Equipment Review
Product Reviewed:
DA-38 Digital Multitrack Recorder
Made by: Tascam
Cost: $1899 USD
Submitted by Slider
Rating: 
Features:
8 tracks of 16 bit digital recording on a HI-8 tape. 44.1K and 48K sample frequencies. 8 analog unbalanced RCA inputs/outputs; balanced digital inputs/outputs use a 25 pin D-sub connector. Toggle wheel for quick rewind/FF. Digital displays for each track. Functions include an internal digital patchbay, 2 programable locate points, auto punch in/out and rehearsal modes, track delay, internal track copy, varispeed, and pitch control. Fully syncable with DA-88s, DA-98s, and the new DA-78HR.
Technical Specifications:
N/A
What I liked:
This machine has really served me well! I bought into the digital realm because of the low noise floor, pristine recordings, and ease of use, and so far all of that is true. The tapes are relatively cheap, dont take up much space, and have a typically long recording time. It is pretty user friendly, and the manual easy to follow. There is no loss of signal when I internally bounce one track to another. I love the digital patchbay on this thing since it will internally route the signal from any input or track to any other track you wish. This means no repatching. The rewind and fast forward functions are quick, and the toggle wheel really comes in handy for fine tuning your punch-in spots. I also love how seamless the punch-ins are on this thing. You cant even hear them if they are performed well by the engineer. I also appreciate the auto punch-in/out feature. This allows you to concentrate on playing and not punching in. Overall a great investment, which even pays off in compatability with larger studios, since these are popular machines in t
What I didn't:
I dont like having to format the tapes since it takes about 100 minutes for each tape, but this is a small price to pay and comes with the territory. Just format while you are watching a thrilling episode of Ally McBeal. lol Another 2-3 location points would be nice
User Tips:
Go to the Tascam site to get some function tips they dont put in the manual. Make sure you format every tape before using it. Use good quality HI-8 tapes such as BASF and Quantegy.
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