TASCAM DP-02CF

As you read this review and others, keep in mind the price. $300 is an awesome bargain if the DAW gives you everything you need.

The DP-02CF is a desktop unit that connects to the computer solely for data import/export purposes. It uses compact flash cards of just about any size you can find (and includes a 1G card), so that's a big plus. HOWEVER, for smaller cards, on which space is a major concern, YOU HAVE NO CONTROL OVER THE PARTITIONING. The partition divides the card between the TASCAM portion and the computer interface (FAT) portion. On a 1G card, it automatically creates two 500M partitions. Don't need 500MB for the FAT partition? Tough. On a 4G card, it automatically generates two 2G partitions. I don't need that much in the FAT partition! That's what my computer hard drive is for! *sigh* Anyway, keep that in mind when buying CF cards for the thing.

The unit has a nifty undo history feature, eliminating the fear associated with experimentation. It doesn't cover things like changing levels and such, but it does let you record and erase without worry. How could this possibly be a bad thing? Well, you can't set how many levels the history covers. It goes from when you turned on the unit. Period. Remember what I said about the partitioning? You will find that the 1G CF card fills up VERY quickly. Your only option is to clear out the history altogether.

I think my biggest gripe with the unit is the lack of a reverb effect. Yeah, I know it's a budget DAW and the DP-02 version has effects. But reverb is essential and ubiquitous. The Micro BR has reverb at a lower price. How does this not have it? Not even a crummy "make do until you can buy something better" reverb? To me, that's inexcusable in this day and age.

Otherwise, you get a high-contrast LCD display with easy-to-navigate menus and a VU meter (though it's difficult to tell how close you are to clipping). You get 8 individual channels -- no stereo/combined faders -- which is unheard of and a welcome feature (although a couple of fader bars to connect stereo channels would have been nice to include). EQ with the ability to adjust the frequency range is another thing you wouldn't expect on a budget unit, but here it is.

Finally, the sound is simply awesome for a unit this price. Still, it only records at 16-bit, which drastically limits its usefulness.

USB 2.0 connection (1.1 will work) for computer data transfers.

The preamps are decent enough (though direct mic input is rather weak). You shouldn't connect an instrument directly into it, though. I go through my Vox ToneLab (even for the mic), and that works out quite well.

Other info can be found on the TASCAM website.

AC-powered, with phantom power.

16-bit, 44.1 kHz

Guess you won't see many of these in Nashville.

So here's the thing: the unit is sleek and easy to use. It makes recording fun, and it's very easy to get a good sound. It's the intangibles that really make this thing stand out. It's also a great way to cut your teeth on recording and figure out the features you need and ones you can do without. But at 16-bit, it really isn't anything more than a toy. And compact flash is expensive, so the price may jump if you plan to do a lot of recording.

For me, this was a stop-gap purchase. I needed to make some backing tracks, and this was what I could afford at the moment. I'm not the least bit sorry I bought it, and for this purpose it is very useful (and the mixes sounds far better than with my Micro BR). So I would not hesitate to recommend it or to buy another one. But if you're looking for a long-term solution, maybe something to cut a demo on, this isn't it.