TASCAM DP-008EX 8-track Digital Portastudio Reviews

I use a DAW for my main recording method but there are times when I get a song idea and need to capture it quickly before I forget it. The DP-008EX is perfect for this. I know this has been around for many years but it still serves this purpose perfectly. As a guitar player / songwriter I may get song ideas at any time and at any place. Even if it happens when I'm close to my studio by the time I fire up the computer and set up mics and hit record the idea I had may be gone. With the Tascam DP-008EX I can just turn it on and record. It's that simple, especially with the built-in condenser mics and also the fact that it can run on batteries. The recording quality is quite good and is the same quality as CD's. You can export your ideas into your DAW later if you want to for editing. Personally I would not attempt to do a whole complete project from start to finish with this but for me that is not my purpose with it. I use it to capture ideas before they're gone and this is the perfect tool for that. It's small and portable and can easily be carried in a backpack. It has eight tracks which can be bounced down to allow even more tracks. It has built-in reverb and some essential effects. If you need a way to capture your musical ideas with a convenient portable device this will do the job.

I've bought and used far more elaborate recorders. But none of them have been as fun or as simple to operate. It's interesting to me that I've gone full circle back to a little Portastudio . Granted this thing surpasses the Tascam Porta One that I bought in 1986. And at the fraction of the cost of the Porta One it has features I would've had to pay extra money for. It's amazing what bang for the buck you get these days in small packaging. Highly recommend it !!

Good seller.

i have to say Joe M my sales engineer is an awesome guy .. between a drum set i purchased to a bass to now this purchase of a tascam 8 track , all these folks at sweet water are on the ball . Im not reviewing the tascam 8 track , i have one and already know what it does , its a great product . This one particular i purchased for my son as an xmas gift ...

But I am here to say that buying through sweet water was a great find . The same gentleman took the time to speak to my son about a drum set over the phone . Another time he texted us back and forth about details on another matter .. the customer service is out standing ..

thank you Joe and sweet water

So much nicer than the DP006. Just keep on recording right through to Track 8. No bouncing. Also like having Reverb available.
I'm still having file transfer issues. Can not get a file to save on my laptop nor new Chromebook. But I'm real slow except when it comes to playing.

Also, found a great desktop stand for it. KABCON Tablet Stand,Tablet Holder for iPad,Adjustable Portable Multi Angle. Not exact but none were.

Since I am not a highly technical computer person, I had to rule out a Digital Audio Workstation. I felt there would be too steep of a learning curve. After reading the owner's manual for the DP-008EX a few times, I was able to record a song. Over a period of time, I watched several Youtube videos and improved my skills. I find this recorder to be easy to use and the sound quality to be very good.

Needed to record a piece I wrote for a Christmas present. Knowing Tascam products from the past I thought I would give this little guy a try. It definitely exceeded my expectations and was fairly easy to use once I performed a practice session.

Way better than the 4 track I have, very happy.

I love this unit great recordings so easy and so quick to use great value for the price also love it . And thanks to Ryan he sold it to me and it plays back awesome. If your looking to do your own recording I recommend this unit it's fantastic. Thanks again Ryan your always there when needed. Joseph a chiera

Great little "sketch Pad". Intuitive. Amazing how It's about the size of a paperback book. It goes anywhere.
You'll be up and running immediately. I tested it out by recording myself on all 8 tracks including using the bounce tracks feature on some quick 3 part harmonies. I Recorded, Mixed and mastered in about 40-45 minutes by following the quick start instructions. NOTE: Get the external power supply. Batteries can go quickly when you start exploring the capabilities and begin writing and trying out parts/arranging. Time flies when your inspired and having fun.

Besides my studio equipment, I have a collection of portable recording devices from the 80s and 90s. So why did I buy the DP-008EX? The Sweetwater price! I also now have an audio "scratchpad" that I can use to work out ideas, with the option of adding the original recording tracks to my regular studio gear - very creative and time-saving! Battery power makes it truly portable, and the size makes it easy to carry along in the backpack, or just in one hand! Thanks to Tascam and Sweetwater for the best design in truly portable recording!

I purchased this model about (2) two years ago ??? which opened the flood gates for purchasing the Tascam DP-24SD from Sweetwater a few months back from the date of this review...also, purchased another brand mixer/recorder from Sweetwater which is a 16 track quality unit...combine the two and I have 40 tracks at my creative beckon-
ing...running through my a "DAW" on my desktop and laptop...

Point is the Tascam DP-008EX will allow a beginner to purchase a mixer/recorder from a major player in audio recording for such a rediculously low discounted price you cannot say no to this unit !

So easy to figure out how to use, and I believe an online manual is available, though I never needed it...yes, you are limited to recording only two tracks at once...so what, as this is the perfect intermediate unit to learn digital audio recording with...has full eight track playback and when used with a "DAW" you can manipulate the tracks as you desire...the built in mics record well, also has inputs with phantom power for other mics as well as inputs for your
instruments like my "Hofner" and "RIC" basses as well as a unique
sounding instrument as a "Theremin"... Battery life is debatable as I have never gotten past three maybe pushing four hours...good enough for mixing/recording a small band in a small venue, or take outside like I have been doing for recording sound effects like air-
craft, wildlife, traffic sounds, etc. !!!

I paid way more than the advertised price today with the bundle...
way more...however, the headphones were shipped with the Tascam unit
as well as the mic and an XLR mic cable was included...no having to
deal with any rebate...I have no clue why a rebate has to be dealt
with to get a mic ! ? ! ?...

Since moving up to the other mixer/recording units I mentioned
earlier,the Tascam DP-008EX is being used as an audio interface
for Podcasts and Live Streaming, required some patience to figure that one out !!!

Get it because it is affordable now, before the price goes up or the
product is discontinued...which I hope doesn't happen...
Get it because it is made by " Tascam" which I have well known since my "radio days" as a former broadcaster back in the 1970's - early
1980's...the great days of 7" and 10" inch reel to reels !!!

