A magnificent review of the DR-100MK3, congratulations on your great work. I recently bought this model to record my audio SETS with a Pioneer DJM mixer. The possibility of recording audio digitally via RCA coaxial makes this recorder a really interesting option for the price it has in 2024. I only use its LINE and DIGITAL input so the other problems listed in the video are not relevant to me . The enormous quality and power provided by its dual AKM chips in sound reproduction is also incredible. It is a great idea to use it as a simple walkmanc to listen to WAV music from your memory card. It sounds better than any dongle connected to your smartphone!
I have to add my 48v phantom power has started to flicker on and off and interrupting my recording. Very annoying. I wond4r what could be causing this short circuiting? Otherwise perfect for my singing. Amazingly quiet preamps. Best in the market.
I use mine daily and it does a great job. Am planning to add another recorder, but the Tascam will still be in near daily use. The only complaint is the internal battery being a non-user accessible batt.
Good review, I have a Mk3 and everything you said about bad things it is completely true, I really enjoy the comparison with Mk2 to know good things as well. Anyway I love the Dr100 Mk3 I'm very happy with it :)
I am glad that someone has done a major review of this recorder and noted the ridiculous issue of the battery being built in. That just sets up a need to possibly send the unit back to Tascam in future to replace that auxiliary Li_ion batt. Crazy....and a deal breaker for me for this one -- I will wait for the IV
I think someone commented saying it was user serviceable which is good. As far as I see it, there are many users who won’t be confident doing it and it’s just another driver for people to upgrade in the future. Not fair! 👎🏻
I also have both MK11 and MK111, both of which give me good results. The switches on my MK111 do not rattle and are firm to move, my only issue is the non changeable Lithium Ion battery.
Well, damn, I was looking at finally upgrading my original DR-100 up to the Mk III until I saw this video. Most of the issues I can deal with, but no user-swappable lithium-ion battery could be a dealbreaker. It was already frustrating that we had to charge DR-100 MkI/II batteries inside the recorder and there wasn't a separate charger available, but at least we could have several batteries pre-charged and ready to swap out. I'm guessing it charges up from the USB socket only, given that there isn't a separate DC IN socket like there is on the MkI and MkII. Does it force the unit into SD card reader mode when you're charging it through USB like it does on the MkI? Or can you actually use the unit while charging/powering it from a regular USB power bank? Will it even talk to a regular USB power bank, or does it require some proprietary Tascam power bank?
I would be carefull with powering it via a USB-powerbank. I tried a few different on my (yes, I know, not a DR100 MKx) DR-40, but all introduce noise from the switching-electronics inside the powerbank. Unless you can test it or know how to deal with the interference the bank is causing, go for it, otherwise buy a known good one.
It takes two double A batteries as well. The internal battery is a back up in case the AA's run out during a recording. Or I thought that's what it was for.
@@JWS1968 I know, but I was referring to John Aldred who wanted to power the unit via a USB-powerbank. I know it takes two AA-batteries as well and it switches seamless between both.
Thank you for the solid review. What is your recommendation for the best recorder. I assume better products have been released since this is an old one
Not really. With this type of specialist equipment, there isn't the need to churn out models as a user would expect the device to be a workhorse and last for years. As for a recommendation, it really depends what you want to (e.g. this is no good if you need multi-track). If you had more money to spend, I believe the Sony PCM-D100 is an incredible device. Extremely well respected and great value (albeit nearly twice the price of the Tascam).
@@audiophilear698 I’m much too late to comment, but the Sony PCM-D100 has no XLR inputs, which is quite detrimental for anyone looking to plug in more professional microphones, such as myself. (I use long shotgun mics for birding-watching.) However, it has the highest quality preamps of any handheld recorder, fairly closely approaching the level of the Zoom F series and Sound Devices MixPre series. If you really want the best quality audio without compromising price or size, you should go with anything by Sound Devices, such as the 700 series (which have the best, or very nearly best, mic preamps in the industry; can buy used off eBay quite cheaply)) or MixPre series. Zoom’s larger field recorders, such as the F8, F6, and F4, are also fantastic. If a smaller, handheld recorder is what you’re looking for, I’d recommend the one features in this video, the Tascam DR-100MKIII, or the Marantz PMD661MKIII. Both are extremely good, although the Tascam has slightly better preamps (you probably couldn’t hear a big difference anyway). I use the Zoom H5, which is also quite good, although the audio becomes hissy at around gain level 7.
@@JamesPhillipsOfficial you’re totally right. If the Sony had the same XLR inputs as the Tascam, along with the same Sony preamps, it could very well be the best handheld recorder to date.
Each bit of word length affords you 6 dB of dynamic range, so 108 dB of dynamic range implies 20 bits, not 24 bits. If the system was really fully exploiting a 24 bit word length, the overall dynamic range capability would be 144 dB, but mic preamp limitations alone prevent that.
There´s a short description in the (printed) handbook on how to remove the internal battery. Tascam didn´t answer my question what battery is used for the MK3 but they gave me a contact adress where the battery can be ordered. Nevertheless i agree with you. The solution used in the MK2 model was far beyond the MK3.
Remove 4 rubber bumpers and 4 Philips #0 screws, the back is off and the cp-1s1p-3950jm Li+ battery is exposed which has a small 3-pin connector. This is a 3.6V/ 3950 mA battery. Can you post the contact address for this battery? I have spent way too much time trying to find the replacement. and the Tascam site steers me to Tascam links that I am not allowed to open. thanks, sd
People that worries about recording over 44.1KHz and about 16 bits being the thing that limits the quality of the noise floor (or the quality of the recording) does not know enough science to talk about this stuff and begs to be duped by the manufactures.
