Tascam DR-10L portable recorder

[Jim Watt]

Has anyone used these units. They look really slick and could be perfect to have multiple audio channels going without a mixer.

thx...Jim

[Richard Crowley]

Looks nice. But remember that the great disadvantage of independent recording is that you cannot monitor it. You can't tell if the level is OK, or the mic fell off, or even if it is running.

[Noa Put]

It depends where you will be using such a recorder, if you are in a environment where you can stop an interview or a live performance to fix a lost signal or malfunctioning transmitter then monitoring the sound can be considered a crucial part of the job but when you use it on weddings you can't tell the priest to stop talking while you fix your audio problems, even if you hear something is wrong you can't do anything about it anyway. For weddings any recorder that transmits it's signal wireless is not that popular as they are prone to short signal loss which can ruin your audio, that's why it's preferable to use 2 separate recorders like the DR-10L so one serves as a back up for the other and you never will have to deal with any signal loss, you could even have different levels on both or use a limiter to avoid distortion and if you forget to turn them on, well, you won't forget next time. :)

[Steven Davis]

Hey Noah,

What do you think about this setup? The reason I ask is, I'm looking at another Senn G3 or maybe try this setup.

[Oren Arieli]

I have this unit, and other than a relatively low recorded level with my matchstick mic, I find them handy. The backup recording feature is a great boon, since you can't monitor your level..but I've never experience clipping because of the aforementioned low pre-gain levels. I do wish they offered more than a L/M/H setting, as I'd love to set the level manually, then have the security of a -6dB safety track.
Using it as a backup for a wireless is a smart move, since your sole point of failure then becomes the physical connection to the microphone (or possibly poor placement and rubbing noise). It's well worth the price. I believe the US spec'd model does not allow for this functionality due to some ridiculous patent infringement law, so if you can get the EU model (which I did), you'll have that pass-through capability.

[Bruce Watson]

Originally Posted by Oren Arieli

I believe the US spec'd model does not allow for this functionality due to some ridiculous patent infringement law, so if you can get the EU model (which I did), you'll have that pass-through capability.

It's Tascam's fault. It's not the law's fault -- Tascam refused to pay the license fee to the patent holder (Zaxcom, IIRC). Therefore they are not allowed to sell the technology here. That's the whole point of patent law; it allows the inventor a 20 year monopoly on selling their invention so that the inventor might have a chance to pay off the R&D effort of creating said invention. Without this protection the act of invention becomes a high risk / low reward endeavor.

As to illegally importing a device into the US, this just circumvents the law, cheats the patent holder out of his legally protected fee, and in the process makes the invention less profitable to the patent holder. Not only is this illegal, but it's also just wrong.

Google's old motto is still a good one: "Don't be evil."

[Richard Crowley]

The Zazcom patent is prime evidence that the whole US patent system is profoundly broken. That they could get a patent for something so obvious shows that the USPTO is completely out of control.

[Rick Reineke]

IMO, 99.9% of the Zax recording transmitter buyers would not have bought the Tascam anyway, or visa versa for Tascam buyers, so again IMO, a waste of $$ in legal fees for everyone.

[Steven Davis]

I looked at the Zaxcom as a system wide use, but good grief, I'd have to mortgage my house. I wonder if them sitting on the patent is the reason they feel justified in charging crazy money for their stuff. I just don't think it's that special, I could be wrong I guess. But with their recorder being 10 times the price of the Tascam, it's like the rich dude that has all the water rights to a town and charges crazy money to the town folk for ever ounce. Just be cause he can.

[Steven Digges]

Sorry Rick...You may never work again! I clicked on the B&H link to check these out and I LOL at 29 seconds on the B&H promo video. Rob from B&H actually says "these units allow you to work without a boom mic or to eliminate the audio guy"!!!

As humorous as I find that, it is also interesting. Why would B&H even say that? Why would they take a chance on pissing off the pro audio community when part of their bread and butter is the pro audio community. I can only surmise it is as Rick said earlier in this thread. The high end of pro and the pro-summer categories have little in common when it comes to audio gear. No matter what Rob at B&H says a lot of guys like Rick will be working next week and B&H will be filling theeir kits with gear from SD, Sanken, Lectro etc......

Steve

[Oren Arieli]

Not trying to stir the pot here, but I remember when Litepanels was trying to corner the market for LED lights, which would make us all beholden to buy their units and patiently wait for them to trickle down improvements like COB LED chips, higher CRI/TLCI units, and other advancements that only came about because of healthy competition.

I'll go out on a limb Bruce and guess that you own LED's other than the Litepanels brand.

NextWaveDV – Litepanels is trying to block the import and sale of LED photo and video lighting in the US [UPDATE 7]

I'm not saying that we should all flaunt the law because we feel like it. And buying a unit overseas to bring it back here would not have been considered illegal. If Zaxxcom was an affordable option, I'd have gone for it.

[Jay Massengill]

The US model does have a headphone jack output, so if I actually had one and wanted to monitor or record the pass-through signal at short range, I would use one of my Wi Digital stereo transmitters.

I do this a lot with other types of remote recorders and wireless mic base stations, but I haven't put one on a person. I would keep the range really short in that case if they are walking, turning and gesturing in a room full of other 2.4gHz sources.

I'm just pointing out that with the correctly made cable and a suitable transmitter, it would be possible to re-transmit the headphone output of the US model even though it doesn't have the genuine pass-through jack.

[Paul R Johnson]

We had a similar system in the UK where camcorders for sale in the UK had disabled line inputs. This started in the late 70s - and was always extremely annoying - in our case a duty issue = it made the camcorder a video recorder, which had extra tax levied on it - so all manufacturers disabled external recording. We just lived with it.

[Dan Brockett]

I've had my DR-10L for about six months and have only deployed it a few times. I have one as a back up to my wireless lavaliere systems. I have a few UHF and and few of the Røde Video Wireless Lavs which operate at 2.5 ghz. The Tascam is pretty sweet little recorder but yes, the lack of monitoring means it is the last thing I will use. But like all of the other tools in the tool box, it does have it's place and is much better than not using any mic.

[David Peterson]

Can't afford wireless? (as anything below a G3/UWP-D11 is junk) Don't care if you can't monitor your audio??? :-o (straight to audio hell you go!)

Then boy oh boy does B&H have an end of year deal for you, the Tascam DR10L is once again going for only US$139:

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...2855/KBID/3801