TASCAM DP02 (Review)

[Rata-tat-tat]

Here's my TASCAM DP 02 Review (So Far)

Likes:

1.   Like the 2 bus input for A & B... you have the choice of Balance XLR or ¼ inch Mono.
2.   Recording 2 tracks simultaneously is nice... this allows for track separation during live sessions.
3.   Like the ability to plug in USB for data transfer
4.   The ability to be able to burn CD's on the unit is very handy when you are out and about.
5.   The track arm lights are nice prevents you from accidentally recording over previously recorded tracks.
6.   Mastering is easy by recording while manipulating tracks manually. This is handy for fade ins and outs.
7.   The LED allows you to perform various editing functions easily.
8.   Onboard effects are nice and you can add reverb for dual effects.


Dislikes:

1.   You have to open a USB session every time you want to share the hard rive with another computer. You cannot multitask on this machine... so you have to stop what you're doing on the unit... and open a USB session. If you were able to just leave the USB session open... you could manipulate data while the DP02 was performing another function...like creating waves and so on.
2.   You have to save your session every time prior to power down (No prompts)... there are no warnings prior to shutdown... if you forget to save... your data is gone "Forever". Already happened to me twice...and it really bums me. There should be an auto save feature.
3.   You cannot use effects on both channels simultaneously... even though this did help me achieve a drum sound I was looking for and did not have to copy the drum track on DAW to manipulate. One session recording a drum track 1 A (Effects/ Compression) track 2 B (Dry/ Compression). Both tracks combined on playback gave some really interesting results; however, I think you should be able to choose whether you would like to apply effect to both channels if you so choose.
4.   The wav export takes forever.
5.   The only type of file that the FAT partition will read is 16 bit WAV (Mono).  Most files I receive via email are in MP3 (Stereo). I have to convert to WAV and convert to mono before I can import to the DP 02. This is very time consuming.


Over all this was a great addition to my studio... but I believe these dislikes are going to prompt me to look into something else in the near future.

V/R
Tod