Great review, thanks! The rattling of the switches, oh man. When a product gets renewed/improved there always seem to be certain things that have to fall back. Why is that? Cost-saving? Because the product needs to fall into a certain price range? Or does the profit margins come in danger? I've seen this happening on so many products... If only we could improve stuff without getting worse on several aspects as well, wouldn't that be something?
In general use, it won’t be a problem. It’s just a niggle and annoyance than anything else. Hopefully, if anyone is using the onboard unidirectional mics, they'll be doing their best to isolate and not move the unit anyway. This unit really shines with an external mic though. I have a Rode stereo X/Y mic that I still need to test on it. It's a great unit. I'm just being critical! 😏
Mine doesn't rattle ... maybe different production run or something. You do get handling noise though with the built-in mics unless you are very careful. I used to use mine to record sound effects, but now use a microphone on a short boom, cabled to the recorder for clean sound.
The mk.2 reminds of my DR-40. Yeah very old interface. I have been using my DR-100 mk.3 as long as it originally came out. Utter nonsense on the 24 bit dynamic range. You use that for Line recordings mostly. Doubt anyone would complain using the difference with Mics built in or external 16 or 24 bit but it is a nice option. I used the DR-100 Mk.3 for some mastering and coming off boards at 24 bit 96khz or even 192khz. But mostly I stay 24 bit 48khz since that is the video standard pretty much. So that is where I stay mostly. I am looking at the Sound Device Mix Pre 6 mk.2 at some point, not in a big hurry. The DR-100 mk.3 does just fine thank you. So until I have a real compelling case to go to Sound Devices, this DR-100 mk.3 is my go too recorder at mostly in studio, the DR-40 is my field recorder mostly. The Mic shock mounts yeah don't much but you should preset everything and leave the recorder alone, even take advantage of the remote function. Check the bottom of the unit, you have a corded remote option. It isn't that much doom and gloom there. Also I.R. is not that reliable anyway versus a corded solution, which also means no batteries in the remote. Wrong on the Lithium Battery. It is user replaceable. The bottom case comes out and you can replace the battery pack. The switches is take it or leave thing as far as the rattle you talk about. Don't and never saw that as an issue. Isolate the recorder which is true of any recorder and you are golden. Been doing audio over 50 years, and I guess I don't whine, and find solutions. Just saying.
question: i noticed the lower end models have a pc usb audio interface mode but i dont see that this top end model has is anywhere on the site. can you confirm or deny that this has it or not?
This recorder is great for that, but you cant use the built in mics, they are way to sensitive or noisy, but with some kind of external mic (XLR, 3.5mm), works great.
Yes. The AUTO REC function deals with this. You can set a delay of up to 5 seconds post record and you can use it with the PRE REC function to record up to 2 seconds of audio prior to the auto activation.
Absolutely. It’s very tricky to record as even the slightest thunder has a huge amount of audio energy (in my experience) but the A-B mic configuration of the Tascam would create beautiful stereo wide results.
Good review, thanks! However, I think that the problem with absence of absolute zero actually is not a problem, because imo you shouldn't have clipped signal at the absolute minimum of input level of this recorder, even if you record very loud sources like gunshots or planes passbyes, and anyway you have a built-in limiter. Or maybe you know some situations when absolute zero is needed?
So wat hand-held recorder would you recommend which can actually be used in hand, with less noise? You mention this should not be used in hand either as it picks up the small "handmade" noises.
How much better are the preamps on this compared to the dr40x ? because the dr40x is very sensitive to static hissing when the side volume and mixing volume is turned up I have super quality at4050 audio technica mics as well so would this be a better fit i need the static to be none existent to be honest as its making my recordings sound rubbish ?
The battery is user replaceable, as described in the user manual; Remove the rubber feet and unscrew the back. There you can replace the battery. I'd agree with most of your points though especially regarding the terrible shock mount, the buttons on mine don't rattle like yours but I have had internal noises get into recordings. Generally though it's a great recorder only rivalled by the Sony PCM-D100 For me the quality of the ADC for use with line recordings was more important than the mic pre's and for this it's superb, only niggle is on the line mini jack input, the input impedance is 1000 ohms (1k) which is stupid, if using unbalanced cables as line inputs on the TRS jacks this can easily over drive the input without knowing you are clipping (signal is below clipping but is distorted) and of course with consumer gear if using the TRS line inputs you don't have enough gain.. With balanced line level it's great. I have also used it to transfer DAT tapes using the digital input with great success
@@tdcattech Ha right, I forgot that was my other complaint. You don't get a proper paper manual and the PDF full manual could be better. I guess they cut every corner they could to be able to put all the money on the actual product and to get it at a competitive price point which to be fair works. I can't think of anything close to this at the same price let alone the sub £600 sector if high quality 2 channel audio is your main priority.
I agree with tdcattech, the built in mics are way to sensitive to do anything with anyway, with any kind of external mic the button noise doesn't matter.
Excellent review, I especially liked the comparison between the MkIII and the MkII. After watching your review, it seems that the Tascam DR-100MkII may be a good choice for my purpose. I want to transfer old cassette tapes to digital. You have experience with both versions, do you agree? I like the remote control capabilities and "old school" controls of the MkII (the MkII appears to be a good "companion" for my Nakamichi tape deck). For those looking for the lowest noise, the DR-100MkIII is the obvious choice, but cassette tapes won't have a 96dB or 100dB or higher signal to noise ratio.
Absolutely. For that kind of purpose, the DR-100MkII is easily a good enough product. In most recording scenarios, the noise floor improvement would not even be noticeable and you'd be using line level so the quieter pre-amps wouldn't make a difference.