I could chat on, but I am sure you see the enthusiasim...

Lee Cook is my Sweetwater tech/info/sales consultant I personally ring up when I need something.
His extension is #3506 or e-mail him at: Lee_cook@sweetwater.com and yes there is an underscore in his e-mail name, not a hyphen...

Get creative, Enjoy, and Stay Safe !!!

This is an amazing recorder. I was skeptical about such a compact recorder, it proved my concerns to be silly superstitions. I am a drummer and I wanted a big room, big budget drum sound (what drummer doesn't want that). Yes, navigating through the menu is tricky, but so worth the effort.

I was wanting a way to chart my progress on the guitar but wasn't sure what I needed so I called and talked to Tiberius Huiu who discussed what my goal was and all of my options and he recommended this and even though I have barely scratched the surface of what it can do, almost out of the box I was recording my practice sessions and it has really been a game changer. Wish I had gotten it sooner. Thanks to Tiberius for steering me in the right direction, not only is this good for charting progress, it actually goes far beyond that, and maybe one day I'll use it to make an album. Again thanks to Sweetwater and Tiberius Huiu!!!

While I haven't explored all of the features in my new recorder, I was confident within minutes of laying down my first guitar track that my instincts were correct. I've been on the Midi-Daw roller coaster learning curve for 15 years and I'm only starting to re-discover the joys of creative playing and effortless recording. I am so happy that I took the plunge with this inexpensive super quality recorder. Much more than a sketch pad, it has become an intimate companion when writing and recording ideas. It's portable and I also take it it with me in the car to work on vocal overlays as I have time through the day. It's the best of old and new world technology and the build quality is superb. I look back and realize I have spent infinitely more time in the past learning tweaking and fussing with DAW stations than actual playing and capturing ideas. I urge you to to liberate your creative self. This recorder will not diss appoint.

Without even opening the manual, I was recording a track in mere minutes. Everything is intuitive if you have experience with multitrack recorders, and the internal mic sounded cleaner and more distinct than anything I could do with my computer interface. This thing has changed my approach to recording instantly, and the price is unbeatable. Simple an amazing piece of Tascam gear.

Wonderful customer service responded to my order without asking. Very personable and customer friendly. Ordered Tascam recorder for my guitarist husband for Christmas-Approximately 10 days before and received it in less than a week. Very happy I was quick delivery, great product and wonderful Customer Service.

This recorder is the easist 8 track recorder there is including the cassette base 4 track.
The 6 track would be the same. But I would buy the 8 track version because the 6 track does not have reverb & does not have lited screen. What were they thinking. Its a great writing tool also tracks can be exported write over to protools to keep going with the project. The built in mics are great. I have exspensive mics but choose these everytime.

This is a solid recorder and does exactly what it is supposed to do. My very first recorder in the 90's was a 4 track Tascam and getting this unit feels like an old friend. With very few digital recorders available these days, choosing the right one makes a big difference. Don't be fooled with other more expensive recorders out there that seem to offer more. They are not made as durable as a Tascam and provide a lot of unnecessary features which are complicated to use. This recorder is solid and easy to use for getting song ideas down, or for composing complete compositions. One thing to note is that Tascam discontinued the 5 volt adaptor for this recorder, but you can pick a different one up on Amazon. Not proprietary like Boss products. Happy recording!

Great machine. Very easy to use and produce a quality recording. If it's your first recorder, the manual is reasonably well written. Although, if you don't understand how to do something after reading it in the manual, there are many Youtube videos out that do a good job of explaining most of the functions. It is limited to 2 inputs but, for the price, this machine can't be beat.

this is my second portastudio,the first one I gave to my bass-player so we could work on stuff together. I moved to New Hampshire from Maryland, and he needed his own portastudio. all the stuff we recorded on my tascam 4-trk has been succesfully mixed-down to digital format, and our new songs will be recorded on DP-008ex and my tascam DR-40 as the master-files.

I'm really happy with my Tascam. Easy to use with terrific results.

Tip: Get the footswitch… The ability to punch in and out while playing is invaluable.

7.5+ hours on 4 AA Duracells running repeat playback of 8 tracks, screen on constant backlight, pushing headphones max volume.

You can bounce 1 or all 8 tracks down to 1 mono track. It's digital so it can put track 1-8 back onto track 1, or whatever track you want, or stereo bounce to two tracks.

It's got great reverb, an assortment of reverb types, mix knob per track, highly potent input compression and EQ, the converters or preamps or whatever distort very nicely when you overdrive the inputs, you actually get increasing shades of distortion and breakup, it doesn't just digitally clip out all of a sudden, sounds like the Tascam tape decks used to sound driving the inputs.

Mix down mode and mastering mode, with automatic mastering processing built in if you want (normalization). You can grab all the individual tracks via USB and load them up in the DAW.

I tested it today just to see, 8 tracks playback, backlight on the whole time, driving headphones. It ran for 7 hours straight, I had to take a break, then turned it back on a few hours later and it quit right at 7 hours and 45 minutes, on 4 AA Duracell batteries. that's 2 less batteries and more run time than a volca. super fun box, ff and rw even work like a tape machine, just a lot faster, and you can scroll by micro seconds or seconds or minutes with the wheel. It would be icing on the cake if you could monitor the scrub audio as you search. Wish it had faders but this thing is like half as tall without them, it's like holding a samsung note. BUILT IN STEREO CONDENSER MICS. this is a great buy box

Has a bit of a learning curve but i enjoy recording this way . The double track recording makes it easier to do live recording(drum machine or backing track..ECT). WORTH THE BUY EVEN BRAND NEW. The people at Sweetwater handle every thing, awesomely as all ways and got to me in no time.

