Excellent Recorder

I read many reviews on this and other recorders, and was a little worried about reports of noise or helicopter noises when using the line inputs. The only time I experienced anything like that was recording a line in when it was set to mic and I was using USB power. If I changed the togle from mic to line, or switched to battery power, no noise. I have recorded every practice and a couple live shows, and this is perfect. 3 feet away from the drum set and the bass, guitar, and vocals are all there. Same thing being half way across a bar. Slowing down recordings is excellent for learning new challenging parts, or for figuring out parts. Being able to record 2 lines in at the same time as the built in mics is great for live shows. I am really impressed with this, and am glad I took a chance and bought it over the others on the market. 5 stars all the way!

Easy to use....professional quality!

Very convenient and easy to use ... When put with external mics, sounds like studio recording.

Excellent recorder

Purchased this as an upgrade to my M Audio Microtrak II. I've been recording jazz, rock and solo piano live for many years. Bottom line is the sound is outstanding with the internal mics which move from both AB to XY patterns. The noise floor is very low, the soundstage is wide and deep and the audio has excellent detail with an apparent very flat and wide frequency response. I plan to test the mics inputs with my trusty Shure SM81s. Even without this test, this recorder does a great job. The battery life is rated at 15 hours and the recorder uses 3 standard AA batteries. This means that you are not limited by the life of an internal non changeable rechargeable battery. The sound and ergonomics have advanced from the excellent design of the MicroTrak II. Highly recommended.

Huge Value for the Money

The only feature I'd like to see on this recorder that's not there is a higher sample rate. Other than that, it's all here. TASCAM's menu system is easy to understand so setting it up is easy. The AB and XY positions for the internal mikes allow you to get the degree of ambient sound you want or the focused sound you need. The safety track recoding option can be a real lifesaver! I prefer to add special effects after the recording is done, but you have options for that too. A real plus for are the combination inputs for external mics: the same jack will accept either an XLR input or a balanced ¼ inch input. No more 3.5 mm mini-jack inputs!

Best recorder for the money!

I'm really glad these little portable recorders have become popular, they are so useful! I've used a lot of these things in doing production and post sound for TV and film, and so far this is my favorite. $200 is a great price when you look at the features it comes with. The 4 track recording is awesome, but my favorite is the dual recording mode that gives you a second stereo recording at a lower level. Nobody is perfect and peaks will happen, but that saves the day! The on-board mics are amazing, but like all of these recorders they are EXTREMELY sensitive to wind. I mean even the tiniest air movement. Which is too bad since windscreens for these are way overpriced. But you can work around it easily enough. Would give it 5 stars if it had a wheel for level adjustment instead of buttons, but that's not a major thing for me.

Excellent

Very easy to operate
Lock XLR connections are perfect

Nice, portable piece of equipment

Fairly user friendly, does everything it say it will do. compact and portable. It is also nice it uses common batteries and not some crazy hard to find you.

Great Functionality

Received my DR40 this am - and within a few minutes had it up and recording. Controls nicely laid out - overall a very intuitive interface. Only had to look at the manual to figure out how to turn it on. ;')

Have not used it with external mics yet - and have only played it back through my Jawbone Jambox - but over sound is very good.

Mostly I plan to use it for recording song ideas, melodies, riffs, lyrics, etc. So for that purpose I am very pleased with its functionality & performance. Not having to fire up the studio to capture some ideas is a very convenient.

Over all a nice portable recorder for the money.

outstanding field recorder for the price

Bought this as a back-up to bigger field recording gear but it's fast becoming my main machine. Sounds great with condenser mics, but not so with dynamics. Easy to use. Downside: no easy way to hold it: got to have it in the left hand, fishpole or hand-held mic in the right. A bit awkward. Wish they'd thought to have a way to have a shoulder strap.

great portable recorder

Easy to use, adequate controls & the built-in mics are surprisingly good. This will primarily be used for recording guitar in remote locations, getting samples of ambient sounds & also for an oral history project