The New Tascam DR-100mkII: Markedly Better

Help!

the playback speed seems to be slower than the actual recorded speed and also, the sound is "shakeing" on playback.

hello everyone

i want to record 2 external xlr mic at the same time with dr100 mkii. but from different source. So can i hear the sound while i'm recording from left and right channels separately? there will be two different sound and i have to check both left and right channels. is it possible to listen sepatately? Or is device going to let me hear just mix of the two channels?

Hello to all of you,

I noticed a strong humming when recording with my new Tascam DR 100 Mark II when the ac charger is attached(charging). Is there any chance in getting this solved?

Thank you very much for your suggestions,

Cheers,

Michael

Hi there,

I love using the TASCAM DR100– MK2 for interviews however, I recently purchased 2 x lav mics (Rode Smart Lav Plus) as well as a 3.5MM adapter (RODSC3) and breakout box (RODSC6) and I am not hearing any audio. In fact, no sound is coming through the mics whatsoever. I have switched the input to LINE 2, still nothing is getting picked up. 

What am I doing wrong? 

I have a Tascam DR100. I am looking for a real good omni lav mic that would hook into it's XLR port and also to be used with my Sony wirelass bodypack set (UTX-B03 & UTXP03). I do a lot of documentary interviews and a lot of voiceover narration. Please advise good omni lav mic alternatives along with 10' and 25' XLR cables.

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Hi, I am in the wedding business and need to record voices with lavalier mics. What kind of lav mic do you suggest to buy (brand and model) to make them work with this TASCAM unit? I have been to much trouble with other users that can not get to work together, so before buy lav mics I need to have some advice on this matter.  Your help with be appreciated. Regards

Thanks so much for the great intro to the DR-100 MKii. Based on your review, I asked around and found someone locally with this TASCAM dig recorder. However, I am trying to use my Rode videomic lavalier with it; even used the XLR adapter, but simply cannot get the Rode to work with the DR-100 - input either through side 3.5mm jack ("line 2") or through either XLR plug. Any notion what I am doing wrong? Or does this combination of Rode lav mic and Tascam digital recorder just not work? Thanks again! Russ

I presently own the Tascam DR-100. I'm looking to do some recording of LP's and wondering if I can connect my turntable via the Line In jack (located on the side of the unit.

R~

Hello,

I am planning on buying this recorder for our wedding videography business but read a user comment saying that the internal microphones could not record audio if external microphones are being used at the same time. This seemed odd so I wanted to clarify whether this is correct.

Our plan is to use the built-in microphones to record ambient noise and to pair that with a wireless lav plugged into one of the inputs which will record the minister, speakers etc.

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Stewart

Hi,

I am a transcriptionist working on an audio recorded on this device. From your description, I think there would be fabulous sound. However, it's one of the worst audios I've ever worked with. First of all, there's a terrible hum/static sort of sound that makes it impossible to turn up the volume and obscures the voices. Some of the voices fade in and out. What might cause this? What can be done to prevent this? Is there something the recorder should sit upon that would help? Any advice in terms of getting a high quality recording the next time with this recorder would be appreciated.

Also, for this audio, he is recording a meeting where there are 13-15 participants. Is this recorder capable of getting what everyone says? If so, how can the recorder be situated best to pick up what everyone says? The audio now only picks up the voices of people nearest to it.

Any tips would be greatly appreciated. It sounds like he bought a fabulous recorder but...

Lisa

I'm sure I am overlooking something fairly obvious here but..I am trying to record audio from a sound board and using a xlr cable plugged into the left xlr input. It works ok but I am only getting sound from the left side of my headphones or speakers when I put it on the computer. Is this because I need to have 2 xlr cables in both inputs to get audio from the left and right side? I was hoping to use one input for the soundboard audio and one for a wireless lav mic..but if I'm only going to get the audio coming from the right or left sides later..

Also is there a way to fix this in post for the files I already have?
Thanks!

I am planning to use Tascam DR100 MKii with SD MixPre-D using the Line out from MixPre to Line in in Tascam. I know that Tascam offers both 4dB and -10dB line ins? I would like to go the pro way? How can I do this? Which cable should I use?

Thanks.

Thanks for the great information on this recorder. I'm just getting into HDSLR video and am looking for a durable digital recorder. I don't anticipate recording more than two channels at a time. I'm currently using the Rode Videomic Pro as an external mic but anticipate adding more. Great sound, build quality, (relatively) small size and ease of use are the most important features to me, in that order. I'm looking at the DR100Mk.II, the new Nagra Lino and the Roland R26 as possible candidates. Do you have any recommendations as to what might best suit my needs?

Thanks!

I've been renting a Marantz PMD661, I'd like to own a recorder, this Tascam looks pretty good, and my new D600 gives me some better options for the camera's onboard backup track, monitoring, metering, etc. (I consider the external linear track the main)
Am I giving anything up on the Tascam over the Marantz? And also, if I wanted to just use the on camera tracks, does the Tascam work more or less like an HDSLR balance adapter...I think so, but there may be spec issues with preamp quality I dont know about...

A couple quick questions

Can one record from a computer through the usb?

