Tascam DR-100 Sound Samples

G

ggrantly

Veteran
Hello Listers,

There was some interest in the Tascam DR100 and how it compared to the rest of the PDR pack. I went ahead and purchased one and wanted to give you some initial impressions and some samples.

Overall, it pretty much kills the H4. There are buttons for any important stuff, though they are scattered all over, even on the backside. The display and menu navigation is light years ahead of my H4. This alone made it worth it to me. Sound quality with external phantom powered mics is very good.

There are a few quirks:

Phantom is all on or all off so no mixing dynamic with condenser. So if you want to run a shotgun and a lav, you will need a mixer in front.

I haven't quite figured out the best "line in" configuration yet. What Tascam labels as line in, doesn't use the XLR connectors. They have a 3.5mm stereo plug labeled line in, so it would be a kluge to run a mixer output into that unbalanced input. You can turn off the phantom to the XLRs and use them for line in, but I doubt that bypasses the preamps. Using a mixer does allow you to turn the input gain on the Tascam way down.

The backup power scheme is pretty cool, it has both L-Ion and AA and you can select which to use first and use the other for backup. It charges via USB, but you can't do anything except download files unless you buy the optional AC wall wart.

I consider the construction of the DR-100 superior to the Zoom. Not bullet proof, but better.


So what do you get? I am happy to be rid of the zoom interface which I had real heatburn with. If you felt that way, you will be very happy with the Tascam. You get much more manual control via switches. While not a perfect interface, it is a league or so above the Zoom. I was pleasantly surprised at the sound quality using phantom and decent condensors. The backup battery scheme is pretty cool.

What you don't get: the onboard mics suck. This is no problem for me as I didn't intend to use them much anyway. The line in issue will require more research. Using a mixer in front doesn't hurt the sound quality and reaps more control and gain. Not being able to use the unit while charging by usb is pretty goofy, so plan on buying the AC wall wart. Onboard and dynamic mics require cranking the gain way up to get enough volume.

I have some sound samples and will post them up as soon as I figure out how. Could someone suggest the best way to post up mp3 files?

Best Regards,
Grant
 
Dynamic mics shouldn't be at all impacted by phantom power, the only time you can really run into trouble is when using older ribbon mics that aren't wired to spec. In the live sound world, most smaller (<16ch or so) boards just have a single phantom power switch that will enable phantom on all the mic channels. In 12+ years, I've never had a problem with a dynamic and phantom power.

As for line in, maybe just go from the tape out on the mixer to the little 1/8" line in on the tascam. Overall, It sounds like the DR-100 compares to the H4N a lot like the DR-07 to the H2.
 
Last edited:
Nice review...thanks!
Thought this might help with the visuals.....

IMPORTANT NOTICE: No media files are hosted on these forums. By clicking the link below you agree to view content from an external website. We can not be held responsible for the suitability or legality of this material. If the video does not play, wait a minute or try again later.
I AGREE
 
Jordan,

So it is no big deal to have a G2 plugged into 48v?

Earlier today, I called Sound Devices about the line out option you suggest. They siad it would work, but advised against it, thinking it would be pretty hokeypokey; no longer balanced.

Grant
 
I can't honestly remember if I've ever plugged a g2 into a phantom powered channel, but there's never been a problem with any of the other Sennheiser or Shure or even the cheap Samson wireless kits I've used over the last 12+ years.

On edit:

I think I had a rack mounted G2 running into an old Mackie board that had phantom switched on. Sorry I don't have a super clear memory on this, it's not something we really even think about doing live work.
 
Last edited:
What about audio levels? The few small reviews I have read stated that in order to get a decent level it requires the gain to be set to max, decreasing quality.

Was this not the case in your experience?
 
Rallymatt,

Yes sort of. using the AT4053db and the oktava hyper, there was less gain required, and sounded great. Using the internal mics, or a RE50, did require lots of gain and did introduce some noise (hiss), not so good.

Using a 302, the hot output eliminated the issue entirely.

