TASCAM DP-03SD 8-track Digital Portastudio Reviews

First impressions out of the box, the unit is well built and elegant looking with well set out controls, and a nice data wheel. Knobs and sliders are solid too.

I used to have a Korg D16XD, and that was an absolutely amazing device. The Tascam does most of the same things. It has a great track edit facility, with very easy to use auto-punch and locate features. I would have liked a scrub function though, that's my only complaint.

The unit records at 16 BIT but sonically captures the sound at studio quality clarity. No complaints there.

The PAN controls really add good seperation of instruments, even more so than some DAWs I've used. The reverb is the only effect (besides EQ) - and sometimes find myself just wishing they'd included more in the area of internal FX like delays and chorus, etc. But when you playback a mix, the clarity is there and the quality, even at 16-bit 44.1 khz is - in my opinion, fine.

The workflow is good with and it's tape recorder feel. Menus are easy to follow. Track edit facilities are good too - with an array of tools like cut, copy, paste, insert silence and normalize.

I've plugged mine into a PreSonus mixer, and I have the choice of using the Tascam for a submix and adding more in a DAW just by playing back the output of the Tascam, via the Presonus mixer, into my DAW software.

Having the import/export of WAV's is a game changer. You can send stems of your work to a computer which is good. And tranfer times are at lightening speed.

No regrets in purchasing the unit, doesn't take up much room, looks good and sounds good too. I've been generous giving it 5, only because I hoped it would have more in the way of FX and scrub. Maybe even a wave editing screen, but for £200 it is an excellent unit, and deserves 5 stars just through its quality of sound.



, and I didn't even read the manual.

If you are a songwriter or as in my case think you are a songwriter the Tascam 8 track is a cool tool to have. I am not a computer guy and I am still in the process of getting my home studio and DAW up and running. The technology available today is incredible but the Tascam has allowed me to kind of pick up where I left off back when you put cassette tapes in a Tascam recorder and used a sync box! The Tascam Digital is light years technically ahead of the old Tascam but is remarkably just as easy to use. The built in microphones are amazing and are really a saving grace when all you have on hand is an acoustic when an idea pops into your head. The on-board effects (reverb and compression) are really cool and work better than I expected. The metronome is also neat but its time to go total retro and get an Alesis Drum machine. When I get my home studio and DAW finished it is nice knowing I can use the Tascam in conjunction with it. The Tascam is really a blast from the past with upgraded everything. I freakin love it!

A long time ago in a galaxy.

Oh sorry wrong story. I had a Tascam MKII many years ago...
Maybe you.had one too. Fast forward

To last year. I had a laptop.( it was old)
And I had been reading about DAWs, and recording using a computer platform. Ok I'll shorten this ..I couldn't afford a Apple or other laptop with the required Processer, enough memory ( Teribites?)..a solid state hard drive ??. I loaded a subscription that I had bought earlier of Pro tools. I had ILOk loaded, I had my Eleven Rack with all the drivers required and pro tools...I never got to use it...my skills with Computers is minimal. My laptop kept crashing,I Uninstalled it all then tried again..thus was whole I still had to go to work, support my fsmily..anyway to be honest. I got so tired of NEVER being able to play
This recorder has eliminated all that.. I understand I should have been far more through about understanding DAWs and plug ins and all the items required to operate one, but I'm so happy with this recording device, I can still use my Eleven rack with it. I can run my keyboards through it, ( in stereo).xlr microphones and a drum machine. I won't try and Blame my computer, the DAW, the drivers...etc.This solved all that, it's so wonderful to be able to get back into writing songs again, abd nor be overwhelmed with my limited abilities to use Computers and DAWWs....and it was way way more affordable, plus I get the benefits of having a digital recording on a SD card.that can be compressed, emailed to other collaborative musicians.. Wow...So great to be able to record again!!

Very happy with this unit, great choice for reentry into multi tracking and mastering.
Excellent for home studio and Folk Rock Trio. Unit is extremely versatile.
EZ on time delivery as always. Also, Sweetwater "Guideline" columns found
very valuable.

I did a quick, 6-track sketch of a song using only the built-in mikes, just to see if I could. I didn't time it, but I'd say it was less than twenty minutes, start to finish.

I can also use my favorite mikes and do very high quality demos once a song is finished.

For the cost of a few hours of studio time, you can have your own demo studio!

Just begun but,great so far. For 40 bucks more youll have this over the 08ex with power wire and foot switch. Does not use batteries. Line out in back can go thru stereo.