I want to confirm that it doesn't solely record from one input at a time (uni, line, etc...). It's possible to simultaneously record from one xlr input, one mini jack, and both on-board mics? And will these be fused onto one track or output as 4 distinct stereo tracks?

Also, could you explain what it means to switch from mic to line input (i feel like i should understand that, but don't - one is balanced??)

thanks a bunch

i have just urchased a DR100 mk2 unit. The firmware version shown in information is 1.00 0025. Is this the current version, and if not where can I find the latest please?

Hi

I have a question about recording multiple tracks at a time, I want to record with a shotgun mic (with phantom power), a levalier mic, and also stereo ambient sound using internal mics simultaneously, but I want the option of adjusting levels in post so it should be recorded to separate tracks.

I notice the DR100mkii says "2-Channel Linear PCM Recorder" and the DR40 is a 4 track recorder, wats the difference? (tracks vs channels).

I understand I can do what I mentioned with the ZoomH4n, but the tascam looks like a better product overall, will I be able to do this with either the DR110 or DR 40? and also might the Olympus LS100 be a good or better option and why?

Thank you!

This is really useful information here, thank you kindly for this piece.  It is particularly insightful to me, a dude who purchased the original model in late '09, and am about to purchase some much-needed kit beefing-up, all B&H selections of course....

The first thing I noticed when shopping was this new "Mark II" model designation--which led me to reading this article--perhaps the only thing on the web that actually told me really just what was happening in the evolution of this recorder.  Of course the Biggest Draw to the DR-100 has always been the XLR's, and application of using the recorder in some semblence of a traditional film-style of shooting using two-system sound.  It seemed to be nearly a capable replacement for a Nagra 4.1 in my book...! albeit leaving a few things out along the way, but offering--well a whole lot for the loot.

In reading this piece, of course I would like to get a new Mark II (when did it go to Mark II anyway!?!), but I will just have to live with the original model ('cause it's paid for) but someday would like to move to the newer model.  The biggest obvious upgrade at first seemed those xlr locks, it is indeed unnerving to not have them when shooting with xlr inputs, that's for sure.  But the spdif I/O is also great idea (no a-to-d conversion--sure makes sense!!), and of course the line level xlr input setting is like a no-brainer and was identified as a real shortcoming when I first got it way back when.

And the mic pre-amp retooling sure seems a good idea, as the original unit is always wanting more gain, that's for sure.  A good shotgun plugged-in makes you see (ok, hear) that immediately, just so much more to work with.

But otherwise this piece has been pretty much a digital dream, so I'll just have to suffer on for the time being.  Have since picked up a DR-2d as well (and about to get another given recent price plummets), and both recorders work well together, swapping cards like some 70's key party or something.

The accessories I am now targeting include:  1) Strut STR-DR100 Audio Case for Tascam DR-100, a beautiful and protective idea for such a great device, looking better than the Porta-Brace versioin in my mind; 2) Rycote Portable Recorder Audio Kit for Tascam DR-100, what a setup!  Stupidly overpriced but hey it's Rycote, all just so darn good.... 3) Tascam BP-6AA External Battery Pack for Handheld Recorders, another great OEM idea, this thing on phantom sucks the juice like crazy.

So thanks again for the discussion, and yes, better audio just never hurts...

Bob, in Columbia, MO

Mark S from B&H made an earlier comment about the "built-in limiter always being on."  Could you go into a little more detail about that, Mark?  The manual does not say anything about it that I noticed.

In my testing, I turned off the limiter with the toggle switch on the back of the DR-100 MKII, and I expected to have no limiting going on.  However, when I purposedly tried to clip with a hot signal, the recorder seems to automatically limit the level to -6 dB — and it sounds terrible, very overmodulated, even though the level does not hit 0 dB.  And, again, this happens with the limiter turned off with the toggle switch on the back.

So am I understanding correctly, that even if you turn the limiter "off" with this switch, the limiter is still working (and sounding very bad)?  

What if you do not want any limiting in your signal path?  Is that possible?

Or, is it truly impossible to reach a signal level of -5 or -3 or -1 dB?  Does this mean that we need to treat a level of -6 dB as the new 0 dB?  

If that is the case, could Tascam give us a firmware update that would actually disengage the limiter, or make it more subtle?  It seems to work like an ugly brick wall at -6 dB.  (My firmware says "ver. 1.0" on the startup screen.)

Very good article.

I have a question regarding the possibility of using the two units along (Tascam DR-100mkII and Sound Devices USBpre): Isn't the Sound Devices powered up by USB only?

 Thank you 

I see no mention of timecode and how it is handled by the Tascam. Is timecode part of the WAV or MP3 format that is exported with audio?

Is the housing really aluminum?  Somone told me that it was plastic, he owns one and is convinced it is plastic.

Thanks so much for all of the info.  There's not a lot out there about this new recorder!

Can you tell me how the external mic preamps in the DR-100 MKII compare to the Roland R-26, and also to the Marantz PMD-661?  I know they are all different price points, but I'm willing to pay more for the Roland, or even the Marantz if they are significantly better.  If this recorder is just as good, or just ever so slightly noisier, then choosing this one would be a no brainer. Thanks!