@@tdcattech Thanks, and even a Nakamichi won't reach much higher than 20kHz with metal tapes. Even if the tape deck can do it, few cassette recordings have such quality.
i really need someone to answer me , does this model can work as audio interface through USB connect to PC ? or the usb is only for file transfer and charging ? it will be a deal breaker for to me to buy this product i think mkii has this functionality if I'm not mistaken, also zoon H5 and H6 has
@@tdcattech thanks a lot for you care TD , answering me from a video from 2019 is just amazing, one more question before i order it , can i connect lav mic which is not powered and it is trs iinto digital in or i need convertor to use xlr- 1/4 ?
Pls I need help, i searched around and wrote so many people and still no answer. I i dint yet a xlr mic but rather a plug in jack and i can't make work even when i don the ext in function. It doesnt record. Also when i record using the integrated mic i am not impressed with the sound quality. Any advice pls. Thank you
I have the DR40 and the DR100mk3 (and some other Olympus recorders) and I have to say that the dr100mk3 simply sucks. 2 more points. If you use the dual ADC it will produce a horrible base noise (although lower than with the single ADC), and I noticed an other strange "feature" : I made some tests of background noise with maximum sensitivity and after some minutes (5..30) the level will go up and the recorder will produce a strange distorted noise itself. This can be reproduced any time.
I was ready to get one, until I've heard the internal Lithium cell is sealed in. That is a big NOPE. During the charging time, what do I do: watch TV, read newspaper, drink coffee or go dancing. Thanks but no, I will get another recorder and go recording sounds instead, with some spare batteries in my pocket to replace the discharged one. Moving noisy switches ? Is it a joke? NOPE, Meh, and meh again. Gee, I really thought this machine was for me. See you at mark IV, maybe. More seriously, Tascam if you hear me, why instead of heaving an almost perfect device you say to yourself, let screw it up a bit so people will have easier decision of buying another brand. huh? Excellent review! Thanks a lot!
It does have AA power too which come into play as soon as the lithium power is low but you’d still have to mess around plugging in a charger whilst recording. Really odd that they removed this from the MkII.
@@tdcattech Sure I know about AA, and having two power sources is fantastic, but I am not getting any gear that have inaccessible cells inside. Once the cell is dead, it is a big issue to replace it. Few examples: Recently I had an issue with one (last me three years) and now the company says they do not support the cell replacement. It was on Western Digital My Passport Wi-Fi hard drive: they said, do it yourself if you can find the battery which is actually impossible - they even told me I need to disassembly the drive on my own in order to get the reference! Hard drive works perfectly on USB cable but for Wi-Fi forget it. ************ And this is a moment when an angel told me: hey check the manual. I've just made a discovery here tascam.com/us/product/dr-100mkiii/download (owner's manual) You can actually remove the internal battery by yourself! Under the rubber foots there are 4 screws. And voilà. Voilà the idea of making stupid solutions. Yeah, why not to keep the internal battery door for easy on the fly replacement with charged one when travelling far from wall plugs? Also, Maybe there is a workaround for noisy switches? But still, is it a customer job to fix so irritating flows on a device. Thanks!
Wow, what a crazy solution. You can do it yourself but you need to pull off the rubber feet and have a screwdriver to hand whereas previously you could just hot swap it in 5 seconds with a fresh or spare battery. Good to know though, thanks for checking.
@@tdcattech Yeah, exactly. One could say, screwdriver it's better than nothing (OMG, what a stupid idea - even cheap smartphones have one second removable back plate if this is the solution they've wanted to have) Some other ideas like taking off the infrared port (no remote control), delivering the unit "naked" with no basic accessories... really MEH... this TASCAM could be an easy winner, just few tiny efforts more. Yet an idea concerning the batteries for this unit. If there was room for 2xAA they could actually keep removable lithium cell, but making it bigger for more power. I think we are wasting time saying what they could do. Next gen in 5 years will have even worst ideas if they continue on that path. Thanks!
Does these do similar things to olypmus where you can play it back on the recorder and even slow down the recording etc via on the recorder itself? I dont see anyone showing any of those as a feature so.
It has a dual power source. So you can use the AA and then switch over to the Li-Ion built in battery once they are exhausted and then swap the AA with fresh ones.
@@tdcattech great, many thanks for your response, so the AA are like a back up if the built in is drained or saving the overall battery life using AA for ‚short‘ sessions. great. the interesting aspect is the 192k, but would you still buy this item or recommend a different, maybe newer model on the market in the same price range. I am keen on this one due to the solid build, zoom has nice capsules, so I am finding it difficult to make a choice. I do own a Roland R-07 and a Zoom F1-SP, both without 192k. Well, thanks to you, good show, nice and clear explanation. Will subscribe.
I would definitely buy this. It has its problems but it's superb for the money. I love the A-B stereo configuration and I have an external Rode stereo mic if I need X-Y. I would consider the amazing Sony PCM-D100 if I knew that I would never use external mics but I do so the lack of XLR inputs is just silly. As for newer models, I haven't really checked. This does all I need for now.
Can I use RUclips instrumental beats or an mp3 player as a input source and then record my voice onto the beats somehow? If yes, can I hear what I'm recording on the earphones or not?
It is possible to hold it completely still and record but maybe a little tack in the switches could pad them a bit (might wreck the switch too, but I doubt it)
The lithium-ion battery is pretty good. I like to use rechargeable AAs which tend to run down very fast when using phantom power. The Rode NT4 apparently can be powered with its own internal battery which I would recommend. That way you don't need phantom power. I have a pair of very old (about 20 years!) Rode NT3 mics which use a built in battery and work pretty good with this Tascam (though the mics are no longer my favourites). The good feature is that as long as the lithium battery still has enough charge, the AAs can be swapped out even during a recording and the DR100III seamlessly switches between AA and built-in batteries.
