Tascam CD-VT2 CD Vocal and Instrument Trainer Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Not everyone has a need for this but if you do, it works very well. It plays a CD well enough although if that's all you need then don't buy this. What it does well is it can either speed or slow the tempo of what is on the CD without changing the pitch, or it can change the pitch of what is on the CD without changing the tempo. It also acts as a tuner. And, it can remove center channel vocals if you want to just hear the music portion of what is on the CD.
Regarding the tempo and pitch change, it executes these tasks flawlessly.
Regarding the vocal elimination, it removes the vocals satisfactorily. I don't think any machine can do a perfect job because there's too many hitches inherent in the recording, but this one does a good enough job so that the vocals are faint enough for someone to sing over and not compete with them.
Build quality is good - it is part of the Teac company and they make quality stuff. I bought a separate power transformer for this unit so I didn't have to worry about batteries, so I have no comments regarding how long the batteries last.
The controls and functions are neatly laid out on the panel and are easy to use. The instruction book is easy to follow. This product does what I bought it for very well so I am happy with it.


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Featuring an improved compact design, the Tascam CD-VT2 CD vocal/music trainer allows artists, musicians, students, and music teachers to practice, learn and teach vocal harmonies, fast rap passages and complex melodies from their favorite music. It offers comprehensive LCD display with graphical user interface, album title/track title indication by CD-Text, expanded effect banks for user preset, chromatic tuner.
Tascam's VSA feature (Variable Speed Audition, pitch control without affecting key) lets you learn a continuous mix of your favorite songs anywhere you go, while Flash Back, loop, and other play functions help review parts without having to constantly reach for the controls. The CD-VT2 also includes a vocal/instrument canceller, allowing you to play along to featured parts with your own vocal or instrument.

Key Features
Portable CD Music/Vocal trainer (More compact than previous CD-VT1MKII)
CD-DA/CD-R/CD-RW disc playback
10 second anti-shock memory
Comprehensive 128 x 64 dot matrix LCD display with graphical user interface
Album title/Track title indication by CD-Text
Elapsed Time/Remain Time display with bar meter
+16 to -50% pitch control in 1% steps
VSA (Variable Speed Audition, pitch control without affecting key)
Key control: +/-6 semi-tone, in semi-tone steps with +/-50 cents fine tune
Single play and continuous play
Single Loop, All Loop, and Seamless IN-OUT Loop
Flash Back function (Instant review up to 5 seconds prior playback)
Vocal/Instrument Canceller with selectable canceling pan point and selectable frequency range
10 effect banks for user preset
Chromatic tuner with calibration (435 to 445Hz)
3 octaves tone oscillator
Metronome (BPM: 40 to 220, Beat: 2 to 6)
(2x) 1/4-inch Mic input
Mic input volume
Mic input level meter indicator on LCD display
CD level meter indicator
Foot switch connector
5 selectable functions by foot switch (Flash Back, Rewind, FF, Bank, Effect on/off)
1/8-inch stereo line output
1/8-inch stereo headphone output
Headphone volume
MONO monitor for CD (L+R, L, R)
Split monitor (Left ch: CD, Right ch: Input or vice versa)
Battery operation
Optional power supply PS-P520

Specifications
Disc Type: 8cm and 12cm CD
Line Output Connector: 1/8-inch Stereo mini connector
Nominal Stereo Output Level: -10dBV
Output Impedance: 600ohm (2V RMS)
Maximum Output Level (LINE OUT): +6dBV
Headphone Output Connector: 1/8-inch Stereo mini connector
Maximum Output Level (PHONES): 15mW (at 32ohm loaded)
Mic Input Connectors: 1/4-inch Phone Connector
Nominal Input Level, Mic Input: -40dBV
Maximum Input Level, Mic Input: -19dBV
Frequency Response: 20 Hz to 20 kHz (-3/+1dB); (A weight filter + 20KHz LPF)
Signal to Noise Ratio: Better than 85 dB
Total Harmonic Distortion: < 0.03% (200Hz HPF + 20KHzLPF)
Channel Separation: Better than 80dB (A weight filter + 20KHz LPF)
Power Requirements: DC 5V (Optional AC adapter PS-P520); AA batteries x 4
Power Consumption: 4W (with PS-P520)
Dimensions: 7.64 x 1.52 x 5.43 inches (WxHxD)
Weight (excluding batteries): 19.4 ounces