I have used this recorder for a few years. It is intuitive and easy to use. The knobs are kinda small... but it is not a toy. For catching ideas and making respectable demos, it is ideal. I used the four track model first, so the added features and tracks, of this model, were just more fun. Minor track bleed, great built in equalizer and effects, it has options and features that will make you proud of your music.
Nimble and clean, you will be hard pressed to find a better option for the money.

Upgraded from DP-004 TO the DP-008EX. Many more features that are very cool. Highly recommended!

this is a great multitrack recorder the built-in Mics are superb .
This is the easiest recorder on the market.This series. easier than the cassette base recorders.

I've only been playing and owning guitar/s for 67 years, trying most everything, from wire recorders, 8 track tape recorders down to cell phones and PC's and this tool is clearly the one to help get me off the playing plateau best. Yes, jamming with friends who are better than me is the other BEST way. I started to buy the DP006 and saw that soon I would want more. We always do. So; I went with this one , Never looked back. But best of all, the people at Sweetwater can not be called SALES PEOPLE. They are, without a doubt , customer service reps. They know that if they really take care of their customers, the business will take care of itself. I started owning and playing at age 13 and played professionally for only 2 years back in the 60's, then went dorment for 50 years. Thank Heaven for new technology. Like the man said, "I'll be back".

This recorder is great! I am able to create my drum tracks in my DAW, copy here, lay down guitar/bass/keyboard tracks, and then copy back to my DAW for final polishing. Works well with all of my guitar pedals. Such clear sound. I was also surprised with the quality of the onboard microphones. Would make a great portable recorder in a live session. I would most certainly recommend this to anyone.

There are several aspects of multi track recording that will make your practice sessions meaningful. Whether you want to work on rythm, harmony, or leads it's all there. This TASCAM 8 track recorder had me recording right out of the box. After the third track I new where I needed to focus my studies. I've been playing more and for longer periods of time.

This tiny little portastudio whose name is dp-008ex is a multitracking wonder and an
amazing technological breakthrough.
Why? Because it's a Tascam. Tascam has always had a reputation for building feature filled quality portastudios. My first multitracker was a Tascam porta 07 4 track cassette portastudio which I bought in 1986, and I had so much fun with it learning the basics of tracking
and mixing instruments as well as recording demos for small bands-(I made a lot of money with that porta 07!) and so I continued buying Tascam multitrackers till this day. It is now 32 years later and I have Tascam's latest flagship machine, the dp-32. I still own the porta 07, and it works perfectly and is also my in-
spiration machine when I wanna' just lay down a quick musical idea, and watching that cassette tape turning brings back a happy feeling all over.
Tascam portastudios are well-made long lasting machines. So in 1989 I wanted 8 track capability because I got tired of bouncing tracks on the porta07 after all four tracks were used
and so I purchased a brand new Tascam 688 midistudio which did have 8 mono tracks on cassette; and at a cost of four thousand dollars. I still have the 688 midistudio and it does a good job if you can
find cassettes, but Lo and Behold! I wish back then I could have bought the dp-008ex instead. This little machine is a must have! I got one for myself and I enjoy it immensely. For two hundred bucks, I
got just about everything that the 688 midistudio could do, and more. The main reason I like the dp-008 is because it has eight MONO tracks; stereo tracks do not allow for true left to right panning or the ability to mix and process two
separate parts. Most multitrack recorder manufacturers offer four mono tracks and two stereo tracks on their brand of 8 track recorder so you really are not getting 8 tracks at all. Other usable
features of the dp-008 are two band eq, onboard digital reverb (5 to choose from) a comprehensive array of track editing functions and the ability to master your finished production with pristine sounding eq and compression. 1980s cassette portastudios could never do such things! There were no undo-redo functions either on 80s cassette multitrackers and also 1990s cassette multitrackers for that matter and so what you recorded was what you had.. But the digital age of today makes the dp-008ex possible. And no cassettes required either-
tiny affordable sd cards store all of your musical masterpieces for playback, and computer connectivity makes further processing of tracks
possible. My only complaint about the dp-008 and also the Tascam dp-03 is that there are only two 1/4 inch inputs for recording only two tracks at a time, and my recording process for tracking a song has always been four inputs; two for stereo drum machine and the other two for stereo guitar processor. I record stereo drum machine and stereo guitar processor at the same time. After that, bass guitar in mono, then stereo guitar processor for lead solo, then stereo synth (juno 106, minimoog or access virus!) and if anyone wants to sing for me,
stereo vocals. Yes I know that there are no remaining tracks for vocals, but the dp-008 also has track bouncing functions, so I'm covered. This is a fantastic little portastudio for all types of musicians. Acoustic
guitar solo song writers can record their voice ( the dp-008 even has built in stereo microphones!) along with a guitar part, and then afterwards add onto their production additional vocals or more stringed instrument parts. Hip-hop and techno producers can record their drum machine and looping device and then build on an idea. And metalheads and rockers have just the right amount of tracks for drums , electric guitar and bass parts and even some screaming vocals. And the dp-008 can also run on batteries so you can record that song hit on a park bench if you think of a musical idea. With my dp-008, an alesis sr-16 drum machine, a line 6 pocket pod for guitar, a microkorg and my trusty edirol mx10 digital mixer, I can make a fantastic studio-quality demo. Hint: Use an audio mixer that has direct outs then connect the mixer's main left and right output to the two inputs of the dp-008. Then input stereo drum machine and stereo guitar processor to mixer and assign two direct outs so that only stereo drum machine is recorded on the first two tracks. Then play your first REHEARSED! guitar part along with stereo drum machine so you can know where the drum parts are: starts breaks, fills and stops. And so then only your drum part has now been recorded in stereo and if you have rehearsed your song well enough the drum track will tell you the places to record all remaining instruments afterward. Try this method--it works! Of course your drum machine will have to have foot pedal capability so you can control
starts stops and breaks while you play guitar or keyboard and if you do not have foot pedals then perhaps have a fellow musician who knows your song control the drum machine by hand while you play
your instrument. Note: sd cards recorded on the dp-008 will play on the dp-03 but not on the dp32! And
tracks played back thru the dp-008ex do not sound compressed. The recorded sound of the dp-008ex compares very closely to the analog warmth of a cassette multitracker. Get yourself one of these, you will like it!

