lots of options, easy to use, love it.

These contraptions are amazing. We use them for the local high school band and orchestra concert festival. Judges use them to make comments as the ensembles are playing. The auto gain works great. The sound quality is wonderful.

We move the files to Dropbox. The director's have their comments within just a few minutes of their groups performance. Works like a charm!

Long battery life and high quality make the value of this unit first class.

Aside from everything else mentioned in this 'comment' section, this 'little devil' is a must for the song writer. It does a nice job multitracking with the 'overdub' function. Takes a little getting used to, but, you'll get the hang of it. The sound is great. With practice, you can get close to professional quality demos.

I have had one of these for about 5 years! It works very good! I record a lot of music live! Great little device! Would absolutely recommend this item to anybody wanting a hand held portable recorder!

I have been using this is a scratch pad but recently recorded my bands rehearsals. Blew me away. Just sat it down in the middle of the room and hit record. No clipping and quality sound . This little device has found a permanent spot in my travel bag.

TASCAM really hit it out of the ballpark on this one.

Good gear. Meets my expectations.

I'm not saying dumb, I mean those of us who don't do well with complicated equipment.This recorder is the easiest I every used and has the sound of one costing so much more.I lost my instructions and I had it working in 10 mins.I play bass and at rehearsal I use it and the sound blew me away. If you need a great recorder at a great price,this is it.

Perfect for what I use it for. I record band practice sessions and gigs for my own personal practice later. The sound quality is good for what I need, and it is easy to use. I especially like that I can put it on a camera stand to get it somewhat isolated.

you can record a person Voice on one take, pause and resume recording on the same file.
this gives way multiple recordings of different takes on the same file. EXCELLENT

I really like the DR-05. The Technical support that I received was very helpful.

I've recorded lots of music and begun to record memories of my youth and growing up. These are for my children when I'm gone. I've got lots of stories ( some fiction and some truth ) which I share with children.
I'm really pleased with my recording device.

I've used it for recording my performances, sound samples for patchworking with, and actually performing with by just plugging it into a looping pedal with and aux to quarter inch. In every situation it has performed perfectly, only once did I lose a recording and it was because I attempted to record a concert without enough space on the memory card so my fault entirely. Would certainly recommend although i wish it came with a case.

Easy to set-up, easy down-loading material to your computer. Perfect for recording band rehearsals. Best $100 I've spent in a long time!

As a replacement for my older TASCAM (I broke off one of the mics), I am well pleased with the DR-05! It has an incredible battery life on alkaline batteries. Recording and setup are simple. File transfer from the DR-05 can be done in two ways, either with the included USB cable or by removing the micro card and plugging into the PC with an adapter.

First off, first time purchase from Sweetwater. Shipping was quicker than they said, and they have excellent customer service, kudos. I bought this to record my bands practice sessions and shows. We were all blown away by the sound quality. We play in a decent sized room and this thing had no clipping or distortion problems at all. You can hear everything and the level align makes everything sound nice and even. The extras on it are pretty cool too. Seriously, excellent sound quality.

Not only was the service I received superb! (Got some goodies on my package that arrived very on time) But this recorder is an amazing piece of equipment. I love to walk around with my head phones on with the recorder set to on because it is amazing how much you can hear through the microphones this Tascam Dr-05 has! It's great if you like to hear yourself while recording, like to do professional home recording, like to record verbal audio, record voice lessons and college courses, and for so many more things!

I received the DR-05 for Christmas but just used it last week. A friend of mine asked me to record his live show knowing I`m a producer. He wanted to capture what he does live so the DR-05 was the perfect choice to capture him. We recorded for an hour with no glitches. All I did was set the levels and sit back and enjoy. Once he was done, I went back to the studio, downloaded the files within seconds and imported them into my DAW. The DR-05 was a easy to operate, sounded great, and made a once complicated recording (a live session) a breeze. Highly recommended.

Tascam DR-05 is a unique small recording machine. it record great and after a few settings it can recrod in MP3. it saves time and effots.
i love this and have bought one for a present for a friend.