So, years ago I bought the Tascam 2488MKII 24-TRACK to record a band I was in. It worked great however I never really used the burner because I would transfer it to my computer and work it over from there. Now it's just to big and bulky for my use. So I ended up buying a Tascam DP-03SD 8-track Digital Portastudio. I use it so much that I bought one for my church. What I really like about this little unit is the SD card. Because I have one at my house and my keyboardist has one as well, We do a part of worship before the service where our keyboardist leads worship it is a time to give back to God in song and praise. So I can record him first, then take it home and add my parts and then pass it back to him to put some finishing touches on it. So I think you can tell the I recommend this little 8-track.

Just like the "old school" cassette Portastudios from, like... geez, 30-35 years ago. Remember those? This is today's version, loaded with way better functionality, USB port, SD Card storage, and twin onboard condenser mics. Input jacks, XLR jacks, line in/line out, etc... Everything you need!

I have Reaper as a DAW on my laptop, but I just prefer to manually/visually do things, versus with a computer mouse and needing serious computer processing power and RAM.

These modern Portastudios are incredible and so slim and sleek. The DP-03SD is roughly the size of an 8½ x 11 piece of paper.

Great recorder for the singer, song writer. Has a bit of a learning curve but worth your time.

Awesome recorder! Very easy to use with features that can't be beat for the price!

I was having trouble getting an interface to work with my ancient computer, so I opted for this stand-alone unit. My buddy and I used to exchange cassettes from our 4-track Tascam recorders, so I have a soft spot for Tascam, and my research led me to the DP03. I've been able to create some stellar recordings. I haven't done much with EQ, compression, etc., but I've been writing a lot of tunes, and just picked up a new mic from Sweetwater, so we'll see. Anyway, I find the DP03 easy to use. I'm not crazy about the process for exporting to the computer, but it's a minor thing, and I'm very happy with this little studio.

Amazing unit. Light, accurate, powerful all in a quality unit. You can feel the quality the minute you use a slider or pod.

I bought the Tascam 144 Portastudio when it came out. Since then, I've gone through just about every DAW I could get my hands on and while they definitely have their place in my workflow, you just can't beat the simple and straightforward operation of a hardware multitrack recorder when it comes to getting ideas down quickly. I have a feeling that this will probably be the most utilized piece of equipment in my home studio. Best money I've spent in the past couple of years. Five stars all the way.

I don't know where to start....I love my little recorder. I have a super talented youth performance group I record frequently.
I take this gem around with me because it is soooo compact. The sound is amazing and clean. The reverb is also great. The only con is track number doesn't show when song is loaded....THAT IS SO DUMB that Tascam did that.

I've been using this recorder for about a month now and find it very easy to navigate. The sound reproduction is very good and I am very happy with its overall performance. I would highly recommend this portable studio to the novice performer and the multi talented musician. It is easy to transport and has excellent quality.

I was looking for something to work with in my office for when I have an idea hits me. It's small, easy to work with, and there's nothing I really need but some WAV files to start work writing. The entire process of laying down a rhythm, recording ideas and exporting a WAV file per track is about as easy as saying it. By comparison, my TASCAM SD32 is much more complicated and requires many more steps to do the same things and is much larger. It wouldn't fit in my 14 x 42 inch work area in my office, but the TASCAM DP-03SD does with so much room to spare. It's perfect!

I love this recorder it's so simple and gives me wat I give it No bull no complex falderal I can't say anything but I love it with all my heart it's the bomb !!!! U won't be disappointed Best recorder they offer in my opinion bar none

I bought mine used. It's the earlier version with the CD burner but it still records to SD. I dislike complicated technology, so I was a bit hesitant to buy this model. I found it easy to use, intuitive, and welcoming. I actually read the manual and realized this little machine has everything you need and nothing you don't. I recorded an entire album of original music with it and the sound quality is amazing. Having started my recording hobby in the 80's with a Fostex and then a Tascam Porta 05 (both cassette machines), I found the DP-03 as intuitive. I went through the Garage Band/Pro Tools phase 10 or 15 years ago and found it too daunting. The DP-03 made recording fun again as it allowed me to spend more time with an instrument in my hands and less time staring at the mind numbing glow of a computer screen.

Highly recommended!

This unit produces a radio playable production.
Read the manual. There maybe a learning curve.
I highly recommend this recorder. It has a good build quality.

So I'm now cranking out finished master recordings and have some more tips and pointers!

