Tascam DR-44WL Handheld Portable Audio Recorder with WiFi

I've been recording the fleeting moments of my musical life with the Tascam DR-100 II and DR-40 for several years and have been pleased with their performance. However, I'm always on the lookout for an upgrade and the DR-44WL is Teac's latest and greatest palm sized recorder. It sports new features over its predecessors--Wi-Fi, iOS app, larger LCD and better RFI shielding--but does operation and sound quality measure up? APPEARANCE & BUILD: The body—plastic with aluminum side panels—feels sturdy but is a far cry from the beefy metal body of the DR-100 II. The large monochrome LCD isn’t a touchscreen, but is easy to read and an upgrade over the DR-40 and DR-100. Unlike color displays, it’s visible in bright sunlight! A steel tripod socket makes for easy mounting on tripods and light stands. I use a small Arca quick release plate on the DR-44WL, allowing fast mount/dismount from ball heads. CONTROLS are ample but feel flimsy compared to the DR-100. Unlike the DR-70 and Zoom H6, it has a phantom power switch! Operation is intuitive save for setting levels: 1. press input level button; 2. select tracks; 3. turn level wheel; and, finally, 4. press input level button to exit level adjustment mode. Yikes, I actually had to read the manual to figure that out! The good news is paired stereo tracks, e.g., tracks 1 and 2, may be adjusted simultaneously, shaving off some toil. Channels of a stereo pair may also be adjusted separately, something not possible with the DR-40. The iOS app, Tascam Control, is smooth and superior to the physical interface of the DR-44WL, especially setting levels. After inputting a password it was up and running in a matter of seconds. The only gotcha is Wi-Fi mode goes through batteries much faster than physical controls so use the USB port for power or keep spare batteries for long sessions. CONNECTIONS: Combo XLR and TRS allow recording from external pro mics or line level sources such as mixers or outboard mic preamps. Mini or 3.5 mm TRS connectors are not directly supported but can be used with an adapter. In stereo mode, XLR inputs only work with tracks 3 and 4. Tracks 1 and 2 are reserved for the built-in mics. However, tracks 1 and 2 may be assigned to the XLR inputs in multi-track mode if that makes any sense. The DR-44WL has a switch to toggle inputs from mic, phantom power and line level. There are no digital or unbalanced inputs. A mini (3.5mm) stereo jack is the lone output source. So adapters are needed to interface with studio and home stereo systems. My SD card goes straight in my Mac for storage, editing and playback, so I haven’t bothered to hook up to anything. The DR-44WL has a mini-USB port for power or uploading to a computer, but not for playback or recording. BATTERIES: The DR-40 is an odd bird with three AA batteries in its belly. Thankfully the DR-44WL uses four AA batteries. I use Eneloop Pro rechargeable batteries and they last through an all day rehearsal. Standard Eneloop work fine also but the slightly larger size make them really tough to install/remove from the battery compartment. You can also power it from a USB port or most USB chargers. MICS & SOUND QUALITY: I record my rehearsals and live shows, so a fast and simple setup is paramount. The built-in X/Y stereo cardioid mics are a level better than DR-40 and DR-100 MKII mics: warmer and fuller bass and midrange but slightly bright in upper frequencies. Stereo imaging is excellent, with each musician precisely placed in the stereo field. Listen to my video with headphones and you can hear where each guitarist is sitting!. I loved the DR-40’s ability to switch between X/Y and A/B wide stereo and disappointed Tascam omitted said feature from the DR-44WL. Preamps are surprisingly clean: using a pair of KM-184 in a soundproof booth, I could detect no noise in classical guitar solos recorded at -12 and 75% gain. In other words, significantly cleaner than the DR-40 and perhaps slightly better than the DR-100 II. I only record soft finger picked guitars and the DR-44WL has plenty of gain, typically set 50 to 75% for -12 dB. RFI RESISTANCE: I’m surrounded by RFI: radio station transmitters and everybody is packing microwave emitting smartphones! Audio gear needs shielding or it records static, microwave beeps and classic rock stations! The DR-44WL has exceptional RFI shielding (DR-40 was a beeping mess around cellphones). Tascam had to beef up RFI shielding since the DR-44WL partners with iOS/Droid remote control apps. LAST BLURB: I'm pleased with the DR-44WL: excellent recording quality, good built-in mics, clean preamps, RFI resistant and great iOS remote control app. The cons are awkward level adjustment and controls feel flimsy. Considering the reasonable price and sound quality, the DR-44WL is a winner for me.