The moral of the story with this recorder is onboard mic recording is ok for loud music venues only. For dialogue, using condensors with phantom is good. Using a mixer in front is good. Having said that, the menus and switch controls are pretty good, but as a stand alone for ambient using onboard mics....it sucks.

Just plan on bringing a phantom powered external mic or a mixer and whatever, and your life will be very good indeed.

Grant
 
ggrantly said:
Rallymatt,

Yes sort of. using the AT4053db and the oktava hyper, there was less gain required, and sounded great. Using the internal mics, or a RE50, did require lots of gain and did introduce some noise (hiss), not so good.

Using a 302, the hot output eliminated the issue entirely.

The moral of the story with this recorder is onboard mic recording is ok for loud music venues only. For dialogue, using condensors with phantom is good. Using a mixer in front is good. Having said that, the menus and switch controls are pretty good, but as a stand alone for ambient using onboard mics....it sucks.

Just plan on bringing a phantom powered external mic or a mixer and whatever, and your life will be very good indeed.

Grant
Click to expand...

Have you had a chance to use a Zoom H4N? I cannot decide between the 2.

The Zoom has 4 channel recording, supposedly better mics and possibly cleaner preamps with more gain.

The DR100 has a nicer case, better buttons, headphone and line output but possibly low gain and more noise on some XLR mics.

Any recommendation on one or the other?
 
Rallymatt,

To clarify and expand on my experience regarding the Tascam DR-100 versus the H4, (I haven't used the H4N):

The DR-100 menu system and display are superior. The construction is better. It has a wireless remote.

The DR-100 sound output using phantom powered mics is very good in my opinion, due to better preamps. Dynamic mics are a challenge unless the sound pressure is fairly high.

The DR-100 recording scheme is superior to the H4 in every way. It has better meters, better limiters, better headphone monitoring and much better trim control. You will need to use the high gain position for most everything; the pres could use a little more gain overall. If you run a mixer in front, this is a non-issue. And, using phantom powered mics, it isn't a problem.

The DR-100 onboard mics are pretty mediocre, but the hypers are way better than the omnis, which are all but useless. I think the onboards on the H4 are slightly better.

The dual battery system on the DR-100 is much more secure. Buy the optional AC adapter to be fully functional.

The sound quality of the DR-100 unbalanced line input is still up in the air. I'll have a cable in a couple of days and test a 302 in front of it. As time permits, I'll post up some sound samples.

My conclusion: If I were doing ambient or music recording with the onboard mics, the H4 might have marginally better sound. For any serious recording, using external mics, the DR-100 is very good, primarily due to the monitoring and controls. Even if the sound were equivalent, the DR-100 brings a lot more to the table. The controls and monitoring on the DR-100 are good enough that you could do a lot of work with it, a couple of mics, and no mixer. The H4, for what it was, met my expectations. The menus system and controls just drove me to bouts of Tourettes Syndrome.

BH is selling the DR for $304 with a 2gig card. The wall wart is additional. Sorry I can't give you any H4N info, but they are pretty close in price to the DR-100

Best Regards,
Grant
 
ggrantly said:
So if you want to run a shotgun and a lav, you will need a mixer in front.
Click to expand...

Hey Grant,

What do you mean "need a mixer in front?" What if you're a one man band? How are you gonna hold the mixer if you're shooting at the same time? Please enlighten me on this one. I'm using a Canon 7D.

ggrantly said:
Phantom is all on or all off so no mixing dynamic with condenser.
Click to expand...

No wonder I hear a loud noise, very loud actually whenever I plug in my Sennheiser G2 wireless lav and when the phantom power is on.

Phantom power is needed for my shotgun mic to work.

Hmmmmmnn...now I know. That's why I returned it already 'coz I thought the unit was defective. I've been bothered by this and it has no use for me. I needed something to have the ability to record a shotgun mic and a lav mic at the same time. I'm really disappointed with the DR-100.

Here's the link to the loud sound problem:

http://blip.tv/file/3620821

Anyway, do you guys know any device with XLR connectors that can handle a shotgun mic and a wireless lav at the same time? I'm gonna use it to shoot weddings. Thanks in advance...Cheers!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top