TASCAM DR-05 Portable Digital Recorder (Version 2)

This review is from: Tascam DR-05 Portable Digital Recorder (Electronics) I purchased this to record my daughter's piano recitals. I researched the options and found this to give me the best feature set for the money. What was important to me was easy transfer of files to my PC, good battery life, cheap and expandable media, ease of use, choice of manual and auto record levels, and the ability to change recording levels once recording has started. And of course it should make good sounding recordings! This device met all of these criteria both on paper an in actual use. To play around with it, I have been recording my daughter's practice sessions. I was shocked at the sound quality even from the built in microphones. The resulting recording had no hiss, had good punch in the low end, didn't audibly distort even when the peak light would light, and had great stereo imaging. Wow! Transferring files to my PC is literally drag-n-drop since the device appears as an external drive when connected to the PC. I've recorded about 5 hours along with about 3 hours of playback and the battery charge indicator still hasn't dropped. This is using the provided alkaline batteries. I upgraded to a 16GB memory card that cost me <$30. That's what I call a cheap storage upgrade from the 2GB card provided! To really put it through it's paces, I brought it along to record my daughter's school play. The resulting recroding sounded awesome and was very faithful to how it sounded live. I was afraid that the audience clapping would really overload the microphones since I set the levels manually for the performers. Though there is clipping during the applause sections, it is not bad at all. I didn't even feel the need to round out the clipping during post processing. My daughter was very excited to hear the recording afterwards and agreed that it sounded great. As a point of reference, I've been making all of my recordings as stereo 16 bit 44kHz WAV files (aka CD quality/spec). There is a little bit of handling noise, but that is to be expected with a device with built in microphones. But if you are careful, you can minimize this. I tweaked the levels at the start and you can barely tell I was pushing buttons on it. During the entire performance, I just laid the DR-05 on the empty chair next to me. The only downside I can find with this device is that the input is really hot for line-in. If you do not have control of the output you connect to the line-in, you may have a problem. This is stated in the manual. From my reading, the more expensive models have a true line-in where this isn't a problem. If you plan to use this device to record from the outputs of a soundboard or other device, you may want to move up to a model that supports a true line-in. I don't plan on using this device this way, so it isn't an issue for me. Coming from using a Sony HiMD Minidisc recorder for similar tasks in the past, I can't tell you how much of a pleasure the DR-05 is to use. It is so easy to use and produces great results straight out of the box. I highly recommend this device.

I have know about TASCAM recorders for a good while ever since I used to record bands for a living while living in another town, I had a TEAC 4 channel reel-to-reel 15-7 1/2 ips recorder (TC2400, I think) and also a number of the X series (X-3R, X-7, X-10R, etc.) These were all good reel to reel recorders and well worth having. I have been wanting a TASCAM portable recorder for awhile but the price always put me off. When I spotted this recorder I decided to get it based on the way the old systems worked. I'm glad I did but with a few exceptions. When I first rec'd it, I found that the recorder was set up as most digital recorders are with folders to store stuff in and like that. I'm used to dealing with time of storage media rather than size. (For example: a C-60 cassette records 1 hour, or 30 minutes a side or a MC-90 micro-cassette records 45 minutes a side, etc.) However, if one is dealing with a smart card or flash drive one deals with size of media. (Such as: 28 gig USB flash drive, or a 32 gig smart card.) So the first thing I had to do was figure out what the 4 gig smart card that comes with this recorder would do, etc. Well, the DR-05 default set is uncompressed wav files which take up a lot of room and if you need to record a large amount of stuff over a long period of time this won't suit your needs. I set it up for mp3 files as this seemed better for me. At this point, I must say something about the setups this recorder has. It's got so many ways to set up stuff that it's almost over-kill at times. One example of this is the recorder's recording settings for just providing limits to stop distortion when recording. This recorder has a peak limiter that is adjustable, a automatic level control with adjustments or no adjustments, and a high or low cut off limiter not to mention the standard manual adjustment just to mention some of the ways it can record. This for recording only. (It reminded me of the Ampex 600 Pro recorder I use to use.) The biggest problem that I ran into was figuring out what to set where. After playing with it awhile, I discovered another thing I didn't like....It can eat batteries if your not using the provided USB port cord from a powered PC port or power supply built for it. Once I got the power supply and started using it off that, this recorder started to shine a bit. I found that by putting the 2 AA batteries in the recorder and then when recording with it off the USB PS, if a power failure hit, the batteries picked up right off the bat and the only way you knew there was a power outage was if something running on AC cut off in the back ground. So this recorder recorded right thru 6 power glitches averaging about 20 to 30 seconds each without missing a beat and you could hear that on the recording. And it did so without using very much battery power at all. When you plug it into PC's USB port and turn on the DR-05, it asks if it's to be used for storage or USB power. If you select power nothing happens but your recorder gets power thru the port. If you select storage the USB port is "seen" by windows and access to it is given to deal with the files on it. This is great for moving file to an area they can be better worked on with. With all the settings and abilities this recording has it's great for what I use something like this for and it even has some options I wouldn't have even thought of. Overall, a very good portable stereo recorder with a number of uses!