@@dianthus605 I’m not a big fan of using the 9v battery with the Rode NT4, They are expensive, there are no rechargeable options and you don’t know what power is remaking with them. If I use my Sound Devices MixPre 3 and Eneloop Pro rechargeable AA’s I get 2 hours and 14 minutes using phantom power. Using a Tascam DR44 WL and 4 AA Eneloop Pro’s I get 7 hrs. and 8 min.
Difficult to answer as they're not quite the same tool. Tascam has better technical performance from an SNR perspective (though finding true noise values for the H6 seems suspiciously difficult). Whether this matters depends on what you're recording. If you have a terrific low noise mic and are looking to record ambient sounds, go for the Tascam. However, the Zoom can record 6 tracks at once! That could be a deal breaker. Also, the Zoom on-board mics can be either X/Y or A/B whereas you are stuck to the A/B config on the Tascam....again, great for ambient recording in my opinion.
People that worries about recording over 44.1KHz and about 16 bits being the thing that limits the quality of the noise floor (or the quality of the recording) does not know enough science to talk about this stuff and begs to be duped by the manufactures.
Not 100% sure if you’re being sarcastic or not but either way, rattling parts on a handheld record is fine if you’ll always have it mounted but if you’re moving (handheld interview is a good example), this is just a pain.
@@tdcattech No not at all being sarcastic. I can't be sure I'll always have it on a tripod, so having rattling buttons is unfortunately a big problem. So frustrating! I keep coming so close to finding the right model, and then there's always one thing that throws it off.
…if you are the least (changing a light bulb) tinkering its nothing to change the internal battery after years of professional use of the tascam dr-100 mk iii…and a 10 second search of china-shopping portals and youre good to go…
I spent a lot more time searching for the Li+ battery than 10 seconds w/o results. Several of the searches was for a cp-1s1p-3950jm . Is that correct of should it have been something else?
No remote. No dead Cat and the No Vase is the real deal breaker ... I'll stick to my Zoom H4n/ Every one listens to the video I produce on computer speakers anyway. And who cares about the fidelity of an R/C jet Model air plane or big 8 HP Gasser ...
👍🏻😀 You’re dead right. As content creators, amateur producers, filmmakers, we put a lot of effort into getting good audio but the vast majority of viewers or listeners will never notice. It’s satisfying to do a good job though. The Zoom is a fine recorder. I’ve no idea why Tascam ditched those extras, unless they’re part of a more expensive package.
You don't have to send it back to change the built in battery in the instructions booklet it shows how to replace the battery yourself if you can't replace the battery yourself you have to be a complete moron take of the four rubber feet undo the four screws lift the back unplug the battery and replace it simple I think it's a great idea to have a battery like this as backup
I got my Tascam DR-100 Mk111 delivered today and am very disappointed. The headphone jack doesn't work unless it's half-way hanging out of the socket. Damn!
I know this might sound obvious but this isn’t because you’re using headphones that have a mic inline? So a 3 channel 3.5mm plug rather than a standard 2 channel stereo plug. No idea if this would cause this. Just throwing it out there 🙂
@@tdcattech No, it's a standard two channel plug. Tried it with two different sets of headphones and neither is working with the Tascam yet both work fine on other devices. :-(
@@tdcattech Mine works well and i am proud of how much quality is in the recording (using a pair of Rode M5 microphones with either the Rode Stereo Bar or funny enough the goose neck clamps from the 2x TM-AG1 Microphone pop filters) but for personal/stream recording i was wandering if i could use the line out connected to the PC line in to have the audio from both microphones but use one of the microphones to cut the background audio, and what program i would need to use paired with OBS or i can do that with an add on in OBS?
A magnificent review of the DR-100MK3, congratulations on your great work. I recently bought this model to record my audio SETS with a Pioneer DJM mixer. The possibility of recording audio digitally via RCA coaxial makes this recorder a really interesting option for the price it has in 2024. I only use its LINE and DIGITAL input so the other problems listed in the video are not relevant to me . The enormous quality and power provided by its dual AKM chips in sound reproduction is also incredible. It is a great idea to use it as a simple walkmanc to listen to WAV music from your memory card. It sounds better than any dongle connected to your smartphone!
What a gentlemanly review. Very old school England. Love!
I have mark 3 done more than 150 interviews all have been very successful with no problems. Very easy to use
I have to add my 48v phantom power has started to flicker on and off and interrupting my recording. Very annoying. I wond4r what could be causing this short circuiting? Otherwise perfect for my singing. Amazingly quiet preamps. Best in the market.
I use mine daily and it does a great job. Am planning to add another recorder, but the Tascam will still be in near daily use. The only complaint is the internal battery being a non-user accessible batt.
Good review, I have a Mk3 and everything you said about bad things it is completely true, I really enjoy the comparison with Mk2 to know good things as well. Anyway I love the Dr100 Mk3 I'm very happy with it :)
I am glad that someone has done a major review of this recorder and noted the ridiculous issue of the battery being built in. That just sets up a need to possibly send the unit back to Tascam in future to replace that auxiliary Li_ion batt. Crazy....and a deal breaker for me for this one -- I will wait for the IV
I think someone commented saying it was user serviceable which is good. As far as I see it, there are many users who won’t be confident doing it and it’s just another driver for people to upgrade in the future. Not fair! 👎🏻
Thanks for explaining the noise floor I just learned something :)
what a practical and professional review! thank you!
I also have both MK11 and MK111, both of which give me good results. The switches on my MK111 do not rattle and are firm to move, my only issue is the non changeable Lithium Ion battery.
This is a great review!!! Very well done my friend.
Well, damn, I was looking at finally upgrading my original DR-100 up to the Mk III until I saw this video. Most of the issues I can deal with, but no user-swappable lithium-ion battery could be a dealbreaker. It was already frustrating that we had to charge DR-100 MkI/II batteries inside the recorder and there wasn't a separate charger available, but at least we could have several batteries pre-charged and ready to swap out.