As an old-timer that grew up with cassette recorders, this machine is really intuitive to use. But it's SO much more than that. 20 years ago, I would have sold my left arm for this thing (still for sale, BTW). ...you just can't turn this down. Surprising features include: choice of reverb, bouncing and editing, dynamic processing, metronome, tuner, phantom power, battery power option, built-in mics, computer download capacity. Just unbelievable. Every songwriter should own one of these

I bought this unit about 7 months ago and never took it out of the box because I was too busy with other units tracking. I was going to use it to transfer Songs onto my Korg D3200. Once I started tracking with this unit I was amazed at the sound and the ease of tracking. Now I cant put it down and wonder why I took so long to take it out of the box. You cant go wrong in purchasing the Tascam DP-008EX.

And it's always perfect..
Thanks to Randy...

My son's first recording gear (14 years old!) and he loves it! His Step-Dad is a musician (35 years, guitars, vocals) he is VERY impressed with it also! I am also extremely happy with the customer service. Always get a call to follow up on order and see if we are happy with product(s). First class customer service! High praise to whomever runs the show there!

Very impressed with the recorder and sound wish it had efx in so I could a sign vocal effects ,the power supply cable keeps coming out the input it doesn't seem to click in and lock other than that very happy,

A must have for composers on the go. Well designed. Intuitive. I was multi track recording our casual jam session as we were working out a new song when that magic moment occurred and it all came together but the guys didn't know if they could duplicate what they had just done. No worries. I was able to play back each individual track and they knew what they needed to do. Success.

I would recommend getting the external power supply as it will run the batteries down in 4-5 hours of recording and playback.

Otherwise it works very well as designed with no complaints on my end.

The Sweetwater rep that I talked to was very informative and helpful in answering my questions. Sweetwater goes above and beyond to provide the best customer experience, exceeding expectations with support, ease of purchase and fast delivery to the best follow up care I have seen in a long time. Well done !

The Tascam DP-008 is a great 8 track recorder for the price. Sound quality, ease of use and portability are all good factors. It does have limitations, buy if you are looking for an on the go recorder for instant music recording, this is for you.

Tested it briefly to see how it interacts with my other devices...so far so good.

Very easy to use and great sound quality. Recommend buying the power adapter at the same time.

I like it and pizza

Wow!! So much in a little package!! Perfect for recording no complications took me about 45min to figure it out and i was putting down my tracks!! If your starting out small and looking to build up I highly recomend this recorder!! Thank you Sweetwater

After years of using a Yamaha 8-track recorder (first the analog version, then the digital version), I had gotten tired of what was involved in the recording process. Especially the fact that I couldn't conveniently take it anywhere or export my songs directly to the computer.

For several years I started taking a hand-held Tascam to the nursing home ministry I participate in to record the solo I do there each week. Even though the sound quality was good, that Tascam picked up the background sounds--there are a lot of them in a nursing home--as well as the sounds of my voice and guitar. But at least it was portable and easy to upload the results to my computer.

And then I spotted an ad for the DP-008EX at Sweetwater for an amazingly low price. I'd never heard of this unit before, but the reviews were good and I took a chance. Am I ever glad I did!

To minimize my need for batteries, I bought the power supply. When I arrive at the nursing home I create a new song with the recorder plugged into the power supply and then run it on batteries only as long as it takes to go to the podium, do and record my song, and sit down again. Then I either power off or plug it back into the power supply. Because of the quality and location of the built-in mics, I get very little background noise.

That's just one example of how and why I love this unit so much.

My only complaint is VERY minor. The documentation claims that the unit has threads to attach it to a tripod. It doesn't, and Tascam says only that this was a misprint. Oh, well...

Can't take the Samplitude Studio with me to record a passing Freight Train --
But I can take the DP-008EX to bring the Train into the Studio! This little guy
has balls! It must be made with recycled CHEVY parts..... If you add up all the
Five Star Reviews - you get my Total Rating for this Unit! It is indeed a story of
Samson & Goliath. It's a scrapper! $Great Price too!$

This is an incredibly excellent device for the money and it's portable! I've had mine for about three days now and it's perfect for my recording needs! I have not delved into the more advanced features of this nice gadget, but what I have seen and heard so far from it WOWs me!! Any singer, musician, orator etc... would truly benefit from this machine!!

Very fast service.
The Tascam DP-008 EX has to be the ultimate DAW for home and travel use. Simple old school operation for an old timer like me with no recording experience, what so ever, is the best. My 10yr old granddaughter and I have recorded 3 songs, mixed down and mastered one 3 track song, all in one short evening after opening the box. We had so much fun doing it together and to her amazement she said," Wow! It sounds like a song from the radio with three different people."
Very good sound quality straight from the on board stereo MIC system. I am anxious to use a large diaphragm condenser recording MIC after hearing how good the recording came out so far.
The line MIC / guitar switch input, phantom pwr XLR inputs, foot switch control option, battery powered, easy to use micro power house at a very affordable price along with your extended 2yr warranty seems to good to be true. Thanks for helping me out with this one and personal attention with other items I have purchased at Sweetwater. You have made my shopping experience, with the music store, very pleasant for me and my family. Great place to visit and to shop. All this is very much appreciated.
Hats off to everyone helping you out at Sweetwater. ,l' ,l' ,l' ,l' .

Let me first say that I once owned a 32 track ADAT studio with a top dollar Trident console, UA outboard gear, top dollar post-production and mastering gear as well.