This recorder is way superior than a shotgun microphone along with a Sescom LN2MIC-ZMH4-MON 3.5mm Line to Mic 25dB Attenuation Cable for Zoom H4N with Headphone Monitoring Jack. I initially was using it as a backup audio recorder for weddings and sweet sixteens (quinceaneras). The built-in mic on my sony hdr-fx7 started making hissing/scratching sounds. So i was recording the events with scratchy sounds & capturing the audio with the tascam as the main/backup audio. I would later spend a lot of time looking for the audio & sync it with the video. Time consuming. dah to me! One day tired of it & after not reading the instructions & testing, decided to connect the tascam dr-05 to the sony hdr-fx using the attenuation cable. To my surprise the tascam recorded better audio than the shotgun mic on the native sony video. Plus, I had a backup copy on the external memory card. Don't get me wrong, the shogun mic(s) are really good & the audio blocks surrounding sounds since it points to the audio source, kinda like a beam. But the tascam captures the surrounding audio, is much clear, high tones are excellent and it records as WAV uncompressed format. This is what a true audio/video editor needs. Uncompressed audio. Two things to be aware, the mics on the tascam are very sensitive to noise. So if you are recording and start pressing the buttons on the tascam or are fidgetting with the camera & tripod, the noises will be heard. the buttons on the tascam when pressed sound like mild "tic-tic" or "tac-tac" audible enough to mess up your audio. The other, on the left side there is a "hold button". If it slides up, the tascam will not turn on. Just be careful as i learned it the hard way. I use rechargeable 1800mAh batteries. they've lasted me up to 3 events w/no signs of draining yet. I highly recommend it along with a HDE Metal Hot Shoe 1/4"-20 Thread Screw Post Converter Adapter for Camera to Tripod Flash Mount. Another plus side is that if you connect it to your video camera w/o pressing record on the tascam, the audio will recorded/sent to the camera in case you forget to press record on the tascam & start panicking. Though i think most video cameras whether automatically or manually detect an external mic & the sound meters start showing audio activity immediately. I personally think is better to have two audio backups. As someone said, people can sit though a poorly recorded video & pay/accept it. But a good video with poor or faulty audio will give you problems.