I'm guessing it charges up from the USB socket only, given that there isn't a separate DC IN socket like there is on the MkI and MkII. Does it force the unit into SD card reader mode when you're charging it through USB like it does on the MkI? Or can you actually use the unit while charging/powering it from a regular USB power bank? Will it even talk to a regular USB power bank, or does it require some proprietary Tascam power bank?
I would be carefull with powering it via a USB-powerbank. I tried a few different on my (yes, I know, not a DR100 MKx) DR-40, but all introduce noise from the switching-electronics inside the powerbank. Unless you can test it or know how to deal with the interference the bank is causing, go for it, otherwise buy a known good one.
It takes two double A batteries as well. The internal battery is a back up in case the AA's run out during a recording. Or I thought that's what it was for.
@@JWS1968 I know, but I was referring to John Aldred who wanted to power the unit via a USB-powerbank. I know it takes two AA-batteries as well and it switches seamless between both.
@@weeardguy Ah OK.
-96dB below signal, that's like a fly farting in a rock concert :)
Thank you for the solid review. What is your recommendation for the best recorder. I assume better products have been released since this is an old one
Not really. With this type of specialist equipment, there isn't the need to churn out models as a user would expect the device to be a workhorse and last for years. As for a recommendation, it really depends what you want to (e.g. this is no good if you need multi-track). If you had more money to spend, I believe the Sony PCM-D100 is an incredible device. Extremely well respected and great value (albeit nearly twice the price of the Tascam).
@@tdcattech I appreciate the response and recommendation, thanks again
@@audiophilear698 I’m much too late to comment, but the Sony PCM-D100 has no XLR inputs, which is quite detrimental for anyone looking to plug in more professional microphones, such as myself. (I use long shotgun mics for birding-watching.) However, it has the highest quality preamps of any handheld recorder, fairly closely approaching the level of the Zoom F series and Sound Devices MixPre series. If you really want the best quality audio without compromising price or size, you should go with anything by Sound Devices, such as the 700 series (which have the best, or very nearly best, mic preamps in the industry; can buy used off eBay quite cheaply)) or MixPre series. Zoom’s larger field recorders, such as the F8, F6, and F4, are also fantastic. If a smaller, handheld recorder is what you’re looking for, I’d recommend the one features in this video, the Tascam DR-100MKIII, or the Marantz PMD661MKIII. Both are extremely good, although the Tascam has slightly better preamps (you probably couldn’t hear a big difference anyway). I use the Zoom H5, which is also quite good, although the audio becomes hissy at around gain level 7.
@@JamesPhillipsOfficial you’re totally right. If the Sony had the same XLR inputs as the Tascam, along with the same Sony preamps, it could very well be the best handheld recorder to date.
Each bit of word length affords you 6 dB of dynamic range, so 108 dB of dynamic range implies 20 bits, not 24 bits. If the system was really fully exploiting a 24 bit word length, the overall dynamic range capability would be 144 dB, but mic preamp limitations alone prevent that.
Yaaaaaaaawn.
There´s a short description in the (printed) handbook on how to remove the internal battery. Tascam didn´t answer my question what battery is used for the MK3 but they gave me a contact adress where the battery can be ordered. Nevertheless i agree with you. The solution used in the MK2 model was far beyond the MK3.
Remove 4 rubber bumpers and 4 Philips #0 screws, the back is off and the cp-1s1p-3950jm Li+ battery is exposed which has a small 3-pin connector. This is a 3.6V/ 3950 mA battery.
Can you post the contact address for this battery? I have spent way too much time trying to find the replacement. and the Tascam site steers me to Tascam links that I am not allowed to open. thanks, sd
Very grateful to this. Thanks a ton. Just what I needed.
"...We'll ignore that marketing bo***cks..." Ha ha haaaa! I laughed out at that point! Great video! Thanks for sharing!
People that worries about recording over 44.1KHz and about 16 bits being the thing that limits the quality of the noise floor (or the quality of the recording) does not know enough science to talk about this stuff and begs to be duped by the manufactures.
Great review, thanks! The rattling of the switches, oh man. When a product gets renewed/improved there always seem to be certain things that have to fall back. Why is that? Cost-saving? Because the product needs to fall into a certain price range? Or does the profit margins come in danger? I've seen this happening on so many products... If only we could improve stuff without getting worse on several aspects as well, wouldn't that be something?
I know. It’s so frustrating that everything is cut back to the bone. Maybe I just got a bad copy and the switches are fine on most.
@@tdcattech At the moment this one is still on, for me to purchase. I'll let you know how much rattling I find on it :)
In general use, it won’t be a problem. It’s just a niggle and annoyance than anything else.
Hopefully, if anyone is using the onboard unidirectional mics, they'll be doing their best to isolate and not move the unit anyway. This unit really shines with an external mic though. I have a Rode stereo X/Y mic that I still need to test on it. It's a great unit. I'm just being critical! 😏
@@tdcattech You being critical is why I'm watching your review mate ;)
Mine doesn't rattle ... maybe different production run or something. You do get handling noise though with the built-in mics unless you are very careful. I used to use mine to record sound effects, but now use a microphone on a short boom, cabled to the recorder for clean sound.