I was really excited when I saw the announcement for this recorder along with the 2 channel version. The WiFi feature is very appealing for weddings, live events and anything else where you would want to check your levels without being by the recorder or even touching it. As of launch there is already firmware updates that you can find on the Tascam website so make sure to go download them and follow the easy instructions to update your DR-44WL. There are still some bugs but I'm sure those will be fixed soon. The Wifi feature is having some bugs at launch for iOS and the wifi "almost real time" monitoring isn't working but most of everything is and its really smooth. Starting/stopping recording and marking spots works well as does changing levels and other settings and viewing your levels. The Android app is very lacking and only shows battery life, levels, stop start and thats about it. I am hoping that they will update it soon. The build quality of the device is decent price but could be better. It's not a "wow" when you hold it like the zoom h5/6 but it will definitely last. and I really like the screen/menu setup along the scroll wheel, it helps you navigate the menus fast. I plan on updating this review as I use it more and issues get fixed. The built in mics are on rubber shock-proof mounts and the sound quality is great! I also have a video review on YouTube with more detail and of course you can see the device in action as well as the whole menu system and app running. Search " Tascam DR-44WL Review Max Yuryev " to find the video as well as a comparison of this recorder vs the older version (DR-40) and another comparison vs the Zoom H5. If you have any questions you can ask on my video and I will respond. Hope this helps!

First off, this is a very reasonable performing audio recorder, with some very useful functions, and then some. I'll let you read other reviews on the the audio performance. They have more equipment to give an objective review. In summary, at least for a user who wants good quality recording over whatever video capture device's in-built mic, this is far better and great for the price. I love the dual-level record function. It saved me a few times from clipped recordings. There are some bonus functions which I would say are gimmicks and are just wasting system memory - metronome, tuner. However, the biggest beef I've to complain, and which I cannot provide a 5 star is the Wifi function. I purchase this in 2017. At the time, it was a pretty new unit. The Wifi was unstable. Wifi Firmware was v1.0. The unit would attach, then when using with the DR Control app, will freeze/drop connection ... and it will be an irrecoverable situation. You cannot restart the app to save it. There doesn't seem to be a timeout to monitor and recover. The unit will then be essentially zombie mode. You've lost control of it! 2 years later, now in 2019, the firmware is at v2.1. I was hopeful this instability issue would fixed. I just did another try, and again it froze after just a few mins. I tried to adjust the levels at the time. So all-in-all the Wifi control is a great idea, and is a critical function, if it worked. My use case is that I put the recorder to the front of the stage to capture better audio, while I am at the back to video. I am sure this applies for wedding videographers. Right now, that function is as good as useless (maybe its more stable if you just use it as start-stop recording only), and losing control is just unacceptable. I really hope that Tascam can just remove useless stuff like the metronome, tuner, and insert a hearbeat/health check routine into the Wifi function so that the unit will self-check, and reset the Wifi upon losing connection with the client (phone/DR Control app). This is very very critical so that you don't lose control of the unit no matter what. Due to this, I still have to put the unit into 'dumb' record of the entire event, while I go to another section to do the video. It was a great and revolutionary idea to wirelessly control the unit. But alas, Tascam failed to stabilize this feature, and its basically useless. Other than that audio wise, its great. But then if the Wifi feature is so unstable and practically unusable, then why need to shell out extra for the function? Tascam - please do something about it. I am very very sure your test units are behaving the same, as can be seen by the many reports of this!

Without any doubt, this is an excellent recorder, mostly because it's multifunctional and universal. Suitable for interviews, nature sounds recording or music recording. The sound is good, although there is a little amount of background white noise, but this is not critical. It's rather easy to tune, each channel has its own settings (input, level, FX). There was SD card included for 4 GB, better than nothing (I instantly replaced it with 64 GB one). Direct wifi function works properly via special app, so you are able to control the device remotely, within basic functions (rec/pause/play, basic settings, etc)... but unfortunately sounds are not transmitted to mobile phone (neither life playing/recording sound, nor in the form of wav/mp3 files), this is sad, but also not so critical. In general I definitely recommend this product, it worth its price for sure.