1) The master recording output is surprisingly good! I simply turn on EQ and compression without doing any adjustments to it before mastering. Everything sits well in mixes, with great separation... Sound quality is close to phenomenal for such a straightforward system. I'm using an Arturia drum machine and while some of the drum synth patches sound pretty artificial right out of the machine, when the mixdown and mastering is done those elements also improve markedly.
2) The DP-03SD works extremely well connecting directly through USB to my computer, so I get the best of both worlds. You can also yank the SD card out and stick it into a reader if you don't have a USB cable with the mini-USB connector. I didn't even have to install a driver!
3) The two simultaneous inputs, while it sounds like a severe limitation, turns out to be less of a problem in practice. I can only play one instrument at a time anyway! For a group of people it would certainly be an issue and they really should get the larger Tascam console. The Line out also works very well - plugged it right into my mixer and works flawlessly.
4) Be advised. The DP-03SD supports a maximum of 4GB of SD card space. It doesn't matter how big the SD card is, that's all you can use. This indicates to me that the Tascam is using only 32-bit code as 4GB is the limit of addressable memory in 32-bit code and CPUs. This is a big design flaw. If I had bought the larger 32-track Tascam console, and I had run into this limitation, I would have returned it. For the DP-03SD, it's an annoyance but nothing more as 4GB is enough for most tasks. I'd really like to see Tascam fix this. It's the only serious disappointment I have with the DP-03SD.
5) The workflow is surprisingly good for such a small LCD screen. The data wheel actually works well and navigation is fairly easy, especially compared to a lot of menu synths. The well-written manual helps - read it! I'd like to see them integrate the Track Edit button menu into the main menu and thus eliminate the Track Edit button entirely. There's no reason, from the user standpoint, to have a similar part of the menu system be a separate element enabled by separate hardware.

Enjoy! You are buying a great and very usable product.

This is really a Pro Sounding Unit and you won't be disappointed with the results!
Super Fast Shipping and my Sales Engineer Gage Massy is always on top of his game!
Thanks to everyone at Sweetwater!!!
Dan M

I'd always tried to use DAW software on my PC (good luck with the driver support and device incompatibilities - really frustrating). Muddled along for awhile with a looper, Audacity and with Adobe Audition because the DAW software business, frankly, is a racket. Especially with the music business becoming a wholly owned subsidiary of Apple. Then I noticed the Tascam Portastudios. Spent a lot of time looking very hard at the 32-track and 8-track consoles, which are now all-solid-state, which suits me just fine. ALMOST pulled the trigger on the 32-track and if I had the physical space for it, I'd be writing about that one.

But the 8-track Portastudio is an elegant, very usable little beast for which the learning curve is very quick. The small screen does just fine showing you what's going on, and the interface takes little time to learn. I stuck a 32GB SD card in it... and just finished my first complete rhythm section part with drum machine and bass, and man, am I happy with this thing. Recorded both directly into this little console, and the sound quality is so much better than the stuff I was using before. Panning on channels does a fantastic job separating parts in the mix. Wish I could have gone for the bigger unit but the DP-03SD rewards with its incredible portability. I also will never have any issue recording a gig ever again. (If gigs ever become a thing again.) I think the 8-track is exactly the right choice for me. Recommended: get a decent laptop stand for it - makes cabling a heck of a lot easier!

When I realized the 32-track Portastudio was the size of my synth, that started me thinking. This was the result. This thing is incredible for the size and the money.

This very affordable little device is easy to learn, produces a great sound and gives much more than I expected. The two track recording limit is sometimes a bit frustrating since so often you want to record a drum track, an instrument and vocals all at once. But it's a small sacrifice compared to all the things this machine does so well. I love it.

This is a great little tool for getting your ideas down and then developing them into a full blown song, love it.

As easy to use as the Tascam Porta studio cassette recorder. With great digital sound and on board effects. And a CD Burner! I've had mine for three years and I love it. Record digital quality without paying huge dollars.

This unit takes me back to my cassette MKII, that i purchased back in 1996. Basic tracking was really easy, because I was used to the cassette layout. Of course this unit is far more powerful than the old cassette units, and the devil is in the details, but that's just a matter of getting into the manual and experimenting, manual is pretty decently written by the way. Most shocking part for me was how powerful and clear the built in condenser mics are, really nice ! Really pleased with this unit. and sweetwaters service style and fast shipping ! All around win !

It is better than i thought it was going to be everything on it is great. Colins you did it again. r.k.

This unit replaced my 12 year old Tascam DP O1-FX. DPO3SD MUCH more user friendly. Cuircuts updated...Reverb engine is superb. I purchased a Lauten LA 320 microphone and combined it covers all my recording PERFECTLY. I highly recommend both these items. Call Randy Poteete X1780. He's got 'em!