The mk.2 reminds of my DR-40. Yeah very old interface. I have been using my DR-100 mk.3 as long as it originally came out. Utter nonsense on the 24 bit dynamic range. You use that for Line recordings mostly. Doubt anyone would complain using the difference with Mics built in or external 16 or 24 bit but it is a nice option. I used the DR-100 Mk.3 for some mastering and coming off boards at 24 bit 96khz or even 192khz. But mostly I stay 24 bit 48khz since that is the video standard pretty much. So that is where I stay mostly. I am looking at the Sound Device Mix Pre 6 mk.2 at some point, not in a big hurry. The DR-100 mk.3 does just fine thank you. So until I have a real compelling case to go to Sound Devices, this DR-100 mk.3 is my go too recorder at mostly in studio, the DR-40 is my field recorder mostly. The Mic shock mounts yeah don't much but you should preset everything and leave the recorder alone, even take advantage of the remote function. Check the bottom of the unit, you have a corded remote option. It isn't that much doom and gloom there. Also I.R. is not that reliable anyway versus a corded solution, which also means no batteries in the remote. Wrong on the Lithium Battery. It is user replaceable. The bottom case comes out and you can replace the battery pack. The switches is take it or leave thing as far as the rattle you talk about. Don't and never saw that as an issue. Isolate the recorder which is true of any recorder and you are golden. Been doing audio over 50 years, and I guess I don't whine, and find solutions. Just saying.
Great video but I wish you would of mentioned how to power it besides the built-in battery?
Built in battery, 2 AA battery's, or usb power.
Really useful review and the comparison to the mark II.
Very nice review; a couple of exemples/comparaisons between the two models, concerning above all the noise level, wouldn't have hurt though.
question: i noticed the lower end models have a pc usb audio interface mode but i dont see that this top end model has is anywhere on the site. can you confirm or deny that this has it or not?
Thanks for the review. What recorder do you recommend for natural sounds (bird songs) and human speech?
This recorder is great for that, but you cant use the built in mics, they are way to sensitive or noisy, but with some kind of external mic (XLR, 3.5mm), works great.
Hello. I loved the review. Have a question though. Is it possible to use the Stereo mic and one line-in simultaneously to record? Please help.
No you can not... It has a selection menu with multiple choice of the inputs you want to use, so there is no way to select more than 1 selection.
Nice review mate! Will this do voice activated recording and if so, is there a pre and post time? Thanks again.
Yes. The AUTO REC function deals with this. You can set a delay of up to 5 seconds post record and you can use it with the PRE REC function to record up to 2 seconds of audio prior to the auto activation.
Great video. Thanks, I learned some things I didn't know. Subscribed.
Been wanting to start recording storm sounds (rain,thunder,lightning,etc.) would the Mk3 do the job? Good Video m8!
Absolutely. It’s very tricky to record as even the slightest thunder has a huge amount of audio energy (in my experience) but the A-B mic configuration of the Tascam would create beautiful stereo wide results.
Good review, thanks! However, I think that the problem with absence of absolute zero actually is not a problem, because imo you shouldn't have clipped signal at the absolute minimum of input level of this recorder, even if you record very loud sources like gunshots or planes passbyes, and anyway you have a built-in limiter. Or maybe you know some situations when absolute zero is needed?
So wat hand-held recorder would you recommend which can actually be used in hand, with less noise? You mention this should not be used in hand either as it picks up the small "handmade" noises.
How much better are the preamps on this compared to the dr40x ? because the dr40x is very sensitive to static hissing when the side volume and mixing volume is turned up I have super quality at4050 audio technica mics as well so would this be a better fit i need the static to be none existent to be honest as its making my recordings sound rubbish ?
The battery is user replaceable, as described in the user manual; Remove the rubber feet and unscrew the back. There you can replace the battery.
I'd agree with most of your points though especially regarding the terrible shock mount, the buttons on mine don't rattle like yours but I have had internal noises get into recordings. Generally though it's a great recorder only rivalled by the Sony PCM-D100
For me the quality of the ADC for use with line recordings was more important than the mic pre's and for this it's superb, only niggle is on the line mini jack input, the input impedance is 1000 ohms (1k) which is stupid, if using unbalanced cables as line inputs on the TRS jacks this can easily over drive the input without knowing you are clipping (signal is below clipping but is distorted) and of course with consumer gear if using the TRS line inputs you don't have enough gain.. With balanced line level it's great. I have also used it to transfer DAT tapes using the digital input with great success
I didn’t know that and it’s great that it is user replaceable and doesn’t require a service centre job.
RTM! 🙂
@@tdcattech Ha right, I forgot that was my other complaint. You don't get a proper paper manual and the PDF full manual could be better. I guess they cut every corner they could to be able to put all the money on the actual product and to get it at a competitive price point which to be fair works. I can't think of anything close to this at the same price let alone the sub £600 sector if high quality 2 channel audio is your main priority.
@Guenouille Page 5 of the owners manual here: www.tascam.eu/en/docs/DR-100MKIII_multi.pdf
@@tdcattech This or the Sony pcmd100?
The point of those noises while moving the Tascam and being recorded made me be totally sure to buy something else! Thanks for that!
I love this recorder but only use it with external mics so this isn’t an issue. If I was using it ‘on the go’ (journalist or similar) it’s risky.
I agree with tdcattech, the built in mics are way to sensitive to do anything with anyway, with any kind of external mic the button noise doesn't matter.
Excellent review, I especially liked the comparison between the MkIII and the MkII. After watching your review, it seems that the Tascam DR-100MkII may be a good choice for my purpose. I want to transfer old cassette tapes to digital. You have experience with both versions, do you agree? I like the remote control capabilities and "old school" controls of the MkII (the MkII appears to be a good "companion" for my Nakamichi tape deck). For those looking for the lowest noise, the DR-100MkIII is the obvious choice, but cassette tapes won't have a 96dB or 100dB or higher signal to noise ratio.
Absolutely. For that kind of purpose, the DR-100MkII is easily a good enough product. In most recording scenarios, the noise floor improvement would not even be noticeable and you'd be using line level so the quieter pre-amps wouldn't make a difference.
@@tdcattech Thanks, and even a Nakamichi won't reach much higher than 20kHz with metal tapes. Even if the tape deck can do it, few cassette recordings have such quality.