UPDATE!! I thought my device had stopped working, but I had changed a setting and that's why it wouldn't power on. My fault. I'm changing back to 4 stars. I'll leave my comments below in case anyone else might make the same mistake. This is a great recording device that makes clear recordings of live performances. My one complaint might be that it has a somewhat complicated menu and lots of settings that perhaps serious musicians and techies would use, but not an average person trying to record something quickly and easily. But it was my fault for overlooking something in the (lengthy and technical) manual that made me think the unit stopped working. I don't really know why it has that button, and I guess I'm to lazy to search and read why. Anyway I totally recommend this product. And by the way I liked this product so much that even though I thought it was broken, I ordered another one. AFTER I got my new unit I figured out that my original was fine. I have to give the seller and Amazon credit for letting me send back the new unit and crediting my account, even though this error was completely MY FAULT. **The next part is what I wrote when I thought it didn't work anymore. I liked it BUT it stopped working. I bought this at the end of May 2015. I used it to record piano accompaniments for rehearsal with a children's choir at my church. It worked perfect for that. I also bought a Bluetooth speaker on Amazon that had a slot for an SD card, so I recorded songs then went to rehearsal with the speaker and my memory card of songs. All was great for a month or so. I just tried to use this recorder again after about 2 months of nonuse. It wouldn't power on, so I replaced the batteries. It still won't power on. :( It is too late for me to return it, so I guess I just lost about a 100 bucks. The thing is, I really liked this recorder and am thinking about ordering it again. Perhaps I just got a dud. I'm kind of afraid to, however. Maybe I'll look for a different brand. But this was relatively easy to use. You really need another device for playback, but the volume is loud enough to check that your recording worked. This had been a great system for recording accompaniments to use for rehearsal when there isn't a piano in the room, or when I couldn't be there to play. Sound quality was very clear. I used to record piano on cassette tapes and that was awful. This sounds almost like a professional recording.

I bought this product for a few specific tasks: to capture audio for video projects, thereby eschewing the onboard mics on my video equipment, and to capture jam sessions with friends and family. My requirements were a powered mic input, decent onboard microphone(s), and a high quality capture (high bitrate, resolution, etc). This unit delivers in spades. The overall build quality is consistent with the price, meaning that the unit definitely feels like it's made of plastic, but it's durable and easy to hold and use. The microphone orientation makes capturing a wide, discrete stereo patterns easy, and I am highly impressed with their sensitivity and low noise. The firmware allows for the capture of audio in a wide range of resolutions and bitrates. Recording at 16-bitm, 96k yields a lifelike, crisp, detailed capture. I was very impressed with the quality of audio this unit captures. I haven't tried it with an external mic yet, but the onboards have proven to be highly impressive. This unit left me wanting for nothing, but there were a few missing features that would have been nice to see. I would have liked to see multitracking and digital effects, but honestly it probably wouldn't have been feasible to have those features at this price range. Besides, all of the editing I do with the audio files from this unit is done on a PC, where effects can be added non-destructively and with a great deal of control. Overall, I highly recommend this unit if you're capturing things in one take, one layer, and at a high audio quality. This unit is inexpensive, packed with all the right features, and easy to use.

Well, I hate to be a wet blanket here because of all the rave reviews posted on this unit. Not to say that this isn't a quality item, because I'm sure it is. However, after ordering this thing and driving myself crazy with it, I am not very impressed with a critical item for any potential purchaser and that would be "user friendliness." I'm sorry folks, but this thing imho is WAY too complicated for the average person to try to figure out. In order to do one thing, you have to do a half dozen OTHER things first in most cases. And btw, this product will not record ALL MP3 formats. I tried to download the Mark Levin show onto this unit and it will not allow it. I keep getting a message that the format Levin uses on his website is "not supported." Whatever that means. All it means to me is that I can't use the stupid thing for the main reason I bought it, that being to download my favorite talk shows and listen to them when I want to. It will download Rush and Savage audio files, but not Levin's, and that really ticks me off because I love all three of them (sorry libs). You would think for the price this thing goes for it would download ANY freaking format for cryin' out loud. Anyway, the thing is now currently occupying space in my junk drawer and I have gone back to a unit I can highly recommend, that being the SONY ICD-UX81. This is a much smaller, much handier, more versatile and WAY more user friendly unit than the Tascam DR-05. Navigating your way around the Tascam is a major pain in the rear. Navigating your way around the Sony ICD-UX81 is a breeze and a no hassle experience. I am now on my third Sony ICD-UX81, having lost the first one, and accidentally running over the second one. I thought I would use the opportunity of needing a new unit to try out a different model and brand. Consequently, because of all the above, it turned out to be a very bad idea. Save yourself the money and hassle and go with the SONY ICD-UX81, you will not be sorry. The Tascam DR-05 does however make an excellent paperweight and conversation piece.

