What to buy? TASCAM Portacapture X8 or Sound Devices Mixpre 6 II ?

[btsr]

Dear all and first of all. I‘m totally new here.

Thanks to everyone who reads this post and tries to understand.
I digitize audio media. To do this, I have been using the aging Tascam DR-100MKIII for years. 
Now, I have been looking for a replacement in combination with 32-bit for a long time, since years.
Here‘s my problem and workflow:
All the products I have looked at lack a feature that is indispensable to me. Automatic (line-)level recording, which starts and stops recording automatically at a certain (line) level. Together with the 5-second pre-recording function, this is my almost weekly workflow. 
The Tascam Portacapture X8 offers exactly that in combination with 32-bit, according to what I can gather from the manual. 
BUT, the main issue is the build quality of the Tascam Portacapture X8.
The latter is what is keeping me from buying it!

The quality of the device does not seem to be quite up to par. Is this device really worth the money? 
That's why I was already considering buying the Sound Devices Mixpre 6 Mark II. 
But it doesn't have automatic recording and automatic stopping, and it doesn't have the 5-second pre-recording function.
Pure desperation, and that end of the year 2025.
Even the new camera recorders from Tascam don't offer this.
For years, inquiries to Sound Devices have only yielded the following response: Your requested feature is on a future roadmap. Bang!
An inquiry to Tascam regarding their FR-AV4 series received no response at all. 
Apparently, it seems I'm the only one in the whole world!

Thank you so much. I appreciate any response.

A hearty „Servus“ from Bavaria

[Bouke]

eeh, the Tascam seems dirt cheap / close to disposable. How about bringing 3 of them?

Or, just record an entire day and have some post processing software do the cutting for you.
(If it does not exist I could make it. Silence detection is not hard, cutting of PCM neither.)

 

 

[Display Name]

I can’t think of any analog audio which a modern real 32-bit float recorder would not be able to handle. 
the Tascam will for sure be enough and if it fulfils your technical needs - get one or as Bouke says - get three. 
 

or if the technical needs of keeping your current workflow is secondary - get the Mixpre. 

[Chris Webb]

Can you list some of your other requirements? What sampling rate are you aiming for? Does it need to be a field recorder or will it only be used in a studio setting? There are interfaces which might be better options if you’re not needing portability for instance. 

[btsr]

First of all thanks.

Why on earth would I buy three of them? Oh, you're paying for them?
Why would I want to record all day long? Because of the noise?
Again, a device from 2015 with better build quality as a device from today and everyone finds that acceptable? Why exactly? 
On top of that, features that work well together like those of a device from 2025?
Sure, I can add extra steps to the workflows, but shouldn't technology reduce work rather than generate extra work?
Apparently, people can't imagine that there is still enough to do in post-production? Time is money? Maybe the customer won't pay for it?
I have to be told that I have to do more instead of less, now? 

It‘s my lifetime?
Guys, I realize that it's not possible to have a reasonable, objective discussion here. 
Besides, as I mentioned earlier, I have enough information to make me doubt the processing quality of the Portacapture X8. 
Unfortunately, this seems to be tacitly accepted by the majority. 
If no one says anything, nothing will change, and that's your opinion, not mine!
Let's leave it at that. Bye!
 

[inspire]

I have both of them here, and both have their own good sides. Depends on what you want to do. I would not say that Tascam would be a bad choice, the quality of the composition is, in my opinion, OK.

[humbuk]

You obviously spent a lot of time choosing. But you didn't write what exactly you want to record with it. Of course, the Sound Devices Mixpre and the Tascam Portacapture are different universes in every way. But for example, I have a Zoom F8 for my Sound Devices, which you would certainly find a lot of dirt on in the discussions, but for me it has many uses and I use it. I have a lot of reservations about all recorders, but you have to choose the closest one. If you write that functionally the Tascam Portacapture is the only one on the market that has the function you require, it's your horse. The people who offer you here, buy three, mean well. If you have a problem with quality, you can buy a bunch of Tascams for the price of the Mixpre.

[The Immoral Mr Teas]

I would probably buy one Tascam Portacapture X8 if it does what you want it to do. I've only seen pictures of it but build quality - or looks - seems pretty similar to the DR-100 which has apparently lasted you years. Keep an eye out on other recorders and firmware updates so if SD finally decide to implement what you're looking for you might have a shopping choice ... or keep asking them and maybe they'll get round to adding it.

 

For years I kept an eye out for the lower (mid) cost recorders - SD Mixpre, Zoom, etc - to come out with a digital, AES-3 or even S-PDIF in/out - which the much lower cost Tascam DR680 had years earlier - to no avail. So it goes.

 

J

[Olle Sjostrom]

When you say ”digitize audio media”, does that mean you record analog records and convert them to digital?

 Like tape or vinyl?

if that’s the case, I guess my question would be ”why do you feel the need to change anything?” I would imagine, if you’re digitizing analog recordings to digital, that you’d be in a studio and a workflow that’s working for you. 
And 32 bit can’t be that big of a difference, seeing as your recordings wouldn’t be that dynamic? I might be wrong or misunderstanding of course

[Bouke]

16 hours ago, btsr said:

Why on earth would I buy three of them? Oh, you're paying for them?

Cause they're dirt cheap and you worry about quality.

 

16 hours ago, btsr said:

Why would I want to record all day long?

You wanted only parts with sound over a specific level. If the recorder can't do that, post production can do it automated.

That's what I wrote, did I not? I don't think you're too pragmatic about stuff...

 

 

[inspire]

Here are the things that I personally find important when comparing the two:

The Sound Devices MixPre-6 II records in the PolyWAV format. If you haven’t worked with that before, it’s quite different! Do a quick Google search on what it is — it takes a little getting used to.
Also, this recorder is quite power-hungry — you’ll need a high-capacity battery if you’re using it in the field.
On the other hand, it can capture much quieter sounds without issues, thanks to its Kashmir microphone preamps with 76 dB of gain. That’s generally one of the things that makes it perhaps a slightly better recorder overall.

The Portacapture X8 software is excellent. To get the most out of it, it’s recommended to use the optional dongle for remote control via the mobile app, but I think anyone who’s looked into it probably already knows that.

Personally, I like both of them — and I’ve even used them together to get more recording channels. They can be synced very effectively with a hand clap, and they hold sync surprisingly well — after recording a one-hour concert, there was no noticeable drift between them.