I was really excited for this recorder, but from the moment I opened the box and held it, I felt disappointed, and ultimately ended up returning it. Heres why: First my experience with handhelds. I've owned a Sony PCM-M10 for a couple years now, and have really enjoyed it. The quality of the size, the feel, the menu system, and the amazing sounding internal mics were great, but there were issues. 1. the lack of XLR's was starting to annoy me, because I wanted to experiment with other mics. 2. The Omni's on the Sony, while they sound amazing, pick up everything, so when I try to record someone speaking, I also get every little noise in the room, and just got tired of having to edit all that out of my recordings. Enter the TASCAM DR-44WL. I actually had decided weeks ago that I wanted the DR-100mkII, but when I saw that some store were no longer carrying it, and this recorder seemed to be kinda the hybrid between the older DR-40 and DR-100mkII, I decided to take the plunge. I don't know if I would have been happier with the DR-100mkII, but I'll never know. Positives: - The internal mic does sound good, as good as you would expect from a $300 handheld - button layout is nice, I like having multiple buttons instead of having to do everything through menu - Locking XLR's are great - The wifi / Iphone app. I never actually used this, so can't say how well it worked, but definitely is a cool idea, so willing to mark as positive. - Large screen Negatives: - feels cheap. compared to my Sony, the TASCAM feels like a toy, like its too light for its large size or something - External mic had a lot of noise. this may have been the mic or positioning, but I tested the same mic with a Zoom and didn't have as much noise - The annoying output safety. When you listen to a recording through headphones and have the volume set above -12, anytime the recording gets louder than normal or close to peak, the volume resets back to -12. imagine you are trying to play back something in a loud room, and have to turn up the volume, only to have the recorder override you "for your protection". - Ultimately why I'm returning it is the single input level knob. makes preparing for a recording take 10 times longer than necessary. so say you have the 2 onboard mics, and 2 external mics plugged in. to adjust their levels you have to click input button, click the button for which track you want to adjust, then turn the level dial, which has a scale of 100 and goes up or down 1 point at a time, so even that takes longer than necessary. Then to adjust the next channel, repeat. its tedious. Then imagine you finish setting up, and your recording source changes volume, and have to go through the whole thing again. It may seem like I'm nitpicking, but when you are recording sounds, theres going to be volume changes, and if it takes 10 - 20 seconds to adjust levels, you're either gonna peak or miss something in that time. For a final note, before I decided to return this recorder, I went to Guitar Center and bought a Zoom H5 to compare with. I found the Zoom with its individual level knobs, soo much easier to use. I could adjust all 3 channels before I could even adjust 1 on the TASCAM. And I found the recording quality to be comparable, though I'm not working on state of the art studio monitors, so take my comparison of quality with a grain of salt. For my purposes, ease of use wins, and I'm keeping the ZOOM H5 and returning the TASCAM.

I watched as many videos as I could before purchasing this unit, as well as asking a couple of musician friends on what type of unit to buy. It's easy to set up the wifi, which you really need because the mics are super sensitive and touching the unit during recording will come through. It uses 4 AA batteries, so I suggest you only use them to record. When you want to transfer files to your computer or other storage device, use the USB and connect for storage. Also, it has a dual recording to record a backup at a lower level in case you distort, the caveat there is it uses twice as much space and energy, so you must allocate your resources accordingly. Get a larger SD card (it comes with only 2GB, I say only, the space will last far longer than the batteries). The wifi on your phone is far more convenient than the buttons on the unit. Once you set it up, you'll never touch those buttons again. I only need a decent recorder, as I'm not talented enough for the 4 track yet, but my freinds assure me I'll be using it. GREAT UNIT!

I've been using the Tascam DR-44WL for a almost a year now. The recordings have been flawlessly capture. The only flaws are my mistakes with mic placement and level settings, but this little gizmo always gives me a clean and hiss free recording. I also use the WiFi feature with an Android phone and tablet. Pretty cool. My only complaint is very minor. I use external mics and the levels are usually too hot for rock concerts. I can't turn the recording levels any lower. I use XLR connecting microphones with an in-line attenuator to tame the hot signals. I've recorded about 25 concerts and I couldn't be happier with the results.

After using this for almost two years I have found this to be a highly unreliable recorder. Works most of the time but can be buggy. Often reports that the batteries are low when they are not. Often does not record from external inputs, you have to reboot and then you can record. I would choose a far more robust recorder than this for location or concert recording. I expected better from quality from Tascam.