Ні! Very useful video! I have one question about External Input: Will Rode Lavalier Go (2.5 V) work correct with this recorder?
Great review, extremely useful.
Can the Mark iii be used as an audio interface?
No. Unfortunately not 😕
@@tdcattech thank you so much. That is indeed, truly unfortunate!!
i really need someone to answer me , does this model can work as audio interface through USB connect to PC ? or the usb is only for file transfer and charging ? it will be a deal breaker for to me to buy this product
i think mkii has this functionality if I'm not mistaken, also zoon H5 and H6 has
No. The USB does not act as an audio interface.
@@tdcattech thanks a lot for you care TD , answering me from a video from 2019 is just amazing, one more question before i order it , can i connect lav mic which is not powered and it is trs iinto digital in or i need convertor to use xlr- 1/4 ?
Pls I need help, i searched around and wrote so many people and still no answer. I i dint yet a xlr mic but rather a plug in jack and i can't make work even when i don the ext in function. It doesnt record. Also when i record using the integrated mic i am not impressed with the sound quality. Any advice pls. Thank you
I have the DR40 and the DR100mk3 (and some other Olympus recorders) and I have to say that the dr100mk3 simply sucks. 2 more points. If you use the dual ADC it will produce a horrible base noise (although lower than with the single ADC), and I noticed an other strange "feature" : I made some tests of background noise with maximum sensitivity and after some minutes (5..30) the level will go up and the recorder will produce a strange distorted noise itself. This can be reproduced any time.
Why didn’t they allow to record both from internal an external mics at the same time like the H4n? Anyone knows when the mk4 comes out?
I was ready to get one, until I've heard the internal Lithium cell is sealed in. That is a big NOPE. During the charging time, what do I do: watch TV, read newspaper, drink coffee or go dancing. Thanks but no, I will get another recorder and go recording sounds instead, with some spare batteries in my pocket to replace the discharged one.
Moving noisy switches ? Is it a joke? NOPE, Meh, and meh again.
Gee, I really thought this machine was for me.
See you at mark IV, maybe.
More seriously, Tascam if you hear me, why instead of heaving an almost perfect device you say to yourself, let screw it up a bit so people will have easier decision of buying another brand. huh?
Excellent review! Thanks a lot!
It does have AA power too which come into play as soon as the lithium power is low but you’d still have to mess around plugging in a charger whilst recording. Really odd that they removed this from the MkII.
@@tdcattech Sure I know about AA, and having two power sources is fantastic, but I am not getting any gear that have inaccessible cells inside.
Once the cell is dead, it is a big issue to replace it.
Few examples:
Recently I had an issue with one (last me three years) and now the company says they do not support the cell replacement. It was on Western Digital My Passport Wi-Fi hard drive: they said, do it yourself if you can find the battery which is actually impossible - they even told me I need to disassembly the drive on my own in order to get the reference! Hard drive works perfectly on USB cable but for Wi-Fi forget it.
************
And this is a moment when an angel told me: hey check the manual.
I've just made a discovery here tascam.com/us/product/dr-100mkiii/download (owner's manual)
You can actually remove the internal battery by yourself!
Under the rubber foots there are 4 screws. And voilà. Voilà the idea of making stupid solutions. Yeah, why not to keep the internal battery door for easy on the fly replacement with charged one when travelling far from wall plugs?
Also, Maybe there is a workaround for noisy switches? But still, is it a customer job to fix so irritating flows on a device.
Thanks!
Wow, what a crazy solution. You can do it yourself but you need to pull off the rubber feet and have a screwdriver to hand whereas previously you could just hot swap it in 5 seconds with a fresh or spare battery.
Good to know though, thanks for checking.
@@tdcattech Yeah, exactly. One could say, screwdriver it's better than nothing (OMG, what a stupid idea - even cheap smartphones have one second removable back plate if this is the solution they've wanted to have)
Some other ideas like taking off the infrared port (no remote control), delivering the unit "naked" with no basic accessories... really MEH... this TASCAM could be an easy winner, just few tiny efforts more.
Yet an idea concerning the batteries for this unit.
If there was room for 2xAA they could actually keep removable lithium cell, but making it bigger for more power.
I think we are wasting time saying what they could do. Next gen in 5 years will have even worst ideas if they continue on that path.
Thanks!
@@leemski RE the IR port, a WiFi for control and real time data transfer or Bluetooth for at least the controls would make this even more usable.
Does these do similar things to olypmus where you can play it back on the recorder and even slow down the recording etc via on the recorder itself? I dont see anyone showing any of those as a feature so.
great explanation, yet I don‘t get it when you refer to a built in battery, but you showed the flap and the AA batteries?
It has a dual power source. So you can use the AA and then switch over to the Li-Ion built in battery once they are exhausted and then swap the AA with fresh ones.
@@tdcattech great, many thanks for your response, so the AA are like a back up if the built in is drained or saving the overall battery life using AA for ‚short‘ sessions. great. the interesting aspect is the 192k, but would you still buy this item or recommend a different, maybe newer model on the market in the same price range. I am keen on this one due to the solid build, zoom has nice capsules, so I am finding it difficult to make a choice. I do own a Roland R-07 and a Zoom F1-SP, both without 192k. Well, thanks to you, good show, nice and clear explanation. Will subscribe.
I would definitely buy this. It has its problems but it's superb for the money. I love the A-B stereo configuration and I have an external Rode stereo mic if I need X-Y. I would consider the amazing Sony PCM-D100 if I knew that I would never use external mics but I do so the lack of XLR inputs is just silly. As for newer models, I haven't really checked. This does all I need for now.