I am a professional voice teacher and singer, and this Tascam recorder was exactly what I was looking ofr to record students, rehearsals, and performances. I have already used it for many hours, and it records extremely well and downloads to my computer in a jiff. So many wonderful features, but the ability to record in a WAV file or mP3 is the best!

THIS TASCAM DR-05 IS UNBELIEVABLE. FIRST,IT'S SO EASY TO USE AND THE SOUND QUALITY IS GREAT.I WOULD RECOMMEND ANYONE WHO WANTS TO GET A RECORDER,TO GET THIS.I GIVE THIS TASCAM 5 STARS.

If you're looking for a basic recording device but are concerned about getting something in a low-price range, no worries! This guy will do the job really well. Check out the extra features on more expensive models and think about if you even need them. If not, this model is highly recommended.

First, I was very impressed when an hour after my online purchase, I received a call to personally verify my order. Secondly, I was very happy with the free shipping. Finally, I was very satisfied with the product itself- it works beautifully and is just what I needed. Great customer service, great product, speedy delivery and a great company. I won't be shopping for gear anywhere else. Thanks!

This thing is amazing, especially for the reasonable price. This little wonder does double duty. By day I use it to record and document meetings, and by night, we use it to record our band's rehearsals. Just set it down on its four padded feet in the center of activity and let it go. Added an 8 gig sd card and it lasts through the whole session. All of the rave reviews that this unit has received are absolutely true. Can't recommend it highly enough. Great job as usual Tascam!

Great things DO come in small packages! Easy to use, and an easy to understand manual are just the start. For the size I feel I am getting a lot of "bang for the buck" out of this unit. Very easy to go from a live recording to down loading on my computer in minutes. I have bought a DR-05 for every different venue where I record. Speakers love the fact that within minutes of completing their session I can have it posted online for them. The portability is the best! (it fits in my pocket)

At first I would have given this a bad score...that is, until I learned how to really use it. First of all, pretend it doesn't have a built-in speaker, and get a pair of headphones. (or powered monitor speakers) Preferably good ones, to truly appreciate the audio quality of this device. Spend half an hour with the manual, and have the DR5 with you as you do. It seems like a long time in this "out of the box" world, but its time well spent, as once you learn this recorder, and see how well it records, you won't regret it. Worth every penny!

great unit easy to use !!!!!!!!!!

I'm a musician who get ideas for songs all the time. Most of the time I get them at work where I have to try and hum the melody or tap it with my fingers. Since I purchased this recording tool, I've used it every day and am very glad I paid for what I got.I don't need all the bells and whistles in my recording since I can make them later with my DAW. I do need a "scratch pad" (which the DR-05 provides) and a way to obtain those melodies and rythms in my head. The Tascam DR-05 gives me everything I need and delivers an awesome sound. For all the musicians deciding on what recording unit to get, try the Tascam DR-05 for a pleasant surprise. You'll be glad you did!

It is the first handheld mic I've owned so my experience with them is very little. With that said, this mic is great. It is easy to use, menu navigation is straight forward and took no time to figure out. The audio quality meets my expectation for a linear PCM mic of its class. It can also be used as an external mic for computers, which is a feature I hadn't originally planned on using. It makes recording straight onto your computer very quick and easy. All you need is a cable to connect to your computer's imput. So far I haven't found any problems, 5 stars for the Tascam DR-05.

I just recorded a couple of live sessions with an 8 piece band then again with just my Bass player and myself. I am pretty impressed with the sound and how easy it was to download into my computer. Thanks for making a great hand held recorder.

This product is really good. Recording quality is amazing! I would recommend this to anyone looking for a decent hand held recorder. I currently use this to record our church sermons(line out on the board to line in on recorder).