The fact that this piece of small framed equipment regardless of being only 8 tracks, can accomplish recordings that come close to the same quality tracks I made in my large studio is to be seen and heard.

It almost doesn't seem possible, but it does.

Now of course it does have some limitations BUT if you want to capture song concepts, create a quick demo, record a live performance, this is perfect for that.

The fact that you can master your final mixdown internally before you transfer the data to your computer
and accomplish that with amazing results is remarkable.

The internal mics are of very good quality, the built in 4 reverbs are very nice and completely adjustable as well as the EQ section.

You don't have to be a licensed recording engineer to understand the straight forward layout. For the most part it operates like a simple old school 8 track cassette recorder. Including reading the operating guide, you can be up and running in around 45 minutes.

The internal preamps are very good and include switchable phantom power and are pretty quiet.

Really for the money invested, you can't go wrong. With Tascam build quality which has always been a top level brand, you get an extremely portable, efficient and easy to use 8 track recorder/mastering production machine.

money well spent . everything I need to make great recordings .wish I had one of these a long time ago .This TASCAM DP-008EX is a solid piece of hardware , I truly love it

Great little recorder. I can't believe how simple it is to use and how little noise I get in recordings. Years ago I had a tape based Tascam 4-track recorder and this one is easier to use as well as producing much better recordings. My first digital recorder was a Fostex four track recorder that I used about fifteen years ago, but it was much more complicated to use than this unit. Tascam hit a home run with this one!

You need one of these in your gig bag. Even if it isn't this one, get a digital stereo recorder. Game changer!

The DP-008ex is a great one to start with as it does a ton of things that you never new you needed. All the ability for input from mics and guitars is great. Two tracks at a time won't slow you down at all. The internal mics are worthy. All around a good buy for me.

A couple of things: Buy the power supply. Otherwise you suck up batteries fast. Get an external mic (internals are good, but external condenser mic or other will greatly improve your experience). Upgrade to a larger than standard SD card.

I'll review more if I find something new, but for now, great product!

I got this to easily record riffs, vocals and rough tracks for when inspiration strikes and you don't want to lose the moment and so I could easily share recordings. I underestimated this recorder though its an amazingly powerful portable recorder. It takes a little time to explore it and get used to it, but it is all fairly intuitive and has tons of features that you would expect from a much larger device. It can run for a long time on battery power alone, I ran it for 6 hours and it was still going on battery power, I got the power chord out of paranoia and havent pushed the battery power to a real test, but It seems that it would last long enough for you to do any in the field recording you might want to do. The built in microphones are of good quality and very sensitive. With the two powered inputs it allows you to use a classic condenser and SM57 Combo for an ultra powerful amp recording off the cuff. If you prefer it can be an excellent standalone recording device for at home for less complex recordings. Put a decent mixer in front of it and you can easily record a traditional band and potentially with little more effort even have a finished product that would be very presentable. For productions on a budget or someone who needs a lightweight portable solution this will do very well. The quality and features you get at this price are unbelievable. My only complaint is that it does not come with a power chord.

thirty years ago I owned a tascam 4 track port-a-studio. Have many fine memories of that deck and and the amazing quality recordings accomplished with it.I now own the dp-008ex,and in only a few days working with it I can see the amazing possabilities with this new tascam! tascam quality then,tascam quality now! great tool!!

My DP008 arrived in Australia in 5 business days - great!! Did a few tracks just to explore how the unit works - easy and intuitive. I am a bit old school and always missed the old cassette tape portastudios as they were so easy to use (I like knobs and buttons etc). The DP008 is just as easy but bought up to the digital age. I am going to show my kids how to use it. Love it and will have a lot of fun.

Having more elaborate recording gear and software at my disposal I wanted to have a product that I could record more quickly and simply without "going into the studio." This little unit was just what I had in mind. Very user friendly.... Within a very short amount of time I had recorded a six track project, mixed and mastered it, and exported it to my computer. Everything you need to record a very nice quality project is on board, including multiple varieties of reverb. Eight tracks available allows for a variety of projects. Very impressed!

The recorder arrived the day after I ordered it! That was great. The fact that I got it with a rebate made it even more worthwhile. The recorder is a top quality tool. It is easy to navigate and does not need a 100 page manual to operate. Best of all, it really sounds good. You can track a guitar on track 1, and add a bit of reverb which is in stereo. Really sounds warm and full. I would recommend this unit.

That tascam DP – 008 Ex from this point on will be referred to as "DP"
When it comes to recording devices for the last 30 years I've always use tascam. From the moment it was cassette to the time it hit the digital age.
For the man on the go that's stuck in hotel rooms for hours and does not want a lot of equipment this is the tool for you. No Miic necessary, just your guitar and a guitar chord for the "DP". Lay down two rhythm tracks a solo or vocal melody and even a harmonica if you like. Do a quick mix down and put the DP card into your computer so you do not lose your idea. How many times have you had a recorder in your hotel room and strummed one guitar and sang, yet you had three other instruments in your head that you couldn't lay down? And of course the next day you forgot everything that was floating around your head other than a guitar riff and the melody. Now with the "DP" there's no problem. Can record two tracks at once. Plug in your guitar singing away, put another rhythm guitar track down and your signature guitar riff. You've just written a song and mixed it down all in 30 minutes for your bandmates to hear The bands new song that was written in a sleazy motel. Of course, they should've included in AC adapter. At $149 it's definitely a deal. But let's face it the Chinese get paid three dollars a day and it probably cost about five dollars to make the unit. I know this for a fact. Just like guitar strings that go for $12, it only cost 75 cents to make a pack. With that said, I'm sure my review will never show up. But us Americans are not ignorant nor are we stupid to the reason why things are made overseas. Everyone needs to make a buck so forget about what I said. But for 25 cents they could've thrown in AC adapter. This is the most honest review you will ever read if it gets posted. Sweetwater is an amazing company and they don't censor their customers reviews as it's not the EX Soviet Union. It's America the First Amendment free speech. Let's face it the hamburger that you buy for six dollars cost them about 75 cents to make in America. With all of that said and being my personal opinion it's one awesome device that you cannot live without once you get your hands on it. Just like the new tuners that clip on your headstock you can't live without them now that you own one. I am on the road a lot and I used to use a digital one track recorder which helped out immensely. But I needed to hear what the solo would sound like and you can't do that by yourself unless you have a 4- track. This is by far the best on the market. The guys at Sweetwater will walk you through every step of the way with any questions you have on this product or any other, as they are highly skilled professional gear Masters.
Have I sold you on it yet, I think so. I own two of them. Keep one in my suitcase for the road and one at my estate just sitting on the coffee table.
I like to buy things in pairs. I always have and I always will.

