Tascam DR-05 – High quality handeld audio recorder

So simple to use and great quality sound.This arrived today, 4GB card already installed, 2 x AA batteries included, 1 x USB lead included, put the batteries in, press and hold the off button, within a few seconds the unit had fired up. I did make a point of going on YouTube to look at reviews of this which included a brief tutorial, this thing is so simple and intuitive to set up its brilliant, menu navigation is a breeze, everything is simple and straightforward.To record, you press the record button once, this gives you your levels which are adjusted by the forward and backward buttons then press record again to start recording, sound quality is excellent, obviously better if you are actually facing the mic but this is a great recorder which is a worthy addition to my camera bag, haven't tried an external mic on it yet but I will, on-board speaker is tiny so is very quiet but plug earphones/headphones in and you are away to the races, you can also monitor your recordings with earphones as well.Also has a tripod screw on the back of the unit which I would advise using as any handling of the unit while recording is picked up by the mics.Really nice recorder at a great price.

Absolutely brilliant product.I need a good quality recording device for my YouTube channel.I have tried many different microphones on my laptop, but never been able to achieve a good quality sound, whether this is the fault of my laptop, or software, microphones etc I just could not cure my problems whatever I tried.I even bought some very expensive microphones which just wasted my money.I saw this Tascam being reviewed on a YouTube channel and thought that I would give it a go (still cheaper than a lot of the microphones out their)This cured all of my problems, I now have a rich and clear narration, even my subscribers have noticed a vast difference in quality.On live streaming it holds up well using just as a microphone, so now I have the best of two worlds.I didn't play with the settings, just left it in automatic recording mode, so it might even be possible to make things sound even better once I have learned all of the functions.I use it plugged into my laptop with the USB, so I can save the files straight to where I want them to go, plus it is powered by the USB so no batteries to buy.This now sits permanently on my microphone boom above my head, It's my main sound source, I wouldn't change it for the world.I hope this helps someone out their.Update,,,,,,,After using the Tascam DR05 for a few months I can find no faults or problems with the unit,I already had a Zoom H1 which is a good recorder but the Tascam has a much warmer sound to it, and a better layout, more functions Etc.I have just bought my narrators a second tascam DR05 to replace the Zoom.I am seriously thinking of buying another 3 for outside recording mounted on my cameras instead of the Rode mics we use at the moment.Cheers, A happy Ray.........now a happier Ray,,,,,,, this is not a sponsored review,I have never been approached by Amazon or Tascam to leave a review.

Tested in various conditions. I don't regret buying itMine came with a 4GB card and 2 batteries included, so i just plugged in my headphones and started recording random noises in and around the house like burning lighter, pouring water, shaking coins, rubbing paper on paper, traffic, people talking and so onBasically any type of sound and I am very happy with the resultsSuper crispy audio and captures a lot of detail, i did not expect it to be so goodHandles noise extremely wellAt the lowest level the sound is very cleanAt higher levels there is some noise, but nothing that can't be removed in editingDoes not feel cheap, the build quality is just greatThe buttons are silent when pressedI love the screen and the menuEverything is well designed and obviously was given a lot of thoughtI highly recommend it to anyone

Nice unit and easy to use but beware because it is easily damaged. Be careful not to drop and make sure you buy a case! Otherwise it’s amazingly good sound quality even if you’re recording a really loud band

This little recorder is great. Whilst I get what others have said about a slightly plastic feel to it, this does not bother me - it seems plenty enough robust and what I'm most interested in is the sound quality it captures. I bought this after returning a much cheaper digital recorder that gave up the ghost after just a week of use.This cost about twice as much as I paid for the cheaper recorder - but it's infinitely better.I've tried this with both the inbuilt mics and with a cordless lapel mic and, in both cases, I've been very happy with the results. The inbuilt mics have a nice richness to them - which is great for recording voice-overs etc.Being super-critical, I do find the instruction booklet a little lacking - but there are a couple of good videos on YouTube that'll help you get the best from it.In summary - I'm very happy with this purchase.

Certainly very easy to use and the batteries last a reasonable time (several hours). The menus are simple and the controls easy to use. The display is bright enough and clear. I’m just a little disappointed in the sound quality, not so much the recording itself and the level of self-noise; it just seems a little hissy at any reasonable recording level. I wondered if it was some odd room noise I was picking up without realising but I’ve tried it in several locations and it’s the same, so not ideal. But as an easy to use recorder it’s OK