Topic: TASCAM DR-680 portable 8-track #6

[btemple]

I have noticed that the back light stays lit when using external power and will turn off while using internal batteries.

[Gutbucket]

When using an external power source, the assumption it that the recorder is being powered by the AC supply providing an endless supply of power, so the backlight remains on.  When using the internal batteries the back-light switches off to conserve limited battery power.

[dallman]

I have noticed that the back light stays lit when using external power and will turn off while using internal batteries.

This is one of my favorite features. This is true also on the Tascam HD P-2. There have been a few times where my backlight went off which immediately alerted me that something happened to my external power source, like the cord got yanked or the external battery died. Since the internal batteries were then working, it gave me the opportunity to fix the issue and not lose a note. It's a great feature.

[bdasilva]

is there a new model. Picture on tascam main page. (Red Handles )

[florian.ardelean]

Yes!

5 minutes ago there was only the picture of the DR680mkII on tascam's homepage, now the new unit's page is up:

http://www.tascam.com/product/dr-680mkii/

Looks like they solved at least some of the problems: better battery life,  better capacitors for P48, better mic pres (sounds interesting), better internal quartz, not so picky about SD cards & SDXC support up to 128 Gb, file take nr. can now be reset, dual level recording... and that seems to be it unless I'm missing something.

However operating temperature is still 32-104F.

I wonder what the price will be.

[connloyalist]

Yes!

5 minutes ago there was only the picture of the DR680mkII on tascam's homepage, now the new unit's page is up:

http://www.tascam.com/product/dr-680mkii/

Yes indeed! Sold!

Regards, Christine

[hoserama]

Disappointing. I was hoping it would be a significant functional upgrade. Something like maybe eight analog inputs and the wifi control. Cool about the better pre-amps, although I feed it line sources 98% of the time.

[Gutbucket]

Improvements from the original DR-680-
Playback of multitrack recordings
The DR-680MKII can load multitrack audio files. Multitrack materials (multiple mono files) prepared with a DAW, for example, can be played back.

Most here won't care about this, but it is huge for me.  One of the more frustrating things with the original 680 has been the inability to reload the files originally recorded with it onto an SDHC card for multichannel playback from the machine.

What I would also like to see is a few basic DPS routines for playback-
EQ
polarity
delay
compression

and the ability to use more than one of those effects simultaneously.

[florian.ardelean]

Improvements from the original DR-680-
Playback of multitrack recordings
The DR-680MKII can load multitrack audio files. Multitrack materials (multiple mono files) prepared with a DAW, for example, can be played back.

I was thinking of your posts when I read about that function.

Improvements from the original DR-680-

What I would also like to see is a few basic DPS routines for playback-
EQ
polarity
delay
compression

and the ability to use more than one of those effects simultaneously.

A firmware update could add at least some of these, delay would be helpful even for recording (the old DR40 has it), but I suspect it might not be possible to have them simultaneously unless they upgraded the hardware too.

It would have really made my day if they would have added the possibility to use as USB sound card. Zoom has been doing this in their recorders for ages, and Edirol does it with the R8.

This way, you could use any laptop with a freeware daw to play back 5.1 recordings, add any effects you want, and play them back via RCA to any 5.1 reciever.

I wonder if they upgraded the headphone amp, there's no mention of it.

[Gutbucket]

Good call on both.

Add 6-ch USB DAC interface capability and an upgraded headphone amp to my wish list. 

Actually the only thing that bugs me about the headphone amp is the annoying stepped gain when adjusting the un-stepped knob.  They could just switch to a stepped adjustment knob and I'd be content.  It could be better of course, but can live with it as it is fully capable of driving my 600 ohm cans to an appropriate volume.

[Cobiwan]

Of course this comes out 2 weeks after I bought my 680. 

[Ultfris101]

Been wondering if the DR-680 and HS-P82 would get mkII revisions. One of those is answered. Seems likely to me the HS-P82 would be coming as well.

[hi and lo]

DR-680mkii = lipstick on a pig

[jbell]

It's got some cool new red knob protectors 

[Gutbucket]

Mmmm, pig.
I see it not as lipstick but as bacon strips.

Wonder if the knob stays on better.  Mine keeps popping off, although I've yet to loose it. 
Probably just jinxed myself by saying that.