had the original dp-008, sold it, got an h4n, but that recorder proved to have too many features i didn't use (usb interface for one) - back to simplicity and quicker results - the ability to export to .wav and certainly the mastering features are a solid improvement over the original dp-008 - very happy with this purchase

I've been recording to cassette tape. I don't do it professionally - just for fun! I had tried recording through an audio interface but couldn't get the hang of it - I blame myself and my slow computer, lol. Regardless, my tape deck has been a little wonky lately so I upgraded to a DP-008EX.

It's fantastic! Knobs and buttons feel solid enough, but I'm not gonna risk this in a case without protection. I love the onboard reverb. Recording took a bit to get used to but it's pretty simple + intuitive. I definitely recommend following the demo in the instruction booklet.

Also, battery power is so preferred! Just a few sets of rechargeables and this thing is good to go. I also bought a few cheap SD cards to keep on hand.

I've been recording all of my cassette tape masters to this for archiving. It might be a while before my Tascam Ministudio Porta 03 MKII sees the light of day again....

I highly recommend this to anyone looking to record quickly and easily.

I was graduating up from the DP-006, so I was already somewhat familiar with the user interface and features.

The manual is very good, and it starts you off with a tutorial project that gets you mixing and mastering quickly. It goes on to show you how to record tracks, mix, and master; if you follow these first few lessons you can pretty much set the manual aside after you're done.

The effects --- reverb, compression, and EQ --- are all good for what you pay for and what you get in the palm of your hand. It doesn't compete with external effects or a DAW, but it doesn't have to. It's perfect for putting together full tracks of demo-quality or better.

One of the things I really appreciated over the DP-006 is how easy it is to select input channels in the input assignment screen; it's a matter of entering the screen and using the associated REC buttons as toggles to select an input. That's a small but real improvement, and you see that sort of workflow polish all over the user interface.

It feels solid in your hand. While it's plastic, I wouldn't have any concerns throwing it in a backpack or a smaller padded pouch. Battery life is excellent. The display is backlight, which is a nice touch.

There are tradeoffs. The knobs are small --- but for eight tracks in something the size of a hardback book, they're going to be. The display's got a definite retro feel --- but this is a platform that has stood the test of time, and for the price, it's what you should expect. I'd have liked to see a dedicated stereo input so I wouldn't need to use a Y cable when recording stereo from outboard hardware --- but the back is full with the XLR inputs and the 1/4 TS jacks, so where would they go? (And while I won't use the XLR inputs, most will, and I think that's a step up from the DP-006.)

If you're looking for an eight-track recorder, look no further. This is the one to get.

Really easy to use the basic functions straight out of the box but in order to get the most out of the unit a little digging is required into the manual and sub menus.

ready to use right out of the box. put in the batteries that came with it started at step one. in 30 mins I had two guitar parts and a bass part. I haven't used the built in mics yet. but from what I have seen this far, I am sure it is going to do well.

Just got it a few days ago. Easy to use. Good sound and features. Be nice if it had a kickstand on the back, but all-in-all, near perfect.

Still learning the features of the TASCAM DP-008EX. The first recordings turned out good, following the instructions. Have not mastered all of the features but that will come. Great product and great support from Sweetwater.

This pocket studio works great for it's size and it's portability. It does a whole lot for it's size. Special effects and can add a range of things. I especially like the fact that you can mix, fade in and accent each track of either different instruments and mixed with the vocals. Well worth the money. I would highly recommend it to those who need something that is close to a professional studio on the go. Take it anywhere for when you feel that inspiration come over you and you don't want to forget it. Recording at your finger tips and so easy to use.

Just like earlier PortaStudios (my 4-track & 8-track cassette PortaStudios are still running like champs!), this new & improved digital 8-track PortaStudio has the intuitive layout of the previous multi-track recorders, with continually improving effects on-board and USB connectivity. A long way from my (still working superbly) Porta-One!

Build quality is good and solid for this price point, just don't bang it around. A decent case for this unit and a small SD card case are two accessories you will want! All in all, it's a most-worthy continuation of the Tascam multi-track line. And, as always, Ike is great to deal with and it's a pleasure to do business with the folks at Sweetwater!

.fairly easy to use. did a recording using the internal mics. and then hooked up a good external and it was much better. very satisfied.

This is one sick little multitrack.I read the quickstart a hour later.I had a six track all vocal song done.using the built in mics.a nice demo.not the best singing.but don,t blame the Dp-008ex. I let the automastering do it,s thing and a nice demo.I,m gonna dig in deeper to get all that this machine has to offer.real nice for small recording projects.plus my sales Rep James Masterson was a pleasure to deal with during and after the sale.