UPDATE: The more I use this recorder, the more I like it. It's still working perfectly after 32 months of regular use in my video business. See the end of this review for a tip I've added on using it to record from two lavalier mics. ORIGINAL REVIEW: This is my second TASCAM digital recorder and both, the other being a DR-60D, work great. I've used the DR-05 in multiple roles where I need a smaller, more portable recorder and don't need XLR input. I've had only two small glitches, both my fault. It's so easy to use I didn't read the instruction manual and missed that there's a "Hold" switch on the side that renders all controls inoperative. I also initially thought it wouldn't work with an external mic that needs power from the recorder. The 1/8" input for an external mic can be powered by changing a setting in Menu/Rec Settings/Mic Power. The small size lets me attach a lavalier mic and slip the DR into a pocket for recording a subject who is walking around. The tripod socket and four rubber pads on the back give options for placing the DR. This DR will take care of most settings automatically or let you customize to your preferences. The construction is pretty much all plastic but its been solid enough to endure seven months of banging around in my camera bag. One set of alkaline batteries handled about eight one-hour recording sessions with life to spare. The one I purchased included a 4GB Micro SD card, which is plenty for several hours of recording. I carry a spare micro card taped inside the battery door just in case though. TIP: I have been using this recorder occasionally with two Aspen lavalier mics, Aspen Mics HQ-M Mono Lavalier Microphone , to record interviews or podcasts by using a dual mono 3.5mm to stereo 3.5mm cable https://www.amazon.com/Hosa-YMM-261-Stereo-Breakout-Cable/dp/B000068O5H/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1510092944&sr=8-4&keywords=dual+mono+to+stereo+3.5mm. It's a very affordable option for recording in slightly noisy areas and still getting great sound quality from a light-weight kit. Make sure you turn external mic power on in the settings menu.

I feel extremely mixed about this product. When it works, it suits my needs perfectly at a great price point. I bought it to serve as an external recorder for video production, primarily for interviews. While the DR-05's built in mics work extremely well, a cheap wired lavaliere mic delivered even better sound quailty. And the battery life is very, very good. Until recently, my only complaint was that the interface is a little clunky. After 13 months (and 1 month past the warranty), my unit stopped powering up. I tried 3 different sets of new batteries; no luck. I then ordered a brand new unit. It worked fine for one session. The next time I took it out, it was dead; same as my first unit. Three sets of new batteries; no luck. I sent it back on time for a free return. Looking for an alternate product, I have yet to see one that would meet my needs as well. So, I just ordered my third DR-05, this time ver 2. Hopefully, this was not a mistake.

Das Gleiche Gerät wird auch als Tonaufnahmegerät angeboten, warum hier als Diktiergerät weiß ich nicht. Es ist jedenfalls das gleiche Gerät und definitiv mehr als ein Diktiergerät. Ich habe etwa 30 Minuten gebraucht, um mit Hilfe der - deutschen- beiliegenden Betriebsanleitung das Gerät voreinzustellen. Die Aufnahmequalität ist hervorragend -ich mache Seminarmitschnitte, Stimme mit Hintergrundmusik und das funktioniert sehr gut. Man kann den Aufnahmepegel von Hand einstellen oder eine Autopegelfunktion einstellen. Rein intuitiv hätte ich das nicht hinbekommen, bin allerdings auch kein Tontechniker sondern Laie, wer etwas Ahnung hat, für den ist es sicher leicht. Bin auch froh, dass ich kein komplizierteres Gerät gekauft habe, die hier angebotenen Möglichkeiten sind für mich ausreichend. Eine 4 GB Mini SD Karte und Batterien liegen bei - auch nicht selbstverständlich. Für eine 1 h Aufnahme mit wav 12 bit braucht man 0,62 GB (620MB), bei mp3 entsprechend der verschiedenen Qualitäten deutlich weniger. Die Kopplung mit dem Computer klappt spielend, USB verbindungskabel einstecken, Gerät an und im dann erscheinenden Menu Datentransfer anwählen. Fertig. Fazit: Sehr gutes Aufnahmegerät mit ausreichenden Funktionen zum Superpreis.