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Tascam US1641 USB 2.0 Audio and MIDI Interface with digital Connection - Macintosh and Windows Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I looked at virtually every multiple mic interface on the market and couldn't find anything to touch this in features and/or price... so I bought it.
Wow!This thing rocks! I connected up 8 microphones for Kick, Snare, Hi-hat, Tom 1, Tom 2, Tom 3, Left Overhead and Right Overhead... all those mics plug into the 8 XLR mic sockets at the front of the unit. Got some really great 20ft XLR mic cables from Amazon for only $6.95 each (Whirlwind LowZ Microphone Cable (20 Foot) I then plugged in my bass guitar into one of 2 switchable line/guitar 1/4" mono inputs on the front.
Each of the 10 front panel inputs has a volume control knob and red/green led. The drummer hits each drum individually one by one so I can adjust each vol control so that it just occasionally clips red but mostly stays green.
After adjusting the six individual drum mics I now get the drummer to play the whole set and I adjust the left and right overheads mics so they don't clip (go red). That's it! The mics are setup ready to record.
I took the main output from the back of the unit to my monitors and there's a volume control on the front of the unit to allow you to turn down the monitor while recording... then you turn it up to listen back... so in effect, the unit has it's own monitoring control.
Two headphone jacks would've been nice, but I used a Y-adapter 1/4" Headphone Splitter to split the output allowing me to plug in the two headphones for me and the drummer.
I now setup recording on my laptop (HP TX2500z) using the supplied Cubase LE4 software which is really easy to use - buy yourself the The Complete Idiot's Guide to Recording with Cubase. There's no specific book for version LE4 but this idiot's guide worked great for me.
A note about my notebook - It's a tablet PC laptop HP Pavilion tx2500z 12.1" TOUCH-SCREEN Notebook with a great touch screen - so you can arm/disarm or mute/unmute your record channels/tracks just by touching the screen buttons with your finger - it's just like a real mixing desk with real tactile switches - it's really cool!
You may need to tweak your laptop for audio recording to get the best results otherwise you will hear artifacts (odd noises) when recording if the laptop is struggling to find the necessary processing power. I tweaked my laptop and it was just amazing to see the difference in performance. You can Google "Tweak Vista for audio recording" to find the information on how to tweak.
I also replaced my 5400rpm drive with a 7200rpm drive Seagate 500 GB 7200RPM 2.5" Drive - it's real easy to do... Google "Upgrading laptop hard drive". As well as getting a faster speed drive I also made it a 500GB to replace the 320GB drive that I had - so lot's more space... and very low cost too!
RESULTS!!!!!!!!!!!
Well... Let me tell you, I was absolutely BLOWN AWAY by the results obtained with this unit! The Tascam 1641 is an amazing piece of gear and Amazon's price is just out of this World at only $299...
It's like having a whole recording studio in a box - the mic pre's, the mixing desk (vol controls), the signal LED's, the monoring vol control, headphone controls, etc... AND the software - all for $299 - You can't beat that!
The actual sound that I got was totally professional - I couldn't have done better if I was in a top-notch recording studio. I am 100,000% satisfied!
GO FOR IT!!! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!!!!!



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With sixteen inputs, the TASCAM US-1641 is the ideal choice for musicians to record the whole band to a computer. Eight mic/line inputs plus six line inputs gives you plenty of channels for a large ensemble, drumset, live recording or worship service. It includes Cubase LE4, Steinberg's latest version, for 48 tracks of 96k/24-bit recording power. Using the latest high-speed USB 2.0 technology, the US-1641 packs the interfacing power of a big console into only one rackspace.The eight mic inputs employ TASCAM Pro mic pres for 60 dB of gain and phantom power for studio-quality recordings. Two balanced TRS line inputs on the front panel are switchable to guitar level for direct-in recording of bass or guitar tracks. Four more balanced line inputs and outputs fill out the rear panel, along with MIDI and S/PDIF digital inputs and outputs for a total of 16 ins. A built-in power supply means there's no special wall-wart to lose, and connection to the computer is handled by USB 2.0 technology - 40 times faster than USB 1.1 and 20% more bandwidth than FireWire 400.The US-1641 comes with Cubase LE4, Steinberg's latest version of the 48-track, 96kHz recording workstation, so you'll be ready to cut tracks right away. Also included is TASCAM's Continuous Velocity Piano, a VSTi plug-in for Windows that uses Giga technology for totally authentic grand piano sounds. The US-1641 installs ASIO and Core Audio drivers for Windows XP, Windows Vista 32 and Mac OS X, with simple instructions for hooking up to Logic Pro, Cubase, Nuendo, Digital Performer, SONAR, Reason, Live and nearly all other recording software. For musicians and bands always looking for more inputs, the US-1641 is the ultimate choice. Gather up your mics and head to your TASCAM dealer for more.

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