I must say the sound quality of this recorder really blew me away. Considering that it was released in late 2014, now it's been more than six years, but I challenge anyone who can beat the sound quality of this recorder under a studio setting. I purchased this unit not expecting much difference on the sound, but because it is uniquely featured with WIFI capability. Funny thing is though, the wifi is probably what I least like about (it is way too slow- but still must consider its age), it is after all par excellence on recording "voice." It does that perfectly.

Graban súper bien ,yo grabó instrumentos de orquesta sinfonica y la calidad es muy buena ,como nota los micrófonos que trae incorporados no se pueden mover y cambiar de orientación,son fijos ,pero eso no importa captan muy bien el sonido

Per me che non avevo grandissima confidenza con le registrazioni audio, devo dire che questo prodotto è stata una rivoluzione. Utilissimo e abbastanza facile da usare. Ottimo e maneggevole sia per matrimoni che per registrazioni musicali e di eventi. Le piccole dimensioni e la buona durata grazie a 4 pile stilo AA lo hanno reso un compagno di lavoro insostituibile. Buoni i microfoni in dotazione, registrano un suono pulito e senza troppi disturbi.

Die internen Mikrofone haben eine exzellente Audio-Qualität. Bemerkenswert ist, dass der Rekorder saubere Mitten und brillante Höhen liefert und dennoch auch tiefste Bässe aufzeichnen kann - mit anderen Worten, es haut einen echt vom Hocker. Dabei sind die internen Mikrofone extrem neutral, ohne Färbung, sehr natürlich. Und ausreichend laut sind sie auch. Verglichen mit dem Zoom H5, Zoom H4n Pro, Tascam DR-40X sind die internen Mikros klar besser. Für DR-40(X)-Besitzer: Die XLR-Vorverstärker sind nicht anders als am DR-40(X). Im direkten Vergleich ist keine Differenz nicht auszumachen, sie klingen identisch. Wahrscheinlich sind die Vorverstärker die Selben. Wobei sie klanglich bei beiden Rekordern natürlich nicht schlecht sind. Die WLAN-Verbindung funktioniert perfekt (iPhone7). Eine klare Empfehlung für diesen Rekorder. Für einige wirkt der DR-44wl billig: Ich konnte das nicht feststellen, die Verarbeitung ist gut und über jeden Zweifel erhaben. Für mich macht er einen qualitativ hochwertigen Eindruck.

I've been looking for a portable recorder to better capture audio than I can get via my phone. Torn between this device and its sibling, the DR-22WL which is smaller and more easily portable, I finally settled on the DR-44WL when I learned about its dual recording capability - you can choose to make a recording in two different formats OR at two different recording levels simultaneously. With the latter, should audio levels get so high that the recording becomes limited/distorted, the lower level "fall-back" track can still be used. I have no experience of other recorders so can't comment on how this unit compares to them, but using it to make recordings of a couple of performances in Symphony Hall, Birmingham I was left astounded at the quality of the audio captured. The subjects offered a wide dynamic range and the dual level recording feature worked exactly as I'd hoped. Leaving the input level set to its default, the device captured perfect recordings across different musical groups. I'll need to spend a little time figuring out optimum input level settings, but in the meantime the device saves me from my own limitations. The Wi-Fi integration, I initially dismissed as something that would have limited utility but I wouldn't be without it now. Battery life has been great and the device has plenty of advanced features that I'm not ready to tackle yet; 4 track recording, Multi-Track recording, XLR Mic inputs, Mid Side Mic capability and track mixing functionality. Nice surprises were the inclusion of a metronome and chromatic tuner functions. The DR-44WL comes with a soft case, power supply, mic stand adapter, foam wind-shield and hot-shoe adapter that aren't supplied with the DR-22WL. It was also fitted with a Class 4 4GB Micro SD HC card and adapter, so there is no immediate need to buy one with the device unless you need something bigger. The device takes a second or so to switch on/off, and requires a deliberate action to slide a sprung switch and hold it in position until the unit activates/deactivates but this I see as an advantage and security against accidental operation. Once operational the device responds to button presses quickly. The record button requires two presses to activate. The first press initiates a 'record hold' function that lets you check inputs and levels and adjust them as required, the second press starts the recording. The only downside I've found so far is that the recordings the device creates expose weakness elsewhere - the wide frequency range captured by the device can't be reproduced by my favourite headphones so I'll have to replace those now too *sigh*