TASCAM DR-40X 4-Track Portable Handheld Field Recorder — 2 XLR/TRS Inputs, USB Audio Interface, Dual Adjustable Microphones for Stereo Recording of Music, Audio for Video and Podcasting

I needed something to record my short stories and voice-over work while on the go and while this does require some learning and testing as you go, it's been a joy to discover all its bells and whistles. There are 2 internal stereo microphones that you can set in 2 configurations (A-B and X-Y). It's perfect for ASMR recording if you're into that. There are also 2 XLR inputs and you can plug in microphones that require phantom power (although make sure the mics require phantom power before you turn that feature on or it will blow your mic) which will give you 4 microphones altogether. It can even do overdub which is great for voice-over and role-play audios. It can do punch-and-roll although I haven't mastered that one yet.My favorite option is the Dual recording where it records 2 tracks with the second track recording lower than the first in case you end up peaking or get distortions. I don't know my tech terms but hopefully you get what I'm saying. It's pricey if you're buying it only as a regular recorder but if you do voice over and role-play audios like I do, it's perfect. It records in wav, mp3 and one other format I don't use and can't remember what it is and I usually record in wav, transfer to Audacity for post-production, then export as mp3. I've also recorded in mp3 for direct upload but it's better to record in wave and clean up everything (mouth sounds, clicks, etc) in post later.It can also serve as an interface if you want to record directly to your computer although I haven't tried that yet since I bought it so I could use it on its own while on the go.

We record church services, weddings and remembrance services by using Zoom because since the start of the pandemic we needed to have methods of inclusion even when the virus was rampant to broadcast to those imunocompromised and those choosing to stay fairly isolated. However Zoom was never designed for “performance” grade audio. Organ music comes out terribly overdriven as did a band we had playing for a remembrance recently. This has driven me to purchased this recorder on the advice of a friend who is a professional audio engineer. So those home bound still get fairly terrible sound during the musical positions of service, but the recordings that can now be edited in with the audio from this device can produce final presentations suitable to delivery to our nearby community television station for community broadcast WITH greatly more acceptable music. This is a highly compact unit which has had only minor usage since arrival but my audio engineer friend cautions that for longer recordings having a separate power supply powering the unit provides added security over relying on either regular batteries and especially rechargeables

very good but still need to learn how to used it.

The unit seems well built, and easy to use. Note though that the built in speaker is useless for anything other than verifying something was recorded. You won't want to listen to playback this way.

This is by far the best handheld recorder I've owned. I thought about giving it 4 stars because of the poor documentation/owner's manual, but the recorder is too good.A word of advice. If you plan to use external microphones, save yourself a lot of time and frustration. Be sure you have "Balanced" cables to connect the mic to the recorder. I had to work my way through a number of after-market "How-to" presentations to learn this.But before you decide on an external mic, give the onboard mics a try. I use my recorder to record our church's sermons. I want to keep as much equipment out of view as possible, so I mount the recorder on a low-profile tripod on the podium and point the mics toward the speaker. I use the stereo position. The sound quality is excellent. And audience noise is minimal. No regrets.

I love this little recorder. I use it for interviews, voice overs, and all my recording needs. For interviews I mount it on a tripod with the 1/4" hole on the bottom and it does a great job. Although it does need to be fairly close, I keep it just out of frame.For voice overs, I put a foam cover over the mics and can record my VO while watching the video and it doesn't get in the way. However the best use I have found for it, is paired with my wireless lavaliere kit. I purchased an XLR adapter and plug the receiver in to the Tascam. This gave me awesome sound and I didn't have to be right on top of the actors with a shotgun mic or have a heavy receiver mounted to the hot shoe of my camera.If you are looking for a great recorder that has great sound and gives you plenty of recording options, get this recorder.

Anyone complaining about the manual should understand how Tascam does their docs. I've had several of their recorders and the included "Owner's Manual" is a glorified Quick-Start guide in multiple languages. Go to their site and download the DR-40 "Reference Manual", which is 80 pages (in one language) and includes all the feature detail you'll likely need.I loved my DR-44WL for years - except for the flimsy plastic selector wheel and encoder that eventually stopped working. The wireless app never cut it with me so the DR-40 made sense. It retains a lot of the functionality (although I do miss the input level wheel) and the improved selector switches are a huge improvement over the old wheel. Unlike the 44, the DR-40 mics can be positioned in XY or ORTF patterns, plus there are the same two XLR jacks with phantom power. The DR-40 supports a footswitch (handy for dubbing). If you seriously interested in the DR-40, don't just read reviews, go to the site and download the Reference Manual - the site's wide open, no annoying registration or anything, just grab the PDF and read.

Great quality and audio. He used for YouTube.