So what do we think of our Tascam DR60Ds?

J

Josh Bass

Veteran
Talking about the somewhat new recorder/mixer (sort of. . .has some mixer-ish controls at any rate) that runs $350. It's been out for a while now but I'm finding review material hard to find for some reason. Was thinking of getting one to replace my less user-friendly Tascam DR07/ Sound Devices 302 combo. Not that I'd get rid of either of those things but the DR60D is a more compact all in one solution.

Issues I've heard about that make me hesitant:

-audible (as in, would show up in recordings) "clicking" when adjusting gain pots. Kind of a deal breaker. Isn't being able to adjust volume/gain on the fly one of the main functions of these types of devices? Might have been in the early releases but fixed now? Anyone know?

-poor battery draw - i.e. murders batteries too quickly to be useful. Again, might have just been a single user's bad experience. Couldn't find much in the way of reviews. Does it come with an AC supply?
 
I have one. I like it for what it is. Here's the thing that everyone has to remember with devices like this:

It's $350

You aren't going to get Sound Devices or Zaxcom performance out of a unit like this.

The unit I was given did not come with an a/c power supply. I've only run it on batteries, and to be honest with you, I haven't run it long enough to drain the batteries. Just used it once for a quick video to test it out. My 744t is still my go to recorder.

Yes, when you turn the knobs you get a zipper effect, but this happened on the Deva II which was a $9000 recorder. Granted, that was back in the early 2000's, but everyone just put a mixer in front of it. If I were using the DR-60D, I'd probably put a mixer in front of it as well and come line level in. That's just how I roll with ALL low cost recorders. To me, it seems like mic pre's are put in just as a courtesy on these things.

In terms of battery life, it really depends on how many mics you are running and how many are running phantom power. Like I said, I haven't drained mine completely, so I don't know how it performs, but the Tascam rep told be up to 4 hours. It also depends on if you are using alkaline, rechargable NiMH, or lithium ion batteries.

Is it worth the $350? Absolutely. There is nothing on the market that cheap that does what this thing does. Just don't plan on "riding the gain" with it.
 
While we're asking, has anyone compared the noise floor and pre amp with the Tascam DR100 mkII?

Josh Bass said:
-audible (as in, would show up in recordings) "clicking" when adjusting gain pots. Kind of a deal breaker. Isn't being able to adjust volume/gain on the fly one of the main functions of these types of devices?
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I would think that this would only be noticeable if you were recording a constant source and riding the levels. Another thing that makes me think this would be less of an issue is that the DR60 can also record a safety track at -6 or -12 so if you didn't ride your levels you'd still have a lower volume track you could use.
 
I haven't tested it yet, but one thing that's keeping me from getting it it's the crappy form factor, i just can't get over how tall it is, ridiculous size to mount under the camera imo, just looks too unbalanced.

tascam-dr60-rig.jpg
 
Well if im going to use a mixer i might as well stick with the tascam dr07. Its proven itself several times and ive only had a problem with it once where it refused to stop recording (i had to take the batteries out cause it wouldn't even power down). I suspect this was pilot error as we were outside and it was sitting in direct sunlight for a while. Since then its worked fine. Sound quality is fine, especially fed from 302. Reason i looked into 60d was all-in-one factor combined with how it screws into cam.
 
I have both the dr-60D and the H6 Definitely like the Tascam more. Done many shoot with both and the Tascam has less noise. This Sunday we are doing the last test between two. For DSLRs. tascam is the winner. For general all purpose recorder go with H6.

As for attaching it with the DSLR, the Tascam works better, as you can be a one man crew and being able to look at the camera and the Tascam without too much of head/body adjustment, whereas with the Zoom, you may need to get a ladder since it is attached above.. or you may need to get a cage or magic arm or a hotshoe to make Zoom work...

The tests I've done so far has been using the Sennheiser MKE600 and the Audio Technica at8035 set at same distance, use the same similar level settings on both.

I do like the form factor of the Tascam but the battery life sucks, which is why I use Eneloop's batteries.

I like the 'swiss army knife' styled of the Zoom but I do not like the menu/option buttons on the side, making it very hard to select.

1077925_10151794143561351_1514172525_n.jpg1175591_10151794150556351_515763640_n.jpgphoto 2.jpg
 
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All, yesterday we did a test with audio engineer Jordan and here is what we found. Tascam DR-60D preamp noise is 30 db less than Zoom H6. Really low overall. Zoom H6 preamp is still better than the Zoom H4n. Video will be out this Thursday.
 
I just used the DR 60 on two busy location shoots, one in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, the other in Honk Kong and Shanghai. It's light, easy to use and remarkable value for the price. The dual recording mode is worth the price of admission alone, but don't expect something built like a tank.
 
Buy an expensive tripod and fluid head, and mount my cam on top of the DR60? I can't even imagine having the dr60 UNDER my cam on a tripod. Did anyone say balance or rigid mounting for the cam. Who thunk that up? If you were hand held, running-gunning, that is one thing, but on a tripod?

Grant
 
mdifilm said:
All, yesterday we did a test with audio engineer Jordan and here is what we found. Tascam DR-60D preamp noise is 30 db less than Zoom H6. Really low overall. Zoom H6 preamp is still better than the Zoom H4n. Video will be out this Thursday.
Click to expand...

Could you please describe your test procedure in some detail? 30 dB is an enormous difference.

Fran
 
I think the tripod mounting thing is great. One of the reasons i began looking into it. Same design idea on the mixpre-d. Otherwise as a one man operation you have to get a mixer bag and wrap it around your sticks or some other awkward mounting option.
 
Josh Bass said:
I think the tripod mounting thing is great. One of the reasons i began looking into it. Same design idea on the mixpre-d. Otherwise as a one man operation you have to get a mixer bag and wrap it around your sticks or some other awkward mounting option.
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Yeah but the MixPre-D has much flatter and wider design, giving the camera a better and more stable base.
 
So that seems annoying, but if you repeated that same test with dialog the steps are hardly noticeable. Honestly, how much are you going to ride the levels that much anyway? It records 24-bit audio and it has a limiter so you don't need to set your gain to anywhere near the clipping level. The SNR is mostly determined by how quiet the environment is and how close to the source you are, not the digital noise floor of the recorder. And if your actor yells, the limiter will be much faster and reliable than riding levels manually.
 
FWIW, today only B&H has the DR-60D for $149.00 with free shipping. At this price it's probably worth taking a chance - in the worst case, you lose $150.
 
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