Should I carry on with my Tascam DP-006, or would I be better with Audacity?

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colonel_panic
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Should I carry on with my Tascam DP-006, or would I be better with Audacity?

Post by colonel_panic »

Hi!

I like to make recordings of myself singing, playing ukulele acoustically and occasionally recording my friend on the piano. This is all done in the most straightforward way possible.

I've got a Tascam DP-006, but I don't really need the multitrack aspect of it. It's capable of excellent results but it feels like overkill. Exporting everything to a WAV file, mastering, mixing etc.

I've got an ancient Philips dictaphone which records MP3 files directly. This is fine for YouTube quality, but not for anything nicer.

Is there a decent USB microphone that would "just work" with Audacity or something similar?

Or would I be better sticking with what I have?

I asked this question a couple of years ago and got some really helpful responses. At the time you felt that my current computer wasn't up to it (old Atom netbook). I have an i5 PC with a decent monitor now (the netbook was great for everything I needed but the screen was just too small in the end).

I'd appreciate your thoughts.
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bluzee
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Re: Should I carry on with my Tascam DP-006, or would I be better with Audacity?

Post by bluzee »

Doing any editing or multitrack recording is probably going to be much easier on a computer with Audacity or a DAW of any type. I'm not familiar with your device, but I remember the move to digital from my old Fostex 4 track cassette recorder opened up a whole new world.

I have no experience with USB microphones and can't recommend anything in particular. If the device states it is USB class compliant then it should just work when plugged in.
merlyn
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Re: Should I carry on with my Tascam DP-006, or would I be better with Audacity?

Post by merlyn »

My friend has got the four track version of this. I thought it was pretty good. Not bad mics and it's stereo. I've got a Tascam DR-07 and that's pretty good too. I use it for recording gigs that I do so I can hear what I played.

If you are doing live recording to stereo then what is to be gained by using mics and Audacity? With mics on stands you could move them about to get the best sound and you could try different stereo setups like AB XY or MS.

The average USB mic will be mono, so there's nothing to gained by going from the DP-006 to Audacity, except perhaps more possibilities for mic placement.

You can import .wav files from the DP-006 into the computer and give them (in your case I would think minimal) processing.
colonel_panic
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Re: Should I carry on with my Tascam DP-006, or would I be better with Audacity?

Post by colonel_panic »

I have no experience with USB microphones and can't recommend anything in particular. If the device states it is USB class compliant then it should just work when plugged in.
They're funny things, USB mics. I bought one once that refused to play with Debian, then after a while I got it to work with Debian but not Windows Vista. I was hoping for an upgrade.
merlyn wrote: Thu Feb 18, 2021 11:36 pm My friend has got the four track version of this. I thought it was pretty good. Not bad mics and it's stereo. I've got a Tascam DR-07 and that's pretty good too. I use it for recording gigs that I do so I can hear what I played.

If you are doing live recording to stereo then what is to be gained by using mics and Audacity? With mics on stands you could move them about to get the best sound and you could try different stereo setups like AB XY or MS.

The average USB mic will be mono, so there's nothing to gained by going from the DP-006 to Audacity, except perhaps more possibilities for mic placement.

You can import .wav files from the DP-006 into the computer and give them (in your case I would think minimal) processing.
OK. I will stick with what I have for now.

Cheers guys!
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Re: Should I carry on with my Tascam DP-006, or would I be better with Audacity?

Post by merlyn »

It's up to you of course. I had a look for a stereo USB mic and didn't see one immediately. To be honest USB mics appear to be marketed towards people who are completely clueless about mics, sound engineering and audio in general. :)

There is no mention of whether mics are mono or stereo -- that doesn't seem to be an issue. The potential market just want their voice into the computer for Zoom, Discord, a podcast or some Youtube stream.

Re-reading your post actually you want to streamline the process, so using Audacity would the remove the step of transferring the .wav files into the computer.
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Re: Should I carry on with my Tascam DP-006, or would I be better with Audacity?

Post by colonel_panic »

merlyn wrote: Fri Feb 19, 2021 11:58 am Re-reading your post actually you want to streamline the process, so using Audacity would the remove the step of transferring the .wav files into the computer.
Yeah, but not at a loss of quality. There's so much music out there and the quality is all really dreadful.

I think what I'd like in an ideal world is something that is like a simple tape recorder but capable of the same quality results as the Tascam. The levels are always the same for me, and I don't really care about multitracking. I could buy a couple of mics and a USB interface and then my desk gets taken over by lots of little boxes.

The Tascam is a great unit, but it feels quite dated now and I thought things might have moved on. Not to worry. :)
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Re: Should I carry on with my Tascam DP-006, or would I be better with Audacity?

Post by merlyn »

I think recording live, straight to stereo is a noble art. :) It's how classical music and BBC Radio Three is done. Yes, orchestras really do sound like that. :)
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Re: Should I carry on with my Tascam DP-006, or would I be better with Audacity?

Post by bluzee »

Ultimately the best setup is what ever works for you.

The wav files you record on the Tascam would be uncompressed audio. Transferring them to a DAW would not introduce any loss. That would add in possibilities of some editing or processing that might be desired.

Thinking more about USB microphones and it seems to me these would have to be self contained with a built in DAC. Running one of these might not be a problem, but trying to run more than one might bring on clock synchronization issues. Just my thoughts. I don't have any experience with these.

If you end up considering a computer interface don't rule out PCI devices as well if you have slots available. I still like my PCI interface. It must be getting close to 20 years old now, been through countless Linux distros and has always worked perfectly. I can use any pre amp I want with it as it has standard balanced inputs.
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Re: Should I carry on with my Tascam DP-006, or would I be better with Audacity?

Post by colonel_panic »

merlyn wrote: Fri Feb 19, 2021 5:39 pm Yes, orchestras really do sound like that. :)
I have a theory that the pinnacle of achievement of any musician was to be employed by one of the big Hollywood film studios around 1930-50.

All those instruments, all had to be perfect, often with no rehearsal. If one person made a mistake, everything was a write-off.

Awe inspiring skill, if you think about it.

Code: Select all

If you end up considering a computer interface don't rule out PCI devices as well if you have slots available. I still like my PCI interface. It must be getting close to 20 years old now, been through countless Linux distros and has always worked perfectly. I can use any pre amp I want with it as it has standard balanced inputs.
It occurred to me that I'd have problems with multiple USB interfaces. I believe this is a stereo mic, but TBH it is already feeling more complicated than the Tascam.

https://www.bluemic.com/en-us/products/snowball/

I think on reflection I'm sticking with the Tascam for now. There is nothing simpler, though I think there should be.
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Re: Should I carry on with my Tascam DP-006, or would I be better with Audacity?

Post by bluzee »

The Snowball appears to be a multi pattern but still mono microphone.

If you wish simple but gain some microphone flexibility there are some mixers that have built in SD card recorders. Presonus is one company that has these. You get fairly good quality preamps with phantom power that can allow you to use your choice of microphone (*not* USB). Just setup your mix and press the record button.

With all this gear quality of course is relative and highly subjective.
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