To say that the TASCAM DR-1 is intimidating would be a bit of an overstatement. But my immediate thought, upon opening the box, was why do I need so many functions for a simple portable recorder? If I’m going to be recording a lecture or meeting, I would rather have three simple buttons; Play, Stop, and Record. What else could I possibly need? Well, upon readying the easy-to-understand operator’s manual I found out just how versatile this little guy is.
The TASCAM DR-1 has stereo condenser microphones built-in, two additional mic inputs, and a line input. This means that you can use your favorite microphones, a CD or MP3 player, or even an instrument as inputs for the DR-1. The line input is 1/8″, and the two mic inputs are split between another 1/8″ and a 1/4″ input. Even without additional inputs, the stereo condenser mics are adjustable and sound pretty good by themselves.
I never expected so many features in one little package! One of the cool features is that the DR-1 will allow you to record a track, and then continue to overdub whatever you want until the desired layer of sound is reached. This could be adding your own notes to a lecture previously recorded, singing to a karaoke track flown in from your CD player, layering field recordings for sound effects, or composing a song with your guitar from start to finish! Your only limit to the amount of material you can layer is the size of your SD card. The DR-1 also has built-in effects such as a limiter, a low-pass filter, and an auto gain control. Once the recording is just right, hook the USB cable to your computer and save the files to use how you please. Files can be formatted to MP3 or WAV, for easy transfer into your DAW.
Navigating the controls and menus of the DR-1 is a lot easier than I expected. All of the buttons are labeled clearly and perform simple functions within the menu. The scroll wheel adds simplicity to navigating the menu, and is fun to fiddle with between recordings.
Overall the TASCAM DR-1 sounds great for many applications. It’s easy to use and the menu is very easy to learn and get used to. I can see this coming in handy in many applications, and it’s fun too! I would absolutely encourage anyone who is into recording, to try one of these out for any recording outside of the studio. It can be ready when and where you are.