Seriously. For the price you can't beat it. I'm a TD at a performing Arts Center. I bought this as a toy and have been really impressed with the quality of the recordings and design of the data storage. It's a simple drag and drop onto your computer once connected.
If your reading this, you should buy this. You won't regret it.
A+

5 Stars for this little wonder!!! Great for live recording with crystal clear results. Can also do inline recordings which obviously come out even better!! An excellent choice for a middle class user, not at all amatuerish but at a very affordable price. I only wish I had bought mine on sale.

Had a dr40 previously and there are plus and minus for each to one another. I have had the dr05 for several months now mainly recording original songs on acoustic guitar. It looks like I recorded over 500 files to this point. I mainly record a background track and then the melody/lead with the overdub. I think the reverb was slightly better on the dr40, but it is still good. The mics on the 05 seem a bit better than the dr40, but both pick up a lot of any background sounds. As I record in my apartment, I bought a used at822 stereo mic which really cuts down on those noises. With practice, it is possible to make a very decent recording using just the dr05.

This is a great recorder and easy to operate. If you ever wanted to record your practice sessions to hear what you really sound like to a audience then this is for you. Thank you Sweetwater for your great customer service and good prices.

Love it! Love the price too. Thank you!

Great portable recorder with many internal options/settings that meet all my songwriting needs.
I do recommend this unit based on quality, features and price. Easy to upload recordings to other media. I'm glad I made this choice.

Like others, I was impressed by the sound quality of the recordings, they were true to the original soundscape recorded. It picks up every sound signal and accurately reproduces it. However, it is important to know the following: The true potential of the recorder can be only be accessed by downloading the 112 page resource book available from Tascam Corp. I downloaded it and saved it to my laptop desktop. It has extensive information that will explain everything the unit can do. The instruction booklet that comes with the unit has only 18 pages of instructions in the different languages. It is basically a quick guide for the recorder. The sound card files can be dragged to your desktop and saved in files, folders or briefcases. I am impressed with this little recorder and coming from a time of analog tape from the 1960's, I am astounded by the progress that digitization has brought to the consumer. Of course die-hard audiophile's would probably still prefer analog to digital, but for everyday use and practicality, these units are quite impressive for their small size.

Easy to use, well made and great sound. Had a Zoom recorder prior to this one, and this one is much better quality and easier to use.

Really a nice piece of equipment... perfect for quick recordings of new songs, practices, etc. Has a lot of features that you wouldn't expect in a recorder this small or at this price. Nice build quality, controls feel solid and fit and finish is excellent.

As far as recording quality goes, it's hard to believe the great sound quality on playback. You will be surprised at how good it sounds. If you're a songwriter or someone looking for a quick way to record and listen to practices I would recommend this very highly. You won't be disappointed.

I didn't give it 5 stars only because I never give anything 5 stars... but it really is a great little recorder.

THIS RECORDING DEVICE WORKS GREAT FOR ME. HELPS ME BY PLAYING BACK MY GUITAR AND SINGING PRACTICES SO I CAN HEAR MY FAULTS AND CORRECT THEM.

This stereo recorder is so simple to use but loaded with extras that allows even me, a casual hobbyist, to record live events like a pro. Easy to use front controls allows quick set-up without having to pull out the manual every time. The recording quality exceeded my expectations. The only con about this is that there is not a menu item to allow download to my PC without turning the unit off then back on.

The Tascam DR-05 recorder is exactly what you need when you want to record well... just about any type of sound. It's a veritable "Swiss Army Knife" of a recorder. I have used it for notes, live recording the live worship music at church, but mostly; I use it for those moments when I get those awesome lyrics or music riffs in my head and I need to record them so I can remember how they went at a later time. Amazing how long you can record using the better quality format. Of course the mp3 format is always available if you need to record many hours of material. It's well built and really easy to name and save files for download to your computer later... or just listen to through the onboard speaker or even through headphones and earbuds. Can't imagine how many great ideas were lost because I couldn't remember the ideas for songs I had! Really a sturdy unit.