I am a drummer who uses and electric set, and so honestly, I havnt plugged in a guitar or used the mic, because mainly I drum to drumless tracks I get from the internet. This recorder is perfect for my needs. I used to have an old Tascam 424 and it took up about 3 times the space that this one does, and the DP 008ex does more. It took a couple days to learn how to use it well, and my recording techniques are improving all the time. I would suggest getting the power supply because it chews through batteries quickly. This is a versatile machine, cost effective, space saving. I read some negative things about how long it takes to master and download a song, and that worried me at first. I can say that this has not been a problem for me so far. I like mixing down the music and mastering it. Its just part of the fun of modern day recording. The only thing is that you wind up with a Wave File, not an MP3, so I also suggest getting a program that will convert the file like "Freemake" which is a no brainer to use. I originally bought a Korg sound on sound field recorder because the local music store was too lame to carry this inexpensive item. I wish I had bought this Tascam first, as it is superior to the SOS device ( Although it is also a good device as well, but for the money your better off with the Tascam).

The tascam DP-008EX is a step up from its predecesor, the DP-008, in that it has dynamic effects and a mastering section. I won't go into all the specs here because you can just read about them in the description of the product, but what I will focus on is how cool this little guy is! It's only the size of an old VHS cassette tape so you can take it literally anywhere and record with it. The onboard condensers are a huge plus, they sound surprisingly good. The reverb is also nice, more subtle than swamped. The drawback is when you want to move files to your computer you have to transfer the mastered track and the device takes a little time to do this. Despite this, the DP-008EX is an excellent device and I would recommend it to any singer/songwriter who wants to break free from their DAW for a little while and hit the road, yet still make powerfully good recordings.

I've had mine for 3 years now, it's a very reliable little workhorse digital 8track great for amateur home recording. I plug my amp sim straight in and get great, studio quality sounding guitar, bass, and keys out of it through my monitors. The stereo mic ins and line in could fool you into thinking it comes from a much fancier recording setup. The sound quality on it is fantastic. The built in mics on it even has decent sound quality, seems to have range like a lot of cardioid mics. Though it is more of a musicians tool at the end of the day I think even people wanting to record concerts from a sound board would do very well with this.

I've gone more with my Zoom L-8 because it's just a lot better, but it's also a lot more money! This is a very capable 2 track reconder and 8 track studio with fantom power in a sleak tiny package. Only real downside is that the tracks have to be converted to export to computer and use in a DAW. The backlit screen is really nice! Wish it came with power supply, but you can buy cheap on ebay! Highly recommend if this is what you need!

Just like any kind of technology of today you have to learn how to use it. It is definitely not as easy as popping in a tape and pressing play and record. I like it and really don't need anything more complicated.

Not being a very tech savy person, I've been using downloaded recording devices on my lap top. Very tedious to say the least. Most of my recording relies on original sound so I don't have much use for the effects. This machine, once you get to know it, is very simple to use. I like the built in mics also, great for live record to use as backing track.

The owner's manual for this device is very vague. I went to Youtube to see how to operate this little device. I'm still in the dark about a few of the procedures but it's a work in progress and I have nothing but time to learn how to use this. But it's a very valuable tool in my creative process, plus having reverb on each channel really makes the sound more full and rich.

Own one of these.for more than 5 years, and has proven to be real good and useful.
Have recorded from the integrated microphones for my classical guitar, instrument directly into the 1/4 input, and thru a Senheisser 906 mic to the amp. It works just fine... of course have learn what is the correct setting for each of the choices.
I recomnend it to anyone.

Great entry level recorder. can be carried around with you for inspirational moments.

Its taking me a little time to figure eveything out but has been great what this machine can do i am enjoying it way beyond my expectations

works well, easy to use, good sound. no compaints

This is my first experience with a multi-track recorder and mixer, but I found it very easy to use. It is really cool to be able to start making my own music. When I started playing guitar all I wanted to do was learn songs, now all I want to do is make my own songs. I record some drum tracks, lay down a bass line, come up with some cool rhythm's and mix in a little lead. I'm not a singer, but the DP-008EX has two mic inputs. After the song is done, I use the USB cable that came with it to load them to my computer and then record them on to a CD and give them out to my friends and family. It is great to see their reaction while listening to the songs, and all of them ask the same question. " Is that really you ?" Very cool machine and got it for a great price. Really happy that I got it.

Awesome recorder for my personal songwriting use and also awesome to use in rehearsals with the guys. Took a little bit to learn the ins and outs (my last recorder had cassette tapes!) but the manual was clear and the line is popular enough that there are tutorials online. Awesome!

How many times can I saw Awesome!?

Aaron was Awesome too, steering me into this unit as opposed to some other things I'd looked at. Sweetwater rocks! (I bet you thought I was going to say Awesome! again)

Compact, nice looking unit! Takes a while to get started, but the manual is pretty straightforward. If it sounds confusing at first, I back up a step or two and try it again. This is really one little FUN unit! I plan to record demo's of myself and see if I can't get my solo career back on track. I'm glad I took the chance and picked Sweetwater! THANKS GUYS!!!

I am amazed at the potential of this litle unit and the quality it's capable of, but the learning curve to get to the real interesting features and parameters is still a ways out for me. I like the build quality and the size. Hope to have a demo collection complete by May. I may revise my score at that time. Tascam Rocks!

I am not a "gearhead" so it took me a while to get started. Once I read all the instructions and with some trial and error I was able to get some results. But I must say its all great. I just use it to do some amateur recordings with karaoke music and then transfer it to my computer. As I said once you learn all the functions its great. All quality device !

Such a powerful recorder the size of a VHS tape. Can't get much more portable than that without sacrificing a ton of control. It runs on batteries but unless you are friends with the Energizer Bunny, you should get the power cord. This thing eats up batteries fast. I got 2 hours out of my first set of Energizers, so I switched to rechargables...which lasted nearly 30 minutes. But the convenience of setting it on a coffee table and catching the jam live, on some seriously phenomenal condenser mics, is sometimes worth using 12 batteries in a single evening. You will need the power cord for the mixdown though, that would just be silly to waste batteries there. All in all, a very powerful machine that will make quality recordings, but buy the power cord.....and some stock in Duracell.

This is a great home recorder. It is easy to use and provides many features you would not expect at this price. With some time spent learning how to best use this recorder - you can have high quality results!
Customer service from Sweetwater has been outstanding!