I have been looking for such a device for quite a while. The Dp-03SD fits all the requirements I have for home recording at the present. Easy to operate, great sound, fun to use. Customer service was fantastic.

At this price? For these capabilities? Go on... get out... No, it's for real, and I'm having a blast using it! Very compact package, yet room for my increasingly fumbly fingers.Easy to use, no constant referring to the manual... Sound is good, quality is good, import / export / mix down / bounce with really unlimited tracks if you get organized... all this for a seriously affordable price. Woof. I love it. Didn't give it a 5 because: 1) the power cord, from wall to unit, is a might on the short side - like maybe 5' long. and 2) I almost never ever give something a 5 - there's always room for something. But this came close... very very close. And I do believe, without a doubt, that at this price you won't find anything better. Recommend it in a heartbeat... (My sales engineer recommended it to me, and as usual I'm glad I listened. Kudos amigo!)

Great Recorder. I have one with a CD Player/Recorder. But since you can transfer Masters to a computer and then burn a CD from there, you're set. Love the features. I use a direct out from my Fender Super Champ X2 to the recorder to get all the great effects installed on the amp I've found using a mic thru the mic/line on the recorder works best. Easy to use and learn. I would definitely recommended this 8 track.

This is a great little portastudio for getting your ideas down quick and easy. A lot of great features and very user friendly. Plus, the quality of the recordings is really good and the built in condenser mic's make it even more convenient to use. Worth every penny!

Really love this digital 8 track recorder. Very easy to use.

Very easy to use and has great sound. The build in microphones work very well for fresh on the spot ideals.

The menu is straight forward and easy to get from point a-z. You can bounce and normalize tracks as well as master the whole project when you are though.

The reverb is the best and really makes your recording come to life. Build in EQ is ready to add boost or pop to any track.

After you record your tracks you can transfer them to computer if you like to do more but I prefer to work out of the computer box. After I master this size recorder then I will move up to the Tascam Big Boy recorder for more bells & whistles.

I will never return to computer recording again except to store my completed projects for storage to the hard drive or external hard drive.

All righty, then. What's not to like about this amazing portable studio? User friendly is the best way to describe this little monster. The owner's manual will lead you there without any problems. I was up and running... multi-tracking & creating CDs & within a few hours. The final reproductions were beyond my expectations. One can feel the quality built into this recorder as you begin using the faders & adjustment knobs, etc., which have a good, solid feel to them. If you're looking for a quality, eight track digital recorder with a budget similar to mine, this is the perfect choice... "trust me." Thanks again to Sweetwater & Norb, my fine sales engineer, for facilitating my musical endeavors. "I'll be back!"

Fast service. Great price. Excellent follow up by staff. Would recommend.

I have years of experience mixing. I originally got this to make demos for a CD I plan to record this year, and to use as a musical notebook. I had no idea I was getting something this good. My band recorded a live demo on it by sub-mixing drums and bass into one input, keys into the other, then overdubbing vocals and guitar, and the results were astonishing.
But the thing that I find is it's best feature is that it is so easy to use. The menu functions are very straight-forward, and you don't have to do a lot of hocus-pocus with the wheel.
I can't believe they sell this thing for only $250. I'm going to attempt to do a finished-product CD on this by adding a couple pieces of outboard gear, and I actually believe I can do it. This little thing is that good.
And, BTW, Sweetwater's service is second to none.

The DP-03SD sounds great. It's so simple and easy to use and only takes a day or 2 to really get it down. The manual is pretty good.
I'm having fun .

I find Tascam makes quality products that work well. Though I do use a DAW for projects, when I want to capture "lightening in a jar" inspiration, this handy recorder does the job. The condenser mics capture sound well, as do the mic/line inputs. The effects and EQ are good. Important for my purposes is the reduction of latency when recording multiple tracks. The operating system takes a bit of learning curve to hike, but the manual explains in detail the operation flow. Once you get the basic operations down, the results can be impressive. As a vocalist, guitarist, and keyboard player, I can create backing tracks for my rehearsal purposes and creative output for media. Impressive quality for the price. Recommended.

As many others have already stated this is a fantastically intuitive unit and does the job quite well. It would be nice to have an output to send back to my amp through the effects loop and then on to a practice cabinet though. Just in case the Tascam Engineer gets this. Great product either way.

I like it, because I can record my own songs, and share them also.