I was looking for a digital recorder that would allow me to plug in to our church sound system and record whatever we were doing in high quality MP3 in an easy to operate way, and that would allow me to download those files directly to my computer. This device does all those things, and the quality is far better than tape. Thanks.

I used it untested on the night of my usual monthly meeting of the Digital Discussion Group. I hand held it to record the question & answer session and photo comments. I was able to review the recordings later and write the proceeding of the meeting without any trouble. I will use a tripod during our next meeting though.

Great Performance - Excellent!
The DR-05 recording was fantastic - clear; crisp; and no clipping nor distortion. We tested the DR-05 with other MP3 recorders and had superb performance. The other MP3 devices clipped and picked up other external noise.
It's a great portable tool to carry.

Sweetwater takes excellent care of its customers!

Bought it to record band rehearsals. Works extremely well for this purpose.

This is a great recorder; especially for a novice in this area. The manual was readable and precise and allowed me to get going immediately. A great item!

I found the DR-05 a great little unit for a great price and is perfect for those live gigs you don't want to lose because of not having the time for set up, the DR-05 can be up and ready to go in a couple of minutes.
It is also a must for songwriters to help keep track of those bits and pieces of songs you come up with day or night that you don't want to forget, or record an arrangement that you don't want to lose before you get it down on Pro-tools.
The sound is great and with a little reading easy to use.
Great tool, Great price and a Great sound.

I bought this to record "practice" sessions.....(nothing quite as effective as hearing yourself replayed back). This Tascam works wonderfully well for this. Good stereo recording, clear sound, and none of the 'echos' or sound dropouts that I have experienced with many other hand held recorders.
The 'multi-function' buttons are relatively intuitive to use...(check the manual).
Recording time is more than sufficient (for my use).
Quick accurate 'search' for prior recorded files...which allow quick comparisons between practice sessions.
Filter options to control recorded sound...(more than I use regularly).
You can download/save recorded sessions to a PC...(for whatever subsequent use you want).

Haven't had it long enough to comment on longevity....(I'll update later if I have any issues).

This is a gift for Nov 8th birthday, however I have tested it out to be sure it is not DOA when I present it.

Background: This is the third recorder I have owned or gifted , aside from several portable analog and a home(TEAC cassette circa 1970).

First was purchased in 2008/Olympus DS50 and it was a tough hombre. I used it as a music player in my 92 Camry with an external audio amplifier and 6X9 coaxial enclosed speakers in the back seats.
Alas I have lost it somewhere, maybe in my house, I hope.

First Recorder-Olympus DS50:
What I liked about it:
1) Die cast metal enclosure.
2) External batteries with ext pwr. connector. (Put 3 volt pwr. supply in box with homemade/kit amp)
3) List of viewable directory of songs.
4) easy manipulation of songs which I could use button touch without having to view display.
5) External Power plug(3 V).

Second Recorder-Digital Recorder (Philips DVT6010)
What I like about it:
1) Records the 3 major player formats (MP3, WMA, WAV), however my Honda premium car stereo will only play MP3 & WMA.
2) Die cast metal housing.

Dislikes:
1) Internal battery only. When it goes bad, I will have to send it to Philips or take a chance of disassembling & unsoldering it myself.
2) Button placement on half top & half side makes awkward control with fingers.
3) Micro USB connector makes poor/intermittant connection.
4) Occasional lockup requires paper clip insertion to reset CPU. (Software bug?).

Third Recorder-Tascam DR-05
What I like about it:
1) Center controls can operate easily like Olympus.
2) External batteries.
3) Larger (Mini USB) connector is more durable.
4) Pre set record level before actual recording. (I have to record dead audio, then "Record" & set the level, then hit "Record" on Philips).
5) The Playback Equalizer actually works!
A word about this. It would be nice to have the TEAC factory modify the software/firmware to be able to tie this function with an added byte to each file so every music file would automatically play a desired tone emphasis.
6) The ability to name additional directories & Play music from all of them. The Philips only allows the single music directory to have named files. The others (A,B,C,D) will only play Philips created date/Time stamped files. This is especially annoying on the Philips machine.
7) A printed user manual. Olympus had this, Philips required to download a PDF user manual.
Dislikes:
1) The Plastic enclosure. I"m afraid that if it gets left in a car in summer, that will be the end of it!
2) Only presents 3 file vue list. (Olympus had more).
Conclusion:
I have not recorded with it yet, only downloaded music files so it will be usable right out of the box as a gift. Overall I like it and think it was designed with some unique features for a music lover.

