Tascam Portacapture X8 Review | 32 Bit Audio ROCKS!

[@HarvVideoAudioStuff]

Enjoy guys, poor timing with the X6 announcement wouldn’t you say? 😅

[@COGGYkommunikation]

No, it's good timing. The X8 can still be considered a fresh product and the introduction of the X6 probably means that Tascam believes in the design / product line and that we might be surprised by firmware updates for the X8 longer than we might have expected.. 🙂 Thanks for the good review anyway. The device has some issues but as you have said, it is way more 2023-ish than most if its competitors. If you watch a ZOOM H4n pro - what is it? - backlit LCD? change menu texts for about 3 seconds and experience a start-up-time of 30 seconds, than you know the X8 is a very good device to go with. The internal mics are really great, it feels like an audio-documentary when you record a whole day or evening with your friends. Sometimes even better or more immersive than photos or videos.

[@Growler1660]

You asked how big 32-bit recording is to me. As a one-man-band videographer, a significant portion of my work is recording testimonials for clients. The ability to not have one eye on the record levels continually is a big deal for me. Also the extra bit depth when applying effects (denoiser, compression, etc.) is a definite plus. I have known about and have been researching 32-bit for some time now, just waiting for the right product at the right price. Being a long time user of Tascam products, I am thinking this may be the one. I do need to compare to the X6 and see the differences first. Thank you for the great review!!

[@Capture262]

I love the usability of this product, I think I will push the button and order one soon, thanks for your video

[@HarvVideoAudioStuff]

You won’t regret it 😄

[@TomStrackeOficial]

Hello, I had a hard time here trying to record a guitar that sounded beautiful in my home studio, I failed every time, until I plucked up the courage and decided to invest in the X8 and OMG, it seems like a very shallow comment, but OMFG. 32 bits for a home studio is something that makes a big difference, I have 4 microphones that I usually use in my recordings, two P170, one V67 and one CAD E300. They don't solve perfectly like the X8 does. Anyway, I'm very happy with the purchase, I just think that they could allow us to connect the Metronome to use in the recordings, other than that it's beautiful. Thx for the video

[@jaywong8023]

Are you using the built in mic for recording guitar?

[@TomStrackeOficial]

@@jaywong8023 Yes I do, and I use the DI plugged in ch 3 (it's a fishman earth blend mic) the sound is amazing. My room is not treated, but is a dry sound, no much reverberation. For me worked, no more nightmares hehe

[@franklong6269]

I own the Tascam X8 Portacapture. I considered the MixPre-3 and the Mixpre-6, but after reading reviews, I could not confirm that the sound quality on the MixPre recorders would be significantly better. Further, the ease of use and the touchscreen on the X8 are far superior than the MixPre recorders. I have never seen a review of a side by side comparison of the MixPre vs. the X8, but I am not sure if anyone would even hear the difference. The one criticism of the X8 I have heard in one review by Curtis Judd is that it does not have as high dynamic range as more expensive options. But again, would it really be that significant - would you really hear the difference? My educated guess after reading several reviews of both is that the difference in audio quality between the MixPre and the Tascam X8 would be very little if you were listening to the same recording side by side. Possibly, the differences would not be audible to the human ear. Considering the ease of use and the MixPre offers little difference in recording quality for double the price. I chose the Tascam X8. Before this I had purchased the Zoom H8 and the difference in ease of use was stunning. The X8 is SO much easier to use than the Zoom H8. Also, the Zoom H8 had less gain boost and its record function was really buggy. The audio quality of the X8 and the H8 were both good and I could not claim that one was noticeably better than the other. However, the Tascam X8 is FAR easier to record with and takes FAR less time to record with. Really there is no comparison, the X8 is superior to the H8 in nearly every parameter. The MixPre 6II is the comparable to the Tascam X8 in inputs and it cost more than twice the cost of the Tascam X8.

[@newfoundmass]

I use the big red button for adjusting the gain and audio (even in 32-bit float I still try to get as close as I can to having good levels). It gives me much more fine-tuning than the touch screen.

[@anthonywallace3830]

Great video and so good to hear your different uses, including for guitar. Have you tried multitrack recording / layering with the new firmware update? Would love to hear your thoughts on that if so. Many thanks and can’t wait to watch more of your vids. Best wishes for 2025!

[@Steven-u5w]

I love the x8 from tascam porter studio. I would also look to see a socket where you could plug a ticket, a 2 TB external hard drive or even the 4 TB I know you can get solid state drive. It's quite small to 2 TB or 4 TB I've seen I've seen and that would go nicely with vx8 especially the 4 TB or even or even two. 2. TB drives in the in your bag would be nice. Comments would be welcome. Thanks for the video. Had looked to check out more

[@jwate]

The two main concerns I have for the product are the battery door and the xy mic’s longevity. I prefer manual mode also, the apps don’t seem necessary. The Audio sounds good though and the blue tooth function is awesome. Over all I like the unit, hopefully they will market replacement mics.

[@steviostevio3191]

Thanks for the interesting video. Would love to see a test and comparison with the zoom R4 that was released end of last year.

