Review on 🎙️ TASCAM DR-05 Portable Digital Recorder (Version 2): Unleashing Enhanced Recording Capabilities by James Roper

I bought the TASCAM DR-05 because I wanted something smaller than my DR-100 MKII for traveling and around town shooting. My DR-05 was marked "Enhanced Performance Version 2" on the box and came with a 4GB microSD card and USB cable. sync with DSLR rails) and a few more firmware tweaks related to the auto capture modes. This is a bare bones package with no case, handle or windscreen (dead kitty). -40: Dark gray plastic, raised buttons and pumpkin orange monochrome LCD. The small LCD is based on 1990s technology, but can be read in bright sunlight as well as in dark rooms. The fit and finish appear to be excellent, but the construction is meant for light use and won't hold up in heavy rain or falling onto concrete. It's significantly smaller and lighter than the DR-40 and DR-100 MKII and fits comfortably in my medium-sized hand. CONTROLS: The physical controls are basic, but the important ones - record, stop, level, pause, hold, etc. - easily fall away. under your fingers. The DR-05 can be held in your hand like a smartphone and controlled with just one thumb. Unlike touchscreens, the physical buttons are raised, shaped and positioned differently so they can be operated by touch in the dark. Level control is global—not an individual channel setting—but can be quickly accessed using the arrow keys. Most other functions are hidden in the menu. You can set the limiter from the quick menu, but you'll have to navigate through half a dozen submenus to turn on the mic, format it, or set the low-pass filter. mm socket for active stereo microphone. As soon as I switched on the microphone power in the menu, my Tascam TM-2X stereo cardioid microphone worked perfectly. Adapters are required to connect to studio and home stereo systems. However, I suspect most audio engineers are like me: a mini SD card plugs directly into a computer for storage, playback, and editing. The DR-05 has a mini-USB connector for bus powering or downloading to a computer, but does not support playback, recording, or battery charging. BATTERIES: Two AA batteries provide power. I use Eneloop batteries and they easily last a full day of rehearsals. If I need to track longer, I connect a USB battery to the USB port. SOUND QUALITY: I use the DR-05 to record rehearsals, lessons and ambient sounds from nature. The built-in omnidirectional microphones sound very good - clear, broadband and precise - and easily pick up sounds from around the room. The DR-05 isn't the best choice for reporting, as omnidirectional mics pick up too much ambient space for sidewalk interviews. A device with a directional cardioid microphone is the best choice when it comes to reducing crowd or street noise, such as the DR-07 MKII or DR-40. 100 MKII and DR-40. The preamps have plenty of gain, and I was able to record soft-picked classical guitars at optimal levels between 75% and 80%. Unlike the DR-100 MKII and DR-40, the DR-05 lacks a gain sensitivity menu/switch, but the default setting seems to be "high" on the DR-100 MKII. Wav files recorded at 48kHz 24-bit or 92kHz 24-bit sound great and process easily in Bias Peak Pro or Apple Logic. For the best sounding guitar and vocal tracks, a slight EQ boost in the low-mid range is required. FINAL RECOMMENDATION: The DR-05 is extremely portable and easily fits in a camera bag or pocket. It's intuitive to use and in fact tracks from the DR-05 sound great on studio monitors and headphones. Its features are mostly aimed at musicians, but it's also a good all-purpose recorder for DSLR dialogue and audio in places where omnidirectional mics would fit. I'm happy with this little recorder: almost the same sound quality as the DR-100 MKII, but a third cheaper and much easier to transport.