Topic: Considering Picking Up A Tascam DR-44WL To Compliment My M10

[rockphantom]

It sounds like the 70D is the way to go.
However, reviewers on Amazon have repeatedly mentioned the unit's short battery life (a few hours) and build quality.
I'd hate to run out of juice while recording a 2-3 hour headlining set.

[lsd2525]

It sounds like the 70D is the way to go.
However, reviewers on Amazon have repeatedly mentioned the unit's short battery life (a few hours) and build quality.
I'd hate to run out of juice while recording a 2-3 hour headlining set.

Run it off a USB charger. I think most people only use internal batteries for backup. I've got some cheap Chinese charger that I bought for $15 and it will run my DR60 all day long with the P48 on. I would think the same would hold true for the 70

[lsd2525]

It sounds like the 70D is the way to go.
However, reviewers on Amazon have repeatedly mentioned the unit's short battery life (a few hours) and build quality.
I'd hate to run out of juice while recording a 2-3 hour headlining set.

Run it off a USB charger. I think most people only use internal batteries for backup. I've got some cheap Chinese charger that I bought for $15 and it will run my DR60 all day long with the P48 on. I would think the same would hold true for the 70

Never seen this one before, but for $18, WTF? http://www.gearbest.com/iphone-power-bank/pp_251295.html?utm_source=Criteo&utm_medium=CPCUS&utm_campaign=Displayads&vip=79076

[2manyrocks]

It sounds like the 70D is the way to go.
However, reviewers on Amazon have repeatedly mentioned the unit's short battery life (a few hours) and build quality.
I'd hate to run out of juice while recording a 2-3 hour headlining set.

The great thing about TS is other members have already figured out which batteries work well and even the best right angle connectors.  http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=172795.0  The ebay battery mentioned in the link was discovered by another member and it is an excellent match size wise to the 70d case.  Hours of power--no problem at all.

The main thing with the 70d is to use an approved card from Tascam's list of approved cards and then be careful about formatting it.  There is a free format utility that truly wipes the card clean mentioned in the FAQ.   

[Life In Rewind]

The main thing with the 70d is to use an approved card from Tascam's list of approved cards and then be careful about formatting it.  There is a free format utility that truly wipes the card clean mentioned in the FAQ.

YES! And - don't be influenced by the big blowup over the approved cards...if you didn't follow that carefully - you could get the wrong idea.

That was more about TASCAMs tact over the card issue (and TS.com's tendency to want to get to the bottom of issues like this!)

It took them a year to produce an "approved card" list...in the meantime...all hell broke loose.

[Perry]

I'm the world's worst multi-tasker but juggling multiple decks has never been a problem for me. I'm currently running an M10 with a DR-44WL for backup. My plan was to use the DR-44WL as my primary deck with the M10 for backup. After just one run with this rig I decided the M10 would be primary-- The Sony's preamps are quieter and provide slightly more detail than the Tascam's. If I had to do it all again (and I likely will), I'd keep the M10 and dump the DR-44WL for a 70D or an F8.

Also, the M10 is great for  taping, the DR-44 not so much.

Also, the Tascam's battery life sucks. Alkalines last 2-1/2 hours max (with P48 turned on).

Also, anyone wanna buy a DR-44 with low miles? I know... I'm a lousy salesman.

[2manyrocks]

But you're completely honest with your fellow TS members.  +1000

[rockphantom]

I'm the world's worst multi-tasker but juggling multiple decks has never been a problem for me. I'm currently running an M10 with a DR-44WL for backup. My plan was to use the DR-44WL as my primary deck with the M10 for backup. After just one run with this rig I decided the M10 would be primary-- The Sony's preamps are quieter and provide slightly more detail than the Tascam's. If I had to do it all again (and I likely will), I'd keep the M10 and dump the DR-44WL for a 70D or an F8.

Also, the M10 is great for  taping, the DR-44 not so much.

Also, the Tascam's battery life sucks. Alkalines last 2-1/2 hours max (with P48 turned on).

Also, anyone wanna buy a DR-44 with low miles? I know... I'm a lousy salesman.

Thank you for the information.
I've decided to stick with my M10 as my sole deck for now.
If Sony releases a legitimate successor to the M10, I'll research it and pull the trigger if it can match the overall high quality of the M10!

[down2earthlandscaper]

I am considering buying a Tascam DR-44WL as a backup to my trusty M10.
I was also intrigued by the idea of running the DR-44WL in tandem with the M10 in hopes of producing 3 sources for one show.
I have several sets of mics I could use with the DR-44WL that have been collecting dust for a while. Taping with 2 recorders would breathe new life into these neglected mics.
My main concern is that when running both recorders simultaneously, instead of producing one excellent capture with my M10 and CA-14s/Ugly 2 preamp,
I'd produce 3 crappy captures because I wouldn't be able to dedicate my attention to one recorder while dealing with an unpredictable concert environment.
I should mention that I have a friend who I usually drag to shows. I could always have him tape with the DR-44WL and OKM-II R omni mic,  while I tape with my M10/CA-14 rig.

Any feedback would be appreciated!

I'm a big fan of the M10, and for exactly the same situation as yours (wanting to run more mics and to have a back up recording) I snagged another M10 when a good deal on one appeared in Yardsale. That deck is so intuitive to use and I am so familiar with its operation that there was zero learning curve to running another set of mics.
Also, having two identical recorders is especially helpful to me because I love to run comparisons - I try to have as many parts of the chain as closely matched as possible, and just change one variable to isolate how it affects the end result. It was especially fun to see how how well  [Mics>Plug In Power] worked compared to running [mics>preamp>line in]
I was always too nervous to use the "PIP" on the M10 until I picked up the second one. I ran AT853's>preamp>line in and on the second deck I ran another pair of AT853's directly to the PIP. I was really surprised at the results. The M10 on its own, without a preamp in the chain, seemed to have it's own "flavor" that was missing, overridden (or altered) by the preamp added to the chain.  I liked that source so much I just went with it:
https://archive.org/details/isd2016-02-18.at853.flac16

Of course for louder music a preamp is probably safer, so it's great to run both ways - if one doesn't work out you always have the other