[@thomasmaughan4798]

2:16 16 bit is better than "ok" quality. It is the same as CD (compact disk) but requires careful attention to recording level. 24 bit is ideal for most purposes since it will become 16 bit when published (most of the time).

[@francissosing]

Great timing! I'm more interested in this than the x6

[@HarvVideoAudioStuff]

Yes 🙌🏻 newer ≠ better

[@lindacarrus1920]

Can you supply a link for the stand you used for the x8

[@brentnora8128]

Are there any third-party microphone capsules available for the Tascam Portacapture X8?

[@anthonywallace3830]

I also looked into this and it seems not at this time. Let’s see if someone makes one…!

[@Cam-u1v]

@@anthonywallace3830here’s an opportunity for you to make some money. I’ll buy it if it’s reasonably priced.

[@Cam-u1v]

This is a silly question but can you use this as an input mic on a PC and record a Teams conversation at the same time. I am a horrible note taker and currently just recording with my phone over speaker because I don’t want to ask if I can press the record button on Teams.

[@HarvVideoAudioStuff]

I’m fairly certain you could as there’s a 3.5mm ext in. That may mean you’d need to monitor the call via the aux out of the x8 though. You can also use it like an audio interface via usb so if you could figure out the routing that could be an option 👍🏻

[@hellopsp180]

the audio Gear market does love to upcharge you on fancy words. But better Preamps do make a big difference to your noise floor. If your noise floor is already LOUD. i.e. if you are recording on a stage or live event then it makes no sense to spend more money for "Quieter" preamps If you are recording in a studio where your noise floor is controlled and very low + If you have an audio source that is very quiet. THEN and only THEN you will see a big difference in better / quieter pre-amps. There may be some odd live events that may show a difference in preamps. But it doesn't really make a noticeable difference if you properly mic a person. i.e. Closer to the source = Higher S/N ratio and lowering your noise floor by reducing the gain required for a good signal.

[@ErreDP]

Sounds excelent

[@macabre2007]

well you seem to be able to get extraneous noise removed with the mics that Tascam provides but every time I record especially in the countryside I get extraneous noise, but especially when recording in a lounge as you are. Are there noise gate settings or some kind of way of preparing the recording to be direct from one source rather than picking up all the around noise.

[@hellopsp180]

@harv have you you got any plans to review the new Zoom H6 Essential?

[@djtando]

Would this be useful for a Dj. waiting to record crowd noise & plug in to dj equipment?

[@yodhamheaven]

is x8 have timecode free run? i want to sync it with my sigma fp free run timecode

[@RealWorldReview]

Had me freaking out over the “mini SD” cause I haven’t heard anyone bring it up. Micro SD 😂

[@sawersky]

Does it still hum around 22kHz ?

[@rogalaphotography]

Being a video guy why wouldn’t you go with the Zoom F3? It’s cheaper, smaller, 32 bit float…just need your own mics which honestly would be a positive…

[@thomasmaughan4798]

32 bit float IS 24 bit (mantissa) with 8 bit exponent. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Single-precision_floating-point_format Where it obtains advantage is a type of auto-scaling so that the 24 bits is always (or tries to) be fully utilized.

[@Calvarydima]

Your Chanel is the better for the truth not for all the backlights

[@larrymonteleone1789]

imputs?

[@oli77sch]

Hopefully a joke …!?

[@sky.london]

Are u not reviewing the wrong one! They just announced the X6!!!! 😝

[@HarvVideoAudioStuff]

Ha ha I know right 😄

[@sky.london]

@@HarvVideoAudioStuff great review tho. Thinking the x8 might be better then the x6 anyway.

[@robertsaca3512]

1gb/min is a joke when you're recording 8K footage in raw or even prores.

[@RobinJohnson]

Absolute trash product. As a creative technologist, I wanted a REFUND instead of a replacement because the product broke basically out of the box the first week i got the Tascam Portacapture x8 If you go view it, see how FRAGILE the tip is made and that is the general consensus online. Not the Microphone the tip casing barely protecting the mic. It's made from that lollipop stick plastic but literally less robust and the support structure of the casing the mic is in is completely unreinforced by the cheap plastic, The kind of cheap plastic where you can see the melted joinings gathering at the seams and basically rub off the silver coating. You could with the LEAST amount of force just easily snap the finer parts. A 3 year old could snap it, Now compared to the ZOOM H6 which is made of metal, This ONE CHANGE to the design flaw would have made the product worth it but you can tell it was just a product part afterthought. Not to mention the screen is like the cheapest low responsive LCD you could EVER have for that price point and the graphics and interface are rubbish. But I won't even go there. I'm really disappointed less so with having to return the product but the nightmare I had to go through to get a refund. This said sadly it is still probably the better choice of ZOOM H6 and the others at this point because it has USB-C and 32 bit float. But i'm out and about in pretty rough recording scenarios I need something that is simply more robust in a stand alone unit. This product hasn't been updated in years and the ZOOM H8 is the ugliest thing I have ever seen it gives me arachnophobia lol Any alternative suggestions welcome.

[@Irshaad88]

Try the Zoom F3. It is very robust but does not have inbuilt mics.