少し電圧の低いeneloop単三×2本でも問題なく使えています。 微妙にサイズの大きいeneloop proも問題なし。 pro×2本なら5000mAhになるのでより長持ち。 オレンジ色のバックライトはありがたいが消す設定もできるので電池を節約できます。 TOSHIBAの32GB microSDHC EXCERIA UHS1 Class10（R48MB/s W20MB/s）使えました。 CDは44.1kHzの16bitですがこの機種は最大96kHzの24bitで録音できます。ハイレゾですね。 また内蔵マイクの感度が高くかなり高精細な音が録れている印象です。 ボタンが大きく操作も基本的な事はかなり簡単にできます。 ポータブルのレコーダーとしては大き目ですが単三電池で動作するのがうれしい。 また内蔵マイクの質が高くリニアPCM可なので音も良い。 操作も簡単。素晴らしい製品だと思います。

Ce magnétophone numérique présente des atouts considérables : léger, facile d'usage (avec une seule main si nécessaire)et de très bonne qualité même à des distances importantes du sujet car exempt de souffle. Les fonctions sont faciles d'accès et complètes. Rien à voir avec des articles du même prix mais fantaisistes. Bref je recommande pour toute sorte d'enregistrements. Le gain et la directivité des micros sont adaptés à des travaux généralistes (interview, concert,réunion, dictée etc). Je voulais acheter l'alimentation qui va bien mais finalement il ne consomme rien. Livraison nickel, tout est OK. Je cherche mais je ne trouve pas de critique négative à formuler.

I bought the Tascam DR-05 primarily to document an odd noise that was being produced by my vehicle's engine, in addition to exhaust sounds as I progressively modified and upgraded exhaust components. I watched and listened to many reviews before making my decision. It was a toss up between this, the Tascam DR-05, and the Zoom H1. I like the build quality of the DR-05 much more than that of the H1. They're both made of plastic, but the DR-05 feels solid where the H1 felt a little flimsy. No squeaks or flexing as you grip, hold, or squeeze the product. The buttons on the DR-05 also felt better than the ones on the H1. The audio quality is so close that I don't think you'd be able to tell the difference. I like the ease of changing settings and levels on the DR-05. It feels intuitive, and the display is easy to read. I bought the accessory kit (P/N AK-DR11C) to go along with this item, which includes a hotshoe mount for attachment to a DSLR or similar camera, dead cat, cables, and a carrying case. The cat works great; my only complaint is that it covers up the PEAK and REC LEDs when it's on. The DR-05 by itself comes with two AAA batteries and a 2GB MicroSD card, which gets you up and running quickly. Although it's a bit awkward, you can also use this device (with the included USB cable) as a MicroSD card reader for your PC. Overall, I am very satisfied with my purchase. Tascam has impressed me with the DR-05, both in terms of raw audio quality, and in terms of build quality. This is a device you can use with confidence without feeling like it's going to fall apart on you.

Es una grabadora increible. Por defecto viene con el volumen bajo y demás y si se pone en Auto o funciones recorte de picos y demás es una maravilla. Subiendo el volumen a tope, botón grabar, Quick y eligiendo ganancia automática funciona espectacularmente. Tiene una respuesta increible. Los graves muy buenos. Viene con una tarjeta de 4GB mas que suficiente, ya que grabando en Mp3 a 320kbps Puedes grabar unas 15 horas seguidas. Si se te agota el tiempo podrías grabar otras 15 horas. Perfecta para grabar música en eventos, discursos y demás. Tambien tiene entrada de linea para microfonos. Una relación calidad precio inmejorables. También destacar su rosca para colocar en pies y trípodes, muy útil. Se puede enganchar también en pinzas de flashes para ponerla en cualquier parte. Una grabadora 10!