@@tdcattech thanks sincerely for your time and answer, dear regards from austria, alan
Can I use RUclips instrumental beats or an mp3 player as a input source and then record my voice onto the beats somehow? If yes, can I hear what I'm recording on the earphones or not?
maybe put tape on that rattle buttons xD I hope it works because I want to use it in my hand with the in build mics
It is possible to hold it completely still and record but maybe a little tack in the switches could pad them a bit (might wreck the switch too, but I doubt it)
I have a mkiii. I put a bit off gaff tape on mine when I hand hold it. Gaff tape comes off clean.
The TexPat in Saigon Good advice. Thanks for the tip.
Hey TD!
can you use this as an audio interface to hook up to the computer as well?
Thanks man
Would I also be able to use it as a audio card? As I a Scarlett 2i2?
What is the battery life like? I would be using this with and Rode NT4.
The lithium-ion battery is pretty good. I like to use rechargeable AAs which tend to run down very fast when using phantom power. The Rode NT4 apparently can be powered with its own internal battery which I would recommend. That way you don't need phantom power. I have a pair of very old (about 20 years!) Rode NT3 mics which use a built in battery and work pretty good with this Tascam (though the mics are no longer my favourites).
The good feature is that as long as the lithium battery still has enough charge, the AAs can be swapped out even during a recording and the DR100III seamlessly switches between AA and built-in batteries.
@@dianthus605 I’m not a big fan of using the 9v battery with the Rode NT4, They are expensive, there are no rechargeable options and you don’t know what power is remaking with them. If I use my Sound Devices MixPre 3 and Eneloop Pro rechargeable AA’s I get 2 hours and 14 minutes using phantom power. Using a Tascam DR44 WL and 4 AA Eneloop Pro’s I get 7 hrs. and 8 min.
Hello Sir, which camera is used for shoot in this video.
Sony PXW-Z90
How would you compare this to the zoom H6. Which one would you recommend.
Difficult to answer as they're not quite the same tool. Tascam has better technical performance from an SNR perspective (though finding true noise values for the H6 seems suspiciously difficult). Whether this matters depends on what you're recording. If you have a terrific low noise mic and are looking to record ambient sounds, go for the Tascam. However, the Zoom can record 6 tracks at once! That could be a deal breaker. Also, the Zoom on-board mics can be either X/Y or A/B whereas you are stuck to the A/B config on the Tascam....again, great for ambient recording in my opinion.
Do I need one???
very useful
СПАСИБО!
People that worries about recording over 44.1KHz and about 16 bits being the thing that limits the quality of the noise floor (or the quality of the recording) does not know enough science to talk about this stuff and begs to be duped by the manufactures.
TOP!!!!
Doesn't it have 32 bits? For that kind of money, there should be 32 bits, not 24
This is an old model but still absolutely solid and reliable. Newer models from Tascam do have 32-bit float for similar money.
oh no, switches that rattle?! deal breaker ... I thought I was done researching
Not 100% sure if you’re being sarcastic or not but either way, rattling parts on a handheld record is fine if you’ll always have it mounted but if you’re moving (handheld interview is a good example), this is just a pain.
@@tdcattech No not at all being sarcastic. I can't be sure I'll always have it on a tripod, so having rattling buttons is unfortunately a big problem. So frustrating! I keep coming so close to finding the right model, and then there's always one thing that throws it off.
so do this
…if you are the least (changing a light bulb) tinkering its nothing to change the internal battery after years of professional use of the tascam dr-100 mk iii…and a 10 second search of china-shopping portals and youre good to go…
Yeah, I didn't realise the swap-out was an option when I filmed this. My mistake.
I spent a lot more time searching for the Li+ battery than 10 seconds w/o results. Several of the searches was for a cp-1s1p-3950jm . Is that correct of should it have been something else?
Rattling switches? Oh come on... I'm out
No remote. No dead Cat and the No Vase is the real deal breaker ... I'll stick to my Zoom H4n/ Every one listens to the video I produce on computer speakers anyway. And who cares about the fidelity of an R/C jet Model air plane or big 8 HP Gasser ...
👍🏻😀 You’re dead right. As content creators, amateur producers, filmmakers, we put a lot of effort into getting good audio but the vast majority of viewers or listeners will never notice. It’s satisfying to do a good job though.
The Zoom is a fine recorder. I’ve no idea why Tascam ditched those extras, unless they’re part of a more expensive package.
@@tdcattech Surprising whet engineers have to do to save a nickle and satisfy the sales departments Good review thanks
But apologies are not needed if the recordings are pefrect, no?
You don't have to send it back to change the built in battery in the instructions booklet it shows how to replace the battery yourself if you can't replace the battery yourself you have to be a complete moron take of the four rubber feet undo the four screws lift the back unplug the battery and replace it simple
I think it's a great idea to have a battery like this as backup
Yes, that has been pointed out as something I missed. It's good that it can be done relatively simply.
I got my Tascam DR-100 Mk111 delivered today and am very disappointed. The headphone jack doesn't work unless it's half-way hanging out of the socket. Damn!
I know this might sound obvious but this isn’t because you’re using headphones that have a mic inline? So a 3 channel 3.5mm plug rather than a standard 2 channel stereo plug. No idea if this would cause this. Just throwing it out there 🙂
@@tdcattech No, it's a standard two channel plug. Tried it with two different sets of headphones and neither is working with the Tascam yet both work fine on other devices. :-(
@@tdcattech Mine works well and i am proud of how much quality is in the recording (using a pair of Rode M5 microphones with either the Rode Stereo Bar or funny enough the goose neck clamps from the 2x TM-AG1 Microphone pop filters) but for personal/stream recording i was wandering if i could use the line out connected to the PC line in to have the audio from both microphones but use one of the microphones to cut the background audio, and what program i would need to use paired with OBS or i can do that with an add on in OBS?
Should've gone for a sony
Always loved the Sony PCM-D100 but it has no XLR input AFAIK.