Tascam DR-1 Portable Digital Audio Recorder

The Tascam DR-1 24-bit Solid-State Recorder

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These days, portable audio recorders are almost as plentiful as USB microphones. Most of the major pro-audio players have released, or plan on releasing, a portable recorder. It seems like (or maybe it was?) just a few years ago that only a few options were available in the hand held category of pro/pro-sumer recorders. That playing field has changed drastically and my take is that it’s all about Citizen Journalism and New Media. The days of needing a strong arm and big microphone to capture pro audio are dwindling.

Enter the Tascam DR-1. Just hearing (or typing) the name brings back fond memories as I glance over to my faithful 22-2 reel-to-reel deck. What a beauty. Tascam also was my cassette player of choice for 80’s mix tapes. Ah, metal cassette tape. …but I digress

Most portable recorders in this price class have very similar features, such as LCD displays, electret mics, plug-in power, headphone monitoring and line in/out. I’ll highlight some of the unique offerings of the DR-1:

Lithium-Ion Battery – very efficient formulation. The battery can be slow-charged using the (included) USB cable or fast-charged with an (optional) dedicated charger. Lithium batteries are very potent and this one is rechargeable right from your computer, but unlike AA models, you can’t just pop in a new set of batteries from any corner store.

Overdub – This allows you to record on TOP of your original recording. If you like impromptu karaoke, this may be fun.

Playback pitch change – This is a cool feature that plays your recording back faster, while NOT changing pitch. Have you ever recorded a “slow talker” lecture and wanted to skim through it quickly?

MP3 recording on the DR-1 is selectable up to 320kbps/48kHz. WAV (uncompressed) recording is selectable up to 24-bit/48kHz.

Operating the DR-1 and navigating menus was very easy thanks to a nice tactile feel and the “control wheel” that felt very comfortable in my hands. Already inserted (at least in my unit) was a SanDisk brand 1GB SD card. The DR-1 is SDHC compatible for extended recording. Typical Tascam quality is just what I’ve come to expect and the fit/finish of this recorder lives up to it.

Of course, the most important question… How does it sound?

That’s why we love to create the show! Listen in as Laura and I try out the Tascam DR-1 recorder.

“Gear you can Hear!” This is NewMediaGear.com.

Street Price at Publish Time – $299.00

Here is a Handy Feature Comparison of Portable Audio Recorders from BSW