As with all issues digital, recording expertise has seen nice developments lately. A wonderful living proof is the Portacapture collection of high-resolution handheld recorders provided by Tascam, the identical firm that revolutionized dwelling recording via its Portastudio, the primary multitrack cassette recorder, which debuted in 1979. I checked out the Portacapture X8 and its streamlined sibling, the X6, and was as impressed by their ease of use as their glorious sonics and skill to seize huge dynamic ranges. 

Full of Options

Comparable in idea to moveable recorders like Zoom’s H6 and H8 and Sony’s PCM-D10, each the X6 (on sale for $299 road at press time) and the X8 ($399) embody a pair of condenser microphones and are housed in sturdy plastic enclosures with the identical type of touchscreen interface discovered on many smartphones. The fashions work equally, however there are some key variations: The X6’s 10mm mics are inbuilt and may be rotated into a real X-Y or A-B sample, whereas the X8’s 14.6mm duo detaches to kind those self same configurations. On the X6 there are two XLR mic/line inputs, in comparison with 4 XLR/TRS combo jacks on the X8. The X6 has a 3.5-inch LCD colour show, vs. a 2.4-inch display on the X6. 

Although each Portacapture gadgets provide guide settings for these with extra recording expertise, they boast a collection of apps tailor-made to particular makes use of—podcasting, several types of devices, area recording, voice, and ASMR, with the X8 including a useful tuner and metronome. Neither has inner storage, and for distant recordings the place you don’t have a separate laptop or DAW you should use an elective microSD card of as much as 512GB. Every Portacapture can function wirelessly through Bluetooth with an elective adapter and may be mounted to any tripod with a quarter-inch thread.

In Use 

It’s very intuitive to search out the suitable app from the Portacapture’s onscreen menu and begin recording. Utilizing a number of different-sounding guitars—a Collings OM1 A SB Conventional, Kenny Hill signature nylon-string, and Solomon Phidelity archtop—I attempted the preset optimized for acoustic guitar. With their HDDA mic preamps and excessive decision, each items captured the character of those devices in surprisingly vivid and lifelike methods. 

I particularly admire the recorders’ 32-bit floating recording expertise, which permits for an enormous dynamic vary—an actual sport changer. You needn’t fear about clipping from a loud sound supply or noisiness when attempting to report quiet sounds. In different phrases, setting the recording stage is just about irrelevant—perfect when you’re an inexperienced recordist or, say, one who tracked an impressed efficiency however forgot to first examine the recording stage. 

Equally handy are the recorders’ onboard results. The acoustic guitar mode, for example, includes a handful of reverb varieties from massive corridor to plate, so you possibly can dial in a recording with out having to switch it to exterior recording software program. That stated, the recorders also can double as USB audio interfaces for individuals who require postproduction flexibility, and this in fact removes the necessity for a microSD card.

The Backside Line 

Although I barely scratched the floor of what the Portacapture X6 and X8 can ship, it’s apparent that these recorders are handy and highly effective instruments for acoustic guitarists, offering professional-quality sound with a minimal of fuss. Whether or not you’re a seasoned recordist or a beginner, a Portacapture is likely to be simply what you want for capturing your music each time—and wherever—inspiration strikes. tascam.com