What's up with this amazing digital M.T.R. (Multi-track Recorder)? Well, this digital machine will give you a thrill at home or wherever you go with absolute professional studio mastering results so long as you get the PS-P520E Power AC adapter (optional) marketed as if it were made by Mattel and batteries somehow grew on trees! When I first received this unit, my "Sales Engineer" neglected to tell me the DP-008EX would KILL fresh AA batteries (code dated good to the year 2029), in about the time I consumed a cup of coffee. Brand new Duracells dead and dark because these batteries are really designed for memory, that is applicable to volatile/involatile memory to incorporate proper shutdown and or power down without loss of data. In addition, should you accidentally trip or unplug PS-520E from the AC wall outlet, without battery backup your music will die, and loss of data. Approximately 30 minutes of useable running time before death occurs. I tried again since I had NO power supply, to see if maybe this was a defect, or just fundamentally flawed. Results were the same DEAD in 32 minutes. So after measuring the voltage on the batteries; 0.9 to 1.1volt per cell after death, (these fresh batteries measured 1.6 volts per cell x4) before use.
I came to this conclusion. Please remember, batteries are misleading users in thinking they are going to capture their music in a remote climate without the need of A.C. Not for long. Sweetwater was contacted and Power Adaptor was sent to me at No Charge. Horrible conception that you will either need to own a battery company, or consider other options.Please be advised: Tascam DP-008EX should never be sold without PS-520E power supply. I test recorded a 9 foot freshly tuned model D Steinway 9 foot grand piano, one of the most difficult instruments in the analog world to record. No measurable wow & flutter in two separate blind tests. Then I put a state of the art Digital stage grand in the equation and less than 5% could tell the difference.
That said, if you can play, the results are stunningly good, like you went to the record plant or something! What you hear is what you get. Well, yes I am an engineer, and I am still in the process of fully evaluating this trenchcoat pocket recorder, sorry it would not fit in my shirt pocket.

Will attempt to contact Teac/Tascam division and ask if there might be a work around. One more thing, as a exp. player/engineer, it was insulting to receive candy and stickers promoting Sweetwater. How overwhelmingly patronizing. Please just get me the stuff, i really don't want your sweet candy. Everybody makes mistakes, especially me. I will order from Sweetwater again, as they are good people. Thank you for reading this abbr. review, I hope it was helpful.
Cheers.

I own an older desktop Tascam multi-tracker, so this unit seemed very familiar to me when doing the set ups, menus, track transfers and other assorted tasks required to multi-track on this recorder. I just needed something a little more portable to take to on the road. The unit works pretty well, but seems a little flimsy to me. I wouldn't get too rough with it. A metal casing instead of a plastic one would have helped in this area I think. Also, the numerous dials seem a little dainty. I have it in a small padded case for transport and storage. The sound is okay. About what I expected for the money spent. Not great, not bad. The built in mics work fine, but I wouldn't use them for anything but "jotting down" song ideas and riffs during the writing process or a quick and dirty recording of some live impromptu jam sessions without access to a mixer. For real multi-tracking, use some decent mics and/or a preamp and plug them into the XLR inputs (Thanks for those TASCAM! They redeem the entire unit) if you want a passable recording. I wasn't too keen with the on-board reverb. Sounded pretty thin. But if you are hard up for cash and want to make a decent demo, you'd be hard pressed to beat this unit, considering the low cost.

needs better gain control cannot get it low enough with tube preamp, cannot mark within the track only a-b in out, cannot retrack on the fly must create new song then go to it not good for spontaneous song writing, the sound quality is just ok not good. like i said needs work unfortunately I was away longer than expected and it is now to late to return it and I'm stuck with it otherwise I'd take it back

I use this recorder on occasion. It took some reading of the instructions to understand how to operate this recorder. Even then I don't come close to utilizing all of its features. Why is it so hard for a company to just make digital devices simple and intuitive? Why has the understanding of digital technology become so difficult for anyone that isn't a computer Geek? And why is it that the cassette recorders of the past and even of today can do as well as this device both in recording and playback? Indeed this digital recorder can do many things (if you can figure out how to do them from the instructions). As far as actual recording goes, the only thing that this recorder has over a cassette recorder is that the tape hiss has been eliminated. If you are a Geek this recorder will probably serve you well, but if you are someone looking for Old School simplicity of style, this recorder will probably frustrate you, as it has me. This recorder is weak in the equalization department. The old cassette recorders and the new ones have a superior ability to equalize the incoming sound, than this digital one. The built in microphones in this digital machine are clear enough but the equalization of the recording is that, sounds further away are more blotted out by anything up close. I have compared this machine to a cassette recorder where both are set close to a PA speaker and the old cassette recorder still manages to pick up the other instruments in the band while the digital one is pretty much only what is coming out of the PA speaker.

I had it purchased from when it came out used it to make sure it at least worked at all, then put it up. When I took it out (was stored in a safe climate control location in the house) to finally record it was working for a few hours then it had problems with it blinking and would not come on completely and I was passed by the time for warranty. Don't buy unless you love to gamble with low volume recording and poor construction of the power connection

Interface is hard to go through, even with months of use. Audio quality is sub-par. Records very, very quiet. Not worth the money, at all. The only use I can find for this p.o.s. Is in live situations, hooked up to a mixer, and turned down.

For rank beginners like me, the manual and device itself were incredibly hard to figure out and we ended up having to return it. I'm sure for pros it would be easier but if you are totally inexperienced like me, passing it up would be my advice!

JUNK.... Just recorded a 3 hour session and it just DISAPPEARED... this thing is like trying to learn a new language. AWFUL AND HORRIBLY COMPLICATED TO USE. Designed by an alien. Never ONCE got this to record a single second of audio AND I BUILD COMPUTERS FOR A LIVING.