While I haven't actually used this product, I've used Tascam products like it. The first review listed totes a claim that you can only use 4 gigs on any SD card. This is misinformation and could dissuade any potential buyers of this product. 4 gigs is the maximum size of the FAT partition (a file that allows shareable data to a computer ie final mixes and separate tracks). The MTR partition of any high capacity SD card is much bigger(28 gigs on a 32 gig.) This means you can record in multi track mode as much as the MTR partition will allow. The FAT partition is limited to 4 gigs only to allow for quicker load times when dealing with a computer. Hope this clarifies.

Love the unit just wish there was a effects mode for electric guitar like on older versions other than that very easy to use and sounds great

I really love the Tascam 8 track recorder, very easy to learn & use immediately! I've also been extremely impressed with Sweetwater, I wish more companies operated as they do, very responsive pre & post sale, super quick delivery. They will be my first stop for products in the future.

I had great experiences with tascam years ago. This one is a little more compact. Easy to use,I recorded drum and guitar tracks without opening the manual. Sound quality is excellent. I also have cakewalk and ableton installed in my laptop. This unit plays well with others. Highly recommend.

at 74 I'm still playing music, I have recorded way back in 66 at the great Les Paul and at Sigma studio's NYC, I now have the tascam dr24sd, both recorders are excellent as far as I'm concerned, great products ken

I found the size of DP-03SD is perfect for setting on a table or chair next to you while you record. It's also easy to see the settings at a glance. I found that it does a much better job than a digital mic converter into a PC. Being a dedicated machine, you don't fuss with getting the software running, having your PC go to sleep, etc. It's a solid dedicated device for the home studio. The only thing stopping me from giving it a 5 is that if you are new to recording then the menu isn't intuitive. Read the instructions and it's easy.

This is a great recorder with tons of features and a convenient SD card (up to 32 GB). I received it quickly and it was easy to set up. Phil Potts was instrumental in helping me put it all together!

Just getting started with my new purchase. The Tascam recorder as well as its manual is straightforward and fairly easy to use. Takes a little getting used to. The sound and quality is excellent. My only complaint is the small screen. Wish it were just a bit bigger. Other than that, especially for the price, it's a great recorder.

easy , portable, produces good recordings. have only used the built in mics so far, recorded band in garage, once got volumes adjusted & gains set right it worked great! only drawback is it will only record 2 tracks at same time , not a big problem though , it was still easier than my Yamaha aw16g.if something ever happens to this one , I would buy another

The draw back they don't tell you is it does not work on windows ten...If you have some other way to record to a computer you are all set.Everything else worked fine though I got a large storage chip. I also quit using it for a while and the adapter is missing ...I am still waiting for a replacement

When my Tascam DP03 stopped functioning, I had no choice but to buy another one. I love the 8 tracks, the easy way to record, and most of all, I really liked the built-in cd burner. Since I'm not much of a computer user, that's one of the reasons I got one. Well, when I sent away for a new one from Sweetwater, I didn't know the Dp03(now DP03SD) had been upgraded and the cd burner was kaput. Some genius at the company decided to do away with it(thanks a lot, genius!). It took several emails back and forth with my Sweetwater rep(Ben porter) to convince me to keep it. This one has all the features of the original, without the cd burner, and it's just as easy to use. I know now that by putting the SD card into a computer one can download the music without too much of a hassle, but I am still missing my built-in cd burner. As a stand alone unit, the DP03SD is a wonderful little portastudio and I'm having fun again recording as much as possible. I highly recommend this product to old school people like me who are not all that crazy about using computers. I look forward to many hours of fun recording my original tunes on this great little machine. I don't know why they decided to get rid of the cd burner, but I will continue to be faithful to this model. I'm satisfied for now, and if anyone can give me an explanation why the cd burner was eliminated, I would love to hear from you. Until then, may all your musical adventures bring you as much joy as they do me.

The recording on this machine is fine. Trying to import/export tracks and navigate the digital read-out for track and recording info is horrible. It should not be this difficult. I have spent many hours trying to import/export tracks from my computer and FIND them on the Tascam. Not there. Went the SD card route. They're on the SD card, but do not show up anywhere on the Tascam. I am so fed up with this. My older, 24 track Tascam was great. This is not.

This the first time I have used a sequencer since @2010. The Tascam dp-03sd instructions seem a little difficulty for a Novice like me. You can only record two tracts at a time. So you have to unplug every time you want to change inputs.

The Tascam DP-03SD manual does not mention the 3-step foot switch, TC-3F.
Apparently a manual for the foot switch does not exist. So I do not know how it works, or what it does.
Also, the foot switch runs only on batteries, with no choice of electrical power.