Mike Healy.

Does what it's supposed to and is very intuitive. Good purchase for recording on the fly.

I have been very pleased with this recorder, the sound quality is very good when listening to recordings through headphones and great when the recordings are downloaded to a computer. I researched a few different recorders and I figured the Tascam DR-05 would work well for my recording needs. It is a very good recorder and a great price.

I had a little trouble operating the DR-05 until I called the Sweetwater tech support and got me straightened out, not the recorder. Since then I have been able to use my recorder as needed and am improving my style. Thanks Sweetwater....jr

The sound quality using the built in mics was surprisingly good. Just laid it on a Grand Piano & it was pretty good just like that. Picked up an acoustic guitar nicely too. For my purposes, I realized I needed to place the mics better so tried to use the mic input. It is a stereo input which created a problem. It cuts off the internal mics & so far, I haven't found an adapter that will take 2 -1/4" mic mono inputs in & use both left & right channels. If I can work that out, the unit will be much improved. If you're thinking 2 mics as the unit supplies, you would think the two were for some separation which isn't practical sitting on the little unit. It still sounds great & is most useful for the money - no doubt I'll rig something to use 2 external mics eventually. Good product & yes, it was advertised with a stereo input, I just didn't forsee the problem.

Easy to use, and works great for recording practice sessions.

I needed it to record my kids basketball games off the radio while we r at the games works great for that prolly was nothing they had intended someone to use it for but it's perfect

Easy to learn with great results. Intuitive controls provide access to a recording process of high fidelity.

I'm just using this for home recording. It was a bonus to discover that I could use it to play mp3 and .wav backups on gigs. The file system is a little cumbersome so I manage it via usb which works just fine. If you want to use single play for playback, you have to be aware that it starts playing immediately when you open the folder with the song files. So, as soon as you hit enter, you better be ready to play. I haven't done much with the record function, but it's easy to use and works quite well.

I found the set up easy and the reception great even in a large room with speakers sitting around the room. I use the device for recording public meetings.

This little fella has been my best friend lately! The quality is fabulous! I'm very happy with it.

I was very surprised at the amount of features along with the ease of use of them on this little unit that fits nicely in your pants pocket. Was able to start recording right out of the box with just a short reading of the instructions.

Sound is very accurate and mics are very sensitive. I have not had the chance yet to explore all the great features but so far I know I will use this unit for test recordings and also for quick and easy play-out recordings. I tested the DR-05 in my studio by using the mics and it was very accurate. also used the input with a 1/8 jack to my piano setup and it was also very accurate and sensitive. You just have to make sure your recording input volume is set properly so you don't get distortion as it is very responsive.

Great little studio helper for the bucks.

The Tascam DR-05 records very nicely once you set up the proper volume for recording. It is not automatic. I think it should have come with an electric adaptor so you don't have to use up so many batteries. It does not go long on a set of batteries. That is a disapointment that you should have known about and should have included in the package. When you plug it into the computer or speakers you get a rich full sound, very surprising and pleasing. I will keep mine because I like it!!

I really like this recorder. The feel and appearance of quality is as good as the performance of the recording. I've used it to record conversations as as well as music with great results.

I bought this recorder to use at a lecture hall where few people have skill to operate recording equipment - and it works perfectly. I set it to make MP3 files that anyone can download and use. The mics are good enough and make clear recordings. It's easy to set the levels and press the big record button. I use the line-in feature too, from a PA mixer - also with excellent results. For the price this is an nice device. You can feel Tascam's years of experience in the design.

