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TASCAM Portacapture X8 - Portable 6+2-Track High-Resolution 32-bit float/192-kHz Recorder, usb2.0

£244.5£489.00Clearance
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About this deal

Total harmonic distortion ratio (THD+N, 1 kHz sine wave, –5 dBFS at input, GAIN at minimum, 20 kHz SPCL LPF) Once you turn on your Tascam Portacapture X8, the interactive coloured screen lets you choose the setting that best represents your need. You can choose between: Portacapture X8 records in 32-bit floating point for plenty of headroom. In my tests I recorded a handful of loud bangs and crashes. Interrogating those recordings in my DAW, I was pleased to see that the Portacapture had retained the full waveform without distortion. The biggest limitations on peaking will likely be the dynamic range of your microphones. I tested this with my own mics plugged into Inputs 3&4 as I did not want to risk damaging the supplied mics. Included Mics and Input 5/6, Phantom power used, Stereo-WAV-Recording; 44,1 kHz / 24 Bit; POWER SAVE MODE on 5:30:00 Really love the built-in effects (i.e. Noise Gate, Compressor, EQ, Reverb etc...), they're pretty good and useful and alot of more expensive units don't include all of these things.

If an item can not be repaired, a similar alternative product or cash discount (as defined in this policy) will be offered Manual: This one is, for me, the key app. It’s where every setting can be tweaked and you have complete control. It uses a mixer metaphor and is pretty straightforward to use. Facilities include, among other useful things, a simple compressor and EQ. However, the smallness of the touchscreen and number of different parameters you can change using this app mean you have to be pretty precise with your finger... though I did find a very usable workaround via Bluetooth, of which more in the separate box. Wireless remote control is possible via the TASCAM Portacapture Control using the optional AK-BT1 Bluetooth dongle with your Android or iOS device. Included Mics and Input 5/6, Phantom power used, Stereo-WAV-Recording; 44,1 kHz / 24 Bit; POWER SAVE MODE on 10:00:00 Voice. Tascam say that with this app you can “record vlogs, interviews, voice messages (mono‑mix recordings)”, and that’s pretty much all there is to it. Select the app, adjust the gain by touching the microphone icon, drag the level up and down (you can adjust it pretty precisely using the physical wheel), and you can start recording. Note that if using the 32‑bit floating‑point recording format there’s so much dynamic range available that you don’t need to be at all fussy about the recording levels: just set the gain so that the loudest noises won’t risk clipping the input circuity and you’re good to go — see the separate box for more on 32‑bit recording.

As a cost option, Tascam are also offering the AK-BT1 Bluetooth adaptor, which you can use to connect the X8 to a mobile device for remote operation. Ready for action. No matter where you are, the X8 is always ready to record. It comes complete with 4 x AA batteries which can power the unit for up to 11 hours. Alternatively, you can use other power sources for convenience including USB bus power or an AC adapter (not included). With USB bus power you can also utilise Phantom Power to incorporate external condenser microphones.

The Portacapture X8 comes with two large 14.6mm diameter built-in condenser microphones. With the TASCAM developed HDDA mic preamps, these microphones are well suited for high quality audio recording and can easy be set for A-B and X-Y microphone patterns. Please note that this extended warranty is currently only available on products sold within the UK, EU or EEA, and is subject to the terms and conditions as detailed on the extended warranty certificate provided.CAMERA/EXT input allows audio recorded on a camera to be monitored and also supports audio input of wireless microphones and more On the underside, a quarter‑inch threaded insert enables mounting on a camera tripod; if you’d prefer a mic stand then 1/4 to 3/8‑inch adaptors are widely available. There is also a cold shoe adaptor, should you want to mount the Portacapture directly on a camera. The Portacapture can function as an eight‑input, two‑output audio interface. App Appeal Slate tones can be added automatically or manually to simplify synchronization of video files when editing All the files in a project share a common filename that’s derived from a root name you can specify (otherwise it defaults to ‘Tascam_’). There will be a mono audio file for each active mic, or a stereo file if two mics are stereo linked. There will also be a file for a mix of the active mics. New projects will take the current root filename and increment a number to identify it uniquely, eg. ‘Tascam_0023’. For naming things there is a neat on‑screen virtual keyboard.

With its 2 built-in large format stereo mics, 4 XLR inputs with support for both mic and line-level, AUX-IN, LINE OUT, and CAMERA IN/OUT terminals, the Portacapture X8 provides an abundance of IN/OUT choices for multiple recording scenarios. The 3.5mm CAMERA EXT/IN connector also supports audio input of wireless microphones and more. Additionally, the Portacapture X8 is equipped with a CAMERA/LINE output with an attenuation function that allows for sending audio to external devices such as cameras. The Portacapture X8 ships with several pre-installed apps. These include a digital metronome and tuner, which I think are both awesome ideas. The recording apps, offer a preconfigured system setup for typical recording situations. There is an ASMR (Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response) app a Music app a Podcast app and they all define how many channels on offer to record; the recording format; and how the device functions. All of these can be bypassed by using the Manual app which reveals the full range of functionality. The simplified hardware interface veers away from the complexity of former gear: the prominent gain trim and diminutive transport controls are localized to the lower part of the unit.Note: When using phantom power, the operation time might be reduced, depending on the mic being used. Power supply: 4 AA batteries (alkaline, Ni-MH or lithium-ion), USB bus power from a computer, AC adapter (TASCAM PS-P520U, sold separately) For customers in outlying areas of the country, the price of the Extended Warranty may be marginally higher, due to the potential for higher collection and redelivery transport costs.

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