The Tascam DP-24SD is an easy-to-use 24-channel digital portastudio with eight XLR/jack combo inputs, all of which feature dynamic effects and phantom power and are switchable in two blocks (A to D and E to H). Input H can also be switched to Hi-Z to allow instruments with pickups to be connected, and users can record up to eight audio tracks simultaneously on the DP-24SD and save their recordings to an SD or SDHC card in up to 48kHz/24-bit quality. The portastudio's user interface features 18 channel faders and a selection of high-quality studio effects such as semi-parametric EQ, reverb, delay, and chorus.
The Tascam DP-24 SD's 8.9cm colour LC display and backlit buttons make the unit significantly easier to operate while also helping the user to keep a complete overview at all times. As a neat addition, the twelve rotary controls to the right of the display, which are used to adjust the EQ, panorama, and send effects settings for each channel, are colour-coded to match what is shown on the display itself. A total of 21 faders provide continuous access to every track (including the master), and six of the 18 channel strips can also be switched between mono and stereo. The stereo tracks can in turn be used to record and play back synthesizers and other stereo sources.
With the DP-24SD, Tascam gives users of home recording setups a full-fledged studio that is extremely user-friendly thanks to its highly intuitive operation and covers every stage in the production process - from recording and editing through to mixing and mastering - in a single unit and even allows the finished results to be uploaded to a computer (e.g. for publication on the internet) via its USB interface. What is more, the entire process is made a lot more fun thanks to the fact that the users has real controls and faders at their fingertips, rather than having to do everything with a computer mouse. All of this makes the Tascam DP-24 SD a particularly excellent choice for home studio owners for whom an authentic look and feel are important.
Tascam started out in 1971 as Teac Corporation's distributor of professional audio equipment. The name is the acronym of Teac Audio System Company of America. Tascam was a great innovator on the market and pioneered leading technologies of the time, such as multitrack tape and cassette recorders, digital multitrack recorders (DTRS), digital mixing consoles, and so on. Today, Tascam supplies the entire sound industry with products for television and radio studios, recording studios, concert halls, conference rooms, academic institutions, commercial facilities, theatres, internet podcasters and broadcasters, music producers, and musicians.
Each of the Tascam DP-24 SD's inputs is equipped with a compressor, de-esser, and exciter to allow the dynamics to be adjusted, and eight dynamic effects can be utilised simultaneously. For guitar recordings, the desk additionally features a multi-effects unit complete with amplifier simulations and a noise suppressor and compressor as well as chorus, flanger, phaser, tremolo, and auto-wah effects. Users should note, however, that only four dynamic effects can be used at the same time when the multi-effects unit is active. To put the icing on the cake, Tascam has also provided several mastering tools to help users finalise their songs, including a three-band equaliser, multi-band compressor, and three normalisation options for adjusting the loudness.