Excellent sound capability and features for the money with an exception. Can not properly match line input levels. For our needs even the massively clipped signal seems to be correctable afterward with Audacity. Still investigating to make sure I'm not missing something but it seems designed for internal/external mic use. Will continue to use it as a replacement for an older Olympus LS10 that served well

Very good for my use. I record original songs that come to me. This is a good way to keep your mind moving and come up with something you like and then play it back and improve on it. I can also record songs with my group and practice them on my own. I took it to Hawaii and had a good time with it. Nice and small !

Recieved in order and on time. As always my sales engineer Tad, was on top of it!
The recorder works as advertised but I"m not that tec savey so still learning the functions. Playback is very clear on external speakers but just so so on the onboard speaker. Works fine for my intended use.
Thanks again Tad

has great sound and easy to use.

I found this fun to use but I got one for my sister and even
though she is good with her cell phone she had problems
with the following.
1) You need to hold the on button for 6 seconds for led to activate
2) to play back you scroll through and turn on the speaker on first
3) setting play back repeat time is also difficult because of extra
steps involved.
spend a half hour going through the menu and trying it all
and you will enjoy this recorder.
The digital recording and playing back sound is good quality, really
blows away the old tape records no one uses anymore.

much larger than I expected. I own the Yamaha which is much smaller. Make sure you use the manual to understand. When you first record the volume level is set much too low. You must change the record volume setting, not just raise the volume.

This product comes with little to no help on how to use it with a computer. It is easy to record and listen via headphones directly, but I DO NOT recommend this product if you want to interface with a computer, make MP3 files, or do anything with your recordings. The instructions are horrible, incomplete and useless. You might as well use your computer's low quality, input microphone to avoid wasting hours of time.

Sound quality is decent IF you can remember how to step through the F-d up confusing menu JUST to adjust the recording level. I have to constantly refer to the .PDF or I get distorted live recording through the microphone, because a new set of batteries reverts every setting to factory default, and factory default is useless. and there's NO WAY to adjust the line input! The PDF tells you to only record from your sources HEADPHONE JACK in order to lower the line input level. This recorder was obviously designed by someone who is NOT a musician.

Very poor instructions on the practical application to recording. My speaker stopped working. The recording is OK but not great. The built in limiter makes it easy to record live music with out distortion. I would not buy this item again and I would not recommend it to a friend.

as stated above I have to put the device close to my ear to hear it,
and my hearing is normal

the recorder is very complicated to use we need something as simple as record, rewind and play that's is complicated as it needs to be come on guys simplify

I have been using the Tascam DR-40 for 3 years and the DR-05 for three months. I love the quality of sound from the internal mics on both these machines. I rarely use external mics now. But I am so frustrated by the need to hit the record button twice: first for paused recording, and then a second to actually record. In bright light, on both recorders, its nearly impossible to see if the record indicating light is blinking, solid or lit at all. I've lost hours of material by conducting entire interviews on paused recording. Perhaps I've been spoiled by Marantz field recorders, which have a separate button for pause and record, but when I hit "record," I would like to think I'm recording.

The second huge problem is these Tascams are terribly feeble when it comes to jarring when recording: entire files are lost if the machine is bumped or tips over on a table. I haven't found a way to recover these files without write-out. Again, I hate to compare to my Marantz PMD660, because it's so much bigger that it's kind of a different category--I can't carry it the way I can carry these Tascams nearly everywhere. But these loss of files are very serious drawbacks. Sad thing is no amount of reasonable professionalism or compensation helps beyond a point. The longer I use these machines, I know the more files and potentially great interviews I'll lose.

Hardest thing to figure out. I might bee sending it back...soon

if you drop it it won't work.

Tascam DR05, pretty neat little package, but, it's not right for me. Nothing wrong with the product, it's just more complicated than I expected. Had I had access to the manual beforehand, I would have chosen an easier to use recorder. It all has to do with my age, eyesight and frustration level and no fault of Sweetwater or Tascam.